Chapter 27
THE TRUE CIRCUMCISION
(THE ONE OF THE HEART)
(Galatians 6:14-15
Before we begin our study of the true circumcision let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Father please help us to understand, appreciate and accept the salvation You gave us through Your only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Father as we study Your Word cause us to see the truths You are teaching us with respect to the true circumcision.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
In our previous study we were warned to beware of the false circumcision. The Holy Spirit's concern was that many Jewish people believed and taught that physical circumcision was a necessary requirement for salvation. The error of this belief or teaching was revealed to us in,
Romans 2:28-29
"[28] A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. [29] No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God."
In our previous study we also discovered that the belief or teaching for any self abasement, tradition or ritual to be necessary for our salvation is likewise in error.
Colossians 2:23
"[23] Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence."
With this short recap of our previous study in mind let us now explore what the Bible teaches us about the,
THE TRUE CIRCUCISION
To do this we begin by reading the following Scriptures from Paul's letter to the Galatians,
Galatians 6:12-15
"[12] Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. [13] Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. [14] May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. [15] Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation."
The key verse for this study is what Paul wrote in,
Galatians 6:14
"[14] May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
Question
: What does the above verse mean?Doesn't it mean that to be a disciple of Jesus Christ Paul became detached from the things and ways of this world? In other words, isn't Paul saying that the things of this world no longer held him and that he no longer held on to the things of this world?
Isn't this the attitude that all true born again believers of Jesus Christ should have? Isn't this the true call on our life? To see this let us prayerfully read the following parables our Lord gave us concerning the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 13:44-46
""[44] The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. [45] "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."
From our previous studies we also come to realize that our Lord is not only teaching us about the attitude we must have towards the material things of our life but also the attitude we must have towards various spiritual merit badges. These spiritual merit badges might include things like: (1) the family we belong to, (2) our position within the church, (3) the activities we are associated with, (4) the denomination we may belong to and, (5) etc. To refresh our memories about these types of idols let us read how Paul viewed his spiritual merit badges,
Philippians 3:2-11
"[2] Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. [3] For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-- [4] though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: [5] circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; [6] as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. [7] But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. [8] What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. [10] I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, [11] and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."
Let us notice the following verses,
3 … The Apostle Paul placed no confidence in outward or external appearances to determine his spirituality. As we read in Romans, the true circumcision is not in the flesh but one of the heart.
4-6 … In reflecting upon the list of Paul's Jewish merit badges one can not help but be impressed.
7-11 … As impressive the above badges were, Paul considered them to be rubbish. He viewed his knowledge and relationship with Jesus Christ to more precious than the temporary honors he had on this earth. Paul realized and now teaches us that the only righteousness that counts is the one that, through faith, comes to us from God. Paul's only desire was to know Christ and be like Him. He knew and now teaches us that our only hope of salvation lies in our knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ.
It is with this knowledge and understanding that the Apostle Paul wrote the following truth to the Galatians,
Galatians 6:15
"[15] Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation."
Question
: What does it mean to be a new creation? What is the Holy Spirit teaching us?To find out let us read what Jesus once said to Nicodemus. It is recorded for us in,
John 3:1-10
"[1] Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. [2] He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." [3] In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." [4] "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" [5] Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. [6] Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. [7] You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' [8] The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." [9] "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. [10] "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things?"
Let us notice the following verses,
1 … Nicodemus, being a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council, was a very learned man in the Jewish faith and a very respected teacher of the Scriptures.
3 … Jesus avoided Nicodemus’ observation and immediately addressed the issue of eternal life. Namely, to enter the Kingdom of God you must be born again.
4 … Nicodemus did not understand.
6 … Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. In other words, in the normal course of things, we are flesh descended from Adam. However, the Holy Spirit gives birth to the spirit. Namely, it is only the Holy Spirit, God Himself, that imparts His divine nature in us and makes us spiritually alive. This is the new birth or being born again.
9 … Nicodemus still did not understand.
10 … Jesus is surprised that Nicodemus did not understand these things.
Let us stop for a moment and reflect upon this incredible conversation. Here we find that Nicodemus, a wise and respected teacher of the Scriptures and the Jewish faith, comes to the realization that Jesus was sent by God. Consequently, he goes to talk with Him. In response to Nicodemus’ inquiry, Jesus presents the whole key to eternal life and is surprised that Nicodemus was not aware of it. Why? Why was Jesus surprised? It is because the whole Old Testament, from the fall of Adam and Eve onward, talks about it. It foretells of the time when He, God, would come to heal us and bring us back to His Kingdom.
For example let us read the following prophecy given by the prophet Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 36:24-28
""'[24] For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. [25] I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. [26] I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. [28] You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God."
Let us notice the following verses,
24 … God promised to gather us from the nations.
25 … God promised to cleanse us from our impurities, that is our sins, and idols, that is those things that tend to take us away from following God.
26 … God promised to give us a new heart and put a new spirit within us. Notice, it will not be a repaired heart and spirit but will be NEW ones!
27 … To move us to follow His decrees and laws, God promised to put the Holy Spirit in us. Just imagine, God the Holy Spirit lives within those who have been born again. Consequently,
28 … Those who are born again are His people and He is their God!
This is the new creation. This is the true circumcision. This is the description of the true born again Christian. This is the person who is no longer dead in their sins but alive to God in Christ Jesus. This is the person who is a citizen of Heaven and destined to spend eternal life with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Before we close this chapter and our study of the book of Galatians I must ask you if you are born again of the Holy Spirit?
If you do not believe that you are or if you are not sure or if you would like to reaffirm your faith what better time will there be to settle the issue than now? To do this let me offer you the following:
CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR THE NEW BIRTH
In reading the New Testament we find that the following five conditions are necessary for the new birth to occur:
Even though the proceeding conditions are presented in a particular sequence, it is noted that this was out of editorial necessity. However, God is sovereign and chooses the order and circumstances by which He brings those whom He calls to the required beliefs and actions for their new birth. Let us now explore each one of these five conditions in a bit more depth.
The first condition for our new birth is that we must believe that,
Jesus Christ Is The Only Begotten Son Of God
To see this, consider what Jesus once said to Nicodemus concerning Himself in,
John 3:16
""[16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Let us now read what He once said to the Jews then, and now us,
John 8:23-24
"[23] But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. [24] I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.""
The fact that Jesus is the one and only begotten Son of the living God means that He is our Lord and God.
As we read the Scriptures, we find that this belief in itself is not enough. The reason for this is that the Bible shows us that even the demons believe in who Jesus is. As an example or witness to this fact, let us read what the demons said before Jesus cast them out of two men and into a large herd of pigs.
Matthew 8:28-29
"[28] When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. [29] "What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?""
Notice the demons clearly know and believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Obviously, for our salvation and new birth, more is needed.
This brings us to the second condition necessary for our new birth. Namely, we must recognize that each and everyone one of us is a sinner and needs the Mercy of God to save us. In other words we must believe that,
As Sinners We Need God's Mercy To Save Us
To see the importance of this, let us consider the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee.
Luke 18:9-14
"[9] To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: [10] "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. [11] The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. [12] I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' [13] "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' [14] "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.""
Let us notice the following verses,
11-12 … The Pharisees were very learned men in the Jewish faith and had a good head knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. In addition, they were extremely careful and diligent to observe all the ordinances and laws of the Temple and Temple services. Consequently, this Pharisee did not consider himself to be a sinner. In fact, rather than humbly approaching God and asking for His Mercy, he was in effect boasting of his righteousness.
13 … The tax collector believed he was a sinner. He humbly came before God to seek Mercy .
14 … Notice how God views those who think more highly of themselves than they should.
This issue of recognizing that we, that is you and I, are sinners is the whole reason why God, through Moses, gave us the Law, that is the Ten Commandments. To see this, consider what the Holy Spirit says to us in,
Romans 3:19-20
"[19] Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. [20] Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
Let us notice the following verses,
19 … the Law was not given so you and I might be able to justify ourselves through it, that is to show how good we are by complying with its demands. No, it was given to hold us accountable to God by showing us how short we fall to its demands. In other words, it was given to expose our sin.
Therefore,
20 … No one will be declared righteous by observing the law. Instead, through the law we become aware of sin in our lives. In other words, by the Law, we find out the things we have said, thought or did that were offensive to God.
In reflecting upon the above we find that the Law was not put into effect so we could justify ourselves by complying with it. Instead the Law was placed into effect so that through it we would recognize our sinful state and, as the tax collector, by faith ask God for His Mercy.
Galatians 3:24
"[24] So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith."
This leads us to the third condition required for our new birth. Specifically, we must believe and accept the fact that,
Jesus Christ Is Our Savior
Because of God's Love and Mercy Jesus came to this earth to save you and I from our deadly disease called sin. To see this, let us carefully consider what Jesus said during dinner in Matthew's house to the self righteous Pharisees. It is recorded in,
Matthew 9:10-13
"[10] While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. [11] When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" [12] On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. [13] But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.""
There are many lessons to be learned from this encounter. However, for this particular study, let us focus on the principle that we must consider ourselves deathly ill with a disease called sin and in need of the doctor, Jesus Christ. If we believe that all is well and we are righteous then, as Jesus implied, He is of no value to us. Also notice that Jesus did not say we are to get better before we come to Him. No, He said we are to come to Him and He will heal our disease, that is save us from our sin. We must remember that it was for this very purpose that He came. To see this, consider the following words that Paul wrote to Timothy in,
1 Timothy 1:15-16
"[15] Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. [16] But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life."
This now brings us to the fourth condition necessary for our new birth or salvation of our souls. Specifically, we must believe that,
On The Cross Jesus Bore Our Sins
In other words, we must believe that through Jesus’ death and resurrection He made the perfect atonement for you and I. His resurrection assures us that He is truly the Son of God, is alive and interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25) and that His sacrifice was accepted, that is He made perfect and complete amends, for the forgiveness of our sins. In addition, He also paid the price of redemption so that we could be released from the bondage of Satan and sin. For us to better understand this glorious gift from God let us return to Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus and read what else Jesus had to say about the new birth.
John 3:14-15
"[14] Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, [15] that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
To better understand what Jesus meant by lifting up the snake and how it applies to His saving us from our sins, let us go to the Old Testament and read about the incident that He referred to.
The incident concerning the snake occurred during the later portion of Israel's exodus from Egypt. At the time of the incident the people of Israel had been travelling in the desert for many years. In fact, by this time Aaron, Moses' brother, had already died. Their journey had been a very difficult one. The majority of the time the only solid food they had for nourishment was the thin wafers of manna that each morning God miraculously provided for them. With this background, let us now read what happened.
Numbers 21:4-9
"[4] They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; [5] they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" [6] Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. [7] The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people. [8] The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." [9] So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived."
Let us notice the following verses,
4-5 … the people grew impatient and sinned against God and Moses. Rather then believing and trusting that God delivered them from Egypt to save them from Pharaoh’s tyranny, they believed God brought them to the desert to kill them by starvation. Not only did they lose or not have faith in God, but also felt that He meant to harm them.
6 … As a result of their terrible sin, God became angry and sent poisonous snakes to bite the people, that is because of their sin, He judged them.
7 … the people confessed their sin, that is admitted that they were in grave error, and asked Moses to ask God to have mercy and forgive them.
8 … God responded to Moses’ prayer and told Moses to make a snake and put it on a pole. He also told Moses that whoever would look up at the snake would live.
9 … Moses followed God’s command and God fulfilled His promise to Moses.
How does all this relate to us and Jesus? To see the analogy, let us remember that because of the people’s sin, they were bitten by a snake and would die. The same with us when we are bitten by sin … we die,
Romans 6:23
"[23] For the wages of sin is death … "
In the above incident, after the people confessed their sin and asked for mercy, Moses was told to put a snake, that is a symbol of their sin, on a pole for the people to look at. When Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross and lifted up, it was our sin that was placed upon His flesh for us to see.
1 Peter 2:24
"[24] He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, …"
In returning to the incident with Israel, remember that when they looked upon the snake they were healed. The same with us. When you and I, through faith, see Jesus on the cross bearing our own personal sins we too are healed. To see this, let us return and complete our reading of,
1 Peter 2:24
"[24] He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."
With all this background, let us now return and read more of the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus.
John 3:14-17
"[14] Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, [15] that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. [16] "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
In reflecting upon the above incident with the snake, it is important to remember that the people confessed their sin and through Moses, called upon God to save them from the deadly bite of the poisonous snakes.
Thus, the fifth and last condition for our new birth is that,
By Faith We Must Pray To God For Help
In other words, as the Israelites, we too must confess to Jesus Christ that we are a sinner. We must confess to Him that we have transgressed against His commands and laws. We must be so sorry for this condition that we not only ask Jesus Christ to forgive us but also save us from the power that sin has over us. In other words, we are to be so fed up and horrified with our unrighteousness that we submit to Jesus Christ's lordship and ask Him for forgiveness and to save us from our sins.
When we do this, Jesus Christ will send the Holy Spirit to live and dwell inside us. This is the new birth, that is the true circumcision. When this happens, we become a child of God and by His Grace and Mercy are saved. In fact, this is exactly what Jesus was telling the Jews during the great Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.
John 7:37-39
"[37] On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. [38] Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." [39] By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive…"
Let us notice the following verses,
37(a) … "If anyone is thirsty". This is not the thirst for physical water but is the thirst for righteousness, holiness and for God.
If you thirst for these things, that is repented or sincerely want to live a life away from your sins, then
37(b) … go to Jesus and drink! Cry out to Him for this spiritual water.
38 … If we believe and have faith in Him and go to Him to quench our thirst for righteousness and holiness, Jesus will provide you streams of living water to flow from within you.
39 … This living water is not physical water but the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that is the new birth!
Summary
As we carefully reflect upon the above conditions necessary for our new birth, we find that they are beautifully summarized in,
Romans 10:9-13
"[9] That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. [11] As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." [12] For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, [13] for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.""
CLOSING
Let us close our study by reading the following Psalm,
Psalm 32:1-7
"[1]Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. [2] Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. [3] When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. [4] For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah [5] Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah [6] Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. [7] You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah"
Amen and Amen