Circumcision was introduced during the time of Abraham as a religious rite and a covenant. Genesis 17:10-11 “This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.” The Mosaic Law repeated the requirement, and Jews throughout the centuries have continued to practice circumcision. As a covenant with the chosen people, this was a mandatory condition. The issue is whether this is pertinent in present times. One issue is that of religious teaching: What does God’s Word, say? Another issue is a matter of health.
New Testament Christians are no longer under this Old Testament requirement, and circumcision is no longer required. I Corinthians 7:19-20 “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. 20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.” In Colossians 2: 11, Paul talks about circumcision of the Heart “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:” It is Christ’s finished work on the cross that saves, not the observance of an external rite. Even the Law acknowledged this and to please God, the need was to “circumcise our hearts.”
Paul states unequivocally in Galatians, that circumcision does not aid either salvation or sanctification in Christ. Romans 2:28-29 clearly states “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” This refers to a pure heart united with God.
Paul discusses the role of the Old Testament regulations as it relates to Christianity. He argues that Jewish circumcision is only an outward sign of being set apart to God. However, if the heart is sinful, then physical circumcision is of no avail. A circumcised body and a sinful heart are at loggerheads. Rather than focus on external rites, Paul focuses on the condition of the heart. Using circumcision as a metaphor, he says that only the Holy Spirit can purify a heart and set us apart from God. Ultimately, circumcision cannot make a person right with God; the Law is not enough. A person’s heart must change. Paul calls this change “circumcision of the heart.”
True “children of Abraham” are those who follow Abraham’s example of believing God. Physical circumcision does not make one a child of God; faith does. Believers in Jesus Christ can truly say they are children of “Father Abraham.” Galatians 3:29 “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Both Testaments focus on the need for repentance and inward change in order to be right with God. In Jesus, the Law has been fulfilled. Through Him, a person can be made right with God and receive eternal life. True circumcision is a matter of the heart, performed by the Spirit of God.
Dr Ashwin Drummond
www.laddertoheaven.co.in