Last week we saw Paul levy a stinging rebuke against those who called themselves Jews but failed to live up to the standards God expects of His people. The Roman Jews thought that being of the line of Abraham granted them automatic entry into heaven, a sort of a get out of hell free card.

Summarizing the earlier parts of this chapter we see where Paul warns the Romans:

• You are storing up wrath for yourself and will not escape God’s judgment because you do the things for which you judge others. (vv. 1-5)

• God will render to everyone Jew and Gentile according to their works, without partiality. (vv. 6-11)

• All men have the law of nature written on their hearts, but the Jews had the privilege of having a special revelation, the Law of God. Jesus will judge the secrets of men based on what they do with what they know about God and His requirements. (vv. 12-16)

• You who call yourself a Jew and boast in the Law - you dishonor God by breaking the law causing the name of God to be blasphemed by Gentiles. (vv. 17-24)

Paul is making the point that everyone will be judged by what they do with the knowledge they have, not by status or by the extent of their knowledge. The Romans had created their own god – a god in the image they desired, one which did not threaten them. We need to examine our own lives to be certain we have not done the same. We are blessed with having access to a plethora of religious material and we can be tempted to pick and choose the portions we like, thus, in effect, creating our own god.

Abram, at seventy-five years of age, obeyed God when He was told to leave Haran and go to the land that God would show him. God promised to give him the land, to make of him a great nation, and to bless all the families of the earth through him (Genesis 12). This is known as the Abrahamic Covenant. Later, and after much drama, God reaffirmed His promise to Abram, that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abram believed God and He counted it to him as righteousness. This is one of the pillars of the Christian faith! Abram would have to wait another twenty-five years for this promise to begin to be fulfilled.

Again, and after much drama, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning father of a multitude of nations and He sealed this covenant with the sign of circumcision. It is interesting to note that at this time God said, “I have made you the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:5) [emphasis by the writer]. When God makes a promise, it is as good as done!

The essence of Paul’s argument is that the Jews had this special sign and they thought it sufficient for God’s unconditional blessings. However, in Philippians 3 Paul explains that based on his heritage and qualifications, he of all men should deserve a favored status, yet he counts it all rubbish compared with the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ, his Lord. The Jews had taken the special sign of circumcision and distorted it by presuming on God’s grace. Do we presume on God’s grace by relying on having had Christian parents? A response to an altar call? Our baptism? Our good works? Our vast knowledge of Scripture? While these are all good, we need to understand that if we rely on anything other than the finished work of Jesus at Calvary we are dishonoring God while storing up wrath for ourselves. 

I. Circumcision (v. 25)

• Circumcision is a sign

Circumcision is a foundation block of the Jewish faith, and of ours also, but this is not referring to physical circumcision done in the flesh by human hands. Circumcision means a cutting away and a cutting away of flesh was only a sign – a sign referring to a cutting away of the sinful desires and actions in the heart of man. In verse twenty-five Paul explains that circumcision is of value only if you obey the law, otherwise it is worthless. Paul understands that no one can obey the law, so in Galatians 3:10 he states, “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’” Relying on good works brings God’s curse.

Moses, speaking for God, commanded the Israelites to circumcise the foreskin of their hearts and stop being stubborn (Deuteronomy 10:16). In Acts 7:51, Peter called the Jews stiff-necked people who are uncircumcised in heart and ears, a people who always resist the Holy Spirit. He implies that not only do the Jews disobey God but that they even refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit. Stiff-necked is an agricultural term referring to oxen which refuse to follow the directions of the plowman when he gently pokes them in the neck with a sharp pointed stick, a goad. Peter chastised the Jews who refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit by comparing them to stubborn oxen.

• Circumcision without hands

When God gave the sign of the covenant of circumcision to Abram, it was after Abram was declared righteous by faith. Similarly, the sign of baptism is administered after we believe (See for example Acts 2:37-41, 8:12, 10:44-48, 18:8). James 2:23 adds that Abram was called a friend of God when he was declared righteous. Also, Jesus called His followers friends (John 15:5). In his letter to the Colossians, Chapter Two, Paul related circumcision and baptism using the analogy that both represent the death of the sinful nature leading to new life. Circumcision did not save the Jew, neither does baptism save the Christian. Both are merely outward signs of an inward reality, and this inward reality is wrought by God. If you have been baptized, you need to ask yourself, what does my baptism mean? Does it serve as a reminder of your salvation, or does it cause you to believe that you will receive leniency, even without a life change? If you are in Christ, you are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), you will have been spiritually circumcised, and your life will be different from what it was before.

• The value of circumcision

The Jews placed a high value on physical circumcision, but Paul makes it clear that mere physical circumcision of the flesh is of no value; only becoming a new creation has value (Galatians 6:15). Paul, in writing to Gentiles in Galatians 5:2-4 states that if they accept circumcision, it will be of no advantage to them. His point is that Gentiles who accept circumcision obligate themselves to keep the whole law. You might ask, What about Timothy? Timothy was the son of a Jewish woman and Greek father, so legally he was a Gentile but, as Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:5, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” So, Timothy was spiritually a Jew, and it was appropriate to circumcise him, otherwise he might be an offense to the Jews to whom they wanted to minister.

Jeremiah 9:25-26 expresses a stern warning to those who were only circumcised in the flesh, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart." A very important value of circumcision is that it reveals sin and leads to repentance. Neither circumcision nor baptism is of value without the life of the person matching what the sign signifies. A life of sin negates both.

II. The Uncircumcised (vv. 26-27)

• The Holy Gentiles (v. 16)

Paul states that if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the law, he will be regarded as one who is circumcised. In this verse Paul again addresses the importance of obedience to the law. If you break the law, circumcision is of no value; if you keep the law, circumcision is not necessary. Similarly, if you break the law, baptism doesn’t help you; if you keep the law, baptism isn’t actually necessary either! All of the Old Testament laws and ceremonies as well as the New Testament sacraments have one and the same purpose: to bring about a holy life in God’s people. 

• Evidence of a Circumcised Life (v. 27)

The physically uncircumcised Gentiles who live in a way that shows they are circumcised in the heart will result in condemnation of the circumcised who do not live according to the law. The law breakers will not stand before the righteous in eternal condemnation; it is a condemnation every day, as the godly love The Lord and obey the law that is written on their hearts and minds. The holy life of the uncircumcised Gentiles is a sign of God’s favor on them. It would be difficult for the Roman Jews to hear that righteous Gentiles would show them the true meaning of circumcision.

III. True Circumcision (vv. 28-29)

• The True Jew (v. 28)

• God’s Praise (v. 29)

The true Jew is the one who is circumcised in the heart. The true Jew will receive affirmation from God. The word Jew comes from the word for Judah, meaning praise. The true Jew is not only going to have a name meaning praise, but he is actually going to be praised by God. Paul’s point in all of this is to explain that the Jew will be praised by God if his heart is truly circumcised and that he will not receive leniency because of his heritage of his good works. It is only by repentance that anyone, Jew or Gentile, will avoid the wrath of God.

In this chapter Paul seemingly implies that there is no advantage of being a Jew, for God is not partial. However, we will see in Chapter 3 there is value in being a Jew and in being circumcised. Paul asks the rhetorical question, “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way” (Romans 3:1-2a). This will be addressed next week. 

Selah:

1. How can you know if you have created your own, private God?

2. How are circumcision and baptism similar and how are they different?

3. How do you know if you have been circumcised in heart?