ROMANS 2
25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physicallyuncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. – Romans 2:25-29
ROMANS 2 CIRCUMCISION IS A MATTER OF THE HEART
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you were circumcised as a sign of the covenant
You didn’t just have the physical manifestation of it
Circumcision is a matter of the heart and spirit
It symbolizes our spiritual separation from sin
It is a commitment you made to obey God’s laws
If you intentionally and habitually sin, it has no value.
In this letter of Paul to the Romans, he reminds them of the importance of circumcision. He stresses that it is not just a physical sign but more a spiritual sign that involves the heart. Genesis 17:11-14 brings us back to the time when God required circumcision. He commanded Abraham: “11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 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. 13 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. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
It is very clear that it is not just a physical sign from the time that it was commanded to Abraham and the rest of his people. It was a covenant sign that identifies the people of God from the rest of the world. Therefore, all believers need to take this to heart.
REFLECTION
- What is the sign now that has replaced circumcision in some churches today?
