“Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.” Ephesians 2:11 NLT
The outsiders! New Living Translation plays this verse a little too fast and loose, the word “outsiders” is not in the original text. The translators are trying to make the point Paul is suggesting. I found an article that said there were approximately 4 million Jews living in the Roman Empire at that time. They had to have been a force to be reckoned with because a number of Roman emperors tried to eliminate them. But in the religious world, in this “new” messianic Jew era, the Gentiles, or the heathens were outnumbered. Paul takes another dig at a previously honored distinction- pride in circumcision. Saul/Paul had been circumcised. However, it had long been known that it was only a physical indication and no longer a matter of a heart that was separated unto God. God had even declared that the physical trait had lost its effect because of sin, stubbornness and disobedience. When the “insiders” control the rules of the game, then everyone else is seen as outside the “accepted by God”circle. But Paul wrote, you were “formerly” heathens. Did they get circumcised? Well, certainly not physically. Paul was referring to what Christ had done for every human being – his blood had circumcised their heart. The mark, the “physical” proof was cut, contracted in the heart, right where God said he would writes his laws upon human flesh.
Contracts were said to be “cut” in ancient days because each party would physically cut into their own body, producing a little bit of blood. This is also why God choose circumcision as a sign of covenant with His people. That blood covenant or contract was a visible, visceral statement that declared, if I don’t keep my end of the contract, my blood, my life will be given in return. Ancient contracts were blood pacts!
All the way back to the garden and the reality of death for disobedience caused a permanent rift, a tear a chasm between humans and God. God setup a way to repair that breech. The contract with Abraham was a blood pact and the contract with Moses was the temporary method for failing to keep our end of the deal. As humans we kept failing to keep our end of the contract so the blood of animals was the temporary “atonement” or really a promise to pay in full one day with our own blood, our own lives.
We all had this blood/death sentence hanging over us. It didn’t matter if humans believed in God, or even knew about the contract arrangements – it is a reality ever human would have to face. Let’s say you get pulled over for a traffic violation and the office gives you a ticket, a fine that must be paid. You know it does NO GOOD whatsoever to tell the judge, “I didn’t know it was against the law!” The judge will tell you, “ignorance is not a defense.” Ignorance is not a defense with this blood contract either.
God’s plan was to become human and be born in perfection, no sin, completely innocent – Christ was never under the contract because he never violated the agreement. However, being perfect, and human he was able to make THE payment that no innocent temporary animal could ever make with its own blood (Remember animals live in a sinful world, but they do not commit sin – they do not have a human soul thus they were never at fault for disobedience). Because they are NOT human, their innocent blood could only be a temporary peace offering, a promise for its owner to pay in full at some point in the future. Christ was born perfect and lived perfect, so his blood, his death was the only real solution to all of humanity’s big pile of “IOU’s!”
Now, the only way to avoid paying for your sin is to show the judge your “paid in full” receipt, not because a small amount of blood was “cut” in circumcision, but the paid contract has been cut in your heart, where you believe in God’s payment plan through Christ and show it by the way you live now as “circumcised” Gentile.
Prayer
Dad,
All I can say is thank you! Thank you for your plan, your salvation. Thank you for your law being written on my heart. Thank you for grace to look forward, live forward unafraid of death as my own payment for sin.