For indeed circumcision profits you if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.
Truth to Learn
The external features of Christianity mean nothing without the complete submission of our will to Almighty God.
Behind the Words
“Circumcision” is translated from the Greek word peritomē, which is made up of peri, meaning “around” (like the word perimeter) and a form of temnō, meaning “to cut off.” Hence, it refers to cutting around the entire male foreskin to remove it.
The word “uncircumcision” is from a completely different word. It is akrobustia, which is made up of akron, meaning “the extreme” and buo, meaning “to cover.” Hence, it refers to the extreme covering, that is, the male foreskin.
Meaning Explained
Paul now seems to take a turn in his teaching. He has been talking about the Law for the past few verses, but now he starts talking about circumcision. As we have said earlier, the Jews took great pride in the fact that they were the people of God and that they possessed His very Words in their scriptures. They bragged about having the Law, and they bragged about being direct descendants of Abraham. The symbol of their heritage was indicated in their circumcision. That’s what marked them as sons of Abraham, so they took great pride in their circumcision.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, more than twenty years after Abram (meaning exalted father) believed God and was declared righteous, God made a covenant with Him. God promised to give Abram and his descendants the entire land of Canaan as an everlasting possession, and He changed his name to Abraham (father of a multitude). As a sign of the covenant, Abraham was to circumcise himself and all of his male descendants:
This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall circumcise in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token of the covenant between Me and you. (Genesis 17:10, 11)
Since that time all Jews have circumcised their male children as a sign of the covenant between them and God.
Paul now cautions them, however, that circumcision means nothing if they don’t keep the Law. From other scripture we know that no one perfectly keeps the Law, so he was telling these Jewish Christians in Rome that their circumcision had no meaning to them whatsoever.
That must have been a tough pill to swallow for them, because they put great stock in their heritage. Unfortunately, that was precisely the problem. They put their confidence in their heritage instead of in their faith. Paul will deal directly with this issue later in this letter.
Application
Are you proud to be a Christian? Do you possess all the external features and characteristics of a Christian? But… are you completely submitted to His will?
Maybe it’s time for all of us to fall to our knees before God!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved