What is the circumcision of Christ (Colossians 2:11)?

All people are born with a sinful heart. This means their mind, will, and emotions are naturally separated from God and hostile to Him (Romans 3:23; 5:10; Ephesians 2:3). Thankfully, Jesus Christ is able to transform a person’s heart through the gospel (Mark 1:15). In Colossians 2:11, the apostle Paul symbolically refers to this transformation using the imagery of circumcision: “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” (Colossians 2:11, ESV). Just as physical circumcision removes the foreskin of a male, faith in Jesus removes a sinner’s inborn separation and hostility toward God.

God prescribed the literal act of circumcision—the removal of the male’s foreskin—as a symbol of His covenant with Israel. He said to Abraham, the father of the Israelites, “You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you” (Genesis 17:11, ESV). Circumcision played a pivotal role in important Old Testament stories, such as the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt (Exodus 4:24–26) and the nation’s entry into the Promised Land (Joshua 5:1).

Specifically, the Law of Moses prescribed circumcision on the eighth day after birth (Leviticus 12:3) and provided guidance on related practices, such as whether non-Israelites should be circumcised (Exodus 12:48–49). However, the ultimate purpose of circumcision was spiritual, symbolizing as it did God’s faithfulness to the Israelites through the covenant He made with them.

Moses is the first biblical writer to refer to circumcision symbolically: “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn” (Deuteronomy 10:16, ESV; cf. 30:6). Jeremiah later adopts this imagery, warning the Israelites of his day, “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds” (Jeremiah 4:4, ESV; cf. 9:25–26).

Circumcision is also an important topic in the New Testament. When God extended His saving grace to uncircumcised Gentiles (Acts 10:44–48), a debate ensued over the distinctions between clean and unclean people (Acts 11:1–18). At the Jerusalem Council, Peter argued that God had given the Holy Spirit to uncircumcised believers and had “cleansed their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:9, ESV). He added that requiring them to be circumcised would be testing God: “Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?” (Acts 15:10). As the leader of the council, James affirmed Peter’s argument against requiring circumcision for Gentiles, stating, “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:19).

Paul also uses the imagery of circumcision to describe inward transformation in Colossians 2. In context, the apostle encourages believers to live out their identity in Christ (Colossians 2:6–7). After warning them of false teaching and reminding them of their status in Christ (Colossians 2:8–10), he invokes the imagery of circumcision. When Paul writes, “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands,” he is referring to their conversion through the gospel (verse 11, ESV). The “putting off the body of the flesh,” is the removal of their sinful nature, similar to how circumcision removes the male’s foreskin. This new reality occurs by means of “the circumcision of Christ,” so called because it is accomplished through His death and resurrection. The NLT words Colossians 2:11 this way: “When you came to Christ, you were ‘circumcised,’ but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.”

In the New Testament, the outward expression of a Christian’s new life and relationship with God is baptism in water (e.g., Acts 2:38). Baptism symbolizes that a person has died with Jesus and is raised to new life with Him (Romans 6:3–4). Circumcision was the sign of the Old Covenant, and baptism is the sign of the New Covenant, but both point to God’s love for sinners and the grace He extends to them (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8–9).