And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. (Romans 4:12, NIV)
If golf’s most uncomfortable word is shank, the Bible’s most uncomfortable word might be circumcision. Just when people think they know what the Bible is all about, they come across a passage like Genesis 34. You can read it all for yourself, but here are the highlights: The rape of Dinah is avenged by her brothers, who convince the men of the offending family to be circumcised, under the pretense that her rapist can then marry her. But while the community of male enemies are nursing their pains, the brothers rush in and kill them all. If thinking about circumcision already makes you squirm, you might want to skim Genesis 34 quickly.
So what is all this about circumcision in Paul’s letter to the Romans, and how does it fit our ongoing consideration of following Jesus? Actually, it has much to do with getting our righteousness in order.
If we are to say we are followers of Jesus, we must do so by way of our faith, not by fulfilling a list of rights and wrongs.Let’s start here: If you’re trying to get to Jesus through good works, you’re doing things backwards. The clear presentation of the apostolic letters is that Jesus comes to us first, and if we follow him in faith, then our righteousness has begun.
Paul made this argument by unpacking the life of Abraham, who was highly esteemed as the first Jewish patriarch. The Jews in Rome, who were Paul’s original audience for this letter, knew all there was to know about him. And while at Abraham’s time, the law was many generations from being given to Moses, God established circumcision as a sign that these people were set apart as his.
What was most important to Paul in his letter, though, was that his readers remember the order of things. Abraham believed before he was circumcised. Faith preceded his act of righteous obedience to God. And in the line we now call chapter 4, verse 12, Paul wrote that it is the footsteps of Abraham’s faith in which we walk.
Call this good news, if you will: It is faith, not circumcision, that truly sets God’s people apart. But the better news yet is that God keeps his promise of making us joint-heirs with Christ because of faith. “The promise comes by faith” (v. 16). So if we are to say we are followers of Jesus, we must do so by way of our faith, not by fulfilling a list of rights and wrongs. Those come only after our faith has taken root.
—
Jeff Hopper
November 20, 2020
Copyright 2020 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
OTHER DEVOTIONS IN THIS SERIES
Followers of Jesus 1: Leaders and Followers
Followers of Jesus 2: The Cost
Followers of Jesus 4: Jesus’ Voice
Followers of Jesus 5: In the Light
Followers of Jesus 6: Away from Temptation
Followers of Jesus 7: Away from False Teaching