11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
When God’s Spirit comes into our lives we are made complete the way God intended us to be. We were dead to the Lord and now, by faith in the works of Jesus Christ, we are made alive. All our sins have been forgiven. We are complete in Him because He dwells in us and has that power to bring us spiritual life.
The Gnostic legalists said that Jewish laws could help the believers become more spiritual if they were circumcised and follow certain days and practices. They would be part of the Holy elite.
Paul uses the illustration of circumcision to point to the past. Paul explains this was a sign of putting off the sinful nature and being in the family of God by means of the covenant.
When our Lord was crucified, the sin that He assumed on our behalf was removed. That is the point. The foreskin of the flesh is a symbol of the fallen nature, the flesh. When we become a Christian the past works of the flesh are revealed for what it is, worthless in God's sight. The figure of uncircumcision represented sin. The uncircumcised heart was sinful and corrupt hearts. A circumcised heart was a heart that was seeking God’s righteousness and holiness, not man's fleshly way of doing things.
In a symbolic manner, Christ is the one that circumcises us. He uses some contrasts with the priest in the past. The Jews had an external surgery. Believers have an internal surgery of their hearts.
The Jews had part of their bodies affected. The believers have their whole body of sin removed. The Jewish method was done by hands. The believer’s circumcision is by Christ through the Holy Spirit. The Jews found no spiritual help in conquering sin, but spiritual circumcision overcomes sin. Christ circumcises us by putting off our sinful nature. He cuts off our fleshly way, or our human way, of doing things.
Sin is no longer an issue in our relationships with God. It may affect our fellowship, but not our relationship. He has fully dealt with it. Our sins have been nailed to the cross so they no longer condemn us. We are freed from the power of evil for the sincere believer.
Application: Is your heart seeking God’s righteousness and holiness?
Prayer: Lord, circumcise my heart of all the dead things that occupy my life so that I might b complete in You.
*****************************
If you wish to get the fuller version of this daily devotion, send a request via email to pastordale@outlook.com
