Colossians 2:13 13And when you were dead in the wrongdoings and uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings,
These verses highlight the significant change that can happen in a person’s life when he or she comes to Jesus in faith. Paul uses the “before and after” pattern to show this change. The “before” life is described with various vivid words. These verses are full of important theological words. The situation of every person is being dead in your trespasses and uncircumcision. Paul uses a similar statement in Ephesians 2:1: “when you were dead in your trespasses and sins.” There was no spiritual life in the old life under the power of sin.
Paul uses the word trespass (parapetōmasin) twice in verse 13. It is the same word used in Ephesians 2:1. A trespass is a violation of God’s law. The image is one of stepping over the boundary into places where we should not go. Sin is dangerous territory and will bring death to us. The challenge is that people do not heed the warning and just go ahead into sin. Temptation is deceitful, promising happiness and fulfillment if we do a certain activity. The problem is that we think from a human, worldly perspective, as Paul warned against in verses 4 and 8. Humanism is the disease of our race. Ever since Adam and Eve, humans have set themselves up against God and deliberately pushed their own selfish wills and desires. This resulted in death for Adam and Eve, and it is the outcome for all who do not follow the light of God, particularly that light most vividly seen in Jesus Christ. As Paul quotes Psalm 14:2 in Romans 3:12, “There is no one who does good, not even one person.”
A second related problem leading to death is the uncircumcision of the flesh. This is the flesh that has not been crucified on the cross and is still in control. This is another aspect of humanism, where humanity and its desires is the center and focus of existence. The flesh (sarkos) for Paul can be interpreted literally, as flesh and blood, but most often it has a negative connotation as living to please selfish desires and deceived and distorted instincts. It is looking at things of this world to bring satisfaction and fulfillment rather than glorifying God. The uncircumcision of this means that the control of the flesh remains and has not been removed and replace by a new focus on Jesus.
The temporal participle “when you were” with the adjective “dead” prepares for and points to the answer in the main clause. The shift that we experience when we come to Jesus is going from death to life. We were in the situation of death, but in this terrible and hopeless state, he made you alive together with him. This significant restatement of the gospel uses a compound word meaning “made alive with” (synezōopoiēsen). When the Father raised Jesus from the dead, there was also the potential for new life for all who seek the redemption provided in this resurrection. It is potential because participating in this requires faith which opens the floodgates of forgiveness. God will not force new life on anyone. We must ask for it.
This new life comes through the forgiveness of all our trespasses. The word for wrongdoing is repeated again. This powerful statement is the promise of the gospel and the path to new life. The outcome of sin is death (Romans 6:23). There is no way around this unless we are forgiven. This forgiveness is not something we have to earn. It is a matter of grace. The root stem of the word for forgiveness (charisamenos) is the word for “grace” (charis). Forgiveness is when God shows us his favor and mercy by not counting our sins against us. This idea will be described further in verse 14.
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