“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” Colossians 2:11-12.

Colossians 2:11-17 contains the apostle’s argument against Jewish legalism which was beginning to invade the Colossian church. The heresy of philosophy was covered in Colossians 2:1-10.

It seems as though even the Holy Spirit has difficulty expressing in human language the tremendous depth of the relationship that the Christian has with God in Christ.

Most Christians do not understand the power of the infinite Christ who indwells them. For a somewhat good reason too, one cannot conceive the infinite, so the size of it is either whittled down to our own earthly standards or unconsciously overlooked as a thought too great to grasp.

It is not as though we are infinite, rather it is that Christ is infinite, and “Christ in you, the hope of glory” Colossians 1:27b means that while we have difficulty just bumbling through life, the Christian has Jesus Christ whose wisdom encompasses all wisdom and all knowledge, giving us someone to consult for help in time of need.

“… in whom [the Father and Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” Colossians 2:3.

This completely negates the need to consult angels or secular books on philosophy because both are inferior to the knowledge to be gained from Christ in you through study of the Scriptures and meditation on His word.

“[Being] …rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith” Colossians 2:7a.

“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” Colossians 2:9.

Once these facts are accepted, the Christian must believe in their heart that, “…you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” Colossians 2:10 and then go on to learn of the depth of this relationship.

“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ…” Colossians 2:11.

“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands…” verse 11a, this physical act of circumcision began with a covenant which God made with Abraham 430 years before the law was given to Moses.

“This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.” Genesis 17:10-11.

Though this rite was performed upon all of the children of Abraham begotten through his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob (Israel) showing outwardly that they were Abraham’s children, all of them did not have the faith of Abraham.

“And he [Abraham] received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.” Romans 4:11-12.

Abraham is here shown as “the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them”.

In a sense then those who believed after the fashion of Abraham were circumcised in the heart indicating a saving faith.

So then, we find that all of the Jews were circumcised, but not all had the saving faith in God that their father Abraham had.

The same thing might be said for the church today, all who attend may appear to be Christians, but all are not.

God made it plain that it was His desire for the Israelites to have the faith of Abraham for salvation, and not to think that they were justified by being circumcised alone.

“Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it. The Lord delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked [rebellious] no longer.” Deuteronomy 10:14-16.

“And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” Deuteronomy 30:6.

The Christian’s circumcision “made without hands” Colossians 2:11 is one of the heart which is through Christ and is symbolic of the “putting off the body of the sins of the flesh” Colossians 2:11 again, our old rebellious nature is put away in this rite of circumcision.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

“…old things have passed away”, the evil sinful man that was is no more. And through the actions of the Holy Spirit there is a “… circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh”; which is made possible through the acceptance of Christ Jesus as savior.

These final words in Colossians 2:11, “by the circumcision of Christ” mean that Christ came to earth as a Man, as the seed of Abraham and was circumcised, identifying Himself as the Seed of Abraham.

“And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.” Luke 2:21.

Speaking to Abraham, God said this.

“In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Genesis 22:18.

“Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ.” Galatians 3:16.

To sum this up; the Christian becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus and the circumcision of the heart is symbolic of their putting away the old sinful nature and identifying themselves with Christ who came to earth in the form of a man to live a sinless life.

Jesus’ incarnation and sinless life were as the prophesied child of Abraham which is what His circumcision verifies. In other words Christ fulfilled numerous prophecies in coming to earth in the form of a man and in the lineage of Abraham.

When we accept Christ as savior, God sees us as clothed in Christ and as sinless as Christ. Not only sinless in Christ, but a child of God.

The Christian, now seen as sinless in Christ, and having put off the old man, is then buried in baptism, identifying with the death and resurrection of Jesus; being raised with Christ through faith in God who raised Him from the dead.

“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Romans 6:3-6.

The Holy Spirit continues speaking to this Gentile church which would have a number of Jews among its members, so the words are for all, yet they are directed to the uncircumcision – Gentiles.

The intent here is to keep the church from putting itself under the Jewish law, thus burdening the members with a legalism that Christ had already set them free from.

“And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14.

Trespasses according to “Thayer’s Greek Lexicon”, is defined as, “A lapse or deviation from truth and uprightness – a sin, misdeed.”

Of this, the apostle says that they were dead in trespasses; spiritually dead and on their way to hell.

Just as you might call a person sentenced to death a dead man, even though he is not dead yet, so God calls those who are without Christ and alive, dead in trespasses.

“…uncircumcision of your flesh” meaning that they were not alive to God, by having a faith like Abraham (a circumcision of the heart), nor had they come to God by the literal circumcision of faith in the God of Israel.

“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh – who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands – that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:11-13.

As a result of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, as the Lamb of God, all who look upon His sacrifice and accept it as their own are made spiritually alive and have been forgiven all of their trespasses, sins.

It is important to remember that Colossians 2:13b-14a states that He has “forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us”; all means all do not let anyone tell you different.

People who were found guilty of a crime in a Roman court would have their charges written on a paper which was then nailed next to their cell door, when their sentence was complete, the paper with the charges would be taken down and the word finished would be written across it and it would be given to them.

“…having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” Colossians 2:14.

After six hours of intense suffering on the cross, Jesus called out, “I thirst!”

“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” John 19:30.

“My sin – oh, the bliss of this glorious tho’t – My sin – not in part, but the whole, Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul.” Hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul” by H.G. Spafford.

“Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” Colossians 2:15.

Ancient Roman victories were celebrated with a parade through the streets of the city to a temple where a sacrifice was made to a god in thanks for the victory.

Though the details are sketchy, this parade would be led by the chained and humiliated prisoners, including the leaders, generals, allies, soldiers, and sometimes their families, these were being led to their execution or further display.

Prisoners were followed by the treasures plundered from the vanquished peoples.

The members of the senate, the magistrates and generals, followed this on foot, the victorious general on a chariot drawn by four horses was next followed by his officers, then the army marched by unarmed, singing and chanting. Sometimes there were other Roman citizens or families in this celebration.

It is my opinion that these pompous and humiliating spectacles are the result of the demonic world working through the evil heart of sinful men to create as much pain and anguish as possible on the part of those who have lost the battle.

Well and good you may say they probably did the same to others and now it is their turn.

But these displays go beyond necessity, which is what a cruel demonic world always eggs mankind on to do.

These Roman parades were probably humane compared to those of the Assyrians and other sadistic nations that led their captives back stripped and with hooks in their jaws.

It is possible that this is the reason that Christ, when He had risen victorious and having disarmed the fallen angels of the “principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them” Colossians 2:15.

Giving them a taste of their own medicine and a view to what their future holds on Judgment Day. Satan too was a part of this spectacle, having been defeated at the foot of the cross.

This procession would have been huge because it was not just the fallen angels who were humiliated, but Paradise was emptied when Jesus rose, because He took them to heaven with Him.

Up to that point, all of the righteous went to Paradise when they died (see Luke 16:19-31), not to heaven, but now the way was made by the shed blood of Christ for mankind to enter heaven. It is hard to imagine what this scene must have looked like.

“Therefore He says: ‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.’ (Now this, ‘He ascended’ – what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)” Ephesians 4:8-10.

“Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” Colossians 2:16-17.

This is something for the Colossian church and all Christians to realize; whenever someone comes in and teaches the church something new, telling them that they should keep the Ten Commandments, do good works to maintain salvation, or eat only certain foods, beware.

When someone brings a new teaching or a revelation from a source outside of Scripture, beware because it will be these same principalities and powers who having been disarmed and humiliated want to avenge themselves by enslaving you again to the world’s philosophies.

“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8.

Colossians 2:11-17 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 1-15-14, updated on 3-27-20.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.