All scripture references are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted
Note: the point of this writing has nothing to do with salvation or deliverance. It has to do with obedience to God.
Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. 10 This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. 11 You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 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. 13 All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. 14 Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant.” (Genesis 17:9-14)
In other translations “foreign-born” is translated “strangers”. Both foreign-born and strangers mean that the people are not related to Abraham by blood, that is, members of Abraham’s family. We know that Abraham had a male child, Isaac, and Isaac had two male children, and one of them was Jacob. God changed Jacob’s name to “Israel.” Israel gave birth to 12 males who founded the 12 tribes of Israel. All of them were circumcised.
The Foreign-Born Servants.
The foreign-born servants were not members of Abraham’s family, but in order to be employed by Abraham, they had to convert to his “religion”. Abraham was the first evangelist in the Bible. And although the foreign-born were not what we consider today to be Jews, they had to be circumcised to stay under Abraham’s protection and serve in his army. They did not have a choice. Abraham was not seeker-sensitive; in fact, whoever objected to being circumcised would not be a member of Abraham’s group.
Circumcision is the Sign of Being in Covenant with God.
Covenant: A binding and solemn agreement by two or more persons, to do or keep from doing some specified thing, a compact; agreement; contract (Webster’s Dictionary).
If you have ever been under a contract, you know that breaking a contract usually has costly consequences. Just imagine that you contract a builder to build a house for you based on your specifications for construction. He builds the house, you finish paying him, and you move in only to find out that the slab is cracking because the builder did not put steel rebar in it as specified. He broke the contract/covenant with you. How would you feel about it? You would probably sue the builder.
A covenant with God is a most serious thing. This covenant was made with all the descendants of Abraham, from generation to generation as the above scripture says, and the Jewish people have been keeping it to this day. The aforementioned scripture says it is “a continual responsibility”.
Until Heaven and Earth Disappear.
Jesus speaking: 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:18-19)
Until heaven and earth disappear. They have not disappeared yet.
Paul Says That the “Strangers” are Engrafted Branches”.
16 And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too. 17 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. 18 But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. 19 “Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.”20 Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. (Romans 11:16-20)
If you have ever tried to graft trees, you know there is no guarantee that the grafted branch will “take”. And is not the blessing that God promised Abraham and his children conditional to being circumcised?
We Can Believe in Jesus But Yet Not Do What He Told Us To Do.
Jesus speaking: 46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? (Luke 6:46)
Paul’s Opinion About Circumcision.
Paul was angrily opposed to circumcision because he was “the apostle to the Gentiles” who were pagan. Paul wanted a following, and he became the first “seeker-sensitive” evangelist/pastor. Consequently, his doctrine was based on the two things pagans objected to: circumcision and the food laws. Thus, to gain more converts, he turned against both.
What Paul Was Teaching About Circumcision.
25 The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile.26 And if the Gentiles obey God’s law, won’t God declare them to be his own people? 27 In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but don’t obey it. (Romans 2:25-27)
This is a convoluted statement confusing the reader. In verse 27 he says, “In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law…” Well, if they are uncircumcised, they are not keeping God’s law!!! This sentence is a contradiction.
He calls circumcision a “ceremony”, ignoring the fact that it is a covenant with God. He states his reasons to avoid circumcision, when Genesis 17 is very clear that circumcision is a command.
Paul’s teaching is full of antagonism against circumcision and the circumcised. When the Messianic Jews of the time were trying to persuade Paul’s followers that they should be circumcised, this is what Paul said:
2 Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. (Philippians 3:2 NIV)
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! (Philippians 3:2 NKJV)
2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! (Philippians 3:2 NRSV)
The NLT version added the words “to be saved”, and in other versions it states, “beware of the mutilated”.
There is More.
28 For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 No, a true Jew is one whose 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. (Romans 2:28-29)
9 Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. 10 But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised! 11 Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. 12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised. (Romans 4:9-12)
God accepted Abraham before his circumcision, but then required that Abraham be circumcised as part of the covenant between them. Abraham was righteous, but if he had disobeyed God in this matter, would he still have been righteous?
Jesus, being the Son of God, was circumcised. Even Jesus, the Son of God, never said a word against circumcision or that Abraham was the spiritual father of the uncircumcised. Instead, Jesus said:
18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:18-19)
And Paul is Teaching People to Disobey God’s Laws.
19 For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments. (1 Corinthians 7:19)
Again, if you are man who wants to keep the commandments, you get circumcised, because it is an “everlasting” commandment (Genesis 17:13), not only for the Jew, but also for the “stranger”. Another contradictory statement.
Paul Confronts Peter.
11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions? (Galatians 2:11-14)
Note that Paul says, “When I saw that they (Peter and the friends of James) were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter…” Paul implies that Peter and James, the brother of Jesus and head of the Jerusalem Church, were not preaching the truth, but that he, Paul, was the one preaching the truth of the gospel.
15 You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law. (Galatians 2:15-16)
18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:18-19)
Until heaven and earth disappear. They have not disappeared yet.
Nowhere in the Bible do I see that Peter discarded the Jewish laws and was living like a Gentile. It is a historical fact that the church in Jerusalem was keeping the laws and feasts just as Jesus did.
6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. 11 Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended. (Galatians 5:6,11)
11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. (Ephesians 2:11)
11 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. (Colossians 2:11)
11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. (Colossians 3:11)
10 For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. (Titus 1:10)
18 For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it. And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now. (1 Corinthians 7:18)
2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. (Galatians 5:2)
What “Christ” is Paul referring to? Jesus said:
18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:18-19)
12 Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. 13 And even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples. (Galatians 6:12-13)
11 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. (Colossians 2:11)
As We Will See, Both Circumcisions Are MNeeded.
15 It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. (Galatians 6:15)
11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. (Colossians 3:11)
Paul’s teaching that spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of our sinful nature, the circumcision of the heart—is the only circumcision needed is in direct opposition to the scriptures. The church today continues to teach that circumcision of the heart is all that is needed.
And you will say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel. Thus says Adonai the Lord, O you House of Israel, enough of your abominations! In that you have brought in strangers, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my Sanctuary, to pollute it, My House, when you offer My bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of your abominations. (Ezekiel 44:6 One New Man Bible)
Thus says Adonai, the Lord, no stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, will enter My sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel. (Ezekiel 44:9 One New Man Bible)
6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. (Malachi 3:6)
God says He does not change. He requires both the circumcision of the heart and of the flesh.
