“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. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:11-13 NLT
The Apostle Paul makes a bold and unpopular statement for some in the first century Church (Judaizers). He writes to the Ephesians about their previous status among the Jewish community – they were outsiders. The Jewish males were the “cut ones” as in “cutting a contract.”
Starting with Abraham, God covenanted with him by having him remove the foreskin on his baby-maker. Each and every Jewish male thereafter would do the same. If a non-Jew were to convert to Judaism, the first thing they would do is be circumcised. It was a physical sign of keeping the contract with God. From very far back in history the Jewish people only saw two kinds of humans, those covenanted with God (circumcised) and those outside of His kingdom and His promises (uncircumcised). The uncircumcised were considered to be heathens or pagans (worshipping other gods).
Contracts back in ancient times were often “cut” with some kind of blood involved. Men would often place their hand on the inside of the other’s thigh and recite the promise, but it was sealed or certified by the blood sacrifice of a living animal. God made this kind of contract/covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. Abraham, at 99 years old was circumcised and also told to make sure that every male from then on would also be circumcised. ”This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased. All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant” Genesis 17:10-14.
We can clearly see how the Jewish people would come to understand only two groups of people – God’s covenanted and those not! What the New Testament Jewish people could not understand, because of their lack of belief in Jesus as the Messiah, is that Jesus’ death was the final and forever blood covering of sin and fulfillment of the contractual obligations for anyone who believes in Him, turning from sin and having faith in God.
Paul is simply reminding the Jews and Gentiles that Jesus has performed a completely different kind of circumcision – one of the heart! Now, as a non-Jewish person I am all in! A heathen, a sinner, saved by grace through faith alone, adopted into the family of God and grafted into the “root of Jesse.”
Prayer
Dad,
Feeling like an outsider for the early part of my life, I am thrilled to be an insider as a part of Your family. Plus, I get to be TWICE adopted! Once at four years old and then at fifteen years old when was born again 🙌🏼. I love to see your covenant promises made and even more so to see you being faithful to keeping them from then and still today. Your love and faithfulness endure forever!