GOD’S WORD FOR FEBRUARY 24 ~ ~ Galatians 5:11 ~ ~ “But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision …the offense of the cross has been removed.”
Galatians 6:12
“It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.”
Day 13 in John Piper’s, “The Passion of Jesus Christ”…… Christ suffered and died…..TO ABOLISH ALL RITUALS AS THE BASIS OF SALVATION
(This is speaking of rituals, and legalism in some church denominations. This is satan’s deception of making people think that salvation consists of something we ourselves do, so he takes the works of Christ, and makes them into sacraments and rituals to feed our pride and think WE are bringing about our own salvation,—or “helping with it”– when the Word says clearly that it is ALL of Christ, and not of ourselves. This happened in the newly organized Church, with the Jewish ritual of circumcision. Now it is the sacraments that mimic salvation through Christ. Man-made pictures of what Jesus Christ actually did in reality. Those useless rituals are worthless in the Father’s eyes, and a great insult to the salvation that was accomplished through the Trinity for our justification and for the Glory of the Trinity. This is the same deception from the same devil, who always wants to drag down those who Love the Lord, and if possible, keep many from truly acknowledging the finished and singular work of Christ on the cross.)
The place of circumcision was a huge controversy in the early church. It had a long, respected, Biblical place ever since God commanded it in Genesis 17:10. Christ was a Jew. All His twelve apostles were Jews. Almost all the first converts to Christianity were Jews. The Jewish Scriptures were (and are) part of the Bible of the Christian church. It is not surprising that Jewish rituals would come over into the Christian church.
They came. And with them came controversy. The message of Christ was spreading to non-Jewish cities like Antioch of Syria. Gentiles were believing on Christ. The question became urgent. How did the central truth of the gospel relate to rituals like circumcision? How did rituals relate to the gospel of Christ – the news that, if you believe on Him your sins are forgiven, and you are justified before God? God is for you. You have eternal life.
Throughout the Gentile world the apostles were preaching forgiveness and justification by faith alone. Peter preached: “To (Christ) all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in Him receives FORGIVENESS OF SINS THROUGH HIS NAME.” (Acts 10:43)
……by Him everyone who believes is JUSTIFIED from everything from which you could not be JUSTIFIED by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39 – author’s translation).
But what about circumcision? Some in Jerusalem thought it was essential. Antioch became the flash point for the controversy. “Men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers. ‘Unless you are circumcised …you cannot be saved’” (acts 15:1). A council was called, and the matter debated.
This is described in ACTS 15:5-12:
“But some … rose up, saying, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.’……Peter rose up and said to them: ‘Men and brethren, you know that… God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe… why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.’ Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.”
Nobody saw to the bottom of the issue more clearly than the apostle Paul. The very meaning of the suffering and death of Christ was at stake. Was faith in Christ enough to put us right with God? Or was circumcision necessary too?
The answer was clear. If Paul preached circumcision, “the offense of the cross has been removed” (Galatians 5:11). The cross means freedom from the enslavement of ritual. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1).