July 5
I Chronicles 10-12
Psalm 78:17-31
Proverbs 17:7-8
Romans 2
Circumcision of the Heart
“For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men but from God.” Romans 2:28-29 (NASB1995)
In Romans 1, Paul described the progression of sin in humanity and concludes with a list of the different kinds of sin we indulge in after we choose to reject God. A self-righteous religious person is tempted to read that list and convince themselves that it is about other people who are “sinners” and does not apply to them. In chapter 2, Paul addresses those religious people and calls them hypocrites for judging others and failing to acknowledge their own sinfulness. All of us are guilty of the sin nature that leads to those sinful practices. Looking at that list, most people would agree that those who practice those things deserve God’s judgment. He is pointing out to them that no one can follow the law completely and perfectly all the time. Since God’s standard is perfection, we are all doomed to face His judgment. They were not protected because they were under the law or because they had been circumcised, just as we are not protected by going to church and trying to be a “good” person.
Circumcision in that day was an outward sign of their inner commitment to God. It set the Jews apart from the rest of the world. By choosing circumcision, they were entering into a covenant relationship with God in which they bore a physical mark on their body that symbolized a spiritual commitment to obeying God and following His will. Paul was stressing to them that it was not the physical, outward mark of circumcision that protected them, but rather the inward commitment of their heart. It can be compared to baptism. The act of baptism does not produce salvation. Baptism is an outward symbol of the inner commitment we have made to follow Jesus and submit to His will in our lives. The outward act is of no significance if there has not been an inner change in our hearts. There are those who believe that because they were baptized as a baby, they have experienced salvation. That is not how it works. There must first be a change in the heart that results in confession and repentance. This is then followed by baptism to acknowledge and celebrate before the world that inward commitment. Paul wanted the Jews to understand that God looks at the heart. He is more concerned with the motives and intentions of our heart than our attempts to follow rules to make others think we are holy. His desire is to remove or circumcise everything in our hearts that is evil so that we have pure hearts that are completely committed to Him.
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