This verse explains what Paul means by “Christian circumcision”: it is the spiritual transformation depicted in the Christian rite of baptism. The structure of the sentence in Greek clearly reveals his thinking: “… in union with him you were circumcised … having been buried (or because you were buried) with him in baptism.”
The Greek word for baptism here is the active form baptismos (elsewhere the passive baptisma). It may be that the act of baptism is here being stressed, in contrast with the result of the act, denoted by the passive form (so Lightfoot). But it is highly improbable that any such subtle distinction occurs between this passage and Rom 6.4.
Whenever possible it is important to use a term for baptism which will be acceptable to all groups practicing this Christian rite. The tendency has been to use a transliterated borrowing based either on Greek or upon some modern language. In this way unnecessary controversy can usually be avoided. In some instances, a rather technical expression for baptism has arisen which is acceptable to all concerned. For example, in the Maya language of Yucatan, baptism is described as “to enter the water,” a phrase first used by Roman Catholics, then by Presbyterians, and now by a number of different groups many of which practice immersion. In a number of areas, an expression such as “water ceremony” has been employed. In this way no specific mention is made of the quantity of the water nor the type of contact between the water and the baptized person. In some instances, a more specific expression such as “washing ceremony” has arisen and is generally accepted by most Christian groups to designate all the different types of baptism. In certain instances, immersionists have later reacted against such terminology, considering it incompatible with their practice. They have therefore insisted on having in their own translations or editions of the Scriptures a term meaning “to dip beneath the surface.” It is unfortunate when differences with regard to relatively secondary matters tend to figure so largely in people’s reaction to particular translations, and accordingly every effort should be made to employ a completely neutral expression.
You were buried with Christ: the verb sunthaptomai occurs elsewhere only in Rom 6.4, “by our baptism, then we were buried with him.” This “burial” took place as the person was lowered into the water, and the accompanying “resurrection,” as he or she was being brought up out of the water. Baptism symbolized death and resurrection with Christ, the end of the old self and the beginning of a new life.
The statement you were buried with Christ must often be marked as a figurative expression by means of an expression such as “as it were” or “like,” for example, “you were buried, as it were, with Christ” or “it is just like you had been buried with Christ.” Only in this way is the reader likely to grasp the significance of this figurative usage in which baptism is spoken of as a kind of burial.
A literal rendering of buried with Christ might suggest “buried alongside of Christ,” which is obviously not what the expression means. Accordingly, it may be necessary to translate “buried in the way Christ was buried.”
The phrase in baptism must frequently be expanded into an entire clause, for example, “when you were baptized” or “at the time of your being baptized.”
You were also raised with Christ: the only other occurrences of sunegeirō are in 3.1, Eph 2.6. This spiritual resurrection is effected through your faith in the active power of God. For “active power” see 1.29.
The passive expression you were also raised must in many languages be made active, and therefore one may say “God also raised you up” or “God gave you new life.” It may also be necessary, in this context, to indicate that “being raised” is figurative. Obviously the person is not literally buried nor is he literally caused to live again. Therefore, one may wish to translate you were also raised as “you were also, so to speak, caused to live again.” If God is made the subject of the raising from the dead, it would be important to translate as “God also caused you to live again by his power.”
A literal rendering of with Christ might suggest that the baptized people were raised up at the precisely same time that Christ was raised from the dead. This would apply only to those who had been baptized before Christ’s death. It may, therefore, be important to render with Christ as “even as Christ was raised.” More often however one may use a somewhat expanded phrase which will not suggest immediate association, for example, “along with Christ.”
In the series of phrases through your faith in the active power of God, both faith and the active power of God are connected with the resurrection. The active power of God is not only the goal of faith but it is also the instrument for the resurrection. The faith, may therefore be interpreted as an essential element in the resurrection but not necessarily the instrument of it. As an essential element in the process, it is often expressed as a type of secondary cause. As a result, the central section of verse 12 may be rendered as “when you were baptized, God caused you also to live again, as it were, by his power. He raised you up, as it were, along with Christ. This happened as a result of your confidence in God’s power.” Only in this way can one sometimes reflect satisfactorily a series of prepositional phrases such as with Christ, through your faith, in the active power, and of God.
Who raised him from death: literally “from dead ones,” the idea being that of the world of dead people whose company a person joins at death. Who raised him from death may be translated as “who caused Christ to live again” or in some languages “who gave back to Christ his life.”
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .