A New Identity

Bible Passage: Jos 5:1–9

Summary: In Joshua 5:1-9, the Israelites, as they prepare to enter the Promised Land, are commanded by God to circumcise the males of the new generation. This act signifies not only a physical mark of identity but also a deeper spiritual transition as they leave behind their wilderness experience and embrace their identity as God's chosen people.

Intro:

Every one of us is constantly answering the question, “Who am I?” Some of us identify ourselves by our job, our passions, our personality, or even by what others have spoken over us. But what about the Christian? Who are we, really?

1 Peter 2:9 says: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession…”

God says our identity is not first in what we do, what we feel, or what we’ve done in the past, but in belonging to Him.

In Joshua 5:1–9, we find Israel at a turning point. They have crossed the Jordan, they are standing in the land God promised, and before they fight a single battle, God does something surprising: He commands that all the men of this new generation be circumcised.

It seems like strange timing and a painful command but God is doing more than a medical procedure. He is marking His people with a new identity. He is separating them from their wilderness past and re‑establishing them as His covenant people.

From this passage we’re going to see:

Crossing into Commitment – God calls His people to trust Him and obey as they step into His promises.

Cutting Away the Old – God deals with the unbelief and disobedience of the past so His people can walk in newness.

Claiming Our New Identity – God rolls away their reproach and gives them a new name and a new standing.

And for us today, this raises a searching question: If God has given us a new identity in Christ, what still needs to be “cut away” so we can fully live as His people?

Main Points

1. Crossing into Commitment

Jos 5:1-3

(vs1) Word had spread- When God does great work it is noticed- What was the great work God commanded, people were obedient. God did the work. He did what He said He would.

Do we find ourselves in a difficult situtation- Does God word speak into it. Yes! What are we to do as believers - Hold Fast!

Hebrews 10:23 “23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;”

Enemies of God- the people were the pointed action

Their hearts melted- fatigue-melt in fear (What happens to the enemies of God) -they realize its a loosing battle.

It is good that they do- we were enemies of God and will remian- until we receive the reconciliation

Romans 5:10 “10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

no spirit - breath (violent exhale)

of defeat

It wasn’t normal-

The Beginning of commitment (v. 2)

Why did they need a fresh start-the covenant God made with man- commitment to God and to the covenant community

Genesis 17:9–14

Circumcision

Covenant but also looks forward

Circumcision of the heart- covenant with God and the community

Deuteronomy 30:6 “6 “Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”

flint-Beyond practical use, flint carried symbolic weight in Scripture. The hardness of flint became proverbial, picturing determination, as when the Servant of the Lord set his face like flint. Conversely, hearts of flint represented the people’s unwillingness to repent.

God uses flint- to keep you determined, do you have a heart of flint

I must ask this question, who are we?

Will we waver, or we will stay determined?

1304 Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as he is and adjust our lives accordingly.

A. W. Tozer

They were now operating in faith- How did God deal with them- Graciously- wandering- provided what they needed, now He is restoring them. Does God do this today- Yes! He does it all and restores us through faith.

Faith in the storm is true faith! Faith in a calm may be, or may not be, genuine faith. An Instructive Truth, Volume 50, Sermon #2893 - Jeremiah 10:23

Charles Spurgeon

(vs 3) I am not sure this was the greatest time for the men of Israel. But the pain had it’s purpose

Joshua- obedient- Men- obedient

Leaders follow God’s lead, the people respond to the leading.

Dependent upon God!

similar to the new life in Christ that believers experience through faith.

-take determination- your heart can be unwilling to repent

The act of circumcision was not just physical but was a declaration of commitment and identity, emphasizing that before embracing the promises of God, there must be a laying aside of the past.

This parallels the Christian journey where we leave behind old ways as symbols of turning to Christ.

Today you may need a circumsicion of your heart leaving the old ways behind- God can do it! Faith leads us forward. (Think of flint- determined, or unwilling)

How do we do this? -We are unable) - God provides the instruction, we are to be Obedience to the work of God! Next verses

2. Cutting Away the Old

Jos 5:4-7

God's Plan for the new Generation- (vv. 4-6)

What was the Old that needed to be done away with- Not listen to the voice of the Lord.

God asked the children of Israel to take the Land, but the responded in disobedience- military over spiritual. Military through the eyes of man- spiritual through faith in God!

We want to take the victory with our own power- God desires that man find rest in His ability to do a work.

Deuteronomy 1:26–40

Hebrews 3:16–19 “16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.”

The way of unbelief- Heart

Unbelief- we miss out on the blessing!

Some of us just created the blessing in our mind… this may not be what God wants to bless you with.

and they needed to die off to prepare for the new, they weren't going to be known for their past but for their future. - there were those who were obedient Joshua and Caleb.

The past wasn’t pretty, slavery, disobedience, generation caused to wander- but in all that time God still provided- Why? He is good. It should lead us all to repentance

Romans 2:4 “4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”

reflect on how God's requirement for circumcision was a cutting away of the old to prepare for the new life ahead.

What is the purpose for the new life? God’s glory

Acts 3:19 “19 Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”

We can make acts about us but its about God- He wants to bring the time of refreshing- sinful lives never lead to refreshing. (Temporary worldly refreshing- but this is continually contentment in God)

Critically, believers become rich not in possessions but in personal identity, as Christ became poor not as an example but to reveal the secret of His religion—a faith centered on personal relationship with God rather than material accumulation- Oswald chambers

Each Israelite man bore a mark of obedience and faith, just as Christians are marked by their faith in Christ. We will be known by our fruit!

Matthew 7:16–20 “16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.”

This point could emphasize how our new birth in Christ involves a rejection of our former ways, symbolizing personal renewal and aligning ourselves with God's purpose.

There cutting of the old was a new identity in the richness of being God’s people.

3. Claiming Our New Identity

Jos 5:8-9

(vs 9) God is the only one who is able to forgive sins- as they were committed against Him.

Psalm 51:4 “4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.”

They sinned against Him- yes others were effected.

1 Corinthians 8:12 “12 And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.”

Something had to die- past life- new life given God rolls away the Sin. Sounds familiar

Is sin serious to God- not does it disgust you, but is it serious to God. YES!

Reproach- insult to God, disgrace of the people

Give them their new identity. What had to take place.

God had to be who He is.

Psalm 86:5 “5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.”

Roll away- Remove

He had to make the way-

Ephesians 1:7 “7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”

Something had to die- past life- new life given God rolls away the Sin. Sounds familiar

I am rolling that away!

How has he done this today?

He is able

removal of past shame and sin, paralleling the Christian's release from sin through the redemptive work of Jesus.

(VS9) Remember- Gilgal- to roll away

Application: Are you trying to fight battles before you've allowed God to complete the healing process? Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is rest at Gilgal and let God complete His transformative work before rushing into the next conquest.

Claim- remeber and move forward and rest

a transformative process where old guilt is displaced by grace.

encourage believers to fully embrace and live out their new identity in Christ.

How?

Living Out New Identity in Christ

(1) Keep Seeking

Seek things above where Christ is (Colossians 3:1-3)

(2) New Priorities

Be transformed by renewing of mind (Romans 12:2)

(3) Bear Fruit

Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-25)

Crucify the flesh with its passions and desires

Walk by the Spirit

Closing:

As we’ve walked through Joshua 5:1–9, we’ve watched God do three key things in His people, and each one speaks directly to us in Christ.

Crossing into Commitment – Israel crossed the Jordan and God proved Himself faithful. Their enemies melted in fear because God was keeping His word. In the same way, we are called to hold fast the confession of our hope, because “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). Faith in the storm, not just in the calm, is real faith.

Cutting Away the Old – God required circumcision for this new generation. The previous generation had died in the wilderness because of unbelief and disobedience. Before they could enjoy the promises, the old had to be cut away. For us, this points to the circumcision of the heart—repentance, turning from sin, refusing to live by our own strength and wisdom, and submitting our hearts to God. Our new birth in Christ means rejecting our former ways and bearing new fruit that matches our new identity.

Claiming Our New Identity – At Gilgal, God said, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Their shame and past were no longer to define them; God was. In Christ, God has rolled away our sin and guilt through the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1:7). Our past does not get the final word—His grace does.

God is still graciously doing today what He did at Gilgal:

He confronts our old ways, calls us to cut them away, and then rolls our reproach off of us so we can stand as His people.

So the question we must leave with is this: If you belong to Christ, what needs to be surrendered, cut away, or left behind so that your life clearly reflects your true identity in Him?

Today, don’t just hear about a new identity—embrace it. Turn from the old, trust His grace, and walk forward as a chosen, holy people, fully His.

Mosaic Blessing: Numbers 6:24–26 “24 The Lord bless you, and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’”