CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART
BY: ELISABETH C. TUNSTALL
INTRODUCTION
From a common standpoint, circumcision is the surgical removal of foreskin at the tip of a male’s private member. Though not required by spiritual or common law, circumcision has many health benefits, which includes maintaining better hygiene as well as decreasing the risk of STIs (sexually transmitted diseases), UTIs (urinary tract infections) and penile cancer. This procedure is typically done shortly after a male is newly born.
BIBLE LESSON
The bible teaches us that circumcision began with our forefather, Abraham. The Lord established a covenant with him that he would be the father of many nations and that his seed would multiply like the stars of heaven in exchange for his obedience. So as a token of this covenant, Abraham as well as all males in his household, servants included, were to be circumcised, whether they were an adult or baby.
GENESIS 17: 10-13
“This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.”
LAW OF MOSES
This law was supposed to remain in effect until it was fulfilled after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, many of the Jews had a different idea. We learn in the book of Romans that there were Jews that continued to hold onto what was referred to as the Law of Moses. This included circumcision and the law of sacrificial offerings. Furthermore, as Paul began to teach the Gentiles, many of the Jews insisted that they had to be circumcised and adhere to other laws that were no longer necessary to keep.
SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION
This stance was problematic as it posed unnecessary burden on the Gentiles who were being newly introduced to the gospel. So Paul had to intervene, teaching that it was spiritual circumcision that mattered most to God and not physical circumcision.
SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION
Romans 2: 25-29, “For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”
SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION
Although spiritual circumcision was taught well before Christ’s death (Deuteronomy 10: 16), the Jews and particularly the Pharisees in their hypocrisy, put greater emphasis on the law of Moses as well as their own traditions and ignored the “weightier matters of the law.” The weightier matters of the law were the laws of life, God’s commandments & testimonies. Matthew 23: 23, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”
SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION
As Paul so eloquently stated, spiritual circumcision is that of the heart. The heart, as we have learned, is the center and core of who a person is. Within the heart resides the desire to either obey or disobey God. Without circumcision, the word can not penetrate your heart. Now lets take a closer look at the word penetrate. Penetrate means to move into or through something; it is to succeed in becoming a part of something. Consider the second part of that definition. The truth has to become a part of our hearts. By doing so, we then become one with Christ, who is the word, conforming to his ways so that we can be perfect just like him. John 17: 21-23, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”
SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION
Remember, we are not born perfect. Instead, we are born with an uncircumcised heart that has this outer layer that prevents truth from entering in. As long as that outer layer is there, sin remains embedded within our hearts. That is why this outer layer or foreskin must be removed.
SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION
How is it removed? Recall that the word is depicted as a sharp two edge sword. Hebrews 4: 12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Christ takes his sword and uses it to remove the foreskins of our hearts.
SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION
The Holy Spirit then comes and pricks the heart of flesh so that the seed of truth can be planted inside by Christ. To prick is to pierce or make a small hole with a sharp point. Also, the Holy Spirit is the former rain moderately that showers and nourishes your heart so that the seed of truth can take root. Our Heavenly Mothers instill fear of God’s judgement into the heart, so that you obey Him and continue to do so. And who sends us Christ, the Spirit and our Heavenly Mothers? It is God the Father. You see it takes the entire throne of God for your heart to be circumcised and change.
EMOTIONAL PAIN
Circumcision is not a pleasant experience per se. It causes emotional pain, which is rooted in the mind but hurts just as much as physical pain. With emotional pain we feel sadness, anxiety, shame and guilt over all of our past mistakes and transgressions. These emotions compel us to change and modify our behavior so that we can avoid those negative feelings and obey God.
COMFORT THROUGH HOPE
Although circumcision brings us pain, it also brings hope of new beginnings and opportunity. The word continues to remind us that the suffering we endure is only for a moment and that the glory that lies in store for us far outweighs any trials and tribulations we may have. 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18, “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
IN CONCLUSION
So on this Day of Atonement let us always put at the forefront the weightier matters of the law. Let us pray that the Spirit reveal to us what unclean layers need to be removed from our hearts. And let us fully embrace the process of spiritual circumcision that our hearts may be made ready and fully prepped for the glorious salvation that lies ahead.
CLOSING SCRIPTURE
Deuteronomy 30: 6 “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” May God be with you all. Amen.
