“In him you were also circumcised, in putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:11-12)

I once heard a story about how bank tellers are trained to spot counterfeit money. It’s a fascinating process. They don’t spend hours studying fake bills. Instead, they become experts on the real thing. They learn the precise feel of the paper, the look of the ink, and the placement of every security feature. By knowing the genuine article so intimately, any counterfeit immediately stands out.

This is a beautiful picture of our journey in faith. The Apostle Paul understood this principle well. He knew that the best defense against deception is a deep understanding of the truth. In his letter to the Colossians, after warning them twice not to be deceived by fine-sounding arguments, he gives them two powerful illustrations to help them know the real thing.

He writes, “In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:11-12).

These two pictures—spiritual circumcision and baptism—are not just religious rituals. They are profound illustrations of the incredible change that happens when we come to Christ. They help us recognize our true identity and spot the enemy’s counterfeits.

The Old Self Is Gone

First, Paul uses the illustration of circumcision. In the Old Testament, physical circumcision was the sign of God's covenant with Abraham. It was an outward cutting away of flesh that set God's people apart. Paul takes this physical act and reveals its deeper spiritual meaning for us. He says that in Christ, we have undergone a spiritual circumcision, one "not performed by human hands."

What was cut away? Paul says it was our "whole self ruled by the flesh." This is the sin nature we inherited from Adam, the part of us that was bent toward sin. This spiritual circumcision, performed by Christ Himself, decisively removes that old nature. It doesn't mean we will never sin again, but it does mean our fundamental identity has changed. We are no longer defined as "sinners" by nature; we have been given a new nature, the very nature of Christ.

This is a truth the enemy works hard to obscure. He constantly pushes counterfeit messages, telling you that you are just a sinner, defined by your mistakes. He wants you to stay focused on a battle against a "sin nature" that Christ has already dealt with. Why? Because if you’re busy fighting a battle that’s already been won, you won’t be living in the victory Christ secured for you. The truth is, His new nature is now your nature. Recognizing this will help you live in holiness more naturally than you ever could by striving on your own.

Raised to a New Life

The second illustration Paul gives is baptism. This is a picture that helps us visualize what happens in our spiritual circumcision. When we are baptized in water, we are submerged, representing death and burial. Then we are brought up out of the water, representing resurrection to a new life.

Paul connects this directly to our new identity. He says we were "buried with him in baptism" and "raised with him through your faith." This is a powerful image. At the moment of salvation, our old self—the one ruled by the flesh—died. That death was final. And just as something that dies is buried and gone for good, so too is our old identity.

But the story doesn't end in the grave. We were also "raised with him." We come up out of the water as something entirely new, patterned after Jesus. We get a clean slate, a fresh start. We now have His life-giving spiritual DNA. This is why Paul could say elsewhere that we are a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Everything we were before Christ has been buried, and we have been raised to walk in a new kind of life.

This truth helps us identify another counterfeit. The enemy loves to bring up your past, to accuse you with old failures and shame. He wants your identity to remain tied to who you were. But the truth is, that person is gone. Every time an old accusation comes to mind, you can remind yourself of the truth: you have been raised with Christ and are now seated with Him in heavenly places, where those old things cannot touch you. Your identity is now and forever associated with Him.

Embrace Your True Identity

It’s important to remember that both spiritual circumcision and baptism are pictures of a spiritual reality your enemy does not want you to understand. They illustrate the profound, decisive change that has already happened inside you. You are not just a slightly improved version of your old self. You have been fundamentally changed.

Understanding these two realities will help you see the truth of who you are in Him. God has not just changed your status before Him; He has changed you from the inside out and dealt with your old, corrupted nature. Meditate on this truth. Let it sink deep into your heart. You can live in the freedom and power of this new reality because it is who you truly are. You are a new creation, raised to life in Christ.

Personal Reflection Questions

1. How does knowing your old self was "cut away" and buried with Christ change how you view a recurring sin or past mistake?

2. In what practical way can you live out your "new life" today, reminding yourself that you were raised with Christ?

3. The enemy often uses counterfeit messages about our identity. What is one truth about your new nature in Christ that you can hold onto to spot these lies?