2-17-2019 Weekly Message The contemplation of the week: Psalm 46:1-11 Text: Genesis 17:1-14 The title of the Word: The covenant of circumcision and the law, the gospel of eternal life through Christ’s circumcision
When Abraham became ninety-nine years old
Almighty God appeared to him, and gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision:
“And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
11And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
13He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.Genesis 17: 9-14).
God had chosen the Israelites as His people through the circumcision covenant until the coming of Jesus Christ, who appeared as the seed of Abraham in the future. In addition, God gave them the law so that they could be consecrated in the law. But every time they sinned and confessed, they were cleansed and sanctified the sins of their flesh with the blood of the beasts (Hebrews 9:13). To keep their fleshly sanctification until Christ came to sanctify their conscience by shedding the blood of Christ. God allowed them to be watched for a while by the covenant in the law and circumcision until God sent his only begotten Son into the world. This covenant of circumcision is the eternal covenant God made with Abraham’s offspring. Until then, God’s plan of salvation for all nations was reserved for a while until Jesus Christ died on the cross. But God has given all the Israelites circumcised until that time they had to keep all the laws. In this regard, the Holy Spirit testified through the Apostle Paul:
“For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.” (Galatians 5: 3).
The circumcision of the body that was given to Abraham’s descendants at that time had to continue until Jesus Christ shed water and blood from the cross and resurrected. The Bible has testified that the suffering of the foreskin wounds continued for three days (Genesis 34:25). But whoever believes in Jesus Christ and believes in His death and resurrection whether they are Jewsor Gentiles, through his blood, their conscience is sanctified and saved. From this time on, the descendants of Abraham have not needed to be circumcised anymore. The circumcision which was given to Abraham was the model of Jesus Christ’s suffering shedding blood, and buried in the grave for three days:
“For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? “(Hebrews 9: 13-14)
However, the Jews, who are descendants of Abraham who do not believe in Jesus Christ, are still circumcised and under slavery under the law.
Apostle Paul, who believed in the blood of Jesus Christ and was born again by the Holy Spirit, preached to the Jews saying no more to be circumcised. He testified of himself persecuted even stoned by the Jews :
“And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.” (Galatians 5:11)
Apostle Paul testified that when hepreached not to be circumcised anymore, said, Jesus Christ was wounded making his whole body bloody; and also said, Jesus Christ will give the circumcision of Christ to whomsoever believes in himto sanctify even their conscience unto holiness. :
” And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased…. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;” ( Heb. 10: 10,12)
Apostle Paul testified to the saints in Colossae concerning the circumcision of Christ:
” For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11In 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:
12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with himthrough the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14Blotting 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;
15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2: 9-15).
All who are born into the world are born into a miserable condition that has lost God’s image due to
the sin entered into the world. In other words, the spirit is dead and the body is already dead. The living soul is in a state where it cannot but act according to the lust of the flesh because of the dead spirit and the soulcleaved to the body. Unless someone revive the spirit, and separate the soul from the dead body, there is no hope at all. Realizing this miserable fact, King David prayed to God:
” My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word. “ (Psalm 119: 25)
David prayed that God would save his soul from the body to die. When Apostle Peter testified of salvation, he testified that the salvation we receive is not the salvation of the body but the salvation of the soul:
“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see himnot, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1: 9)
The Apostle Peter also testified of the salvation of the soul through the regeneration of the Word of God:
” Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.“ (I Peter 1:23)
In writing to the Hebrews, Apostle Paul testified about the procedure of the circumcision of Christ, in which Christ, the Word of God, separates spirit, soul, and body in a certain way, so that the saved soul can put off the body of sin spiritually:
” For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12)