CIRCUMCISION – A MUST
FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN!
BY DR. MERVYN ABREO
Before
you run to the kitchen to grab a carving knife, or phone your favorite butcher,
please read this article very carefully!
WHAT IS CIRCUMCISION? It’s the removal of the foreskin of the penis.
WHY IS IT PERFORMED? There are
several reasons.
In
adult males it is performed because in a condition called phimosis, the
foreskin of an erect penis cannot be fully retracted.
It
can also be performed for hygienic reasons because smegma, a residue which
collects under the foreskin, is carcinogenic.
ABRAHAM and CIRCUMCISION: In the Bible, the ceremony of circumcision was initiated
with Abraham, at God's command!
He and his wife were too old to father a child. But when God
told him that he would not only produce an heir from Sarah, his wife, who was
past the child bearing age, but also father offspring more numerous than the
stars in the sky, he believed the Lord. And the Lord credited it to him as
righteousness. (Genesis 15: 4 - 6).
God
therefore made a covenant with Abraham, and instructed him thus: That he and
every male had to be circumcised. (Genesis 17: 9, 10).
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Circumcision
was the seal of the covenant!
ITS SIGNIFICANCE: Like the blood sacrifices in the Old Testament, it was a ‘type’ of the
‘anti-type’ to come, i.e. the sacrifice stood for, or reflected the crucifixion
of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Therefore circumcision symbolically represented
Christ’s redemptive work on the cross.
JEWS and GENTILES: The Jews were the descendants of Abraham, and salvation first came to
them. Therefore Jesus was born a Jew. All Jews were required to be circumcised!
Since it symbolized the cross, it was an absolute
prerequisite for salvation!
The
Lord speaks of ‘death to the uncircumcised’. (Ezekiel 28:10).
GENTILES: They
were uncircumcised and separated from Christ………..excluded from citizenship of
Israel, foreigners to the covenant of the promise, without hope and without
God. (Ephesians 2: 11-12).
But
they had a choice, whether to accept Jesus! Or reject Him!
Gentiles, who accepted
Jesus as their Lord and Savior, became
believers!
And like their counterpart, the Jews,
they too got saved!
"But
now in Christ Jesus the Gentiles (believers), who were far, have been brought
near by the blood of Christ". (Ephesians 2: 13).
Therefore
the Gentiles who worship by the Holy Spirit of God, who glorify in Christ
Jesus………are the circumcision! (Philippians 3:3).
THE CRUX OF THE MATTER: Before and after the crucifixion!
What it ultimately boils down to is your
spiritual standing with God.
Circumcision
is an outward sigh of an inward change. Therefore, if you have the former without the latter, then the
whole process is meaningless!
BEFORE THE CRUCIFIXION.
During
the period of the Old Testament the circumcised Jew was admonished: “So
circumcise the foreskin of your [minds and] hearts; be no longer stubborn and
hardened. (Deuteronomy 10:16). [The Amplified Bible].
AFTER THE CRUCIFIXION.
Did the Gentiles need circumcision?
When
the circumcised Pharisees (the Jews) had become believers, they wanted the
uncircumcised believers (the Gentiles), to undergo circumcision!
But
Peter challenged this on the grounds that, the Gentiles’ hearts had become
purified by faith. And by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, had been saved
(by being circumcised in the heart), just as the circumcised Jewish believers,
now Christians, had been saved. (Acts 15: 5 – 11).
In
fact, Paul, quite irritated that some falsely accused him of still preaching
circumcision, told them that they should go the whole way and emasculate
themselves. (Galatians 5:12).
Believers definitely need ‘circumcision’!
“In Him you (believers) were also
circumcised……not done by the hands of men (surgically)……but done by Christ
(spiritually).” (Colossians 2: 11).
Therefore
there is no circumcised or uncircumcised but all in Christ and Christ in all
(Colossians 3: 11).
AND THE PLEASANT SURPRISE:
“The circumcised believers (the Jews who had
converted to Christianity) were astonished to see that the Holy Spirit had been
poured out even on the Gentiles”. (Acts 10: 44 - 46).
Just
like circumcision, baptism without faith is only a ritual and serves no
purpose.
IN CONCLUSION:
Irrespective of the group, sect, church or denomination you belong to, if you
are a Christian, then you need to circumcise your heart and your
mind.
And walk in faith! Paul, in his letter to the Romans,
admonishes them that it is not just sufficient to be circumcised, but it is
essential to walk in the footsteps of faith (Romans 4:12).
………………………………………………
Dear friend,
I
look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:
drmervynabreo@gmail.com
………………………………………………………………….
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