Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything;
Summary: As Paul wraps up his letter to the Galatians, he summarizes his arguments about circumcision rather neatly.
‘Way back in chapter five, Paul made a rather harsh statement about the believers who had been circumcised. He said:
“Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.” (Galatians 5:2)
I remember reacting to this when we started our meditations on chapter five. I wondered if there were people in the Galatian churches who had given in to the circumcision group and now wish they hadn’t. What were they thinking when they read Paul’s words? Were they suddenly gripped with fear? Did they find themselves pondering an eternity in the lake of fire?
As we read through Paul’s letter, we find Paul speaking bluntly repeatedly. The thing we need to remember while reading Paul is that his thoughts are BIG. One sentence is never enough. Paul fills page after page with examples and exhortations.
Finally, he states flatly, “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything … .”
So what is all the fuss about? If they don’t mean anything, why get upset?
The answer to that question brings us to the underlying message. Paul isn’t concerned about whether someone is circumcised or not. After all, Paul himself was circumcised according to the laws of Moses.
Paul is concerned about where we place our faith. Are you trusting in Jesus or something else? That is the only question that matters to Paul. Without Jesus, nothing else has any meaning.
Without Jesus, we cannot please God.
If we do not know Jesus, we cannot receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.
If Jesus had never lived, we would be trapped as slaves to a system of rules that we can never satisfy.
Without Christ, there is no hope of eternal life. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
If there is no Jesus, there is no meaning, and that is why neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything.
Application: Trust Jesus.
Food for Thought: How do questions like the one about circumcision impact our relationship with God?
How do questions like the one about circumcision impact our relationship with God?
The impact depends on the source of the question. If we ask questions from a place of self-service, self gratification, ulterior motive, or skepticism, we will most likely place a barrier between us and Christ and God. I say most likely because sometimes the lack of response makes one question the question, and in doing so, God reveals something about a person to that person that ultimately brings them back in line with God’s Will. If we ask questions from a heart of faith, ask for understanding or how our actions are in service to Him, He has promised to give us understanding in His time that will strengthen our relation with His Spirit.
So I believe all question should be asked in seeking His righteousness first.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
We should allow His righteousness to help us discern our questions.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We should be at peace with our lack of understanding, and in that peace, place our faith in His understanding, and the promise that He will help us understand in His time.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
I believe approaching questions in that way builds our relationship with Him. Approaching questions that do not seek His kingdom first, do not seek His righteousness, and do not place our faith in Him move us away from Him and toward ourselves.
Chris,
Very interesting analysis! I like where you went with this, and I agree with your premise. How we approach God makes all the difference.
Thank you!
How do questions like the one about circumcision impact our relationship with God?
We are spiritual beings, confined in physical bodies. God’s inspired Word, as recorded by Paul and others, preserved by God, is food, providing growth for our spirits.
“Neither physical circumcision nor uncircumcision mean anything”
Pauls statement is the absolute the truth regarding “physical circumcision” which simply has no impact, no effect on our spiritual relationship with God. It is a physical manifestation of a spiritual truth. If there is no Jesus, there is no meaning, and this is why circumcision or uncircumcision of themselves, as Paul records, mean nothing.
2 Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
Romans 2:28-29, For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 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.
Philippians 3:3, For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.
Colossians 2:11, In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ.
Excellent point, Ron!
The danger is the connection between physical and spiritual. If we “connect” with the physical more than our spirit, we see the physical circumcision as being important. Paul, as you point out, is teaching us to lean into our spiritual nature and our spiritual relationship with God.
Good thoughts CH and R2T2. I concur.
The question itself may not be the issue. What it reveals about our hearts is the issue. What it reveals about whether we are moving toward God in relationship or not is the issue. If someone is circumcised and loves Jesus and shows it by obedience and growing nearer to Christ – then that is great. If a person is circumcised and counts on that circumcision to be right with God but does not love Jesus and is not trusting His work on the cross for their salvation – that circumcision is pointless from a spiritual perspective.
Matthew 15: 1 – 20 (addressing a similar issue): Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
3Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ a and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ b 5But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8“ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’ c ”
10Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
12Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
13He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14Leave them; they are blind guides. d If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
15Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
16“Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
Thank you, Rich!
“What it reveals about our hearts is the issue” is spot on!
Jesus’ reaction to the disciples makes me smile: “Are you still so dull?!” And then he explains that what comes out of the heart, as you mention, is what defiles us.
How do questions like the one about circumcision impact our relationship with God?
They should lead to a better understanding of our faith. Why was circumcision a thing? Because of God’s relationship with Abraham and his descendents. Because God chose a lineage to deliver his son as a sacrifice through. It is important, to the Jews and the fulfillment of their covenants.
But it is worthless as a means of salvation.
I wonder how many jews sincerely believed that it was important for Gentiles to be circumcised? How many geniunely thought they were helping them. After being raised to know the law and follow the law and keep the traditions, it’s second nature. If you’re allowed to mix Jew and Gentile, then they have to at least be circumcised Gentiles right?
The issue with circumcision isn’t that it’s a terrible thing, but that it has nothing to do with Christ’s covenant. And that mistake crosses the line, regardless of the motive.
Angela,
You make a wonderful point when you suggest questions should lead to a better understanding of our faith. That is so true!
Some people are threatened by questions because they can upset the world view they have constructed in their minds. But if the model of the world they hold in their thoughts doesn’t match reality, it can do more harm than good.
Real questions help us test our “models” and make adjustments that bring us into closer alignment with God’s Word and the truth of God’s reality.