Circumcision of the heart

By: Sylvia Huffnagle (Ordained minister)

Circumcision of the heart

Jer: 4:4: Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

Jer: 9:23-226 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. 25: Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised; 26: Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.

Rom: 2:25-29: For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. 26: Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 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? 28: For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 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.

Phil: 3:3: For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Col:1-13: 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: 12: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13: And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

The circumcision that God introduced to Abraham in Genesis 17:10, 21-26 was symbolic. God had them cut off the foreskin of the instrument or tool used to consummate a covenant between a man and a woman. The tool was also used to fertilized the egg of new life. He used this ingeniously allegorical method to seal His covenant with Abraham and then later with Israel for those reasons. The circumcision stood for an outward sign that they had covenanted with God to be His people and to obey His voice. God’s part of the covenant was to take care of and bless those who were in covenant with Him. In Deuteronomy 28 you can read a list of many of the things God would provide for them. There you can also see the list of what would happen to them if they broke covenant with Him.

That is why Jesus said to the Jews in Luke 13:16: And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? He was talking about covenant relationship. The woman was bound by Satan’s lies due to her sins. Apparently the devil interfered with her receiving forgiveness and wholeness. God took care of that in the New Covenant by establishing that Christians can come boldly to the throne and receive the grace and help that they need. (Heb. 4:16)

When a person asks God to forgive their sins or asks Jesus into their heart as they are directed, they are making covenant with God. The reconciled one enters into a Father/child relationship with God and promises to trust and obey Him. God promises all that is written in His covenant book, the Bible.

The only way to trust and obey God is to cut off the flesh—be circumcised. A person has to be spiritually circumcised to take advantage of the New Covenant. It was submission to their lower nature that killed Adam and Eve and it takes submission to God to have eternal life.

© Sylvia Huffnagle