The God of Circumcision

Read: Genesis 17

If you have time, read also Acts 15 and Romans 2: 17-29

In this chapter God begins to lay down one of the important concepts of the entire Bible: covenant. A covenant is a specific promise between two sides. In this case, the covenant is between God and Abram, as well as his descendants. And the physical symbol of that covenant is circumcision (for guys). But even moreso, Abram and Sarai have new names. Abram (exalted father) is now Abraham (father of many). And Sarai is now Sarah. And God continued: “I will bless her and surely give you a son by her” (vs. 16). Isaac will be the one who holds the covenant with God, not Ishmael. Thus, all of Abram’s family members and Isaac’s descendants must be circumcised as a physical mark of their covenantal agreement with God. The concept - not the act - of circumcision is important especially for Christians, especially for us with our new youth group theme: “Seeking Wholeness: Being Good News to the Lost.” It is so
important that, in fact, the first church council, the Jerusalem Council, was convened over this specific issue. In Acts 15, some former Pharisees who converted to Christianity argued that circumcision is still necessary, even for Gentile converts. Peter, generally regarded as the titular leader of the apostles, notes (vs. 8) that the Holy Spirit made no distinction between the circumcised and the uncircumcised. All Christ’s followers received the Holy Spirit regardless of whether they were former Jews or Gentiles. The Council has made their decision - Gentile
converts do not need to be circumcised to be Christian. They wrote a letter - an apostolic letter - and circulated it to the churches. St. Paul was one of the messengers. Maybe for that reason, Paul had time to think over the issue more clearly. In Romans 2, Paul notes that circumcision is useless if you break the law! What’s the use of having a physical mark of your allegiance to God if you break his laws all the time? Indeed, a Gentile who obeys the law is so much more preferable to a Jewish man who keeps breaking it! And, in verse 29, Paul nails the issue down - the circumcision that God wants is a “circumcision of the heart.” It is a heart who
is allied to God.

Are our hearts circumcised? Do we live one way at church, but live completely oppositely at school? Remember the youth group theme? This wholeness is circumcision. And when we are circumcised in our hearts, we will be changed people. That’s why our theme makes so much sense: “Being Good News to the Lost.” Lost people don’t look for other lost people to find their way - they look for people who have the light. Do we have this light in our hearts? Spend time reflecting over this. Are your hearts circumcised? Are they set apart for the Lord?