God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham and his natural seed, and He instituted circumcision as the token, the outward sign of that covenant.
“I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God into thee, and to thy seed after thee (everlasting covenant means for all eternity with Israel’s new “law, statutes and judgements” (Jer 31:33; Eze 36:27).
“And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you” (Gen 17:7, 8, 11).
Through the centuries Israel proudly relied upon her outward fleshly circumcision as her godly badge. But there was little or no true inner circumcision—her heart was far from God.
The epitome of this problem was pointed out by the Lord Jesus. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matter of the law, justice, mercy and faith; there ought ye to have done” (Mat 23:23).
Paul wrote to the Jews, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter (Law)” (Rom 2:28, 29).
Before he became a Christian, Saul’s pride and reliance centered in his fleshly circumcision and his self-righteous law keeping. “If any other man thinketh that he hath reasons for which he might trust in the flesh, I more: circumcised the eight day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Phl 3:4-6).
Early in his Christian life Paul began to see beyond the fleshly externals, to the heart and spiritual reality of circumcision and the law. He found nothing but death. “I had not known sin but by the law; for I had not known coveting, except the law had said, “though shalt not covet.” But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of coveting… For I was alive apart from the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died” (Rom 7:7-9).
Paul found all of the old, both inward and outward, to be death. “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom 7:24). Not until then could he say from his heart, “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord” (v 25)!
The external law and circumcision had to do strictly with fleshly Israel—all was type and shadow of the coming reality in the Lord Jesus Christ. “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross . . . which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Col 2:14, 17; Col 2:17; Heb 10:1).
Now Paul writes to all who are new creations in the Lord Jesus Christ. “And ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power . . . 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” (Col 2:10, 11).
The believer’s circumcision was not a fleshly ritual, but rather a spiritual reality. Not a part of the flesh was cut away, but all—and that not with hands, but by the Spirit through the Cross.
Our crucifixion with the Lord Jesus on the Cross was our circumcision from fleshly Adam— putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ” (Col 2:11). His death unto sin cut the Lord Jesus free from both the penalty and the power of sin (not that He was in bondage to the penalty and power sin, but established freedom for us who were—NC). “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:10, 11).
On the basis of his Calvary circumcision, the believer is to exercise his faith in that fact, and thereby “put off concerning the former manner of life the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (Eph 4:22). Positionally cut off from the old man, he no longer has to depend upon or walk in the flesh (sinful nature—NC)—he is free to abide above in the Lord Jesus Christ; to walk in dependence upon Him, in the Spirit. That abiding above by faith consists of putting on “the new man” which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph 4:24).
“Putting off,” turning from the fleshly first Adam, and thereby “putting on,” turning to the spiritual Last Adam, the believer learns to abide in and fellowship with the Lord Jesus for both his growth and his service. “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2Pet 3:18). Hence he can say from his heart, “We are the circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Phl 3:3).
Dr. Chafer wrote, “Any aspect of life or conduct which is undertaken in dependence on the energy and ability of the flesh (sinful nature—NC) is, to that extent, purely legal in character, whether it be the whole revealed will of God, the actual written commandments contained in the Law, the exhortation of grace, or any activity whatsoever in which the believer may engage.
Dependence on the arm of flesh is consistent with pure law; dependence on the power of God is necessary under pure grace. Since there is no provision for the flesh in the plan of God for a life under grace, the Law is done away.
—Miles J Stanford
MJS daily devotional excerpt for March 22
“We shall err if we think that life in the Sanctuary, hidden with Christ in God, means freedom from suffering, sorrow, and trial. Rather will the soul be strengthened inwardly to be trusted more and more with the ‘fellowship of His sufferings, becoming conformed unto His death’ (Phil. 3:10).
Our Father can advance His children into conformity to the image of His Son, more by suffering in one day, than in many years of ease from trial.”
-MJS
“I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God into thee, and to thy seed after thee (everlasting covenant means for all eternity with Israel’s new “law, statutes and judgements” (Jer 31:33; Eze 36:27).
“And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you” (Gen 17:7, 8, 11).
Through the centuries Israel proudly relied upon her outward fleshly circumcision as her godly badge. But there was little or no true inner circumcision—her heart was far from God.
The epitome of this problem was pointed out by the Lord Jesus. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matter of the law, justice, mercy and faith; there ought ye to have done” (Mat 23:23).
Paul wrote to the Jews, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter (Law)” (Rom 2:28, 29).
Before he became a Christian, Saul’s pride and reliance centered in his fleshly circumcision and his self-righteous law keeping. “If any other man thinketh that he hath reasons for which he might trust in the flesh, I more: circumcised the eight day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Phl 3:4-6).
Early in his Christian life Paul began to see beyond the fleshly externals, to the heart and spiritual reality of circumcision and the law. He found nothing but death. “I had not known sin but by the law; for I had not known coveting, except the law had said, “though shalt not covet.” But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of coveting… For I was alive apart from the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died” (Rom 7:7-9).
Paul found all of the old, both inward and outward, to be death. “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom 7:24). Not until then could he say from his heart, “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord” (v 25)!
The external law and circumcision had to do strictly with fleshly Israel—all was type and shadow of the coming reality in the Lord Jesus Christ. “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross . . . which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Col 2:14, 17; Col 2:17; Heb 10:1).
Now Paul writes to all who are new creations in the Lord Jesus Christ. “And ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power . . . 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” (Col 2:10, 11).
The believer’s circumcision was not a fleshly ritual, but rather a spiritual reality. Not a part of the flesh was cut away, but all—and that not with hands, but by the Spirit through the Cross.
Our crucifixion with the Lord Jesus on the Cross was our circumcision from fleshly Adam— putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ” (Col 2:11). His death unto sin cut the Lord Jesus free from both the penalty and the power of sin (not that He was in bondage to the penalty and power sin, but established freedom for us who were—NC). “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:10, 11).
On the basis of his Calvary circumcision, the believer is to exercise his faith in that fact, and thereby “put off concerning the former manner of life the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (Eph 4:22). Positionally cut off from the old man, he no longer has to depend upon or walk in the flesh (sinful nature—NC)—he is free to abide above in the Lord Jesus Christ; to walk in dependence upon Him, in the Spirit. That abiding above by faith consists of putting on “the new man” which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph 4:24).
“Putting off,” turning from the fleshly first Adam, and thereby “putting on,” turning to the spiritual Last Adam, the believer learns to abide in and fellowship with the Lord Jesus for both his growth and his service. “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2Pet 3:18). Hence he can say from his heart, “We are the circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Phl 3:3).
Dr. Chafer wrote, “Any aspect of life or conduct which is undertaken in dependence on the energy and ability of the flesh (sinful nature—NC) is, to that extent, purely legal in character, whether it be the whole revealed will of God, the actual written commandments contained in the Law, the exhortation of grace, or any activity whatsoever in which the believer may engage.
Dependence on the arm of flesh is consistent with pure law; dependence on the power of God is necessary under pure grace. Since there is no provision for the flesh in the plan of God for a life under grace, the Law is done away.
—Miles J Stanford
MJS daily devotional excerpt for March 22
“We shall err if we think that life in the Sanctuary, hidden with Christ in God, means freedom from suffering, sorrow, and trial. Rather will the soul be strengthened inwardly to be trusted more and more with the ‘fellowship of His sufferings, becoming conformed unto His death’ (Phil. 3:10).
Our Father can advance His children into conformity to the image of His Son, more by suffering in one day, than in many years of ease from trial.”
-MJS
