The Spiritual Circumcision of the Believer

The spiritual circumcision of the believer is the hidden heart-work of God, by which the old, sin-ruled self is cut away and the believer is united to Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. In Colossians 2:11–12, Paul anchors the Christian’s assurance not in outward ritual but in the finished work of Christ applied by the Spirit, pictured in baptism and experienced as new life.

Complete in Christ

Paul’s burden in Colossians is to show that believers lack nothing in Christ; there is no need to add rituals, traditions, or human philosophies to be “really” spiritual. In this passage, he reaches back to Old Testament circumcision and then to the New Testament sign of baptism to show that the true change God gives is internal, not ceremonial. The gospel does not merely polish the old life; it puts the old life to death and raises up something entirely new.

What Spiritual Circumcision Is

When Paul says, “you were circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands,” he contrasts the external, physical mark given to Israel with an inward, spiritual work done by Christ Himself. Physical circumcision marked someone off as part of the covenant people; spiritual circumcision marks a person as truly belonging to God because the heart has been changed. This is the fulfillment of what Moses and the prophets anticipated, when God promised to circumcise His people’s hearts so they would love Him with all their heart and soul and live in covenant faithfulness.

From a Reformed perspective, this is the sovereign, regenerating work of the Holy Spirit: God takes out the heart of stone, gives a heart of flesh, and writes His law within. This is why outward religion, even when very sincere, can never save on its own—only the Spirit can give a new heart. The question is not simply, “Have you been around the things of God?” but “Has God, by His grace, done this inner work in you?”

The Old Self Cut Away

Paul adds that “your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ.” The “flesh” here is not your physical body, but your sinful nature as it stood in Adam—rebellious, self-centered, and powerless to obey God from the heart. In union with Christ, that old self is treated as crucified and stripped of its former ruling power. The believer is no longer defined by sin, no longer enslaved to former patterns of thought, desire, and behavior.

This does not mean the Christian never struggles; it means the dominion of sin has been broken. In Reformed language, this is the definitive aspect of sanctification: in Christ the believer has been decisively separated from the old realm of sin’s rule and brought into a new realm under Christ’s lordship. The call, then, is to stop viewing yourself primarily through the lens of your past failures or present temptations and to begin living as one who truly has been set free.

Baptism: A Public Picture of a Real Union

Paul then turns to baptism: “having been buried with him in baptism.” Baptism does not create spiritual circumcision; it publicly declares and seals what God has already done in uniting a sinner to Christ by grace through faith. Going down into the water portrays being buried with Christ—your old life judged and put to death in Him. Coming up out of the water proclaims that you share in His resurrection life.

In a Reformed framework, baptism is a covenant sign and seal. It does not magically save, yet it is not an empty symbol either. God uses it to mark out His people and to assure believers that everything Christ accomplished in His death and resurrection truly belongs to all who are united to Him by faith. When you remember your baptism, you are meant to remember not the power of the ritual, but the power of the Christ to whom it points.

Raised with Christ to New Life

Paul continues: “you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” The same divine power that raised Jesus bodily from the tomb is at work in everyone who trusts in Him. Resurrection life is not only a future hope at the last day; it is a present reality for every believer. Spiritually, you have already been made alive together with Christ, transferred from death to life.

This means the Christian life is not ultimately a self-improvement project. It is a Spirit-empowered walk in a life that Christ has already secured. The believer can pursue holiness, joy, and mission with confidence, not because of inner moral strength, but because the risen Christ lives and works in His people by the Holy Spirit. The call is to rely daily on that resurrection power—especially when obedience feels costly, when joy feels distant, and when the old patterns try to reassert themselves.

Living Out This New Identity

In light of this spiritual circumcision and resurrection life, several responses flow naturally:

• Embrace your new identity in Christ. You are no longer fundamentally defined by your sin history, family story, or personal performance, but by your union with the crucified and risen Savior.
• Let go of mere external religion. Church attendance, Christian vocabulary, and religious habits are good, but they cannot replace or imitate the inner work of grace. Trust in Christ Himself, not in your spiritual résumé.
• Walk in resurrection power. Bring your daily decisions, temptations, and fears under the rule of the living Christ, asking the Spirit to enable what He commands.
• Reflect on your baptism. Let it remind you that your old self is buried, and you belong, body and soul, to your faithful Savior.

As Pastor at Priceville Baptist Church, my desire is that this truth would not remain abstract doctrine, but would become lived reality in your heart, your home, and your habits. This kind of deep, inner transformation can only come through the gospel of Christ applied by the Spirit—but when it comes, it truly changes everything.

If this stirs questions or a hunger to understand more, you are warmly invited to join us this Sunday morning at Priceville Baptist Church. We will open Colossians 2:11–12 together, dig deeper into what it means to be spiritually circumcised and raised with Christ, and consider how to live as those who are complete in Him. You and your family will be welcomed, and the prayer is that you will encounter not just a message, but the living Christ who still cuts away the old and raises sinners to new life.