The circumcision of the foreskin was a token of God’s covenant with Abraham, as a seal of the righteousness of his faith. The sons, who were born of the seed of Abraham, were circumcised on the eighth day, regardless of what day of the week it was. Now, the New Covenant has replaced the Old Covenant. But in the New Covenant, there is also a circumcision, namely the circumcision in Jesus Christ. What is the circumcision in Christ? How do you know, if you are circumcised in Jesus Christ?
The circumcision in the Old Covenant
The people of Israel belonged to God and were supposed to live holy and righteous after the precepts, which were written in the law. The males, who belonged to God’s Covenant people through natural birth, had to be circumcised on the eighth day.
Why did only the males have to be circumcised and not the females? Because men carry the seed and not the women. All seed originates from men.
Because of the circumcision; the removal of the foreskin, every seed that was born was holy and belonged to God.
As long as the seed obeyed God and lived after His commandments, which represent His will, the seed continued to belong to God.
Physical circumcision was a visible sign that showed that a person belonged to God.
The person belonged to God’s Covenant people and had access to all the promises of God as long as the person kept his or her part of the Covenant and stayed obedient to God.
The circumcision of the heart
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised (Jeremiah 9:25)
Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked (Deuteronomy 10:16)
The visible sign of the Covenant in the flesh had to accompany the spiritual sign of the Covenant, namely the circumcision of the heart, which became visible in the physical realm through the obedience to God and by keeping His commandments.
The circumcision of the heart showed, that the person belonged to God and loved God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength and remained in His love, by keeping His commandments and stay obedient to God.
The price of disobedience to God
For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings (Jeremiah 4:3-4)
Throughout the Bible, we read about the disobedience to God and its price. We read, that the archangel Lucifer was created by God and stood in God’s service. Lucifer was appointed in the heavenly garden of Eden and had rulership over a third part of the angels. But because of his disobedience to God, Lucifer fell from his position and became an enemy of God; satan, who is also called the devil. Lucifer was not the only one, who fell from his position and was cast on the ground into the deepest depths, but also his angels, who chose to follow him, were cast on the ground into the deepest depths, waiting for judgment (a.o. Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:12-19, 2 Peter 2:4-4)
Adam was created by God and appointed on earth in the garden of Eden to have dominion over the earth. But due to Adam’s disobedience to God, Adam fell from his position.
Likewise, the flood came over the earth because of the disobedience of the people to God. And Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around were destroyed because of their disobedience to God.
A whole generation of the people of God, who were delivered from slavery in Egypt, murmured, complained, and became disobedient to the commandments of God during their journey to the promised land and never reached the promised land, but died in the wilderness.
The man of God, who became disobedient to God by believing the words of the prophet above the words of God, died on his way home (Read also: ‘Disobedience to God‘).
All these examples, show us, that not everyone, who belonged to God’s people through natural birth was saved. But only those, who stayed obedient to the words and the will of God.
And although the New Covenant replaced the Old Covenant, this still applies in the New Covenant. Disobedience to God and His Word still has consequences. Because what does the circumcision in the New Covenant mean?
The circumcision in the New Covenant
And ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power: 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. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:10-15)
The circumcision in the New Covenant takes place by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh in Christ in baptism.
Just like the foreskin of men was taken away, the flesh of man is put off in baptism and the flesh of the old man is buried with Jesus Christ.
All that rebellion, pride, (sexual) uncleanness, adultery, fornication, divorcement, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, divination, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, addictions, reveling, etc. which are works of the flesh and originates from the sinful nature of the flesh, die through the circumcision in Christ.
Only when a person is circumcised in Christ, by the putting away of the flesh in Him, and has become a new creation, the person shall no longer live under the authority of sin and death, and shall no longer do the works of the flesh. But (s)he shall live after the spirit in freedom, since the flesh in which sin and death reigns has been put away.
Not by your own power
A person may try in his or her own power to bring the works of the flesh under submission and do them no more. And maybe the person succeeds for some time, but after a while, it will return.
Take for example a drug addiction or alcohol addiction. A person may go to rehab and/or get therapy for his of her drug addiction or alcohol addiction. It may go well for a while, but when the person is released and returns home and continues the same lifestyle or something happens, the person’s addiction returns. Why?
Because the spiritual cause of the addiction is not taken care of. As long as a person remains carnal, the spirit of addiction can work through the flesh and this spirit shall manifest and reign in a person’s life (Read also: ‘Deliverance from the power of alcohol).
When someone commits adultery and the spouse decides to leave the unfaithful one and the adulterer remarries, chances are that after a while the adulterer commits adultery again. Since the spirit of adultery that reigns in the flesh is still present.
This also applies to divorce. As long as the flesh reigns, there will be divorces.
When someone is divorced, then chances are that the person in the next marriage will get a divorce too. Why? Because the spirit of divorce that operates in the flesh is still present and shall manifest again.
A person can only be delivered from the power of sin and death, by putting off the flesh; the body of sins, by the circumcision of Christ
The circumcision in Christ and the circumcision of the heart
Just like the circumcision of the foreskin in the Old Covenant had to accompany the circumcision of the foreskin of the heart, in the New Covenant the circumcision in Christ, through the death of the flesh, accompanies a change of heart
Through the circumcision in Christ and the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the stoney heart is replaced by a heart of flesh.
The commandments, which represents the will of God and were written by God on stoney tables, are in the New Covenant written upon the heart of the new man (Read also: ‘Why did God write the law on tables of stone?’)
The new man, who is raised in Christ, belongs to God and shall listen to the voice of God. The new man shall follow and obey Jesus Christ; the Word and live after the will of the Father and because of his or her obedience to Him and by keeping His commandments (s)he shall stay in His love.
Everyone, who is circumcised in Jesus Christ and belongs to Him, shall no longer persevere in sin. Since the sin nature, which is present in the flesh, is no longer the nature of the new man.
As long as someone perseveres in sin and keep doing the same things as before his or her repentance and keep doing the same works and has the same lifestyle as those, who don’t know God and don’t belong to God, then their works and lifestyle prove that the person is not born again and is not circumcised in Christ and doesn’t belong to God, but the person is still the old creation, who lives after the flesh.
False Christs and false prophets shall arise and do great signs and miracles
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect (Matthew 24:24)
Jesus didn’t say, that we should be led by signs and wonders, neither did Jesus say that signs and wonders prove that a person lives in the truth. Because Jesus said, that false Christs and false prophets shall arise and shall do great signs and wonders, insomuch that if It were possible, deceive the very elect.
Therefore, we shouldn’t be focused upon signs and wonders and be amazed by (supernatural) experiences and be led by them.
But we should be focused upon Jesus Christi; the Word and be led by the Word.
You shall recognize the tree by its fruits
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 7:15-21)
Jesus said, that you shall recognize the tree by its fruits.
Someone may speak charismatic and inspirational words and be a motivational speaker, who does humanistic works, but as long as the person keeps doing the works of the flesh, it proves, that the circumcision in Jesus Christ has not taken place yet and the flesh is not put off, but is still alive.
The person is not a new creation and does not walk after the Spirit, but the person is still the old creation, who walks after the flesh and lives in the bondage of sin and death.
The circumcision in Christ stays off
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:1-4)
Many preachers are appointed by the will of man. Therefore many charismatic preachers, who look pious and spiritual, but in reality are unspiritual and live after the flesh and are not circumcised in Christ, are appointed, and because of that, sermons about the circumcision in Christ; the dying of the flesh and living a holy life are no longer preached.
Because how can they preach the circumcision in Christ, while they keep doing the works of the flesh and persevere in sin?
Therefore, they change and twist the words of God in such a subtle manner, that their lies are hardly indistinguishable from the truth and many times look very pious and spiritual.
The believers, who are under their audience, trust the preachers blindly and believe their words and adopt their words indiscriminately.
Since it is preached, that it’s not necessary to put away the flesh, so that the person can remain carnal and persevere in sin, the flesh stays alive and the change of heart and the obedience to God and the righteous works, which originate from a change of heart, stay off. And so many are misled and enter sideways.
The new creation in Jesus Christ
For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? 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 (Romans 2:25-29)
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 Corinthians 7:18-19)
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love (Galatians 5:6)
But the Word says, that the circumcision in Christ; putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, does matter.
You can be baptized in water, just like in the Old Covenant those, who belonged to the Jewish people by natural birth were circumcised in the flesh. But what really matters is whether during the baptism the circumcision in Christ takes place that accompanies the circumcision of the heart.
Are you a new creation in Jesus Christ and is the veil of the flesh put away and do you live after the Spirit in obedience to God and His Word after His will or not?
‘Be the salt of the earth’
