In Him you were also circumcisedThis phrase refers to a spiritual circumcision that believers experience through their union with Christ. In the Old Testament, physical circumcision was a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham's descendants (
Genesis 17:10-14). It was an outward sign of belonging to God's chosen people. However, in the New Testament, the focus shifts to a spiritual circumcision of the heart (
Romans 2:28-29), symbolizing the believer's separation from sin and dedication to God. This spiritual circumcision is not a physical act but a transformation that occurs through faith in Christ.
in the putting off of your sinful nature
The "putting off" refers to the removal or stripping away of the sinful nature, often described as the "flesh" in biblical terms. This concept is rooted in the idea of dying to one's old self and being reborn in Christ (Romans 6:6). The sinful nature, characterized by rebellion against God and inclination towards sin, is symbolically removed through the believer's identification with Christ's death and resurrection. This transformation is a key aspect of the believer's sanctification process, where they are progressively made holy.
with the circumcision performed by Christ
This circumcision is not a physical act but a spiritual one, accomplished by Christ Himself. It signifies the believer's complete identification with Christ's death and resurrection. Through His sacrificial death, Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law and provided a way for believers to be spiritually renewed (Ephesians 2:11-13). This act of spiritual circumcision is a divine work, emphasizing that salvation and sanctification are initiated and completed by Christ, not by human effort.
and not by human hands
This phrase underscores the divine nature of the spiritual circumcision believers undergo. Unlike the physical circumcision performed by human hands, this transformation is a supernatural work of God. It highlights the insufficiency of human rituals and efforts in achieving true spiritual renewal. This aligns with the broader New Testament teaching that salvation is by grace through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). The emphasis is on the inward change brought about by the Holy Spirit, rather than external religious observances.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
PaulThe apostle who wrote the letter to the Colossians, addressing issues of false teachings and emphasizing the supremacy of Christ.
2.
ColossaeAn ancient city in Asia Minor where the church addressed in this letter was located.
3.
ChristCentral figure in Christianity, whose spiritual circumcision is discussed in this verse.
4.
CircumcisionA physical act in Jewish tradition symbolizing the covenant with God, here used metaphorically to describe a spiritual transformation.
5.
Sinful NatureThe inherent human tendency to sin, which believers are called to put off through Christ.
Teaching Points
Spiritual Transformation Over Physical RitualsThe circumcision mentioned in
Colossians 2:11 is not a physical act but a spiritual transformation performed by Christ. This emphasizes the importance of inner change over external rituals.
Putting Off the Sinful NatureBelievers are called to put off their sinful nature, akin to removing old garments. This is a continuous process of sanctification, enabled by Christ's work in us.
Christ's Supremacy in SalvationThe verse underscores that salvation and spiritual renewal are accomplished through Christ alone, not by human efforts or traditions.
Unity in ChristThe spiritual circumcision unites all believers, regardless of their background, into one body in Christ, breaking down barriers of division.
Living Out Our New IdentityAs those who have been spiritually circumcised, believers are encouraged to live out their new identity in Christ, reflecting His character in their daily lives.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Colossians 2:11?
2.How does Colossians 2:11 describe spiritual circumcision compared to physical circumcision?
3.What does "putting off the body of the flesh" mean for believers?
4.How can we apply the concept of spiritual circumcision in daily Christian living?
5.How does Colossians 2:11 connect with Romans 2:29 about inward transformation?
6.In what ways can we encourage others to embrace their spiritual circumcision in Christ?
7.What does "circumcision made without hands" in Colossians 2:11 mean for Christian identity?
8.How does Colossians 2:11 relate to the Old Testament practice of circumcision?
9.What is the significance of "putting off the body of the flesh" in Colossians 2:11?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Colossians 2?
11.What does "circumcision of the heart" mean?
12.(Exodus 4:24–26) What is the significance and historical context of the bizarre episode where God seeks to kill Moses, and Zipporah circumcises their son?
13.How do ten Protestant denominations compare?
14.What is the significance of circumcision in the Bible?What Does Colossians 2:11 Mean
In Him“In Him you were also circumcised …” (Colossians 2:11)
• Everything starts with union with Christ. Just asJohn 15:4 invites believers to “remain in Me,” this phrase reminds us that every spiritual blessing flows from being placed into Jesus (Ephesians 1:3).
• Union means identity: if anyone is “in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We do not seek transformation apart from Him; we receive it inside the sphere of His life.
you were also circumcised• Paul points back to God’s covenant sign with Abraham, yet shifts the focus to an inward reality.Deuteronomy 30:6 promised, “The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts,” andRomans 2:29 clarifies that “circumcision is a matter of the heart.”
•Philippians 3:3 confirms, “For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God … and put no confidence in the flesh.” In Christ, believers already possess this deeper, spiritual circumcision.
in the putting off of your sinful nature• The phrase pictures stripping away an old garment.Romans 6:6 states our “old self was crucified with Him,” so sin’s tyranny no longer enslaves us.
•Colossians 3:9-10 repeats the idea: “You have taken off the old self … and have put on the new.”
• Practically, this means
– We reject the lie that we are powerless over sin.
– We daily reckon ourselves “dead to sin but alive to God” (Romans 6:11).
– We choose to walk by the Spirit, not by the flesh (Galatians 5:16-24).
with the circumcision performed by Christ• The Agent is Christ Himself; He personally accomplishes the heart-surgery.Titus 3:5 calls it “the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
•Hebrews 9:11-14 points to Jesus as the superior High Priest who purifies our conscience, accomplishing internally what external rituals never could.
• Because He performs it, the work is perfect, complete, and irreversible.
and not by human hands• No ceremony, tradition, or human effort can remove sin’s root.Acts 7:48 notes that “the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands,” and in the same way, the new birth is not manufactured by human skill.
•Hebrews 9:24 contrasts earthly copies “made by human hands” with the heavenly reality; salvation belongs in that heavenly category.
•Ephesians 2:11 speaks of physical circumcision “in the flesh, done by hands,” but Paul here insists on something far greater—God’s own craftsmanship within the believer’s heart.
summaryColossians 2:11 declares that every believer, by virtue of union with Christ, has undergone a divine heart-circumcision. Jesus Himself has cut away the dominion of the sinful nature, accomplishing what no human rite could achieve. Because this work is His and not ours, we can live confidently in the freedom and new identity He has already secured.
(11)
The circumcision made without hands.--This abrupt introduction of the idea of circumcision would be difficult to understand, were it not for the knowledge of the enforcement of Jewish observance so strangely mixed with this "philosophy" at Colossae. (Comp.
Ephesians 2:11, "Ye who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision in the flesh made with hands.") The phrase "made without hands" is so constantly used of heavenly realities (as in
Mark 14:58;
2Corinthians 5:1;
Hebrews 9:11;
Hebrews 9:24), as opposed to earthly symbols, that it comes to have the positive sense of "spiritual." It is defined below as "the circumcision of Christ"--that which Christ has given us in Himself--in contradistinction to the old circumcision which is now "nothing." (On the treatment of this subject in the Epistles of this period, comp. with this passage
Ephesians 2:11-12;
Philippians 3:2-3, and see Notes there.) . . .
Verse 11. -
In whom also ye were circumcised, with a circumcision not wrought by hands (
Ephesians 2:11;
Philippians 3:3;
Galatians 5:2-6;
Galatians 6:12-15;
Romans 2:25-29;
Romans 4:9-12;
1 Corinthians 7:18;
Acts 15:l, 5;
Deuteronomy 30:6).
Circumcision was insisted on by the new "philosophical" teacher as necessary to spiritual
completeness; but from a different standpoint, and in a manner different from that of the Pharisaic Judaizers of Galatia and of
Acts 15:1. By the latter it was preached as
matter of Law and external requirement, and so became the critical point in the decision between the opposing principles of "faith" and "works." By the philosophical school it was enjoined as
matter of symbolic moral efficiency. So Philo speaks of circumcision ('On the Migration of Abraham,' § 16) as "setting forth the excision of all the pleasures and passions, and the destruction of impious vain opinion" (see also his treatise 'On Circumcision'). From this point of view,
baptism is the Christian circumcision, the new symbolic expression of the moral change which St. Paul and his opponents alike deemed necessary, though they understood it in a different sense from him (see vers. 20-23). In this respect the Christian is already
complete, for his circumcision took place
in the stripping off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ (
Colossians 3:5, 8, 9;
Ephesians 4:22-25;
Romans 6:6;
Romans 7:18-25;
Romans 13:12;
1 Peter 2:1;
1 Peter 4:1, 2). The inserted "of the sins" is an ancient gloss.
Ἀπ(έκ(δυσις, a double compound, found only in this Epistle (see corresponding verb in ver. 15;
Colossians 3:9), denotes both "stripping off" and "putting away." "The stripping off of the body" was the ideal of the philosophical ascetics (see note on "body," ver. 23, and quotations from Philo). The apostle adds "of the flesh;"
i.e. of the body in so far as it was the body of the flesh (vers. Colossians 2:13, 18, 23;
Colossians 3:5). "The flesh" (in
Colossians 1:22 that which Christ had
put on; here that which the Christian
puts off: comp.
Romans 8:3) is "the flesh of sin," of
Romans 8:3;
Galatians 5:19;
Ephesians 2:3, etc. "The body," while identified with this "flesh," is "the body of sin" and "of death" (
Romans 6:6;
Romans 7:24; see Meyer, Godet, or Beet); sin inhabits it, clothes itself with it, and presents itself to us in its form; and this being the normal condition of unregenerate human nature, the sinful principle is naturally called
the flesh. So "the (bodily) members" become "the members that are upon the earth," employed in the pursuit of lust and greed, till they become practically one with these vices (
Colossians 3:5, see note; also
Romans 7:5, 23). Yet "the body" and "the (sinful) flesh," while in the natural man one in practice, are in principle distinguishable (ver. 23: comp.
Colossians 1:22], and separable (
Romans 6:12). The deliverance from the physical acts and habits of the old sinful life, experienced by him who is "in Christ" (ver. 10;
Romans 8:1-4;
2 Corinthians 5:17), is "the circumcision according to the Christ," or here more pointedly "of Christ" - a real and complete, instead of a partial and symbolic, putting away of the organic life and domination of sin which made the body its seat and its instrument. The genitive" of Christ
"is neither objective ("undergone by Christ"), nor subjective ("wrought by Christ"), but stands in a mere general relation - "belonging to Christ," "the Christian circumcision." The occasion of this new birth in the Colossians was their
baptism -
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Inἐν(en)Preposition
Strong's 1722:In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.Himᾧ(hō)Personal / Relative Pronoun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3739:Who, which, what, that.you were also circumcisedπεριετμήθητε(perietmēthēte)Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4059:To cut around, circumcise. From peri and the base of tomoteros; to cut around, i.e. to circumcise.inἐν(en)Preposition
Strong's 1722:In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.theτῇ(tē)Article - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.putting offἀπεκδύσει(apekdysei)Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 555:A putting off (as of a garment), a casting off. From apekduomai; divestment.of [your]τοῦ(tou)Article - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.sinful nature,σαρκός(sarkos)Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 4561:Flesh, body, human nature, materiality; kindred.withἐν(en)Preposition
Strong's 1722:In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.theτῇ(tē)Article - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.circumcisionπεριτομῇ(peritomē)Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4061:Circumcision. From peritemno; circumcision.[performed] by ChristΧριστοῦ(Christou)Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547:Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.[and]περιτομῇ(peritomē)Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4061:Circumcision. From peritemno; circumcision.not by human hands.ἀχειροποιήτῳ(acheiropoiētō)Adjective - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 886:Not made with hands. Unmanufactured, i.e. Inartificial.
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NT Letters: Colossians 2:11 In whom you were also circumcised (Coloss. Col Co)