Circumcision?

March 7, 2017

Devotions:

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” ‭Galatians‬ ‭6:15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

        Paul here is saying that it is not our religious activity that matters but what God has done in Christ Jesus. It is not our religious devotions that makes us right with God but God made us right with Himself through Jesus and our activity comes out of our right relationship with God.

        In the Jewish religion circumcision is one of the most sacred religious rites.  When God called Moses in the wilderness and Moses finally answered, Moses on the way to deliver Israel, the Angel of God met with Him and tried to kill him because one of his sons was not circumcised. When Moses' wife circumcised the son, Moses was left alone. 

        Paul here is radically coming against circumcision and religious activity,  Circumcision was a shadow of the new birth. Paul is saying that if we have the new birth and the resulting new creation then we do not need the shadow.  Circumcision represents all of the religious tradition. All the traditions in Judeasim pointed to Jesus and the work of His death, burial and resurrection that made us right with God.  Our works come out of our new relationship with God.