The circumcision represents the covenant between God and His people. Trong Giao Ước Cũ, every male child, who belonged to God’s people, was circumcised on the eighth day in the foreskin of his flesh. When the Old Covenant was replaced by the New Covenant, the Old Covenant became decayed and obsolete (Tiếng Do Thái 8:13). Therefore the circumcision in the flesh on the eighth day was no longer needed. The circumcision in the flesh was replaced by the the circumcision of Christ; the circumcision in the spirit (Cô-lô-se 2:11-12). But what does the circumcision in Jesus Christ mean? What does the Bible say about circumcision?
The circumcision in the Old Covenant
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. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt Me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant (Sáng Thế Ký 17:10-14).
God established His covenant with Abraham. The token of this covenant was the circumcision of the flesh in the foreskin. Every male child, who belonged to God’s chosen people; His assembly, had to be circumcised on the eighth day.
The covenant was maintained by keeping the circumcision
The covenant of God was maintained by keeping the circumcision. Mọi người, who was circumcised was set apart by God, from the pagan people and belonged to Him. They were His people and therefore they would gain all the privileges of Jewish citizenship, which contained the protection and provisions of God.
God would protect His people and provide for His people. While God’s people would keep Các giáo lệnh của Ngài and His statutes and live according to His will. These were the conditions.
Slaves and strangers were circumcised in the flesh
But not only the male children from the seed of Abraham were circumcised on the eighth day. The male slaves and strangers also had to be circumcised (Sáng Thế Ký 17:12, 13, Exodus 12:48). They were circumcised so that they would be part of the covenant and could enjoy the privileges of Jewish citizenship.
When a male child was uncircumcised, he didn’t belong to God’s people and wasn’t under His protection. We see this in the life of Moses. When Moses was on his way with his wife and son, the Lord tried to kill his son. As soon as the son of Moses was circumcised, the Lord left him alone.
And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, và nói, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision (Exodus 4:24-25)
The circumcision was neglected by God’s people
There was a time when the circumcision was neglected, namely when God’s people wandered in the wilderness. All the male children, who were born in the wilderness were not circumcised. When Joshua and the people of God, were in Gilgal, God commanded Joshua to restore the circumcision. Từ khoảnh khắc đó, all the males were circumcised again (Joshua 5:2-9).
The circumcision symbolized cleanness and holiness
The circumcision was a token of the covenant between God and His people. This circumcision symbolized cleanness and holiness. It symbolized the putting away of sin (sự bất tuân với Chúa) and living in obedience to God’s law and His commandments.
God made His will known to His people, by giving them His law. This law already existed, before God wrote them on tablets of stone and gave them to His people via Moses.
The law of God represents God’s will (read also: ’What is the secret of the law?’).
Through circumcision, the male, who carried the seed, was declared clean and pure and belonged to God’s holy people. The circumcision was proof of membership of the assembly of God (Giáo Hội).
For henceforth there shall no more come into thee (Jerusalem) the uncircumcised and the unclean (Ê-sai 52:1)
And there shall in no wise enter into it (Jerusalem) any thing that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s Book of life (Khải huyền 21:27)
The circumcision in the New Covenant
The circumcision in the flesh was a token and ritual of the Old Covenant, between God and His people. This circumcision showed that they belonged to God. But the circumcision in the flesh lost its value when the New Covenant in Jesus Christ came into effect.
The old circumcision was replaced by a new circumcision, that belonged to the New Covenant: the circumcision in Jesus Christ.
The circumcision in the Spirit
Trong Giao Ước Mới, it didn’t matter, whether a person was circumcised in the flesh or not, but if a person was circumcised in Jesus Christ, in the Spirit. What mattered was, whether a person had laid down his flesh; his sinful nature, and had become một sáng tạo mới trong Chúa Giê Su Ky Tô.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, và lòng thương xót, and upon the Israel of God (Galatians 6:15-16)
When the New Covenant was established and the Old Covenant became obsolete, the Jews forced the Gentiles, who became God’s people by faith in Jesus Christ, to be circumcised in the flesh. They were so stuck in their traditions and rituals, that they thought that the circumcision in the flesh was still necessary to become a member of the assembly of God (nhà thờ).
And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, và nói, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved (Hành vi 15:1)
But Paul pointed out to them, that it was no longer appropriate. The circumcision of the flesh belonged to the Old Covenant and was no longer part of the New Covenant.
What does the circumcision in Jesus Christ mean?
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: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead (Cô-lô-se 2:11-12)
And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live (Deuteronomy 30:6)
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 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 (người La Mã 2:28-29)
The circumcision of the flesh was a token of God’s covenant with Abraham.
Due to the fact, that man could only walk after the flesh, they were circumcised in the flesh.
Tuy nhiên, through the coming of Jesus Christ and by His sacrifice, the Old Covenant that was sealed with the blood of animals became obsolete.
The Old Covenant was replaced by the New Covenant which was sealed with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
The veil of the temple was circumcised (rented in two) and the way to God was no longer through the circumcision in the flesh or through statutes and rituals, and through the high priest in the temple. But the way to God was through Jesus Christ; the High Priest of the New Covenant.
Jesus became the veil to God
Having therefore, Anh trai, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; And having an High Priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water (Tiếng Do Thái 10:19-22)
Jesus Christ became the veil to God. Jesus had taken all sins and iniquities of humanity upon Himself. He carried the punishment for sin, which is dead. Therefore Jesus entered Hades. Nhưng.... Jesus didn’t stay there! The death was not strong enough to keep Jesus there.
Jesus Christ conquered death and was raised from the dead, bởi quyền năng của Đức Thánh Linh. His flesh that was made sin was laid down. Jesus was raised from the dead in a ‘new’ body. A body that wasn’t corrupted with evil, but was filled with eternal life.
And so Jesus became the unleavened Bread from heaven, through Whom, many would be saved and would receive eternal life.
Jesus proclaimed His death and resurrection
Jesus spoke many times to His disciples about His death and resurrection. Jesus had to die, so that through His death, và sự hồi sinh, and Jesus’ ascending to Heaven, the Holy Spirit could come and inhabit the lives of the new creations. The new creations had denied themselves and hadlaid down their sinful nature and were resurrected from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus compared His life, cái chết, and resurrection with a seed of grain. If a seed of grain doesn’t die, the seed of grain remains a seed of grain and will not bear any fruit.
Jesus could have chosen to remain a seed of grain. He could have chosen to live for Himself, but Jesus didn’t do that.
Jesus loved His Father and chose to do the will of His Father on earth.
Jesus was the Firstborn of sự sáng tạo mới, who God initially created before Adam sinned.
By His death and resurrection; by His blood, it would be possible to become một sáng tạo mới in Him. But in order to become a new creation you have to give up your old life; your sinful nature Đầu tiên. Because the seed of grain not only referred to Jesus, His death and resurrection, but to every người phạm tội, who believes in Him.
Baptized in His dead
When you believe in Jesus Christ and repent of your walk, then you shall lay down your sinful life; your sinful nature. You shall do this symbolically through the baptism in water.
By being baptized in water, you lay down your old carnal life as a người phạm tội and be circumcised in Jesus Christ. You are baptized and united in the death of Jesus Christ.
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: giống như Đấng Ky Tô đã sống lại từ cõi chết bởi vinh quang của Đức Chúa Cha;, Mặc dù vậy, chúng ta cũng nên bước đi trong cuộc sống mới (người La Mã 6:4-5)
Qua laying down your flesh and being buried into the death of Jesus Christ, you no longer belong to the devil and the kingdom of darkness, and death no longer reigns in you.
You have laid down your flesh through the baptism in water (dying of Jesus Christ) and your spirit is raised from the dead through the baptism with the Holy Spirit (the resurrection of Jesus Christ).
The sanctification process
Trong Chúa Giê Su Ky Tô, you have been made holy and righteous. You have been set apart from the world unto God and therefore you belong to God and His Kingdom. You have become a son of God and have been given the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit lives in you in His fullness. Vì thế, you have all the power of the Holy Spirit to mortify all the deeds of the flesh.
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live (người La Mã 8:13)
Mortifying the deeds of the flesh is also called the process of sanctification. Every believer has to go through this process and will be sanctified by the Word and the Holy Spirit.
What is the token of the circumcision in Jesus Christ?
The circumcision in Jesus Christ means, that you have laid down the old man. You’ve died to sin in Jesus Christ and therefore you shall no longer walk after the flesh in sin. You have been made holy and righteous in Him.
Bạn sẽ renew your mind with the Word of God so that your carnal mind and your old way of thinking, that thinks like the world, will be renewed with the words of God and line up with God’s will.
You’ll get to know God’s will and His commandments. And when you believe in His words, you shall walk in them.
You shall walk in His commandments, which represents His will and you shall walk after the Spirit.
This is the proof, the token, of your circumcision in Jesus Christ.
Your walk and your obedience to the Word show if you are really circumcised in Jesus Christ.
Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. (1 Cô-rinh-tô 7:18-19)
The believers; the assembly of God, là những người, who are circumcised in Jesus Christ:
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:2-3)
When you are truly circumcised in Jesus Christ, you shall walk in His commandments and you shall bear the trái của Thánh Linh instead of the fruit of the flesh.
The works you do and the fruit you bear will show if you really have laid down your flesh; your sinful nature and have been circumcised in Jesus Christ.
‘Hãy là muối của trái đất’
