Snips & Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Lessons in falling backward and being broken...

Romans 3:1-2
What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

Genesis 17:1-19
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly...

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 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 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.

And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed...And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac which means laughter): and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

Paul says much in the New Testament about circumcision availing nothing if it is for outward appearances only. The whole point of circumcision is illustrated above. Paul tells us in the Romans 2 passage that the oracles of God were handed down through a chosen people; that circumcision has great benefit because it is part of our ancestry as Abraham and Sarah's grandchildren. But even the Old Testament oracles that Paul refers to call the rite of circumcision as "token"--a symbol of a greater relationship with God.

Of course that "token" got distorted over the generations and the "circumcision movement" in New Testament times was a direct result of Pharisiticalism, or "outward appearances" rather than as an illustration of a genuine relationship with God.

No where in the New Testament does Paul ever tell us that we should NOT participate with the rite of circumcision. He illustrates how circumcision is not a necessary function of salvation, and boldly addresses in his letter to the Galations how forcing circumcision on someone is to deny the grace and work of Jesus Christ. The circumcision party, like many churches today, believed that works are still what earns us grace. Works negate grace; plain & simple.

But Paul's agrument against the WORKS of circumcision were not against circumcision itself. To the New Testament writers, circumcision was still an outward "token" that we are of the Family Abraham. In fact, Paul starts off his chapter two discourse to the Romans by telling us that there is still great value to be had in participating with circumcision. Just like there is still great value in participating with baptism, even though baptism is not what saves us.

Of course there is no value in circumcision apart from the relationship with God that it's supposed to represent. He tells us that Timothy the Greek was NOT REQUIRED to be circumcised in order to receive full salvation. As is now and was then, salvation comes by faith and faith alone--not the outward cutting of the flesh.

But that's the same idea as the New Testament rite of baptism. We are NOT REQUIRED to baptized in order to receive salvation. Salvation is still received as a result of our faith, and our baptism is merely a "token" expression of that faith. We would never espouse to contemporary believers today that we should NOT participate with baptism. The same is true with circumcision. These are symbols-- "tokens" --of what our faith means to us.

So what about this movement today whereby women have become so adamantly against circumcising their sons??? (and I say women because by & large, it's the women convincing the men and not the other way around). I've been in conversations whereby the very idea of participating in circumcision infuriates large numbers of women into a frenzy. Clearly, the ancestry of Abraham and Sarah means nothing to these people. The importance of what circumcision represents is completely unimportant to this new generation of unbelievers.

So what does circumcision mean in this New Testament era anyway? Can we believers just throw it away as some anciently ridiculous reason to abuse our baby boys? I would hope the New Testament Church is smarter and more spiritually astute than to believe that. Like Paul said, "what profit is there?" MUCH in every way.

See the outward cutting of the flesh is to symbolize the deep intimacy of the cutting of the heart. A true believer will be both faithful on the inside as well as on the outside; we will be a doer AND a hearer of the Word. Of course, the motive of our outward expressions of faith will be pleasing to God when He takes stock of our "good works." We are to participate in the oracles of Abraham because of what it means to us to be counted as one of his seed; to be counted as part of the Eternal Covenant betwixt he and Thee.

Ultimately, God expects us to be deeply cut as we pursue our relationship with Him. He wants our heart of stone to be replaced with a heart of flesh. That flesh of the heart must be "circumcised" as a means of proving that faith. God wants us as New Testament believers to acknowledge our special calling and our special privileges. He wants us to be more than "good" people; He wants us to be circumcised people.

I find it no small coincidence that the covenant of circumcision came at a time when both Abram and Sarai received new names. The token of circumcision was given down to Abraham at the same time that He spoke the lineage of Israel into being. No more would it just be a family inheritance issue with Ishmael receiving the family booty. But now the bloodline is shifted to SARAH's seed---SHE is given title of Queen; SHE becomes the mother of the Nation--the chosen Israel.

To cast off circumcision as a medically unnecessary act of barbarism is to commit the greatest act of anti-Semitism there is. Such blasphemy denies the ancient covenant of Judeo-Christianity and the purpose of God's relationship with His people. The Messiah Jesus was circumcised---presented in the Temple for His bris at the beginning of Luke's gospel. As believers in the Messianic covenant, we do not HAVE to participatete in circumcision, but we are not true believers with a deeper understanding of the oracles of God if we don't.