Raised from the power of sin

To be joined to Christs cross and resurrection is part of what it means to be in union with Jesus. The same language is being used In Collosians 2:11-15 Except that Paul brings in the circumcision of the heart and the cross.Again the circumcision of the heart is part of the whole solution to sinfulman. Deuteronomy 30 spoke of God circumcising his peoples hearts so that they would return to Him with all their heart and soul.Ezekiel and Jeremiah speak of this promise of the circumcision of the heart in terms God taking away the heart of stone and giving us a heart of flesh.This what Paul means by the circumcision done without hands. Paul is talking about us being complete in Christ. Paul tells us that we have been circumcised with he circumcision made not by hands, but by the putting off of sins by the circumcision of Christ. This circumcision of the heart is what the Torah in Deuteronomy 30 spoke of to happen, and later in Ezekiel 36 so that by loving the Lord with all our hearts and minds we would be pleasing to God, so we wouldn't suffer exile and alienation from Yhwh again. The people with circumcised hearts are promised restoration and an Edenic land which is the New Heavens and earth, where they will dwell under the safety and goodness of their King.
Continuing with Collosians 2 we see that we are circumcised in our hearts with great effect. vs 12 tells us the same framework of Jesus death and resurrection and how it relates to the believer. He uses similar language to Romans 6 when he speaks of us been buried with Jesus in baptism, in which you were also raised with him,through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. This baptism is not water baptism, for we see that it was in the baptism that we were also raised with him through faith in the power of God to raise Jesus from the dead. So this baptism is the promised baptism of the Spirit of God which we receive when we put our faith in him that he raised Jesus from the dead. Here Pauls application is that we experienced the power of Gods resurrection life when we put our trust in Him. This reinforced in the next verse vs13 he now applies the resurrection to saving us from the death and bondage of our sins he now makes us alive together with Jesus to God,just as Jesus was raised and made alive. Our been raised from the death and bondage of our sins has everything to do with Jesus death and resurrection. God in his grace is saving us in the same way he saved Jesus from death. vs 14 tells us that all the crimes we have commited against God have been wiped clean, and that we bear those sins and trespasses no more for they have been nailed to the cross. in vs 15 we are told that by Jesus disarming the devil to accuse us to God for our sins are not counted against us any longer. Paul tells us that he disarmed pricipalities and powers, and that Jesus triumphed over them,making a public spectacle of them on the cross.Here is the victory of God which prophets of old longed to see. The disarming of sin, death and the devil. All these 3 are the ultimate enemy of every man. He disarmed the devil by taking away his power to accuse Gods people once and for all. He then disarms the devil by delivering His people from the power of slavery to sin to do the devils will. The devils goods have been plundered because Jesus is stronger than the strongman the devil. Because Jesus has bound the strongman, Jesus is able to plunder his goods and to take away his slaves to set them free in liberty to serve God in Jesus Christ. The nations had been held for 1000's of years but no more for the time of Gods Kingdom has come and the devil having been defeated has been put on notice that His time is short. And lastly the victory of God over death by Christs resurrection from the dead. The devil now knows his power to hold the people of the earth is coming to its end. Death has been destroyed and so people have hope of living as true humans obedient to God in a world where death will not end every hope and every dream and where sin won't result in ruined lives. Rather Jesus has won the victory by destroying death and bringing in the death of death. Death and Satan will gloat no more!!!!!! Jesus has won the most amazing and incredible victory. The devil sin and death have been defeated by the cross and resurrection of Christ Jesus. But to answer those sceptics who say how? the world continues as before. The answer is this that the time until Jesus return is what is called in military terms a mopping up operation. For when Jesus returns we will see His visible rule and the great coup d'etat of the rulers of the world. Sin death and the devil will be destroyed forever and life and immortality, justice, mercy and the rule of God will be over all the earth. God will at last be king and righteousness will be over all the earth. There will be no more terror and we will be as we should be, truly human in the likeness of Jesus Gods own son. The second new creation will have come and we will be sinless not able again to sin and fall fom Gods favour. Thank you Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the work of God and can only come about by God joining us to the New covenant. But for people to be experiencing the promises of recreation as found in the New covenant means that the time of the New Creation has started to break through. So what we are reading are the promises made to Israel concerning her restoration . Here in Jesus, we find that the Jews and gentiles are partaking of these promises together by being joined to the resurrected King of Israel. If these promises of restoration are coming to pass, then the time of the Kingdom has begun in the ministry of Jesus.If the new creation has begun then we are in the time of the Kingdom. Yes, "Now and not Yet." The new creation is a 1st fruit of the finished work of the New creation which comes when the Kingdom is established. For Ezekiel 36 for sees that the recreated people of the New Covenant are the ones who return to the recreated land of Eden.
Vs&13 speaks the language of Ephesians 2 and describes that when we put our faith in him and the power of God, to raise from the dead,we were effectually raised with him in His resurrection. So just as we will be raised from the dead if we are not alive when Jesus returns. The hope of Israel was to be raised from the dead at the last day (John 11) to partake of the New creation, which is the Kingdom of God. When raised they would as New creations be sinless righteous people, completely pleasing to Yhwh. Rather God has already begun to do this, the New creation people have begun to be Torah observant, before the great events of the New creation which must still take place. The law of Yhwh is written on their hearts, and Yhwhs' Spirit in them causes them to walk in righteousness. This is the beginning of the awaited work of God making everything new. Paul puts it in one sentence in 2Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, all things have become new. Parallel this with Revelation 21:1 where the same language is used. It talks of the first creation passing away and in vs4&5 it speaks of the former things been passed away and vs5 speaks of "behold I make all things new." The language used to describe the Kingdom of God "then" is used of us who are in Christ "now".

This is connected to our sins been blotted out. It is described in terms of a criminal prosecution charge sheet, been removed and found not guilty, This results in all our trespasses being forgiven. Notice he says all, so let all be just that, all. All our sins and trespasses are nailed to the cross. Here we have all the ingredients that Moses and the prophets spoke of for Israel to be restored. The circumcision of the heart, the resurrection and forgiveness of sins through the sacrifice of Jesus. They are all the experience of the Christian "Now!!!!" And will be completed on the day of Christ Jesus, to be joined to the new creation of all things.