Circumcision

Q: What does the Bible say about circumcision?

Circumcision is a symbol of the covenant between God and His people, representing the cutting away of sin. In Scripture, circumcision is introduced as a token of the covenant God established with Abraham, affirming that it signifies a deeper spiritual reality. For instance, in Genesis 17:11, God commanded that male children be circumcised, indicating it as an everlasting covenant. This act represented not only obedience to God but also the need for a mark of God's chosen people. Importantly, it points towards the work of Christ, as seen in Colossians 2:11, indicating that through Christ's circumcision—His sacrificial death—our sins are effectively "cut off" and separated from us, highlighting the significance of spiritual renewal within the new covenant.

Q: Why is obedience important for Christians?

Obedience is crucial as it demonstrates our faith and relationship with God. Obedience is a significant theme in the life of a believer, as evidenced in the actions of Moses regarding the circumcision of his son, which was an act of disobedience. The text indicates that God was prepared to kill Moses because of his failure to obey this divine command, showing that disobedience can have serious consequences. While salvation is entirely by grace, as affirmed in Ephesians 2:8-9, the need for obedience is underscored by the fact that faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Thus, obedience is a vital expression of genuine faith and acceptance of God's covenant.

Q: How does circumcision relate to the work of Christ?

Circumcision symbolizes the work of Christ in removing our sins and transforming our hearts. Circumcision, while rooted in physical practice, carries profound spiritual implications, relating closely to Jesus' redemptive work. The circumcision of Christ represents the cutting off of our sins, as highlighted in Colossians 2:11, where Paul refers to a circumcision 'made without hands.' This metaphor illustrates that through Christ, our sins are removed as He bore them on the cross. Furthermore, circumcision serves as a reminder that we, as believers, undergo a spiritual transformation—having our hearts circumcised, a metaphor for regeneration and the new birth (Romans 2:28-29). Through Christ's work, believers experience both the forgiveness of sins and a new heart that desires to obey God.

Q: How can I know if I have been circumcised in heart?

You can identify a circumcised heart by worshipping God in Spirit, rejoicing in Christ, and having no confidence in the flesh. Paul outlines the characteristics of having a circumcised heart in Philippians 3, where he asserts that true believers are the spiritual circumcision. By identifying oneself as part of the circumcision, the marks of this condition include the ability to worship God genuinely, rejoicing in Christ Jesus, and a complete lack of confidence in fleshly works. These qualities reflect a heart transformed by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the assurance of a circumcised heart lies in your worship and reliance on Christ alone for salvation, rather than any effort or merit of your own.

beginning in verse 24 of Exodus
chapter 4, and it came to pass by the way in the inn that the
Lord met him, Moses, and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took
a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and casted
his feet and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he,
the Lord, let him go. Then she said, A bloody husband
thou art, because of the circumcision. I've entitled this message Circumcision. And the Bible has only one message,
the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You believe that? It
really does only have one message. This is not a book about ethics,
and morality. It's not a book trying to prove
things about God. It's not an instruction manual
about how to live. This is the book of Christ. This
is the true hymn book of the church. And this one message
is told in a variety of different ways. One of the challenges in
preaching the gospel is preaching the same message. over and over
and over again in a fresh way, with different ways the Bible
teaches, but it's still one message, only one message. Now, tonight,
the message of Christ and Him crucified will be told through
the subject of circumcision. Who among us has not wondered
about circumcision? You know, it's kind of a strange
ceremony, isn't it, if you think of it, what it is by itself.
Why did God require for the male child to be circumcised? Think about it. To cut away the
foreskin of the flesh, that which is natural. It certainly doesn't
seem natural. A man is born with this, but
cut it off? Painful. Some would say barbaric. This is a strange ceremony, and
this is to tell us of Christ and Him crucified? How can this
ceremony That is, I've wondered about this all my life, thought
about it when you read about circumcision. How can the gospel
be preached from circumcision? Well, in the passage of Scripture
before us, it came to pass by the way in the end, verse 24,
that the Lord met Moses and sought to kill him. Now, Moses is on
the way back to Egypt in obedience to God's command to deliver to
Pharaoh this message. Look in verse 21. This is where
we left off last week, and the Lord said unto Moses, When thou
goest to return unto Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders
before Pharaoh, which I put in thine hand. But I will harden
his heart, that he shall not let the people go. And thou shalt
say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even
my firstborn. And I say unto thee, Let my son
go. that he may serve me. And if
you refuse to let him go, behold, I'll slay thy son, even thy firstborn. Now, Moses is on his way to deliver
this message to Pharaoh, and he's spending the night in the
hotel. And on the way there, the Lord met him and sought to
kill him. Now, that's enough to catch our
attention, isn't it? The Lord met him and he sought to kill
him. Evidently, Moses became very sick and was at the point
of death. at this time. Now, obviously,
this is very serious. What did Moses do that made the
Lord seek to kill him? Because that's what it says.
The Lord met him and sought to kill him. Let's go on reading.
Verse 25. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the
foreskin of her son. She circumcised him and evidently
she did so in anger. She cast it at his feet and said,
surely A bloody husband art thou to me." So he let him go. Evidently the Lord raised him
up from his sickbed when this work was performed, and she repeated
herself, a bloody husband art thou to me because of the circumcision. Now evidently, Zipporah was against
circumcision. I can see that. She was not raised
with the Hebrews. And I can see why she would say,
why would you do this to my boy? I mean, why would we put him
through this pain? She was against circumcision.
It seemed barbaric and cruel to her. And I understand her
thinking this way. And Moses, no doubt, had said,
we need to circumcise our son. And she said, no. And Moses allowed
her to have her way. Perhaps he reasoned, it's only
a ceremonial thing. It cannot be that important in
the grand scheme of things. So he let her have her way. He
listened to her. And the Lord met him with the
intention of killing him for what he was allowing. to take
place and evidently Zipporah knew what the issue was so to
save her husband's life she circumcised her son and cast the foreskin
at his feet while he was lying there sick and dying and said,
a bloody husband thou art to me. She was mad even at this
time. She was angry with him. So the Lord let him go and didn't
kill him. It seems as though he was raised
from his sickbed and we read where Zipporah repeats herself. You men know something about
your wives repeating themselves to you, don't you? Well, she
repeated herself a bloody husband because of circumcision. Now,
who among us has not thought what is the point? What is the
significance of circumcision? Now, before we look at that answer
from the scriptures, let's consider another issue that's brought
out of this text. It's a very, very important issue. So listen to me very carefully. The fact that Moses' boy was
not circumcised was an act of disobedience on Moses' part. And the Lord was going to kill
him over this issue. How important is obedience? How
important is obedience? Evidently, it's very important. Salvation is by grace. It's not
by works. It's not by acts of personal
obedience. If you're saved, it's because God saved you by grace.
It has nothing to do with your works. You believe that, don't
you? If you're saved, it's because God did something for you. He
elected you before time began. He chose you to be saved and
saved you must be. He sent your son to die for you
and put away your sins. He gave His Spirit to you and
gave you the new birth and caused you to believe on His Son. Why,
even the faith you have is the gift of His grace. And any good
works you have is Him in you. You know that salvation is altogether
by grace. It has absolutely nothing to
do with your personal acts of obedience. Do you believe that?
I know that so. It's what the Scripture teaches. I'm not saved by my obedience. But I will not be saved apart
from obedience. Now hear me. I'm not saved by
my obedience. But I will not be saved apart
from obedience. The gospel is to be obeyed. This act of Moses in just allowing
his wife to have her way and not circumcising his son, this
was an act of disobedience. And God meets him in the way
and he's going to kill him And that's how serious this thing
is. Now, faith without works is what? It's dead. Being alone,
it is our works, it is our acts of obedience that prove the reality
of our faith. And Moses learned this the hard
way, didn't he? And Moses' son is circumcised.
Moses' son is circumcised. Now, what is circumcision? What
is circumcision? Let's go to where it's introduced
in the Scriptures. Would you turn to Genesis chapter
17? beginning in verse 9. And God said unto Abraham, Thou
shalt keep my covenant therefore thou and thy seed after thee
in their generations. This is my covenant which you
shall keep between me and you and thy seed after thee. Every
man child among you shall be circumcised and you shall circumcise
the flesh of your foreskin. And it shall be a token of the
covenant between me and you. And he that is eight days old
shall be circumcised among you. Every man child in your generations
and he that's born in the house or bought with money or any stranger
which is not of thy seed, he that's born in thy house and
he that's bought with thy money must needs be circumcised and
my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man, child,
whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall
be what? cut off from his people, he hath
broken my covenant." Now notice particularly verse 11, and you
shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be
a what? A token. A token. What's a token
worth in and of itself? A token's worthless, isn't it?
It represents something. The act of circumcision in and
of itself is worthless. It's not pleasing to God in and
of itself. It's nothing more than a token
that represents something else. It represents the covenant that
God made. He makes that clear. It's a token
of the covenant. Look up in verse 1 of Genesis
chapter 17. And when Abram was nine years
old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, I
am almighty God. Walk before me and be thou perfect
and I will make my covenant between me and thee and will multiply
thee exceedingly. Now notice what God says. He
said, I will make my covenant between me and you. He doesn't
say we'll make a covenant together. He says, I will make this covenant
between me and you. It's a unilateral covenant. It's
not where two people come to agreement. God says, I'm making
this covenant between me and thee, and here's what I'm going
to do. I will multiply thee exceedingly. Now, in this glorious covenant
that's spoken of, God talks about what he will do. Verse 3, And
Abram fell on his face. I can understand that. He's probably
scared to death. And God talked with him, saying, As for me,
behold, my covenant is with thee. And thou shalt be a father of
many nations." Now, remember when he says this, this is according
to that promise he made back in Genesis 12. And you're going
to have a great many descendants. Verse 5, neither shall thy name
any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham. Now, you'll notice that H is
added. That's the breath of life. It's
the Hebrew consonant for breath. You've got life now. I've given
you life because of my covenant. That's why his name was changed
from Abram to Abraham. But thy name shall be Abraham
for a father of many nations have I made thee and I will make
thee exceeding fruitful and I will make nations of thee and kings
shall come out of thee and I will establish my covenant between
me and thee and thy seed after thee and their generations for
an everlasting covenant. Now, this covenant is a covenant
that had no beginning. It's a covenant that has no end.
That's what everlasting means. It dwells outside of time. It
never began to be. It's an everlasting covenant.
It's the same covenant David was talking about right before
he died. This is one of my favorite verses of Scripture in all the
Word of God. He said, although my house be not so with God,
yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant. Ordered in all things
and sure. And this is all my salvation
and it's all my desire, though he makes it not to grow. This
is all my hope is found in this covenant. He says, I'll make
an everlasting covenant. And look what he says in verse
seven, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. He
entered into covenant relationship with Abraham. And I will give
unto thee and to thy seed after the land when thou art a stranger,
all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. And I
will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou
shalt keep my covenant. Therefore, thou and thy seed
after thee in their generation. This is my covenant, which you
shall keep between me and you, and thy seed after thee. Every
man child among you shall be circumcised, and you shall circumcise
the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token of the covenant
betwixt me and thee." So circumcision represents the covenant of grace. Now in the covenant of grace,
There are two things that God does for those people he enters
into covenant with. He does something for them, and
he does something in them. He always does something for
these people that he doesn't do for everybody else. Remember
that scripture, if God be for us, who can be against us? Is
he for everybody? Obviously not. He's for those
who believe. He's for his people. If God be
for us, who can be against us. He does something for his people,
and he does something to his people. He does something unto
his people. I love that passage of Scripture
I read at the opening of this service where the Lord told that
gathering demonic that had been possessed with those devils.
He said, you go home and you tell your friends and family
the great things God has done unto you. And I love the way
he went home and told them the great things. Jesus. That's powerful,
isn't it? Jesus Christ is God, and He does
great things unto us. It's not enough. It's not enough
for me to have something done for me. I need to have something
done unto me. I desperately need to have something
done unto me. Now, when God enters into covenant
with somebody, He does something for them, and He does something
unto them. Now what God does for a man in
the covenant and what God does in a man in the covenant are
both represented by circumcision. Now what is it that God does
for a man in the covenant? Well, will you turn with me to
Romans chapter 11? Here's what God does for somebody that he
enters into covenant with. Verse 26, And so all Israel shall
be saved. As it's written, there shall
come out of Zion the deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness
from Jacob. For this is my covenant unto
them when I shall take away their sins. Now, this is what God does
for somebody. This is what he enters into covenant
to do. He said, I will take away their
sins. This is what we call justification. Got no sin. You know, I hope.
Every time I preach until I die, I have something to say about
this. My sin is taken away. It's not there. I'm justified
before God. I'm not guilty. That's so glorious,
because in and of myself, I have some idea of what I am. But you
know that I literally am not guilty before God. My sin has
been taken away. It's gone. He does something
for a man and he does something in a man. Turn to Hebrews chapter
8, beginning in verse 7. For that first covenant, talking
about the covenant of works, had been faultless, then should
no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault
with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,
when I'll make a new covenant with the house of Israel and
with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that
I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the
hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt." You know, that's
good stuff, isn't it? I mean, to have him take you
by your hand and lead you out. What's negative about that? But
you know that won't save you. If He just takes me by the hand,
I've still got the same heart. Remember, I need to have something
done to me, not just something done on the outside. I need to
have something done to me. That's why David said, create
in me a clean heart. Oh, God, mine's filthy. There's
nothing I can do about it. I need to have something done
to me. So let's go on reading. He says, They continued not in
my covenant. I regarded them not, saith the Lord. But this
is the covenant that I make with the house of Israel after those
days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws into their
mind, and write them in their hearts, and I'll be to them a
God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not
teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord. For all shall know me, from the least to the
greatest. For I'll be merciful to their unrighteousness, and
their sins and iniquities I'll remember no more." Now this is
the new heart. that he gives. This is what he
does to a man. So we see, when God enters into
covenant, this everlasting covenant, it has something to do with him
doing something for a man and something to do with him doing
something unto a man. Now, what in the world does circumcision
have to do with all this? It's a good question. And the
Bible answers that question. Circumcision, first of all, depicts
the taking away of our sins. In circumcision, something is
cut off It's cast away and it's no longer a part of us. It is
gone. Turn to Colossians chapter 2.
Colossians chapter 2 verse 11. In whom you also are circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands. And putting off the body
of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. Now,
in whom? In whom? What's that about? In
whom you are circumcised? Well, look in verse 9. For in
him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you
are complete in him which is the head of all principality
and power. Now, here's something that's glorious about that verse
of Scripture. Being complete is not our goal. It's not what
we're striving for. It's not what we're looking to
be. It's the starting point. It's
where God puts us. I'm already complete. It's not something
I'm grasping for. I am complete in the Lord Jesus
Christ. The forgiveness of sins. It's
not the end. It's the beginning. Grace is
not the end. It's the beginning. This is the
starting point. Now, in Him, in Him, I'm complete. Any better than that, does it?
In him I am complete. Now let's go on reading. In whom
ye also are circumcised with the circumcision made without
hands, and putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the
circumcision of Christ. Now, you're circumcised with
this circumcision made without hands by the circumcision, the
cutting of Christ. My sin was placed upon Him, and
just as the foreskin is cut off in circumcision, our sins are
cut off. and put away by the bloody death
of Christ. They're separated from me. They're
thrown away. They are no more. You know, when
Zipporah said, a bloody husband thou art to me, I say this reverently,
a bloody husband he is to me. And the only way my sin can be
put away is by the circumcision of the Lord Jesus Christ, God's
covenant is I will take away their sins and the cutting off
of the foreskin depicts the severing of our sins from us through the
death of the Lord Jesus Christ, the circumcision of Christ. He
was circumcised on the cross and our sins were cut away. Now,
circumcision also depicts the work of Christ in us. How often
are unbelievers called uncircumcised in heart and in ears? You find
that throughout the Scripture. And one time the Lord says to
his people, circumcise the foreskin of your hearts. This has something
to do with our hearts. Now, turn with me to Romans chapter
2, verse 28. For he is not a Jew, which is
one outwardly. Now, do you hear that? You know
the nation of Israel, the Jews that live over there? What does
Paul say? Those aren't Jews. He's not a
Jew, which is one outwardly. What's he say next? Neither is
that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh. He said that's
not really circumcision, that outward physical act. Here's
what circumcision is. He is a Jew, which is one inwardly. And circumcision is that of the
heart in the spirit and not in the letter, whose praise is not
of men, but of God. Now this is the new heart he
gives, the circumcising of the foreskin of the heart. He gives
a new heart and he puts his fear in his new heart. A new heart
also will I give thee. This is what he does in a man.
It's called in several, by several names in the scripture. It's
called being born again. It's called regeneration. It's called sanctification. It's called Christ in you, the
hope of glory. But it's his work in you. Christ In you the hope
of glory. This is the circumcised heart.
Now circumcision is a token of the covenant which is Christ's
work for you and Christ's work in you. Christ's work for you
in taking away your sins and Christ's work in you in circumcising
your heart. Both his work for us and his
work in us are depicted by circumcision. Now here's my last question.
We see the significance of circumcision. We see what it means. Now, here's
the question I've gotten. To me, this is the biggie. Am
I circumcised? Have I been circumcised? Turn with me to Philippians chapter
3. You can know whether you have been circumcised. This is the
circumcision made without hands that we read of. This is the
true circumcision. Verse 3, Philippians chapter
3, For we are the circumcision. Now, no doubt about what he's
saying here, isn't there? We are the circumcision. Who? Who's he talking about when he
says we? Well, he's talking about every believer. We are the circumcision. And
he gives these marks of circumcision. First, we are the circumcision
which worship God. Now here's the first mark of
circumcision. You worship God. You worship Him as He's revealed
in His Word. You bow down before Him. You
acknowledge who He is and you worship Him for who He is. Do
you worship God for who He is? I'm not talking about a false
imagination of God, but I'm talking about the God of the Bible. Do
you worship Him for who He is? Here's the first mark of circumcision.
We acknowledge who He is and we bow down before Him and we
worship Him for who He is. Now, you'll only worship a sovereign.
There is no worship without that. You'll only worship one in whose
hands you are and He can do with you whatever He's pleased to
do. You only worship a sovereign. Now, we worship God. Look what
He says next. In the Spirit. Worship. is altogether impossible for
the flesh. The only way I can worship God
is in the Spirit of God, caused by the Holy Spirit of God. You
see, really, it's the new nature that worships God, isn't it?
It's that which is born of the Spirit. You know, a natural man
can't worship God. That's why I won't say to somebody,
why don't you come worship with us? Why don't you come worship
with us? Only a believer can worship. So I'm not going to
say that. Only a believer can worship. This is something that
an unbeliever cannot enter into. I want people to come hear the
gospel. Oh, I'll invite people to come to hear and hear the
truth and so on. But as far as worship, only a
believer can worship in the Spirit because he's the only one who
has the Spirit of God and he worships the Lord Jesus Christ
for who he is by the Spirit of God. We are the circumcision
who worship God in the Spirit. what it says next. We are the
circumcision who rejoice in Christ Jesus. And that word rejoice
is the same word that is translated in Galatians 6.14 by Paul. God forbid that I should glory
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's all I have
confidence in. I rejoice. I glory. I have confidence. in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Paul put it this way in Philippians
3. Oh, that I may win Christ and be found in Him. When God comes looking for me,
there's only one place I want to be found. That is in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Like when the avenging was the
Lord Himself who came through Egypt and destroyed the firstborn,
where was their safety? In the house with the blood over
the door. That's the only place I want
to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ. I rejoice in Christ and
nowhere else. Now, this is what a truly circumcised
person does. Someone who has a circumcised
heart. They really do rejoice in Christ Jesus. And you know,
I do rejoice in Christ. What I'm talking about, I rejoice
in. To know that I'm complete in
the Lord Jesus Christ and I don't need anything else. Complete
in Him. We rejoice in Christ Jesus. And what else? We have,
look in verse 3, how much confidence in the flesh? How much? No confidence in the flesh. Anything that has anything to
do with my flesh, I don't have any confidence in. You know,
even the faith I have, if it's the product of my free will,
I don't have any confidence in it. Even the motives I have,
if they come from my flesh, I don't have any confidence in them.
Even the feelings I have, if they're the product of my flesh,
I don't have any confidence in Him. I have no confidence in
the flesh. I have confidence in the Lord
Jesus Christ, but I have absolutely no confidence in this flesh.
And I tell you what, I've got reason to not have any confidence
in it. I'm not saying this simply because the Bible says it, but
I think the Lord's taught me a little bit about my flesh,
and I know there's nothing to it but sin. That's it. And I
have no confidence in this flesh. I rejoice only in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now that is the true circumcision. And beloved, if this describes
you, you worship God and you worship Him in the Spirit. There
is no other way to worship Him. You rejoice in the Lord Jesus
Christ and you have no confidence in my flesh, in your flesh, or
anybody else's flesh. No confidence in the flesh. Then
you have been circumcised. by that circumcision made without
hands. So you see, the gospel of Christ
can certainly be preached through the subject of circumcision. And I pray that the Lord will
give us these circumcised hearts. Let's pray.

Circumcision

What does the Bible say about circumcision?

Why is obedience important for Christians?

How does circumcision relate to the work of Christ?

How can I know if I have been circumcised in heart?

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Circumcision

What does the Bible say about circumcision?

Why is obedience important for Christians?

How does circumcision relate to the work of Christ?

How can I know if I have been circumcised in heart?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

Comments

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