Why Does the Bible Talk About Circumcision?

A few days ago, I was teaching through Colossians 2 which includes Paul’s last recorded dialogue about circumcision. I realized just how strange the topic seems and started more study on the issue. In keeping with good Bible interpretation I’ve had to examine context, dig around the Scriptures, use quality resources, and think.  The topic has made for some very interesting conversations between my husband and me over the last few nights!  Here is my attempt to shed light on a subject that is often talked about in Scripture, but rarely talked about in Christian circles.  Since this blog is from my imperfect perspective, I’m sure it contains error: please read Genesis 15-17, Deut 10, Romans 2-5, Col 2 if you’d like to study more.

WHAT IS CIRCUMCISION?
It is the surgical removal of the foreskin of the male reproductive organ.

WHERE IS CIRCUMCISION FIRST RECORDED IN THE BIBLE?

In Genesis 15, God makes a covenant with Abram.  God says that the aging Abram will one day have a son and will be given many offspring.  God also promises a land that Abram’s descendants will inhabit.  Abram believed God, but in Genesis 16, Abram listened to his wife, Sarai, and slept with her servant in hopes of having a son through Hagar. In chapter 17, God reminds Abram that His covenant remains and that the Lord Himself will multiply Abram’s descendants.  God changes his name to Abraham, and tells him to circumcise all the males of his household.  The circumcision is a sign of God’s promise and covenant (Abraham’s family would become the Jewish nation, inhabit the land that God gave them,  kings would come from the line of Abraham, and ultimately, Jesus the promised Messiah). 

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF CIRCUMCISION? 

Permanence

Abraham had failed.  He did not wait for God to make good on His promise, and had sex with a woman who was not his wife (Gen 16).  God placed a permanent bodily sign on Abraham, on the very organ that was used to carry out the sinful act.  The circumcision, which can never be reversed, shows that God’s promises will never fail, and are not contingent on man’s credibility. God will always be faithful when people are not. 

God takes sin seriously. Abraham was 99 years old when he underwent the surgical procedure. “Ouch” is an understatement.  God is not condemning Abraham, but is giving him a consequence--not as punishment, but as a measure of grace that would lead him to a more intimate relationship with God Himself.

Patriarchal

God starts with the men and expects them to lead.  Fathers are charged with the responsibility to circumcise their own sons on the 8^th day of their birth and then give them their names.  Men are also spiritually responsible for their families. As in the case of Adam, Abraham, and others recorded in Scripture, God calls forth the man first in terms of accountability, even though women are responsible for their own actions.  

Pro-creation
Since circumcision was applied to the reproductive organ of the body, the sign of the covenant involved the reproduction of the race.  God’s faithfulness would continue for generations.

Practical 

An uncircumcised male had to continually clean the foreskin of his penis so that infection would not set in.  Circumcision was an external symbol of and inward reality (the need to be spiritually pure and clean in the sight of God).

For boys, medical research has confirmed that prothrombin (the substance that aids in clotting) is present in the blood with greater quantity on the eighth day than any other time of life.  This is further evidence that God is not random, and has purposes for the commands that He gives, even if He doesn’t tell why at the time. For the sake of clarity, it could be argued that circumcision carries no negative, long term impact on the male, while female circumcision is a cruel, direct removal of a source of pleasure.

Purity
The Jews were entrusted with the spoken words of God.  They were a people set apart for Him, but due to their sin they were not holy.  When Abraham’s descendants exited 400 years of slavery, God established a written law.  Before the Isrealites could enter into the promised land (God’s holy possession), they needed to be clean. Circumcision was performed as an act of faith, putting no confidence in the flesh, but in the cleansing work of God.

Everything Private is Public before the Lord
What is private to man is seen by God.  God is not ashamed by what He made, and expects us to be vulnerable and open with Him.  God is involved with the intimate details of our lives.


Participation in the Promise regardless of Profession
Circumcision was performed on the male children when they were eight days old, before they had the chance to make their own profession of faith.  This didn’t automatically mean the child would follow the Lord, but that they would be participants in fulfilling God’s promise to bring a Savior to the world and God’s commands to the world.  No wicked heart or disobedience on man’s part would thwart God’s ultimate fulfillment of His covenant.

Pleasure
God wants intimacy.  Sin comes between man and God.  Only when His people die to self can they enjoy the fullest pleasure that God gives—the joy of knowing Him.

This is debatable and I can’t prove it, but I find the theory fascinating.  When the foreskin is cut off of the man, the most sensitive part of him is exposed.  No longer does he have an annoying barrier between him and his wife during intercourse.  Being circumcised makes it possible that a fuller amount of pleasure can be accomplished more easily.

If you’re married, you’re welcome.  If you’re single, I’m sorry and hope you find a spouse soon.

Practice
The circumcision did not make anyone righteous.  It was the outward symbol of an inward faith, first given to Abraham as a realization of God’s future promises.  The fleshly symbol was the way his descendants could understand their need for a circumcision of the heart after they were given the law by Moses. “And now, Israel, what does the Lord require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul…Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.” (Deut 10:12,16) 

If there is one thing the Israelites proved, it was that they could not keep God’s law, no matter how well it was explained to them.  The entire Old Testament recounts consistently that man was not faithful to God’s commands, but that God was always faithful to His people and His promises.  Matthew 1 recounts 42 generations between Abraham and Jesus Christ.   Included in that list are sexual sinners, liars, deceivers, evil kings, and murderers.  Time and time again, hope seemed bleak.  But then He came—the One who could permanently defeat sin and death.  While it is man’s responsibility to obey God’s commands, God takes responsibility for what people cannot do. 

God made the world and the body and declared it good.  Sin corrupted our bodies and our hearts.  Those who accept God by faith have the promise of Heaven with a holy God.  Just as the Israelites could not enter the promised land, you and I cannot enter Heaven by ourselves.  We cannot stand before a Holy God and have a relationship with Him because we are unclean.  We need a cleansing of a different sort as described in Colossians 2:11-14 “In [Jesus] also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.  And you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.  This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

Perspective
So, what are some other practical implications of all of this for you?  Circumcision of the flesh is no longer a commandment or necessity, because Jesus has done the work.  But since most American men are circumcised due to hygienic reasons, I think the symbol is still relevant and powerful in today’s culture prevalent with porn and sexual immorality.  The circumcision of the penis is a change in perspective.  If a woman could view a naked man and be reminded of God’s promise, she might change who she promises herself to.

It is my hope that this explanation of the Old Testament alteration of the male sex organ might prevent masturbation and sex with anyone other than one’s spouse.  There is a clear-cut reminder every time a man pulls down his pants: “God is faithful; therefore I should be.”  It’s healthy for every man to have a little fear of God before his eyes. I’d love to know that pastors are teaching their congregations and fathers are giving their sons visual images that none can forget: “You belong to the Lord!  God cut off the barrier between you and Him, so that you can know Him.  Use your body the way God intended. Trust in God’s faithfulness to provide for your needs in His perfect timing, and DON’T TAKE MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS.”

CONCLUSION:
Look to the cross as your new symbol of circumcision.  If you have faith in Jesus’ work on the cross, then He has already cleaned you.  There is a permanent seal and a promise waiting.  Practice your purity and honor Him with your head, heart, hands, and hidden parts.

Communicating the Gospel to Children

Let me start out by saying it is not my job to convert my children. There is no gaurantee that my husband and I will raise godly adults. It is the duty of Christian parents to teach and train their children according to Scripture in a Gospel-centered home. (The Gospel is simply the Good News for my bad news brought by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.  It is not limited to salvation, or even sin, but also the effects of sin.) It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict and save. I do not believe anyone can be convinced, debated, manipulated, scared, pushed or begged into a real relationship with the Lord. As parents, we can not be stumbling blocks, but stepping stones towards Christ.

My husband and I teach our children every night by reading Bible stories. The following book for children was given to us by my in-laws. The one on the left is the 4th our family has owned. The one on the right is what the other 3 look like.

　
Our children have combed these pages. Though we have found this book to be accurate, it does not give every story, or the full details of the stories it contains. So here's what my husband purposed to do since our first child was two years of age: It is his philosophy that we will let the Bible raise the questions for our kids. He reads the story nightly. I read on the nights my husband isn't home. He will ask the kids questions to see if they have grasped the information, and give them an example of how it applies to every-day life. The kids ask a lot of questions. Sometimes the answers are directly quoted in the Bible, so we'll further explain it or show it to them from the pages of Scripture. Now that our oldest is 8, we are starting to read more texts of Scripture and less out of the children's book.

The "training" comes when they need to be showed what to do or how to think. We hold out the "law" or the rules to our children. When they fall short, we show them their need for a Savior. Here are some practical ways we have made our children aware of their need during specific situations:

Sharing
Mom: "you need to share with your sibling."
Kid: "I don't want to."
Mom: "Of course you don't. That's why you need Jesus to help you." or
"God shared His Son with us. Jesus shared His life with us. We have been given a great example, and God can teach you how to share."

Family Conflict
We seldom let our kids work out their conflict by themselves because God stepped into human history and taught us how to deal with ours. Once they have been trained, then I can say "talk to your sibling first and if you can't work it out, come to me."

We purposely use the language of forgiveness. It's okay for my child to say "I'm sorry" if she really means it. More often than not, the child is not sorry for their sin, only for the discipline they are about to incur. I can not make my kid feel any emotion that leads to repentance. But I can make them practice by admitting what they did wrong and asking for forgiveness. Example: "Would you forgive me for biting you? I shouldn't hurt you." "Would you forgive me for ripping up your drawing? I was being selfish, and it is wrong to mess up other people's things."

Defiance towards parents
After my husband had finished disciplining one of our children, I noticed the child stomp out of the room and mutter under breath, "I don't love you anymore." What did I want to do? Shame our kid for disrespecting Dad like that. What did my husband do? He got eye-level with the child and calmly said: "that makes me very sad. I want you to know that I will always love you. God loved me a long time before I loved Him."
Wow! What a perfect example of "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." It is God's kindness that leads us to repentance, and this father's kindness softened that kid's heart.

When they feel shame
One of our girls feels easily embarressed when she gets caught sinning. She will run away from us and bury her head in her bedsheets. We remind her this is what Adam and Eve did in the Garden. They hid because they were naked and ashamed. But what did God do? He covered them with animal skin clothes. "Sweetheart, you do not need to run away or be afraid of us. We love you and you're covered by grace."

Self-righteousness
One of our children is notorious for tattle-telling. The kid runs to me with that obvious whiny tattle-tale voice and says "____ did such-and-such." I reply "It sounds to me like your brother/sister needs Jesus just as much as you do. Do you think you are better than them?" Ahhh, yes, Jesus is the solution for self-righteousness.

Competing against one-another
When Kinley and Cade were toddlers, they would race in the living room. Cade became very frustrated, emotional, and upset because Kinley could beat him. I tried several solutions:
"Don't worry, when you get older, you'll get faster and you'll win a lot."
"Cade, you're good at other things. You can catch a ball, jump really high, etc, etc."
"Winning isn't important. Having fun is what matters."

None of that satisfied him. He can't have fun unless he's winning. It doesn't matter if he can beat her in other things, because he sees this one area where he just doesn't match up. It's that awful comparison game we all play with other people. A Christ-focus is the only solution.

"Okay kids. New game." I went to the other end of the living room and got down on my knees. I spread both arms out wide and said, " The goal is to get to Mommy." They both ran across the room with a lot of giggles. One ran into my right arm and the other my left, and it didn't matter who got there first because I swooped them up and tickled them until they were overcome by laughter. In that moment, I just displayed what Jesus did for us on the cross. Arms spread wide in self-sacrifice, bringing to us a new kind of race. Run, hop, crawl, or roll a wheel-chair to Jesus, because we'll forget about our physical limitations and be overcome by joy when we stop looking at each other and focus on the Cross. Christ is the cure for competition and comparison. I want them to imagine Him when they feel insecure.

When their Mommy loses it
I can make myself look pretty good when I'm teaching my kids about their sin. But they see mine too. I can will-power some self-control about 10% of the time. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, that percentage is way higher, but it is UGLY the moment I start walking in the flesh. In those times, it is important that I practice what I teach them.

"Mommy is tired but that is no excuse. When Jesus was tired, he didn't use his tone of voice to hurt others. Would you forgive me for yelling at you?" (I want them to know, it is not their fault.)

"Mommy is very frustrated. Now, your job as a child is to obey me. That is your responsibility. But it is my job to teach you in a way that honors God and I didn't do that. Would you forgive me for speaking angrily?" ( I want them to know they are not off the hook, but I will take 100% responsibility for my actions.)
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My husband and I have been taught well. We didn't come up with this info on our own; there are many godly people who have influenced us. We pick and choose the ways we want to pass this important message to our kids; we don't always make the mark, but grace covers us too.