A Circumcision Made Without Hands

by Mike Ratliff

For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form, and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 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. (Colossians 2:9-12 NET)

In light of our study on The Holiness of God,  with the emphasis on God’s separation from the fallenness and sin of creation, let us look at the part of His work in our regeneration that washes us clean. There is a great deal of false teaching in our time that claims that people can be saved without repentance and surrender to the Lordship of Christ. However, as we have seen the last several posts, both repentance and surrender to the Lordship of Christ comes through regeneration and, therefore, are not “works.”