Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ
Circumcision that rite given to Abraham by God to seal the covenant He was making with the Israelites. A rite that would stand for God's chosen people. If a man were circumcised this proved he belonged to those who belonged to God. A babe, a male child circumcised eight days after the child's birth- this rite was a dedication of that child to God's chosen family, by those who were already established to be God's. Now when Abraham was first given this sign of the covenant it was really rather gruesome for adult males to suffer though but they did it to prove they were God's chosen. Such a sign was NOT readily visible to others, it was a private sign between God and His. It wasn't meant to be shown off, it wasn't meant to be put on display. This covenant sign was truly an amazing sign, not barbaric, not unnecessary, not the sign of a blood thirsty God.
Man continued to disobey God even after their near total annihilation in the flood. Yet God found one man worthy to carry on the human race and he did so. The blood line of those who truly dedicate themselves to God was continued and ultimately as time went on and the human race multiplied, it was time for God to separate His people from those who did not want to be His people. Abraham was found worthy just as Noah had been. Abraham declared His allegiance to God, and while the sacrifice of animals was indicative of the ultimate sacrifice of the innocent Lamb of God, the sacrifice of his own was necessary, a personal sacrifice. This sacrifice was made in circumcision.
Why was a sacrifice necessary? Because sin separate man from God and all the signs and covenants made from that moment on were those looking towards the ULTIMATE sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God's Only Begotten son. The covenant were put in place to reveal God to man through those covenants and what those faulty covenants couldn't do fully, Christ did in His life, His death, and His life again.
We are called to live for Christ, for the ultimate Sacrifice that was made, past tense. We are not looking to the future for a sacrifice to be made, but we are looking for the results of that Sacrifice to come to pass.
The new covenant in our SAVIOR did away with the old ceremonial covenant that pointed to our SAVIOR'S life, death, and life once more.
The Apostles had a big to do over whether or not the covenant sign of circumcision should be continued, ultimately it was decided that the hidden covenant symbol was no longer necessary because a man's LIFE would symbolize the Savior's and the new covenant in HIM.
Man's life! No tiny symbolic gesture was needed because that symbolic circumcision did NOT guarantee a man was keeping the covenant he was called to keep. His flesh may have been cut as a child, but the choices he would make in his life would determine his faith in God.
Read this--
Rom 2:25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
Rom 2:26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
Rom 2:27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
A circumcised man is made UNCIRCUMSIZED if he breaks the law. Does that grow back the cut flesh? No. But the heart flesh that was to go hand in hand with the symbolic gesture was absent. A life dedicated to God- flesh cut or not- if a life was dedicated to God and then that person betrays all the truths of God's moral law, then that person is NOT God's.
If a man who is uncircumcised kept the righteousness of God's moral law then He in his heart was circumcised, dedicated to God.
The law of God, the covenant of God the two were to go hand in hand- the covenant of circumcision did NOT automatically guarantee a man righteousness towards God. It was however - a symbolic gesture that would forever be a reminder of His covenant to God made by His ancestors back to Abraham. Even if he decided to disobey God, to transgress God's law, that circumcised flesh would forever remind Him of where he was supposed to be in relationship to God.
Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ
A circumcision made without hands- NO human cutting the flesh of another.
The circumcision made without hands- cutting off the sins in our lives- the body of sins of the flesh- by the circumcision of Christ.
Through Christ we are all circumcised from the sin in our lives. We must put off the sins in our lives through CHRIST. We must allow HIM to work in us to rid us of the sins in our lives.
Please Lord may we all receive the circumcision made without hands.
All through YOU! All in YOUR LOVE!
Circumcision that rite given to Abraham by God to seal the covenant He was making with the Israelites. A rite that would stand for God's chosen people. If a man were circumcised this proved he belonged to those who belonged to God. A babe, a male child circumcised eight days after the child's birth- this rite was a dedication of that child to God's chosen family, by those who were already established to be God's. Now when Abraham was first given this sign of the covenant it was really rather gruesome for adult males to suffer though but they did it to prove they were God's chosen. Such a sign was NOT readily visible to others, it was a private sign between God and His. It wasn't meant to be shown off, it wasn't meant to be put on display. This covenant sign was truly an amazing sign, not barbaric, not unnecessary, not the sign of a blood thirsty God.
Man continued to disobey God even after their near total annihilation in the flood. Yet God found one man worthy to carry on the human race and he did so. The blood line of those who truly dedicate themselves to God was continued and ultimately as time went on and the human race multiplied, it was time for God to separate His people from those who did not want to be His people. Abraham was found worthy just as Noah had been. Abraham declared His allegiance to God, and while the sacrifice of animals was indicative of the ultimate sacrifice of the innocent Lamb of God, the sacrifice of his own was necessary, a personal sacrifice. This sacrifice was made in circumcision.
Why was a sacrifice necessary? Because sin separate man from God and all the signs and covenants made from that moment on were those looking towards the ULTIMATE sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God's Only Begotten son. The covenant were put in place to reveal God to man through those covenants and what those faulty covenants couldn't do fully, Christ did in His life, His death, and His life again.
We are called to live for Christ, for the ultimate Sacrifice that was made, past tense. We are not looking to the future for a sacrifice to be made, but we are looking for the results of that Sacrifice to come to pass.
The new covenant in our SAVIOR did away with the old ceremonial covenant that pointed to our SAVIOR'S life, death, and life once more.
The Apostles had a big to do over whether or not the covenant sign of circumcision should be continued, ultimately it was decided that the hidden covenant symbol was no longer necessary because a man's LIFE would symbolize the Savior's and the new covenant in HIM.
Man's life! No tiny symbolic gesture was needed because that symbolic circumcision did NOT guarantee a man was keeping the covenant he was called to keep. His flesh may have been cut as a child, but the choices he would make in his life would determine his faith in God.
Read this--
Rom 2:25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
Rom 2:26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
Rom 2:27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
A circumcised man is made UNCIRCUMSIZED if he breaks the law. Does that grow back the cut flesh? No. But the heart flesh that was to go hand in hand with the symbolic gesture was absent. A life dedicated to God- flesh cut or not- if a life was dedicated to God and then that person betrays all the truths of God's moral law, then that person is NOT God's.
If a man who is uncircumcised kept the righteousness of God's moral law then He in his heart was circumcised, dedicated to God.
The law of God, the covenant of God the two were to go hand in hand- the covenant of circumcision did NOT automatically guarantee a man righteousness towards God. It was however - a symbolic gesture that would forever be a reminder of His covenant to God made by His ancestors back to Abraham. Even if he decided to disobey God, to transgress God's law, that circumcised flesh would forever remind Him of where he was supposed to be in relationship to God.
Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ
A circumcision made without hands- NO human cutting the flesh of another.
The circumcision made without hands- cutting off the sins in our lives- the body of sins of the flesh- by the circumcision of Christ.
Through Christ we are all circumcised from the sin in our lives. We must put off the sins in our lives through CHRIST. We must allow HIM to work in us to rid us of the sins in our lives.
Please Lord may we all receive the circumcision made without hands.
All through YOU! All in YOUR LOVE!
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