Colossians 2:12–13 is another passage where baptism, faith, death and new life appear very close together. Paul writes that believers were: “buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God…” A baptism study may ask:
“What do you see here about baptism?”
The expected answers are:
- One is buried with Christ in baptism and raised through faith.
- Scriptural baptism occurs with faith.
- Anyone incapable of faith cannot be baptized.
- Baptism is the point where faith saves.
The first two observations have a clear connection to Paul's language. The last two require additional interpretive steps. Let's watch the progression.
Start With What Paul Actually Says
Paul clearly connects baptism with participation in the story of Jesus. The believers have been: buried with Christ in baptism and raised with Christ through faith in the working of God. Notice where Paul places the power. It isn't presented as faith in baptism itself. It is: “faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” That's an important distinction. God is the one doing the work. And once again, resurrection sits at the center of the baptism imagery.
Who Is Paul Talking To?
This matters. Paul isn't giving unconverted people instructions about how to become Christians. He's writing to people who are already part of the community in Colossae. Just before the baptism language, Paul tells them: “In Christ you have been brought to fullness.” He then uses the imagery of circumcision, burial, baptism, resurrection and new life to describe what has happened to them in Christ. So once again, we're reading a description of Christian identity and asking it a different question: At precisely what point did salvation occur? That doesn't mean the question is illegitimate. But it does mean we brought the question to the passage.
Watch the Progression
1. Paul connects baptism with burial with Christ.
That's explicit in the text.
2. Paul connects being raised with Christ with faith.
That's explicit too:
“raised with him through your faith in the working of God.”
3. The study concludes that baptism requires personal faith.
That's a reasonable inference from the passage and certainly worth discussing.
4. The study makes one more move.
“Baptism is the point where faith saves.”
That's the step worth examining. Paul doesn't actually say: “Baptism is the point where faith saves.” He says they were: “raised with him through your faith in the working of God.” Those aren't necessarily contradictory statements. But they aren't identical statements either. One is Paul's language. The other is a theological conclusion drawn from it.
Does This Passage Establish Who Can Be Baptized?
The study also concludes: “Anyone who cannot have faith cannot be baptized.” Again, we should distinguish between an argument and an explicit statement. Paul certainly associates baptism and faith here. But he's not discussing: Who qualifies for baptism? He's not discussing infants. He's not establishing a minimum age. He's not giving instructions to someone performing baptisms. He's describing what happened to the Colossian believers. Someone may use this passage as part of a larger argument about who should be baptized. But that's different from saying Paul makes that argument here. That's precisely the distinction BP wants readers to learn to recognize.
“Baptism Is the Point Where Faith Saves”
This statement is especially interesting because it combines two ideas in the passage and then adds something else: a precise point. We've encountered this repeatedly throughout the baptism study. Acts 2 becomes: the point forgiveness occurs. John 3 becomes: the point someone is born again. Romans 6 becomes: the point someone enters new life. Acts 22 becomes: the point sins are washed away. 1 Peter 3 becomes: the point separating lost from saved. And now Colossians 2 becomes: the point where faith saves. That repeated word—point—deserves our attention.
Because the passages themselves use rich imagery about death, resurrection, cleansing, forgiveness, faith, new life, allegiance and participation in Christ. The study repeatedly turns that imagery into a precise chronological boundary. That may be the theology of the study more than the language of the individual texts.
Look at Verse 13
Paul continues: “When you were dead in your sins…God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.” Notice the subject again: God. God made you alive. God forgave. God raised Jesus. This whole section emphasizes the activity of God. That's why Paul's phrase deserves to remain intact: “through your faith in the working of God.” The center of gravity isn't the person's ability to perform baptism correctly. It's trust in what God has done through Christ.
Something Bigger Is Happening Here
Keep reading Colossians 2 and the story gets even larger. Paul says God: made you alive with Christ forgave your sins, canceled the record of debt and disarmed the powers and authorities. This isn't merely an explanation of the mechanics of conversion. It's a declaration of God's victory through Christ. Baptism belongs inside that story. But when we isolate verses 12–13 primarily to establish the exact moment faith becomes effective, we risk shrinking Paul's argument.
A Better Question
Instead of asking only: “At what point does faith save?” we could ask: What is Paul trying to tell the Colossians about what God has done for them in Christ?
Then we can wrestle with:
- Why does Paul connect baptism with burial and resurrection?
- What does “faith in the working of God” mean?
- Why is God consistently the active subject?
- Is Paul establishing qualifications for baptism, or describing the experience of these believers?
- Does Paul identify baptism as “the point where faith saves,” or is that a conclusion we're drawing from his imagery?
- How does baptism fit into the larger story of death, resurrection, forgiveness and new life?
Those questions don't diminish baptism. They allow Paul's argument to remain larger than the system we're trying to build from it. And once again, perhaps the most important question is: Which part came from the text, and which part came from us?
Explore This Question Next
Does Romans 6 Say Baptism Is the Moment You Enter a New Life?
For the larger question: