Colossians 2:13-20
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of
your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all
trespasses;
The Á-°fleshÁ-? referred to here is not our body. The word Á-°fleshÁ-? not only refers to our
bodies, bur also to our whole person, our human nature, body and soul. St Paul goes to
great lengths to teach his Gentile brethren that physical circumcision is not necessary. It
was a Á-°typeÁ-? or foreshadowing of baptism, and when the actual is present, the type is not
needed. Á-°For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision,
but a new creature.Á-?
(Gal 6:15, see also Gal 2:3-5)
.
Although the Jews were very proud of circumcision as the physical sign that they were
the chosen people, it was always intended to refer to an inner, spiritual change in a
person:
Á-°Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more
stiffnecked.Á-?
(Deu 10:16)
Á-°And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy
seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul,
that thou mayest live.Á-?
(Deu 30:6)
Á-°For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision,
which is outward in the flesh:Á-?
(Rom 2:28)
Although circumcision and baptism both refer to a spiritual change, only baptism
enables a man to accomplish this change. The Apostle has already just taught this:
Á-°Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through
the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.Á-?
(Col
2:12)
and reiterates the point here, when he tells the Colossians that they had been Á-°
you, being
dead in their sinsÁ-?
, (to which he adds, Á-°
a
nd the uncircumcision of your fleshÁ-?, which
always must be the case for the sinner Á-? his flesh (human nature) has not been
completely purified), were Á-°quickened together with himÁ-?, that is, enabled to become
righteous by Jesus Christ
.
Colossians 2:14
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us,
which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
The Á-°handwriting of ordinancesÁ-? is the law, and our transgression of it. The Jews could not