To understand whether Christians require circumcision, we need to check out what exactly the Old Testament says. Moses was the greatest prophet who has been face to face with God, not receiving messages by visions and dreams but directly in front of God. He himself says at the time before his departure to the Israelite in the plain of Moab in the form of directives that how they will live their lives into the promised lands in which they are going to possess. He is explaining here the curses and blessings. And in Deuteronomy 30:6, “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” In Deuteronomy, he informs that after going through all the curses, because of disobedience, when they will come back to the Lord, then the Lord will circumcise their hearts. This indicates a framework of ethics, NOT OF RITUALS. This also indicates how the coming prophets will take the lead to give a clear message as to what is important and what God requires from them.
Moses says in Deuteronomy 10:12, which is the essence of the law, tell us what the God requires: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. “ Likewise Micah 6:8, "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” This is an ethical response. In the same way Jeremiah 4:4 says, "Circumcise yourself to the Lord and takeaway your foreskins of Your Hearts." Now both Moses and other prophets are bringing the message that the ETHICS are more important than RITUAL and this is pleasing to the Lord.
Paul says in Romans, while he was preaching on this subject, “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in Romans 3:24”. It is true that Christ says, “I have not come to destroy the Law but to fulfil it.” Christ has corrected the interpretation of the Law and brought the right spirit for spiritual life. That’s why he gave His message and Agenda of His work in Luke 4:18 giving the right understanding of the Gospel which is related with spiritual life and physical life.
Jesus has nowhere at all directed to have the circumcision of the flesh. He Himself says He is the Lord of Sabbath. So Paul, following Jesus brought the message in Galatians 3:2, where he says " Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?" He further gives the example in Galatians 2:3 where he says, "But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek." If we read Deuteronomy 18:15-18, ““The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”
So from these examples and the preaching of Moses, Jeremiah, Micah, Jesus and Paul, we understand that circumcision of the flesh has no value and is not profitable. The only thing that is profitable is the circumcision of the heart. In alignment with Moses and Jesus, and also that Paul was given an incitement that he was an apostle, not a prophet. The knowledge and revelation he has received was from Jesus Christ.
To conclude, John 5:45-47 says, “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?””
Many people ask about circumcision, specifically with those from Islamic background, that since Circumcision was mentioned in the book of Law, why Christians don’t follow the law which ends up with an argument where majority of them blame Paul for changing the law. Well, looking above, we see that there is no contradiction in the teachings of Jesus, and Paul was a true apostle of God. Also, Christians do not require a circumcision. I hope this article helps you. God Bless!
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