When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.” Colossians 2:11-15 NLT
The Jewish male was to be circumcised on the eighth day following birth (see Genesis 17:9-14). This was a covenant seal between God and the descendants of Abraham. This act involved a shedding of blood and a cutting away of flesh. The flesh represented the corrupt nature of man due to sin. The bloodshed was a symbol of life because life is in the blood. These two things were a shadow (representation) of the body and blood of Jesus that would be given for the sins of man (see Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20; John 13:1-30). Paul makes it clear that Jesus is the circumcision of the believer in multiple passages of the New Testament epistles (Romans 2;28-29; Galatians 2:16; 3:13-14; 5:1-12; Colossians 2:11). Other places in the New Testament explain the issue in more detail as well. Simply read the book of Galatians and it will clear up the issue. Jesus Christ is our All in all! When we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior and followed His example and command of baptism, we declared the death of the old man and the resurrection of the new. In Christ Jesus we are made completely new (2 Corinthians 5:17). We used to be dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1 and Colossians 2:13). Now, through Jesus Christ, we are made alive. Through Him we have been spiritually resurrected to life and one day we will experience the physical resurrection to a new body (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Corinthians 15:51-58; Philippians 3:21). Jesus Christ has won the victory for all those who trust in Him. He is the Victor!!! We used to be the victims of sin. Now, we are the victors through Jesus Christ our Lord. “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 NLT Stop fighting for victory and start living in victory through the power of Jesus Christ. He's the only one who has ever won the race of life. Abandon your feeble attempts to win and fall into the arms of His mercy and grace. He's all you need!
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![]() Rev. Curtis Norris Archives
March 2020
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