Scripture to Read: Colossians 2:11
We are all born with a sin-filled, carnal, fleshly nature called “the old man” in Romans 6. God wants us to understand what happened to the “old man” when we surrendered our lives to Christ as our Lord and Savior. We read in Colossians 2:11, “and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.” Circumcision is the cutting away of flesh that is not needed. When we surrendered to Christ as Lord, God the Father cut away our “old man” so that we could be given a brand-new life through Christ through His Holy Spirit who came to live in us. The removal of “the flesh,” the “old man,” means that something was removed for good. God had Paul write it this way in Romans 6:6–7, “knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.” Notice that our “old self” was killed so that our “body of sin” (this is the fleshly shell we each currently live in) might be rendered completely powerless. God shares with us the change that took place when we surrendered to Christ. He wants us to pursue Him and His Word so that we walk in our new life and not give in to the way we were without Him. We’ve been set free, and He wants us walking in that freedom.
Challenge & Application
What happened to our “old man” when we surrendered to Christ, and why is this so important to understand?
What does it look like to pursue Christ and His Word each day?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!