What Is The Circumcision Of The Heart

 

This topic explores what "circumcision" is. According to science, circumcision is a surgical technique to remove the foreskin from the human penis. It offers benefits, one of which is the fact that it makes it easier to maintain proper genital cleanliness and lowers the risk of a number of health problems. However, the Old Testament of the Bible records that God made a covenant with Abraham, requiring that all males be circumcised, which Abraham and his offspring were obligated to uphold. The verse reads as follows:

GENESIS 17:9-14 (NLT)

9 Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. 10 This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. 11 You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased. 13 All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. 14 Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant.”

This passage also records what God stated, which is that "you must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you" (verse 11). This covenant is made between generations, after which "ALL MUST BE CIRCUMCISED." Additionally, it states that any man who is not circumcised will be expelled from the Covenant family for breaking the Covenant.

According to the New Testament, this circumcision has the effect of cutting the wicked nature of man, which originates in our hearts and can be eliminated or destroyed by the power of God through Jesus Christ. Because of His blood, we are forgiven of our sins and given a new spirit and a new heart. Therefore, what this signifies is spiritual circumcision, which is the real circumcision that the Holy Spirit should bring about in our hearts.

ROMANS 2:28-29 (NLT)

28 For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

COLOSSIANS 2:11-13 (NLT)

11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.

Before undergoing spiritual circumcision, a person tends to their fleshly or sinful desires. As a result of sin, the person is spiritually dead. Because Jesus Christ is the one who administers spiritual baptism that makes a person spiritually alive, a person becomes a new creation in Christ, and man has everlasting life because what is followed is the Spirit, not flesh or sinful nature. We need Jesus Christ in order for us to be spiritually alive, also known as "born again" or "reborn in spirit."

ROMANS 8:1-4 (NLT)

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

A member of God's family or a child of God is someone who is guided by the Spirit. You should therefore undergo spiritual circumcision, since it is true circumcision, in order to become one of God's offspring or a member of His family. You have no life without it. 

JOHN 1:12-13 (NLT)

12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

ROMANS 8:5-8 (NLT)

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

ROMANS 8:9 (NLT)

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

ROMANS 8:12-14 (NLT)

12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

Therefore, just as circumcision promotes physical health, it also benefits people spiritually by granting them eternal life. How much more significant is our soul if our health is essential to us? We care for or are concerned about our bodies to prevent illness, but we do not consider that our souls are more vital than our bodies. Yes, we should take care of our bodies, but since the soul is what endures, it is more valuable.

MATTHEW 10:28 (NLT)

 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

We should be afraid that both the body and the soul will burn in hell. We must take the path that leads to eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ if we want to prevent individuals from experiencing what is known as "hell." He is prepared to enter if we give Him a space in our hearts and acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior. You will enter heaven through it and develop a relationship with Him who abides in His Spirit. You are unable to perceive or enter the heavenly kingdom without the presence of His Spirit within you. Jesus Christ holds all things; He is the route you will travel and the truth you must believe, and as a result, you have life. What are you waiting for, then? Considering that it's free, be circumcised right away.

JOHN 3:3 (NLT)

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”