Circumcision of the Heart

Circumcision of the Heart

Romans 2:29 But 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.
John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

Abraham had already believed in the Lord before being circumcised. （Romans 4:9-10）. That is to say, before Abraham underwent physical circumcision, he had already undergone circumcision of Heart . Why do he and his descendants still need to undergo physical circumcision? Apart from this being a sign of the covenant and the fact that those who are not circumcised will be cut off, I believe that understanding and practicing physical circumcision will be of great help to understanding and practicing mental circumcision. Moses' Tabernacle is a model and image of the heavenly sanctuary. Only by understanding the things on earth can we understand the things in heaven. Not understanding things on earth, let alone things in heaven. Under the law(Torah), there will be a complete and profound understanding of the nature of sin. Without being under the law, there can be no complete understanding of sin. One problem in the foreign world is not feeling guilty because there is no law(Torah). Many people claim to have circumcision in their hearts, but do not understand the meaning of physical circumcision. Circumcision of the body removes the sinful part, while circumcision of the heart is not done by human hands, but by removing the sinful part of the heart. Many pure in heart believers have achieved it, but many deceitful people have not. If foreign believers truly undergo circumcision of their hearts and are not under the law(Torah), their fruit will not have anything forbidden by the law(Torah) (Gal 5:23).

I have found that the term 'circumcision of the heart' is often being abused. One reason is the contempt for physical circumcision, which is considered outdated and useless. I have a Middle Eastern background, but I have never undergone physical circumcision. According to the apostolic scriptures, I do not need to pursue physical circumcision, nor can I assume the obligation to abide by the entire set of laws (including ritual laws). But I would feel that I cannot deeply understand the circumcision of the body, and therefore cannot deeply understand the circumcision of the heart. Circumcision of the heart is a long process. Eliminating the sins in one's heart always hurts. If circumcision of the heart were common, there wouldn't be so many counterfeit acts.

Act 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost
Jeremiah 9:26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the desert in distant places. For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart."

The voices of the prophets are always so piercing and not to the taste of the masses. However, it is the way to pursue the circumcision of the heart.

Do you have any suggestions?

peter2 said:

i also think the whole reason why there are no circumcised christians comes from Paul in : Gal 6

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Act 16:1-3 He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

Covenant בְּרִית has the meaning of cutting, which is somewhat similar to circumcision. God is one, but a covenant requires both parties, so cutting has the meaning of splitting into two. The meaning of circumcision of the body and heart is to remove the sinful part before joining the group that has made a covenant with the Holy One of Israel. Circumcision is a very significant covenant symbol, and those who are not circumcised among Abraham's descendants will be cut off.

Gen. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant."

When God made a covenant with Abraham, he demanded that the livestock be split in half, emphasizing the importance of separation from sin. If one cannot be separated from sin, he will be cut off.