A Strange External Sign of a Glorious Internal Reality

June 3, 2022
Have you ever owned something that was not operating like it should? It was not fulfilling its intended purpose and function. That is the story of mankind. Since sin entered the world with Adam and Eve, we have failed at God’s intended purpose for us – Glorifying God through delightful obedience. In response to mankind’s brokenness, our redeeming God decided to choose one man, Abraham, and make a promise with him and his descendants. God promised to bless the entire world through Abraham’s offspring (Jesus) and at the same time redeem a people so that they can fulfill their God-given purpose.

But wait, then God did what? He told Abraham that as a physical sign of this great covenant promise, he had to circumcise the foreskin of every male’s sexual organ (Genesis 17:1-14). Dramatic pause for weirdness! Yes, that is strange. Why did God choose circumcision of the male sex organ? Why did He not choose anything else… anything, maybe a tattoo, anything? Well, that will be answered on Sunday – it will be a great discussion : ). Back to the story.
 
Physical circumcision was a declaration that God made a promise to His chosen people to bring forth a Savior that will redeem them for their intended God-given purpose and vitality. But, don’t forget their problem was not a physical one. Their problem and all of mankind’s problem is a spiritual one. So, we can conclude that circumcision was never intended to be just an external sign. It was to be an external sign of an inward devotion to God. It was intended to be an external sign of an inward circumcision that their heart had also experienced. Wait, wait… what? Your heart has a foreskin that needs to be circumcised? Yes, we have a spiritual foreskin of sinfulness that covers our heart that God sent Jesus to circumcise.
 
God knew that our problem was spiritual not physical. So, He gave us a physical sign of what needed to happen to us spiritually. We have a spiritual foreskin on our heart that prevents us from doing what we were intended to do – Glorify God through delightful obedience. So, God gave His people a physical sign of what He expects to happen within their heart spiritually. God will circumcise the heart spiritually of all His chosen people, male and female.
 
An uncircumcised heart keeps us dead in our trespasses (Col. 2:11-13). So, how does God circumcise our heart? Heart circumcision is the work of the Holy Spirit, “made without hands by putting off the body of flesh.” When the Holy Spirit brings us from spiritual death to life (regeneration), He unites us with Christ into His physical death. Christ circumcises our heart (Col. 2:11) through His death. Our old foreskin of sin is "circumcised" from us in His death (Romans 6:3-7). We can no longer live in that sin, it has been circumcised from us.

This is the true inward circumcision that God was pointing to when He gave Abraham and his descendants the external sign of the covenant promise. As Paul says, in Romans 2:28-29, circumcision is not one that is "outward and physical" but one that is "a matter of the heart, by the Spirit”.

As God's people we have had the foreskin of sin circumcised from our heart by the work of Jesus Christ so that we walk in newness of life. A glorious internal reality!

See you Sunday gathered as God's redeemed, Steve

No Comments


Recent

Archive

 2024
 2023
 March
Hebrews 10:24-25Psalm 32Psalm 1Like A Tree...He is our SHIELD, our GLORY, and the LIFTER of our head...No Longer Live For Themselves...We worship a LORD who wants our words, meditations and cries...The goal of all things in each moment everywhere...A stronghold in times of trouble!God keeps you as the little man in His eye.And who is a Rock, except our God?His way is perfect. Always. Forever.The LORD restores your soul perfectly."Whatever the Lord does" is beautiful.The LORD's perfect law will REVIVE your soul.100% Wisdom guaranteed!Come and Claim Your Great Reward.Immeasurable riches for you daily in Christ.Know this! Show this!God's kindness is perfect and the power that leads us to repentance.The LORD loves being a Shepherd.The LORD makes Himself famous by perfectly shepherding us.A Great Shepherd that Promises to Equip Us With Everything Good to do His WillBear a Burden, Share a Burden100% Guaranteed Rest from Your BurdensTGIM: Thank God It's Monday!All of Our Work Matters to God - Yes, Even That WorkLooking Toward November 8 With HopeThe Best Rest!Sola Fide - Faith AloneGod Will Establish His Rule on the Earth Today November 8 and Every Day That FollowsFit for the Kingdom of GodFaithful Prayer brings Faithful Power - God's power.Remembering the Good in Good Friday - Good Friday TimelineFind God's Glory in Every StoryDenying Self Remains Our Call Even During a PandemicCome together in Prayer and Fasting - Wednesday evening to Thursday evening5:13pm Daily - Powerfully Praying TogetherHave you noticed? Can you see it?None of this is meaningless!Grace Community Church's Mitigation Strategy for COVID-19Do not fear; Only believe!Why Demons... today? For God's greatness to be seen more clearly everyday.Having Faith vs. Engaging FaithWhat does your heart hear? - With a hardness, shallowness, thorniness or goodness?Know Your Sins - Know His ForgivenessDoubt your doubts... not Jesus.Compassion Costs Us Something - Invest Your CompassionWonder twin powers - activate! Faith and The Word of GodHoliness is something we are to do because of what we already are - Holy.Boasting in our arrogance in 2020 vs. Resting in God's Providence in 2020Does the start of 2020 find you spiritually renewed or spiritually sleepy?Satan never saw it coming... the IncarnationWhen do you forgive someone's grievous sin against you?Are you a Peacemaker or a Peacefaker?What does gratitude look like today?We Grieve with HopeFear wants to be your boss. God says, nope...What does your anger look like? What is your anger saying?

Categories

no categories

Tags

no tags