Romans 2.25-The Meaning and Purpose of Circumcision
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday September 13, 2007
Romans: Romans 2:25-The Meaning and Purpose of Circumcision
Lesson # 65
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 2:17.
This evening we will continue with our study of the twelfth and final principle of divine judgment that is contained in Romans 2:17-29, namely, that God judges according to reality and without regard of racial background or religious profession.
The Jews erroneously, presumptuously and arrogantly thought that they would enter the kingdom of heaven because of their racial background as Jews and circumcision as well as being the recipients of the Law.
In Romans 2:17-19, Paul destroys their false security, which was based upon six privileges God had given to them, which did not produce obedience in the Jews but rather arrogance towards their relationship with the Gentiles.
In Romans 2:19-20, the apostle Paul lists four pretensions of the Jew and in Romans 2:20c, Paul teaches that this arrogance is based upon “having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.”
In Romans 2:21-23, Paul poses five rhetorical questions to the self-righteous, unsaved Jew, which exposes their hypocrisy.
Then, in Romans 2:24, Paul teaches his unsaved Jewish audience that their hypocritical conduct as a nation caused the unsaved Gentiles to blaspheme the reputation of the character of the person of God.
In Romans 2:25, Paul teaches his unsaved, self-righteous Jewish audience that circumcision can not deliver them from eternal condemnation since disobedience to the Law negates the value of circumcision.
Rabbi Menachem, commenting on Book of Moses writes, “Our Rabbis have said that no circumcised man will see Hell.”
Another rabbinic saying was “Circumcision saves from Hell.”
The Midrash (Jewish traditions compiled about 200AD, basic part of the Talmud) Tillim says, “God swore to Abraham that no one who was circumcised should be sent to Hell.”
The Midrash also taught that “Abraham sits before the gate of hell and never allows any circumcised Israelite to enter.”
Therefore, we can see that the rabbis taught a “false gospel” declaring that the ritual of circumcision guarantees entrance into the kingdom of heaven. They taught that God will judge the Gentiles by one standard and the Jews with another.
In Romans 2:25, Paul is arguing with his unsaved Jewish audience that physical circumcision does not guarantee entrance into the kingdom of heaven and can never deliver them from eternal condemnation.
Let’s read Romans 2:17-29.
Romans 2:17-29, “But if you bear the name ‘Jew’ and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,’ just as it is written. For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law? 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.”
“Circumcision” is the noun peritome (peritomhv) (per-it-om-ay), which refers to the ritual act of cutting of the foreskin of the male’s penis and was given as a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his biological descendants that they were set apart by God and yet was not given to justify them before God or saved them from eternal condemnation.
Now, before we study Romans 2:25 in detail, I thought it would be helpful and instructive to study the meaning and purpose of circumcision as well as the controversy that it caused in the first century apostolic church.
By doing this, we will gain a greater insight into the impact of Paul’s words in Romans 2:25-29 that were addressed to his unsaved, self-righteous Jewish audience.
Therefore, this evening we will note the meaning and purpose of circumcision and on Sunday, we will study the controversy that took place over circumcision in the first century apostolic church.
Genesis 17 records Abram receiving circumcision as a sign of the covenant that God had established with him and his descendants.
Genesis 17:1-7, “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.’ I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly. Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, ‘As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you will be the father of a multitude of nations.’ No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.’”
Genesis 17:9-14 records that the Lord gives Abraham and his descendants the ritual of circumcision to observe as a sign to ratify the covenant that He established with Abraham when he left Haran.
Genesis 17:9-11, “God said further to Abraham, ‘Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.’ This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.’ And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.”
“Circumcised” is the verb mul (lWm) (mool), which refers to the act of cutting of the foreskin of the male’s penis and was given as a sign to Abraham and his biological descendants that they were set apart by God and yet was not given to justify or saved them.
Circumcision was not exclusive to Israel but was also performed by several Asian Oriental groups such as the Muslims as well as the Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and was also practiced by Egyptian priests and those who wanted to be initiated into their sacred mysteries.
Circumcision among these nations was a rite of passage but was not performed on infants, thus the sign of circumcision given to Abraham to be performed on infants eight days old was unique in the ancient world.
The ceremony of circumcision consisted in cutting away the foreskin, the hood or fold of skin covering the head of the male organ, which was generally done by means of a sharp knife, but in more primitive times sharp stones were used (Ex. 4:25; Josh. 5:2, flint knives).
As a rule this act was performed by the father (Gen. 17:23), although it might be done by any Israelite, and, if necessary, women as well (Ex. 4:25), but never by a Gentile.
In later times, in the case of adults, a doctor performed circumcision and the Jews of the present day entrust it to a person called a mohel appointed especially for the purpose.
At first, this requirement seems to be strange but the Lord gave it to Abraham and his biological descendants as a “sign” of His covenant with Abraham and his descendants.
Circumcision would symbolize in a distinct way the purpose and results of the Abrahamic covenant.
The emphasis of the covenant was on the Promised Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ and on the abundance of progeny, which would accrue to Abraham (Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record, page 333).
Circumcision was a sign only to the individual concerned, his parents and his wife and was not to be shown to people in general, but was uniquely personal.
Henry M. Morris, writes, “To his parents it would confirm that they had been faithful in transmitting the seed to the son with whom God had blessed their union and that they were trying to follow God’s will in training him. To his wife, it would give assurance that he indeed was a descendant of Abraham, to whom she could joyfully submit in the marriage relation, in faith that God would bless their home and their children. To the man himself, it would be a daily testimony that he and his family were consecrated to the God of Abraham and that they shared in his calling and ministry to the world” (The Genesis Record, page 334).
The sexual act and reproductive organs and processes were created by God to be enjoyed by both the man and the woman in marriage and received the full blessing of God (Gen. 1:28; 9:1).
But with the Fall of Adam and the Woman, the sex organs and sex act became vehicles of sin and corruption since Satan led man into sexual debauchery, corrupting the institution of marriage in every conceivable way in order to stop God’s purpose for man and his redemption.
Therefore, we see that another symbolic meaning of the act of circumcision where the cutting of the foreskin spoke of a surgical removal, a complete separation, from the sins of the flesh so widely prevalent in the world around Abraham and his descendants.
The nations and tribes around Abraham were involved in sins largely centered in the misuse of the male organ in adultery, fornication and sodomy.
Circumcision symbolized to the Jewish man that he was a member of an elect nation, a peculiar people, distinctly holy before God, in relation to sexual conduct, so it came indirectly to speak of holiness in every phase of life.
Leviticus 20:7, “You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.”
Therefore, the organ of the male body that was used for procreation is consecrated to God (cf. Deut. 30:6; Jer. 4:4) and failure to submit to circumcision demonstrated one’s overt unwillingness to obey the Lord.
The penalty for failing to submit to circumcision meant exile from Israel and from any inheritance in it and in fact resulted in capital punishment.
In Exodus 4, Moses failed to circumcise his sons because of his Egyptian wife Zipporah, and was as a result almost killed by the Lord for failing to do so but Zipporah grudgingly gave in.
“Sign” is the noun `oth (tw{a), which refers to the distinguishing mark upon the organ of procreation among Abraham’s biological descendants who had entered into the Abrahamic covenant and served as confirmation of Abraham’s lineage to fulfill their covenantal responsibility.
Genesis 17:12-22, “And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant. Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.’ I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her. Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, ‘Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?’ And Abraham said to God, ‘Oh that Ishmael might live before You!’ But God said, ‘No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.’ As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.’ When He finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.”
Genesis 17:23-27 records Abraham obeying the Lord’s command to circumcise himself and all the males in his household.
Genesis 17:23-27, “Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him. Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son. All the men of his household, who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.”
Notice that Abraham does not procrastinate but immediately the very same day he obeyed the Lord and implemented the sign of circumcision.
In Genesis 17:23-27, we see Abraham conscientiously observing the practice of circumcision, which was to be the sign or symbol of God’s covenant with Abraham. Abraham’s obedience demonstrated his love for God.
John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will observe conscientiously My commandments.”
Abraham’s obedience was confirmation that he indeed was obeying the command to “walk before Me, and be blameless” in Genesis 17:1 and experiencing fellowship with the Lord.
Abraham’s obedience to the law of circumcision demonstrated his faith since all the males in his household would be incapacitated for several days thus leaving his home and possessions with no protection at all except of course for the Lord.
Undoubtedly, Abraham met resistance and many questions but nevertheless, his entire household received the sign of circumcision.
The fact that all the males submitted to circumcision based upon the word of Abraham is a testimony to the fact that Abraham was highly respected among those in his household and those who were servants.
At this time, everyone knew that God was with Abraham and if this was what God required, they along with Abraham would obey.
The ordinance of circumcision could not save man but was to be the distinguishing sign of the Jewish nation from the other nations.