… and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—
Summary: The debate over whether or not believers should be circumcised was really a debate about what “signs” we should look for to determine whether someone is a believer or not.
As a Gentile, I find it hard to follow Paul’s train of thought at times. Yet, in Paul’s day, he was dogged by his fellow Jews in the same way he hunted down early Christians before his conversion. Even among his fellow Jews who believed in Jesus as Messiah, there was still an association between belief and circumcision. In their minds, men who were not circumcised were not really believers.
Paul was not universally recognized as an authority on Jesus Christ. He had to work hard to convince people he knew what he was talking about, even among the Gentiles who didn’t know him. To aid him in establishing his credentials, God gave Paul the ability to do miracles.1 Yet, even then, in the face of this evidence, there were more people who refused to believe than believed, even among the Jews.
Some Jews believed, however. The story of the Spirit coming upon the disciples at Pentecost illustrates this (See Acts 2). Even so, the issue of circumcision persisted as a “sign” of belonging to God.
The important thing here is not that people disagreed about what it means to worship God. I doubt any of us would agree on every aspect of what it means to serve Jesus. The important thing is what we do agree on.
Paul understood this.
Being circumcised was not wrong in and of itself. In Acts 16: 1-3, we read that Paul had Timothy circumcised because he still had a ministry to the Jews. (Later on, he would devote himself exclusively to the Gentiles – Acts 18:6.)
The problem is that requiring all male believers to be circumcised requires them to rely on an outward sign of belief rather than an inward one. Paul talks about this more as we continue through his letter to the believers.
Faith is a matter of the heart. It is invisible to our physical eyes but is like a bright light to our spirits. Paul wants us to experience the bright light of the Spirit. He wants us to “see” with new eyes, peering into the spiritual realm. He is trying to get us to focus on the things of God rather than the things of man.
As a Gentile, I find it hard to follow Paul’s train of thought. As a Christian, I am beginning to see.
Application: Open your eyes to the spiritual realm.
Food for Thought: As Christians, what “signs” do we look for in other believers?
1 – Acts 13:9 – 11, Acts 14:3, Acts 14:8 – 10, Acts 16:16 – 18, 2 Corinthians 12:12, Acts 19:11 – 12, Acts 19:12, Acts 20:9 – 10, Romans 15:18 – 19
As Christians, I believe what we look for in other believers is evidence that Christ is present in our lives.
We can change our behavior, but we can’t change who we are. As we grow in faith, others may say “you have changed,” but it is not us changing ourselves, rather it is Christ expressing His love through us. Our personalities become less like ourselves and more like Christ. They way we react and act becomes less about ourselves and more about others.
I think believers look for that, not in seeking of proof, but seeking fellowship and unity.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
Chris,
Well said! I like the comparison with John the Baptist. He understood his place in God’s “Grand Scheme of Things.” He did not see himself as more important than Jesus.
Good thoughts Chris.
Jesus taught us that we will know people by their fruit (Matthew 7: 15 – 20; John 15: 1 – 8). The fruit of the Spirit should be present in our lives (Galatians 5: 22 – 23; James 2: 14 – 26).
While we can’t see the heart or know what the Lord knows, we can see the fruit. And certainly we should be evaluating our own walk based on fruit that is produced. The fruit will show us if our growth in the Lord is moving in the right direction.
Thank you, Rich!
Today’s meditation opened my eyes a bit to the conundrum faced by Paul as he explains to us how Christians should behave.
As Christians, what “signs” do we look for in other believers?
What signs should we look for?
The fruit of the Spirit
Love
Following Jesus’s commands
Humility
Letting God be in control and Jesus be Lord
Diminishing attachment to sinful behaviors
Giving glory and praise to Jesus
Including God in their lives more than a certain day a year.
What signs do we look for? Often times we look at these things more than the rest, though they may be good, we put more stock in them as signs of salvation than signs of obedience or a good checklist:
Agreeing with our personal convictions
Reading x amount of scripture per day or week
Attending x% of Sunday services
Praying a really good prayer at group
Knowing the right Christian speakers
Keeping up the right appearance
Listening to the right kind of music
T&A,
I apologize for not setting your comment free sooner! Sometimes a word will trigger my spam filter.
Thank you for the double list of signs! I like your approach where you emphasize the spiritual but acknowledge that there are signs we can observe in the natural as well.
04-14-2023, As Christians, what “signs” do we look for in other believers?
What we say and do, will reveal what, who governs our hearts.
God tells us: To be a Christian we must have the Spirit of Christ in our hearts, and we will know them by their fruits.
Romans 8:9, Matthew 7:15-16
I try hard to look at myself and assist others who may be struggling in their faith.
The Holy Spirit opened our spiritual eyes as our allpowerful God entered our hearts, causing us to see, experience the light of the gospel and the beauty and glory of Christ. He gave us life, so that we would no longer be dead, blind, hostile to God, unable to please God, rebellious, and we would no longer view the cross as foolishness.
Acts 16:14, 2 Corinthians 4:6
One of the effects of this Holy, powerful and priceless. experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit is that we become more ready, free and bold in our witness to Christ. We see the glory of Christ in the gospel. We see it as more beautiful, more desirable, than the things of this world. We have been made alive by the Spirit of God.
God has become real, a priority over all things of this world. We are no longer blind. We see the cross of Christ, His way, His word as more attractive than the promises of sin. Instead of hostility toward God, we love Him and want to please Him. Instead of doubt, suspicion and hardness, we see His promises as true and place our trust in them. Christ has become our treasure.
Growing in Christ is a process, however as time passes, we should see growth in our faith, our lives as Christ is seen in our words, spoken and demonstrated in our actions.
Ron,
Thank you for your words! As I read them I envisioned a flower blossoming. We can see the plant grow, but we only see the change from day to day. One day there is a green stem, the next a bud, the day after that a blossom. God is at work in us!
YES, absolutely Jeff!
Focus on Him in our lives, He will reveal what He desires we see, and urge us to act as He desires. There is a time to be drawn toward what we see and minister. There is a time to back away from what we see in silence, but everyday is our time to grow in Christ so we know when and how to follow His leading.