And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. (Col 2:13 -15 NKJ)
The cross brings life to death!
Death speaks of finality. When something or someone dies, that’s it; they are no longer with us. Death, particularly of a loved one, brings with it the cold reality of heartbreaking loss, the brevity of life, and the pain, sorrow and anguish that accompanies it. It’s very difficult to cope with death and loss, and in such times, we look continually to God as our comforter and ever-present help.
Humanly speaking, there is no coming back from death, and the verses we have just read, speaking of the spiritual state of mankind, also say we were dead, there was nothing, flat-lined, gone, finished, unable to help ourselves or revive ourselves, dead. Dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of our flesh.
The trespasses in the verse are easy enough for us to grasp, that is, the wrong things we do, our sins. But the uncircumcision mentioned needs a bit of explanation. Circumcision in the Old Testament was a sign of being a follower of God. But circumcision, as good as it was in the Old Testament time, was only an outward act. But an outward sign and action were not enough; mankind needed an inward transformation of the heart that was only possible through the work of Jesus on the cross.
So, when it says in verse 13 being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh.
It means we’re spiritually dead because of our sin, because the inward working of God had not happened in our hearts. Jesus had not entered our lives; sin had not been dealt with, and Jesus did not transform us.
This deadness cut us off from Him completely. But the great news is, God brings back to life things that are dead! Things that have no hope, only despair, He can resurrect and cause to live! Situations that are too far gone, people today that seem unsavable, lives that seem ruined to the point of no return – God can cause to live!
Miraculously, when someone accepts the message of the cross and trusts Jesus as Saviour, they come alive with Him and will live forever with God in perfection, in paradise!
Thank You, God, that I was dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of my flesh; You have made me alive together with You, having forgiven me all my sins. Thank You that You have stood in my place and took that which makes me dead upon Yourself on the cross! Praise You. I am forever grateful. Amen