In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ (Col 2:11) In Colossians 2,11 there is an interesting phrase, “the circumcision of Christ.” The question arises: Is this the circumcision done by Christ or the circumcision done to Christ, that is his own circumcision? The genitive case here could be either, but the latter seems more compelling. Here's why... Circumcision and the Cutting off of Jesus Circumcision was the sign of the covenant in the Old Testament. In this ancient rite, a foreskin was cut off, as a sign of judgment for the covenant breaker. A similar ritual with similar language was performed by God with Abraham in the cutting of the animals when signing (the word in Hebrew is in fact cutting) the covenant with Abraham. The cutting meant “let this cutting happen to me if I break the terms of the covenant.” God himself is the one who walks through t...
