Whew. First, it is important that you know that I am not telling you what to believe as we discuss these things. I consider myself as more of a reporter of what Scripture conveys. I have been cataloging Scripture for years, compiling notes and summaries based upon the Words of the Almighty. I try to read commentary [as little] as possible. I'm not interested in what people who sell their books have to say. I'd rather depend upon the Lord and friends like you, to figure things out.
You are; “a man after my own heart”. I avoid commentaries and religious books all I can and only read them because someone I am studying with wants my opinion. The author is usually dead and if alive will not address my questions (which I really try to politely ask.) We have the indwelling Holy Spirit, can receive wisdom through pray believing we will get it and can control our motive for wanting to know.
Your question: Was John The Baptist Able To Circumcise Hearts?
Romans 2:29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.
This verse is in the context of: Ro. 2: 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the
law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
Here we have the law written on stone for those outwardly circumcised being contrasted with the law written on the heart (our conscience) and the heart being circumcised.
The knowledge of good and evil was pasted down to all mature adults through our consciences/heart. For a while at least, it hurts and burdens us to hurt or not help others. Our nature does not have to change from the nature Adam and Eve had prior to sinning, for us to be burden by our sinning.
John the Baptist was a messenger and not the Spirit which can circumcise our hearts. It appears from Ro. 2 Paul is saying those who are obeying the law written on their heart circumcised hearts which is much more important than physical circumcision.
This will surprise you (I think). What we know as the New Covenant is actually the fulfillment of the Covenant first made with Abraham in Genesis Chapter 17. Gen 17 is a keystone Chapter of the entire Bible. But before we dig too deep, it is vital to study Ephesians Chapters 1 and 3, where He discusses how the Eternal Plan of God has been kept hidden, as we have previously and briefly discussed. Did you catch that? The Gospel, Saving Plan of Christ is in the Old Testament, but the Lord used certain methods by which to keep it hidden. One of those ways was to Spiritually blind a person, or an entire Nation, such as Israel, from being able to comprehend these Spiritual matters.
God saves people by judging their hearts, so do not try to limit salvation or God, to some written plan people are to follow.
Ephesians 3:6 This
mystery is that through the gospel
the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of
this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 2:2…, in order that they may know the
mystery of God, namely, Christ,
Ro. 11: 22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God:
sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23
And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
The Spirit does stuff which can soften one person’s heart and harden another person’s heart, but that depends on how the person has prepared their own hearts. So did the Spirit harden a person’s heart by doing what He did?
Physical circumcision was instituted in the lives of Abraham and Sarah, our Mother and Father of Faith. But as we find in Gen 17, this circumcision was only a SIGN of something greater than itself. And here is where the Mystery comes into play, and we have to spend incredible amounts of hours to figure these things out . . . physical circumcision is the physical expression of Spiritual Circumcision, the cutting away of the Sinful Nature. It is by the removal of the Sinful Nature that a person could be considered Upright, Holy, Pure, Redeemed, Wholehearted, Blameless, etc. Because God had given this Grace to Abraham (and Sarah), the Grace of Spiritual Circumcision, this is the basis for the Covenant of Circumcision, established in the lives of Abraham and Sarah.
So, the Promises and Blessings of Abraham? Yes . . . they revolve around Spiritual Circumcision. This is the Promise! Is there a greater Promise to be had while in this physical body? There is nothing greater for us to obtain than Christ and His Spiritual Circumcision from our relationship with the Devil. This must take place, for there is nothing more important. Without this Circumcision, we are considered Spiritually dead.
Colossians 2:9-15 explains this. Read as many translations as possible. I recommend the KJV and NLT. They express slightly different ideas, but they do work well together to convey the absolute backbone and spine of the entire Bible.
This Covenant of Circumcision, however, is a Covenant to be fulfilled first during the Day of Christ and thereafter. This Covenant was made for both Jews and Gentiles alike. Before then, however, the Law of Moses was given as a type of Guardian to protect the Jews while they were placed into their deep Spiritual sleep (by God Himself). This Law held until the Day of Christ, and even before He died, He began to forgive the Jews of their sins, thus, there would be no need for animal sacrifice. So, Jesus fulfills the Law, for He forgives in a way that leads to Eternal Life.
This is when the Covenant of Circumcision comes out of hibernation and is fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. The Covenant of Circumcision is fulfilled in the New Covenant found in the New Testament. They are one and the same, for the very same Promises and Blessings that have been extended to us, were already given to Abraham and Sarah, hence, they were Blameless and Purified.
Wouldn't it have been nice to have been taught these things? Unbelievable.
Repentance. As a reporter of Scripture, it seems extremely evident that Repentance is given as a gift. Repentance seems like it is something that we choose on our own accord, but all Scriptures considered, there is plenty of room to believe that Repentance comes from a person because they have been Empowered by God to do so, to make that choice (or so they think). Does this make sense? The vast majority of "christians" struggle with Repentance because it hasn't been given to them as a gift, just as the Holy Spirit is a gift. Why don't these "christians" actually turn away from their habitual sin? Because they're not actual Christians. These are the very people that we are warned about throughout the New Testament. These false "christians" are wolves dressed in sheep's clothing, acting the part on Sunday, but another part throughout the week.
Paul makes the clear point that obtaining Eternal life is all the Work of God, lest we should boast. The Scriptures point to a God who saves those who are under His Curse, but belong to Him. God does not abandon His Elect . . . ever. For He knows that His Children need to be Redeemed from the captivity of the Devil, and until then, they remain blind. But the Lord WILL awakened all who belong to Him.
Simply put, our God is Effectual. He draws us. He Redeems us. He Justifies us. He will Glorify us. Our God is Effectual from start to finish, lest we should boast.
I do not have time to address everything you said, but I do want to spend some time on “repentance”.
I agree that the ability to repent is a gift from God, but it is a gift all mature adults have been given, but it is not equating repentance with turn from sinning to not sinning, but repentance can be just turning from what you were doing to doing something else. Let’s, look at the prodigal son: he was not given direction to change from some outside source (the father did not send servants to him), put on his own came to his senses. He realized where he got himself and where he was going if he did not change. This is his choice: be macho, hang-in there, do not pester his father further with undeserving requests, avoid fueling his brother’s anger, maintain his false pride and take the punishment he fully deserves or he can wimp-out, give up on self and just be willing to humbly accept pure undeserved charity from his father. For selfish reason (thus a sinful reason), he turns to his father (repents). This turning to the father allows the father to shower the son with unbelievable wonderful gifts.
Our “repentance” is similar, we are the sinful criminal holding a child of God away from God and his home in the Kingdom. We can repent of being a kidnapper of God’s child, by just accepting a huge ransom payment (Jesus Christ and him crucified) and thus allowing the child to go free, but that does not mean we did something worthy of the payment. The child of God, which is the former sinful kidnapper, is showered with unbelievable wonderful gifts, but that comes after the kidnapper’s choice.
