Covenant circumcision was the physical sign the Israelites agreed with the covenant. The cutting off of the flesh of the foreskin was to be a visual representation of cutting off and casting away the sins of the flesh.
Circumcision of the heart is where God changes our hearts.
Covenant Circumcision
- Circumcision was the way man showed they agreed with the covenant God established with Abraham (The Faithful Watcher: Anna).
- This occurred eight days after birth. “From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased” (Gen. 17: 12 NLT) (The Faithful Watcher: Anna).
- By having the male babies circumcised, the Israelites showed that they had faith in God (The Faithful Watcher: Anna).
- There was a penalty for Israelites males who were not circumcised. “If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant” (Gen. 17: 14 CSB) (Is Repentance Necessary?).
- What Paul was trying to get across was that circumcision is surface (The Nominal Disciple).
Circumcision of the Heart
- Circumcision of the heart is accomplished by the Holy Spirit using the atoning blood of Jesus (The Nominal Disciple).
- God wants us to cut out the old sin and replace it with His love and grace. He doesn’t want it to just be a ritual or symbolic. God wants the change to be real, personal, and genuine (How Is a Disciple Humble?).
- Paul was talking about an inward circumcision. “No, a true Jew is one hose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people” (Rom. 2: 29 NLT).
- God wants the change to be real. It has to be personal and genuine (Is Repentance Necessary?)
General
- God didn’t want the circumcision without the holiness. He doesn’t want baptism without the holiness (The Nominal Disciple).
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