In him you also were circumcised—not, however, with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshly body, that is, through the circumcision done by Christ. Having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead.
Into the Text
What does Paul mean when he speaks of the “fleshly body”? The “flesh” is the nature we are all born with. It’s the drive inside every person to be independent of God’s help. In our fallen condition, every person’s heart is dominated by the flesh.
The Bible teaches that there is nothing redeemable about our flesh. No amount of human effort will improve it. We need a radical solution.
And that’s what happens when we put our faith in Jesus. When we give up trusting in our own morality and goodness and confess our sins and embrace what Jesus did on the cross, we are “circumcised.” Our old nature is “cut away”, killed, and buried with Him. We are raised again to live a new life. We are “born again” with a new nature, one that is indwelled by the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of Jesus living in us.
Sometimes, the reason we get defeated by sin and discouraged as Christians is because we have forgotten what Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross. We need to believe afresh that He carried all our sins to those wooden beams. The certificate of our debt has been paid in full.
Faith is agreeing to what God says is true. Don’t listen to the devil when he tries to convince you that you still own a debt or that you will never be able to overcome your sin. Instead, believe the reality that your sins have been cancelled. You have been raised to a new life, the life of Jesus in you.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for burying my sinful nature and raising me to new life with you. Amen.