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:: Teaching Booklets - Why I Don't Believe in a Pre-Trib Rapture :: |
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Understanding the Principle of Spiritual Circumcision
In the Bible
God revealed to us a spiritual principle and experience called
circumcision. As with all spiritual truth God first revealed it in a
physical picture in the Old Testament. In order to understand the
Spiritual truth that we are to apply and experience in our Christian
lives, it is first necessary to look at the dynamics of circumcision as
God revealed them in the Old Testament.
The
prevailing idea in most churches is that God's primary objective is to
forgive our sins so we can make it to heaven for eternity. While salvation
and the forgiveness of sin is a fundamental objective in God's plan for
His creation, and heaven is our ultimate destination, this falls way short
of the complete work God desires to do in and through you and me. It was
never a thought in God's mind that we would find forgiveness only to be
left in bondage to sin. It wasn't God's intent that you keep repeating a
cycle of sin and forgiveness over and over. Here is God's perfect vision
for you...
"For those
God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his
Son." Rom. 8:29
Jesus' death
on the cross accomplished much more than simply the forgiveness of sins.
It made it possible for you to become like Christ. In order for you to
become Christ-like you must get rid of the old flesh nature that is
sinful. This is where the spiritual principle of circumcision comes in.
Circumcision is the cutting away of the flesh.
God
Reveals His Covenant To Abraham
"This is
my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are
to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo
circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.
For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old
must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with
money from a foreigner--those who are not your offspring. Whether born in
your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My
covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised
male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his
people; he has broken my covenant." Gen 17:11-14 NIV
When God
revealed Himself in a covenant to Abraham He gave Abraham a sign of that
covenant ... Circumcision. Many times we read right past
significant issues never realizing the spiritual message God is trying to
impart to us. Almost any thinking person would have to ask a simple
question here. Why circumcision? What does that have to do with anything?
Why is God so concerned about an extra little piece of skin?
It brings to
mind the scripture where God commands the children of Israel not to eat
any leaven or even to have it in their house during the Feast of
Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:15). Does God have something against yeast?
In both of
these instances God seems to be pretty serious about the people's
obedience to His commands. In both cases the people who didn't obey were
to be cut off from Israel--left out of the covenant. This is serious
business in God's eyes.
In the big
scheme of things we can be pretty sure that having yeast in our house or
having an extra little piece of skin isn't a big offense to God. Therefore
God must have had something else in mind when He gave these commands.
Jesus asked
the Jews an important question. I have spoken to you of earthly things
and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly
things? John 3:12
God first
established spiritual truth with natural laws. Once the principle of the
thing was understood, He could make the jump to spiritual truth and
application.
Throughout
the Old Testament God spoke to Israel in picture form. His commands,
although righteous, also carried a deeper prophetic message. The seven
yearly Feasts, the temple, all the sacrifices and the minute detail of the
elaborate costume of the high priest all bore more significance than the
Jewish people (and most Christians) actually knew. So it is with the issue
of circumcision.
God has a
spiritual truth for you and me to enter into. In order for us to
understand it He had to give us a physical demonstration so we could see
it. Before we look at the dynamics of circumcision revealed to Abraham,
let's see what the New Testament has to say about the issue.
" A man is
not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward
and physical. 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..."
Rom. 2:28-29
"For in
Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have
been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and
authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the
sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with
the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism
and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him
from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision
of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all
our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was
against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to
the cross." Col. 2:9-14
Notice these
two New Testament scriptures speak of a "spiritual circumcision."
This is what God is after. The Old Testament law was simply an example and
picture to help us understand what God was really after ... a heart that
was circumcised to him.
What is the
significance of circumcision and how do we become spiritually circumcised?
Let's look.
First of all
we need to understand the significance of circumcision from God's point of
view. He gave the natural or physical sign to illustrate spiritual truth,
so we need to start there.
From our
passage in Genesis 17:11-14 we can glean some important facts.
Circumcision was not optional. It was to be KEPT!
Every
person had to be circumcised, even foreigners who lived with the Jews.
It was
THE sign of the covenant.
Circumcision was to be performed on the 8th day after birth.
Failure to
be circumcised was regarded as a breaking of the covenant and was
grounds for being "cut off" or removed from the people of God.
To these
obvious statements we might add a few other observations.
A person
didn't circumcise themselves. They yielded to circumcision.
Circumcision was the "cutting off of the flesh."
Circumcision was done in a private, personal part of the body
That which
was cut off is unnecessary.
Circumcision was a point of consecration.
It
concerned the cutting away of flesh.
From the two
New Testament passages we can ascertain that:
God wanted
our hearts circumcised
The Spirit
performed spiritual circumcision.
Let's begin
to apply these principles to the spiritual circumcision.
Circumcision Was Not Optional
Under God's
Old Testament illustration circumcision is not optional. It is something
that the Jews had to submit to. If God's pictures are to convey any truth
at all they must remain consistent. I believe that God was telling us that
spiritual circumcision is not an optional part of Christianity. Not to go
through spiritual circumcision would be a breaking of God's spiritual
covenant, just as failure to be circumcised was a breaking of His natural
covenant. We need to understand this spiritual principle and yield our
lives to it.
How does this
apply to our spiritual lives? First, many people make a profession of
faith in Christ, but their lives never changed. By its very nature,
salvation is a life altering experience. It isn't a mental assent to live
better or turn over a new leaf. It is a personal, spiritual encounter with
God whereby a person's very nature is changed from the inside out. These
passages in Romans 2 and Colossians 2 point out that the spiritual
circumcision is performed by the Spirit of God.
When a person
is born again a circumcision takes place. Something of the old flesh
nature is cut away and the Spirit of God is imparted. Where no life change
take place there has been no spiritual circumcision and thus no salvation.
A
Sign Of The Covenant
Circumcision
was a sign of God's covenant. It was the seal, so to speak. The New
Testament gives us a "sign of the covenant" and even links it to the old
sign. We have just looked at Col. 2:9-14. Notice how circumcision is the
common subject, both physical and spiritual; but also notice how Paul
brings in baptism and says that a circumcision takes place at that
point. Baptism thus becomes the sign of the new covenant, just as
circumcision was the sign of the old covenant. Paul says something happens
in our lives when we yield to baptism in faith.
I have sought
God on the issue of baptism for a number of years and I am convinced that
indeed a spiritual work takes place in a person's life when they yield to
baptism in understanding, faith and obedience.
Performed On The Eighth Day
There are
several reasons for this. Physically and medically it has been shown that
the blood clotting agents in the male blood stream reach their peak on the
eighth day after birth and then diminish afterwards to normal levels. This
was the practical side of the issue. A baby circumcised some 3000 years
before modern surgical methods would not bleed to death.
Spiritually I
believe that God knows when we are ready to have something of our flesh
cut off. God doesn't want us to "bleed to death" spiritually, so He works
in out lives to prepare us for His dealings.
Another
reason is more directly related to spiritual reality. Circumcision wasn't
performed right after birth. Likewise God doesn't start our Christian life
out by cutting deeply into our hearts. While there is a fundamental change
that takes place when we get saved, we usually go through a nurturing
period where God is very tender and loving.
As we begin
to grow and mature God begins the work of spiritual circumcision.
Circumcision is God cutting off that part of us that is unnecessary. It is
a deep and personal thing and cuts to the very core of who and what we
are.
The number 8
in the Bible is the number of new beginnings. Throughout the Bible God did
things in series of sevens, seven being the number of divine completion.
After God brought His purpose to completion there was a new beginning.
This is significant in the context of circumcision for two reasons.
The first is
that nobody was ever circumcised before they had experienced one Sabbath.
(See the booklet
"Keeping
Sabbath" in this series of messages for a better understanding of
the principle of spiritual Sabbath.) Cutting off our fleshly nature is not
easy. We were born with a sense of self-preservation. Nobody likes to deny
himself or herself. God did not expect a man to circumcise himself. He was
to submit to it. Experiencing spiritual Sabbath is resting in God's
ability to get the job done in our lives. We stop striving and working and
we begin to place our faith in God to do what we could never do.
One of two
problems exists today in this area of cutting off our flesh. Either we've
never been told it is necessary, or we set about to do it on our own.
Spiritual circumcision is something that we must rest in. It came on the
8th day after a day of rest.
The 8th day
also signifies a new beginning. Something is different after circumcision.
It is the start of a new thing in our lives. Sometimes people come to know
the Lord and are really excited about God, but after a while they get
stagnant. Newness comes after the old has been cut off. And the reverse is
true also. There are some new things we can't enter into until we've
submitted our lives to spiritual circumcision.
New
Testament Circumcision Is An Ongoing Work
Sometimes God
illustrated a spiritual truth in the Old Testament, but its dynamics
changed somewhat in the new. For instance, in the Old Testament it was
necessary for certain sacrifices to occur every day, or on special days
throughout the year. However, when Jesus came we are told in Hebrews that
His one sacrifice was good forever and replaced the multitude of yearly
sacrifices.
Jesus'
crucifixion was a one time experience, yet we are told to take up our
cross daily (Luke 9:23).
Likewise,
circumcision, by its very nature could only happen once physically, but it
can be a continuous spiritual work in our lives.
There's a
curious scripture in Joshua 5:2 "At that time the LORD said unto
Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of
Israel the second time."
It is
important to read a little more of the story. In it we find out that all
of the men who had come out of Egypt 40 years earlier and who had been
circumcised were dead (except Caleb and Joshua). And all the baby boys
born in the wilderness had not been circumcised at all. While these boys
and men were being circumcised the first time personally, God called it a
second circumcision for the nation of Israel. It was a re-establishing of
the covenant. God left us an example of it being possible for spiritual
circumcision to be an ongoing work of grace in our lives.
More on this
passage later
Breaking The Covenant
The 5th point
in our study brings us to a significant question.
If failure to
be circumcised under the old covenant was grounds for exclusion from that
covenant, does it stand to reason that failure to be spiritually
circumcised is grounds for exclusion under the new covenant? Remember that
God didn't do one thing in the old and something different in the new. The
old, natural example was to illustrate a spiritual truth. It makes no
sense for God to require something in an Old Testament picture then
discard it in the spiritual fulfillment and reality. We must settle this
issue.
"...
Without holiness no one will see the Lord." Heb 12:14b
What was the
issue here? Circumcision was the "cutting off of the flesh." While
salvation is a free gift of God through Jesus Christ, God does require
that we get rid of the old flesh nature. Paul and Jesus required us to
"take up the cross daily." The cross had but one purpose ... it was to
kill the flesh. Spiritual circumcision is the removal of the old flesh
nature. It started at conversion, continued through baptism and will
remain a principle throughout our lives. Every time we face the issue of
the old flesh nature, it must be "cut off." Not to do so is to allow sin
to overwhelm us again and with it, the possibility of losing our faith in
Christ.
So many
Christians have the idea that God's sole objective is to forgive our sins
and get us to heaven. Salvation is only the starting place of a much
deeper work God desires to accomplish in our lives.
"For if
after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge
of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and
overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had
been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than,
after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered
unto them." 2 Pet 2:20-21 (For an in-depth treatment of this subject
see the tract, Eternal Security or Once Saved Always Saved:
Can a Person lose their Salvation?)
You
Don't Circumcise Yourself
Nowhere does
the Word of God tell us to circumcise ourselves. It was the job of the
priests to perform the circumcision. Originally God told Abraham to
circumcise everyone in his household. Later God spoke to Joshua, telling
him to make sharp knives and do it. After that the duty fell to the
priests on duty at the temple.
Likewise you
are never told to crucify yourself. Even Jesus didn't crucify Himself,
though He did yield to it. We are told to do what Jesus did ... "take
up your cross and follow me...." We are to carry our cross. And we are
to yield to the crucifixion of our flesh. But we aren't capable of doing
it ourselves. Even in the physical sense you could, at best, only nail
your feet and one hand down.
This is for
several reasons. The first is that God placed within us a sense of
self-preservation. We are not real good at accomplishing that which causes
us pain. It's too easy to stop short. When you go through spiritual
circumcision and your flesh is being cut off, it isn't dead flesh, but
living flesh that is being trimmed out of your life.
Another
reason is that God wants us to learn to YIELD to His Spirit. There are two
agencies at work in spiritual circumcision. The first is the Spirit of God
and the second is God's ordained ministry. (I'll treat this subject more
thoroughly in a minute.)
The
Principle Of The Flesh
It is
important to understand what God has to say about the flesh nature. A lot
of people get confused when you start talking about the flesh. They think
in terms of the outer covering of this natural body, but the principle of
the flesh is much more than that. While we are here, let me interject a
thought. God is not against our bodies. The Bible says, "The body is
... for the Lord, and the Lord for the body." I Cor. 6:13 Paul goes on
to say that our physical bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit
(verse19).
God isn't
against our physical bodies. He is against the sinful fleshly nature that
dwells in our bodies and causes us to sin. We need to understand this
principle if we are going to understand and yield to spiritual
circumcision.
"And the
LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Gene 2:7
Here we discover the three parts of man. God formed a body, breathed the
breath of life (the spirit) into him and he BECAME a living soul.
God
originally spoke of man in terms of his soul. Later, after the fall and
after man became corrupted, God spoke this way, "And the LORD said, My
spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also [is] flesh..."
Gen. 6:3
Lets see what
the New Testament has to say about the flesh nature.
"It is the
spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I
speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63
"For I
know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing:" John
6:63
"There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death For
what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh: for sin: or, by a sacrifice for sin. That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the
things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the
Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded
is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it
is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that
are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in
the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man
have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Rom.
"For the
sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what
is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so
that you do not do what you want." Gala 5:17 NIV
These, and
many other passages, clearly demonstrate the conflict that exists between
the two natures that reside within a Christian. The principle of the flesh
(sin nature) is plain; it opposes God and delights in sin. Sin can easily
be characterized as simply gratifying one's own desires. It is this flesh
nature that promotes sinful behavior.
When the
Bible speaks of sin it does so in two dynamics. There is "SIN" (singular)
which refers to the sin nature, or the root of sin. The Bible also speaks
of "SINS" (plural) which refers to the specific acts of sin. The ministry
of Jesus deals with both aspects of sin. His death brought about
forgiveness of SINS (plural) that we have committed and His resurrection
brought power over SIN (singular) that dwells within us.
We must have
our flesh nature dealt with. God pictured this "cutting away of the flesh"
in the Old Testament sign of the covenant--circumcision. The New Testament
also has a "cutting away of the flesh." It is "flesh nature" that must be
cut off in spiritual circumcision, just as the natural flesh was cut off
in physical circumcision.
There is
absolutely no doubt that God had this in mind from the beginning. All the
way back in Deuteronomy 10:16 God gave this admonition to Israel,
"Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any
longer."
The spiritual
circumcision of the heart directly relates to the new covenant, just as
physical circumcision related to the old covenant.
Circumcision Was Done In A Private Part Of The Body
Circumcision
seems a strange way to initiate a covenant, doesn't it? However,
everything God did in the Old Testament had meaning. Nothing was done
without foreshadowing a spiritual truth to come. So it is with
circumcision. I believe that God was trying to make a two-fold point here.
The first was that circumcision is a personal matter. God is dealing
deeply in the hearts lives of people when spiritual circumcision takes
place. It isn't a matter for public display. God is gracious to deal with
us privately about these things. It is fair to say that God wants us
humbled, not humiliated.
The second
point of the picture is similar to the first. Circumcision wasn't
something everyone could see. You could see the effects of circumcision. A
Jewish man followed the law of God (or should have). Likewise you can't
see if a person has a circumcised heart, but you should be able to see the
results of it. This causes a real problem for those in the Church who like
to judge after the flesh. God can be doing a work in someone's heart and
the effect has not yet been reflected in the outer life. We must be
careful to "judge righteous judgment" as Jesus instructed us in John 7:24.
True life-change starts inside, in the heart, not outside in the flesh.
Cutting
Off the Unnecessary Part
I believe
another point is being made here. Stop and think about something. The
foreskin is the only part of our flesh that is unnecessary. It is the only
part of our skin you can cut off without leaving a hole someplace. God
only cuts out of our life what is unnecessary. Sometimes we think God is
being unreasonable, but nothing He removes from us is of any value to our
spiritual lives and well-being.
Circumcision Was a Point of Consecration
God declared
that any Jewish male that was not circumcised would be "cut off from
Israel." Circumcision then, became the point of consecration for the
Jewish people.
Another
interesting passage is found in Joshua 5:2 where the Bible tells us:
'At that
time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise
again the children of Israel the second time. And Joshua made him sharp
knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the
foreskins. And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people
that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in
the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. Now all the
people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born
in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they
had not circumcised. For the children of Israel walked forty years in the
wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of
Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto
whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD
sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with
milk and honey. And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them
Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not
circumcised them by the way. And it came to pass, when they had done
circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp,
till they were whole. And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I
rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the
place is called Gilgal unto this day."
Why did God
command them to be circumcised again? We've already pointed out that a
person can't be physically circumcised twice. There is a spiritual truth
here. Before the Israelites could enter into their inheritance, the nation
had to be re-consecrated to God. Here God looked at the nation as a whole
when saying that the nation needed to be "circumcised again the second
time." It was the flesh that caused the Israelites to fail at God's
promise to enter into the promised land. And although they had a covenant
relationship with God, it was this flesh that had to be dealt with before
the nation could finally enter in to their blessing.
Likewise,
spiritual circumcision is a point of consecration to God. As a general
rule we are pretty found of this stuff we call flesh. We pamper it and
cater to it. We feed it and water it and generally take pretty good care
of it. Self-preservation is a strong instinct. Allowing God to "cut off
our flesh" takes more than a casual commitment to the cause. It takes real
consecration.
To accept
God's offer of forgiveness and salvation doesn't require a lot of
sacrifice on our part. Although we must repent, we are in fact the
beneficiaries. However, after salvation comes consecration. After the
initial work of salvation, we must allow the nature of Christ to be formed
in us. This is a life-long process--a continual circumcision--a continual
consecration.
A couple more
truths can be gleaned from this passage of scripture in Joshua.
Gilgal, the
place where they were circumcised, means "rolling", because it was here
that God "rolled away the reproach of Egypt."
Although God
had taken His people out of Egypt, He hadn't yet gotten Egypt out of them.
When God called Moses to the Mount for a few weeks, the Israelite,
including Aaron, demanded "Gods". What they came up with was a golden
calf, just like the Egyptians worshipped. They continually wanted to go
back to Egypt rather then have to trust God to provide for them.
Circumcision
(or consecration) was a way for God to give Israel a new identity. No
longer were they slaves in Egypt. No longer would they be homeless
vagabonds wandering around the desert. No longer would they suffer the
indignities thrust upon them by the Egyptians. With circumcision they were
renewing their covenant relationship with God. They now had a new identity
as God's special people. This is what the Bible means when it says that
God "rolled away the reproach of Egypt."
The Word of
God tells us that we were slaves to sin. Many of us have done things that
we are ashamed of. Sin held sway in our lives and we were not the FREE
people we liked to boast about being. When we are born again God begins a
circumcising work in our lives setting us free from the shame, guilt and
bondage of our past lives, thus preparing us to enter into our "promised
land." Truly the reproach of our old lifestyle is rolled away as we yield
to God in spiritual circumcision.
Circumcision Requires Healing
The last
point I want to make here is somewhat obvious. Circumcision required the
CUTTING of the flesh and that involves some pain and a time of healing to
follow. Remember that God didn't waste words in the Bible. When He pointed
out that they stayed in camp until they were whole (healed) He was trying
to tell us something.
Spiritual
circumcision will usually carry some pain with it. Sorry, but that's part
of yielding the flesh. Jesus and Paul both admonished us to "take up our
cross and follow." Paul said, "I die daily." Carrying the cross, spiritual
circumcision or whatever you want to call it is not a nice Christian
doctrine to preach about, it is a spiritual reality to enter into. Dying
to self will never be most people's idea of fun. The old nature will kick
and scream all the way to the cross. Many will be the time that God asks
us to give up something that we are pretty fond of. Or possibly ask us to
do something that we are not fond of. Either way a "Cross is formed." A
"Cross" occurs in your life when your will crosses God's will. Somebody's
will is going to be crucified on that cross.
The pain
associated with spiritual circumcision isn't generally physical pain. It
is probably going to be an emotional struggle to yield to God. Sometimes
after a particularly intense struggle to yield God will give us time to
heal. I want to make a point here. During the past few years I have
watched God work deeply in my own life and the lives of those people
around me. Many times those same people did not have a clue that God was
actually at work. Much of what God is doing today involves major changes
over a period of time. The frustration and struggle is often painful and
confusing, but God knows how to get the job done.
Paul
admonishes us in the book of Hebrews 12:11 "Now no chastening for the
present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it
yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are
exercised thereby."
Read again
the stories of the people most used of God in the Bible. You'll find they
all went through frustrating times when everything looked absolutely
hopeless in regards to what God had promised them. But in it all God was
at work preparing each for the job He had planned for them.
So it is with
us today. Sometimes after a time of spiritual circumcision we need time to
heal. This is normal. Those who need to hear this will understand what I
mean.
Spiritual Circumcision in the New Testament
"A man is
not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward
and physical. 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..."
Rom. 2:28-29
"For in
Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have
been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and
authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the
sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with
the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism
and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him
from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision
of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all
our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was
against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to
the cross." Col. 2:9-14
In these a
passages we find some interesting thoughts. First, as we have already
discussed, we find that we do not circumcise ourselves (or each other for
that matter). Christians today are really good at wanting to cut off the
flesh, whether it be our own or someone else's. (Although I must say it is
mostly other's flesh we want to cut off for them.) This is a fancy way of
saying that we want to change all the bad stuff we see in others. We tend
to spiritualize it by calling it discernment and "ministry". Often it is
nothing more than self-righteousness and impatience. It isn't maturity, it
is the height of immaturity.
I believe the
bible addresses this tendency in Christians to be overzealous in whacking
each other up. In Phil. 3:2 Paul tells the church something that the
average person passes right over. However it is relevant to our message.
"Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the
concision."
Paul used
this word in a contemptuous manner referring to those who still required
physical circumcision for a person to be right with God. However there is
a deeper meaning here. Paul didn't warn them of the "circumcision" as he
had in other places, but of the "concision." The word meant "mutilators of
the flesh."
I believe
Paul was telling the Philippians to be careful. He wanted us to be sure
that in the process of cutting off the flesh we didn't "mutilate" people.
Spiritual
circumcision was to performed by the Spirit of God.
While we
should discipline our lives and yield to God, we must be careful not to
get in God's way and try to do God's work. Much pain and destruction has
been caused by Christians trying to straighten other Christians out. Along
the same lines, many people become discouraged and quit serving God
because they just couldn't be as spiritual as someone else. All Christian
growth takes time and God knows how and when to get the job done.
Man can't
touch the spirit of man, but God can. However God rarely does anything
without His servants. It is still the job of the ministry to circumcise
the Body of Christ as they preach the word of God and lead the flock of
God. They must be led by the Spirit however, and not their flesh.
Paul told us
to submit ourselves to the elders of the Church. As the ministry of God
begins to touch live areas of our life by the Spirit of God we do one of
two things. We can yield or we can get angry. A popular old phrase
illustrates this perfectly. They used to tell the preacher he "stopped
preachin' and started meddlin."
What is
happening here? The Spirit, through the preacher, brings the flesh to the
place of circumcision and self-preservation kicks in. Since we don't often
understand what God is trying to do, we get mad at the preacher for
confronting something in our lives. (The next time you get angry at
something the preacher says why not stop and ask yourself if God is trying
to bring something to your attention.)
Here is one
reason why so many Christians don't ever mature. They go from church to
church looking for a place to belong, to teach, to minister, but not for a
place to be circumcised. When the ministry starts dealing with them, they
find fault and run to the next new church that sprang up down the road.
Learning to
yield to the voice of God, no matter what agent He speaks through is a
maturing thing. We can certainly hear from God on our own, but the fact is
that God still uses His ministry to work a work in the lives of his
people. Smart is the Christian who will allow God to speak to them,
correct them and circumcise them through His appointed ministry. It is
humbling and it hurts sometimes, but it is the only way. Remember that
circumcision must be yielded to.
Old and
New Covenant Signs
Something
else we should consider here is how God linked the Old Testament sign of
circumcision to the New Testament sign of baptism. The passage in
Colossians 2 seems to tell us that a circumcision takes place at baptism.
While I do
not believe that a person must be baptized to be saved, I do understand
that it is more than "an outward sign of an inward act." Consider this:
Even the rituals God commanded under the Old Testament carried spiritual
significance. Although they were signs that pointed to the spiritual
reality that was to come, God still honored the people who obeyed them.
. Why would
He suddenly command meaningless ritual under the new covenant that
contained the spiritual reality. God only gave two ordinances to the
Church: communion and baptism. I believe these have spiritual power
attached to them. As we are obedient to observe them in faith, God
ministers to us.
Before you
argue about that last statement let me ask you a question. How could you
do anything in faith and obedience that would not have a spiritual impact
on your life?
In
Conclusion
Several
things are abundantly clear from our study. The main one is that
circumcision is a spiritual principle in the bible that cannot be ignored.
We find that
a circumcision takes place at the point of salvation. Again, Paul links it
with baptism as a sign of the covenant. We also discovered that
circumcision was an ongoing principle in our lives as we daily yield to
the Spirit of God.
Another
important fact is that Paul clearly links the old and new covenant signs
in one passage. What should this mean to us? For the most part I'll leave
you to draw your own conclusions based on what you have already read.
I will say
this. Spiritual circumcision is not an option for the born again child of
God. It isn't something you or I can take or leave. If the Old Testament
people of God had to undergo circumcision under an inferior covenant, how
much more is it required of us who have a better covenant?
And a
final Scripture to bless you with on your journey.
"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." Duet.
30:6
I believe He
is able to do just that! Don't you?
Copyright 2000 - 2009
Steve Highlander & C3M Ministries. All rights reserved.
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