Salvation by Grace

Introduction

We have been discussing the doctrines taught in Judaism and how that conflicts with biblical doctrine. Remember we are in the middle of Paul’s diatribe or argument for those who would oppose salvation through faith alone and now Paul is talking about how faith alone is a gift by grace alone. Paul told his Jewish readers that salvation was not by works but instead is credited to those who have faith in Jesus. That faith is not itself a work but is instead a gift of God. We have talked before about how those in the church typically associate salvation with being a gift but think faith is something done by us when scripture says that faith is a gift as well as the salvation made possible through that faith.

Today we are going to spend most of our time talking about circumcision and what it is (spiritually not physically) and what it means to the Jewish people. So let’s cut to the chase...

Justification through Circumcision

Whanr Paul was anticipating the question, “Is this blessing only for the circumcised then? Or is it also for the uncircumcised?” from the Jews who would ask if justification is through faith, then why did God demand circumcision? Most of them were convinced that circumcision was not only a mark that set them apart as God’s chosen people but it was also the means that made them acceptable before God. With them believing that their salvation was based on performance in their obedience to God, circumcision would have been at the top of those acts of obedience. They believed so strongly that circumcision justified them that they would say things like, “No circumcised man will ever see hell.” This was considered such a mark of favor that they taught that if a Jew practiced idoltary his circumcision must first be removed efore he could go to hell (not sure how that works).

Not only was this part of the Jewish doctrine, it also spilled over into the teachings of the early Christian church. There had to be a council of Apostles and Elders that came together to deem that circumcision was not necessary for salvation. Paul came out of a belief system where circumcision was necessary for salvation. Yet, the Holy Spirit revealed to both he and the Jerusalem council that neither circumcision nor any other ceremony, ritual, or any other human act could bring salvation.

In the region of Phrygia which was close to Galatia, they worshipped Cybele. Their priests usually castrated themselves as a sacrificial act of devotion. This is likely the mutalation that Paul references in .

11 Now brothers and sisters, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12 I wish those who are disturbing you might also let themselves be mutilated!

What Paul was saying is if the Judaizers thought this act was an act of salvation they might as well keep going to the extreme of self-mutilation like the Cybelene preists. These Judaizers would teach that a Christian Gentiles and Jews had to keep the law of Moses in order to be saved which included circumcision. They posed such a threat to the Galatian church that Paul made this claim as well as others directed at the Judaizers in his letter to the Galatians.

Paul continues in verse 9 of that according to his teaching, faith was what creditted righteousness to Abraham’s account. He then asks another question, “In what way then was it credited, while he was circumcised or uncircumcised?” The obvious answer according to Genesis is that it was credited to him while he was still uncircumcised. According to Abraham was declared righteous before Ishmael was born and Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born. Abraham was not circumcised until Ishmael was 13 years old so this would mean that righteousness was credited to Abahram 14 years before he was circumcised. Abraham was in God’s covenant long before he was circumcised whereas Ishmael was never in God’s covenant despite being circumcised. If you look back when God originally made His covenant with Abraham he was 75 years old at that point so that would be 24 years that he was in God’s covenant before he was circumcised. Also, during this time Abraham would have been a Gentile when God initially called him. There would have been no circumcised Jews because it was through Abraham that God chose Israel. So how ironic would it be that there would be those teaching uncircumcised Gentiles that they needed to be circumcised to be God’s child when the one who was the father of the Jews was an uncircumcised Gentile when God called him?

So the natural question would be Why? Why circumcision? Why was this law what marked the Jewish nation?

Sign

Paul said that circumcision was a sign in verse 11. This was the physical mark of the Jewish people. Paul had no objection to circumcision he just objected to it being a means of salvation because it was only a sign and the job of a sign is to point to something else not be the means in and of itself. When we go to Atlanta in July if we are driving through Montgomery and someone sees the sign on I65 where it says Atlanta and they jump out of the van, climb up the sign, and when they get to where it says Atlanta they say, “I’m here!” have they really made it to Atlanta? No, and if one of you tries that I’m going to laugh at you and keep going until we get to Six Flags. Circumcision was a sign that the Jews were God’s chosen people. It was also a mark of God’s covenant. When the Jews were wandering in the wilderness during the Babylonian Exile, circumcisions were not performed and did not resume until God allowed that disobedient generation to die out and readied them to enter the promised land under Joshua.

Seal

The second aspect of circumcision Paul mentions is that it is a seal. Now, a sign and seal are similar but where a sign points to something a seal solidifies or guarantees it. This means that circumcision was God’s way of authenticating that God’s promises would be fulfilled. This also pointed to God wanting to circumcise or place His seal on His people’s hearts, not just their bodies. God’s intent was never to leave it at just the circumcision of the body but circumcision of the heart. God always wanted to cut away the sin that covered the heart.

Paul then states this was to make Abraham the father of all who believe but are not circumcised. This would make it to where righteousness could