Has your heart been cleansed by Jesus?
Describing Jesus, Paul wrote the following to the Colossians – “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily, and in Him you have been filled, who is the head over all rule and authority; in whom you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” (Colossians 2: 9-12)
MacArthur writes about the above verses – “Circumcision symbolized man’s need for cleansing of the heart and was the outward sign of that cleansing of sin that comes by faith in God. At salvation, believers undergo a spiritual ‘circumcision’ by putting off the sins of the flesh. This is the new birth, the new creation in conversion. The outward affirmation of the already accomplished inner transformation is now the believer’s baptism by water.” (MacArthur, 1603)
In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah we read – “For thus says Yahweh to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh and remove the foreskins of your heart, 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: 3-4) And also, “’Behold, the days are coming,’ declares Yahweh, ‘that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised – Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.’” (Jeremiah 9: 25-26)
Paul taught the Corinthians – “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5: 17)
Paul wrote the following counsel to Titus – “Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate, demonstrating all gentleness to all men. For we ourselves also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. But when the kindness and affection of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not by works which we did in righteousness, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3: 1-7)
Only Jesus can supernaturally cleanse our hearts as we put our faith in who He is and what He has done for us!
RESOURCES:
The McArthur Study Bible, 2nd Edition. 2020. Thomas Nelson.