For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. Galatians 5:6 (NLT)
What Sets Us Apart – The Fruit Series – Part 5
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6
For the ancient Hebrews, circumcision was a physical manifestation of an inner alliance. It was a symbol of allegiance and belonging to the Tribe of God. From the time of Abraham, eight days after their birth, Hebrew males would be circumcised. It was what you did. No questions. And it was a sign to all other tribes and nations of the Hebrews identity and affiliation. This sacred tradition continued across the centuries to the time of Paul, where we find him writing something really interesting to his friends in Galatia:
“When we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.” (Gal 5:6 NLT).
Wait. What?
Didn’t God command his people (the males ones) to be circumcised as a sign of their consecration to him?
Yep.
So, was Paul speaking against God's law?
No.
For generations, circumcision was a sign that the Hebrews were God’s chosen people. But now, things were changing. The gospel was spreading. The political and social landscape was evolving. Things were growing. The biblical narrative is an unfolding story, reflecting growth and an expansion of our understanding of God and our relationship with him.
Paul went on to say this:
“It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?” (Gal 5:13-15 MSG).
Jesus put flesh and blood on the way of Christ (which was an eternal message and concept for the Hebrews), so we could walk in his footsteps, be encouraged by his humanity and empowered by his divinity. He showed us that it's not ritual that sets us apart. It’s not about being on the right side, wearing the right clothes, having wealth, reputation, and power; it’s not a matter of birth, or heritage, or earning; it’s not based on our family, economic, political, even religious statuses. What sets us apart is Love. And it's love that sets us apart amongst others. Not in a “separate and divide” way, but in an influential and transformative way.
In this current season of life, Paul’s words are so important: “If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?”
Paul went on to say:
“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely… (continued..) Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives.” (Gal 5:22-26 MSG).
It's not a physical mark, or a label, or a patch of land that identifies us, it's love.
Go to Part 6 – Who To Trust »
Written by Lizzy Milani
[font_awesome link=”https://www.instagram.com/lizzy.milani/” icon=”instagram” color=”000″ size=”16px” margin_right=”” margin_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=””] lizzy.milani [font_awesome link=”https://www.twitter.com/lizzymilani/” icon=”twitter” color=”000″ size=”16px” margin_right=”” margin_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=””] lizzymilani
[vcex_image_grid columns=”3″ pagination=”false” thumbnail_link=”custom_link” link_title_tag=”true” custom_links_target=”_blank” overlay_style=”title-category-visible” columns_gap=”5″ img_hover_style=”fade-out” image_ids=”20934,20935,20937″ custom_links=”https://itunes.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1239768002?pt=118656308&ct=blog%20footer&mt=8,https://www.pktfuel.com/dailyemail,https://www.pktfuel.com/support” img_height=”350″]