Circumcision Made Without Hands

Reading today from the book of Colossians chapter 3 beginning at the first verse. 

[Colossians 1:1-17: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."]

Notice also in the second chapter of the book of Colossians the ninth verse. (Reads Colossians 2:9-23) 
[Colossians 2:9-23: "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 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. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 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; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh."]

(Reads Colossians 3:1,2) 
[Colossians 3:1-2: "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."]

I repeat those two passages there to tie these together. Now we can see here that Paul tells us that we are to put on the bowels of humility and the garments of humility, that we might have the bond of charity, which is perfectness in God, in that God is love, and faith worketh by love. And our justification is by faith in God. And he tells us that in this wonderful move of God there is no respect of person. For there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian. There is not any of these, but in Christ we are born again as a new man. And the great mystery of how that God has made all one body in the Lord Jesus Christ. For in Him is all fullness. And it tells us here that our circumcision is not made with hands. It's the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. So then we see that God, even our father Abraham, receiving of God, that he received this sign of circumcision as a seal of the faith that was given to him, in that he was considered to be faithful in all things. And we realize that with this, that this circumcision was then symbolic until the time should come as to when the seed of Christ should come, or the seed of God unto whom the promises were made as even in Abraham, when they were ordained in the hands of a mediator. So then in that now the seed is come, Christ is come, the prophet like unto Moses has come. And now then in that He has come, there is a new meaning to circumcision. And Paul said, Because of this let no man judge you in a new moon or in a sabbath, or in those things as to circumcision, as those things being a type and a shadow of that which was to be unveiled, when the veil was rent in twain at Calvary, these things were to be unveiled, when the veil was rent in twain at Calvary. These things were to be unveiled and brought to light. Given to us in Christ before the world ever was by the foreknowledge and predestination of our heavenly Father, and brought to light at Calvary as the rending of the veil, through this great drama of the last wonderful stages of the god-life, made manifest in mortal genes or in a mortal body. So then we see that we are circumcised in that when you are buried in baptism with Him, we put off the old man. For the Bible said, He that is baptized hath put on Christ. And being baptized we are buried with the Lord Jesus in death that we might be raised in the likeness of the new form. For the Bible said He was buried, delivered for our offenses, raised again for our justification. And He arose in another form, and they did not even recognize Him as they talked with Him on the way to Emmaus. So then we see that we have been circumcised not with hands, but as to the body of this death, that body of corruption, that body of sin, that beastly body that came into view through the tree of knowledge and the fall from the garden. And the generation of these people as to a generation of vipers, John said. See, we put off that old image, in that Jesus was made in the image of sin. And we esteem Him smitten as that image of sin. Liken unto the shadow and type of the serpent that was hanged upon the pole in the day of Moses. Being that serpent, today we look upon that serpent that was bruised as to that image of sin. For He that knew no sin was made sin, even our sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ. That means that the generation from Adam was a generation of serpents. And Jesus came in the likeness of that, that God might smite it; and that God might end it at Calvary as it hanged there upon the pole. And thus being dead, we look toward that as the end of Lucifer. I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven, Jesus said. And I've destroyed him that hath power over death, even the devil. And He said, I was manifested to destroy the works of the devil: poverty, sickness, oppression, trouble, all of these things. In Christ He hath given us all things that pertain unto life. And we have obtained unto great and precious promises by faith in Him, being partakers of the divine nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. God sending the Spirit of His own Son into our heart, giving us sonship whereby we cry, Abba Father. And if children, heirs and partakers of the wonderful benefits of God. So then we see that as on the day of Pentecost, when Peter said, Repent, the first church was set up. Every one of you he said, Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, that you might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and unto your children and to as many as be afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And even at the upper coast of Ephesus there in the nineteenth chapter of the book of Acts, Paul ask the question, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? Or that is has the Spirit of Christ come into you since you become a believer? That wonderful Spirit by which your spirit is sealed unto the day of the redemption of this body, or to wit the redemption of this body, or to the glorious Thessalonian change. So then we see here that God giving His precious darling Son for your sins, that today remission of sin is taught in His name beginning at Jerusalem, and then to the uttermost parts of the earth.

By Rev. George Leon Pike Sr.

Founder and first President of Jesus Christs Eternal Kingdom of Abundant Life, Inc.

Holiness Unto The Lord