In this episode we look at how the physical covenant of circumcision with Abraham pointed to a deeper, internal circumcision of the heart that was required of Israel as they sought to be faithful to the Mosaic Covenant. Circumcision is a cutting away - a separating - of something from our human nature that somehow limits our ability to partner with God in our own transformation. That part of our heart that limits us from partnering with God is the part of our heart that seeks its own will over the will of the Father. We all have a tendency to be self-centered, and devote a part of our heart towards loving and serving ourselves instead of God.
And this may sound scandalous, but Jesus had to struggle with this same thing. His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane is a window into Jesus' struggle to align his will with the the will of the Father. In that moment Jesus literally partnered with God in circumcising his heart so that he could love and serve God with all his heart and life. Jesus is the only human being who has ever fully partnered with God in the circumcision of their own heart, which in turn made it possible for him to love and serve God with all his heart and life.
The good news is that we get to participate in the circumcision that Christ has already completed in himself. By joining Christ in his death, the sins that have hindered our participation in the life of God are cut away, leading us to participate in his resurrection life.
Key Passages
Deuteronomy 10:12-16 - Israel is told to circumcise their own hearts so they can love and serve God with all their heart and life.
Deuteronomy 30:1-6 - Moses forecasts that Israel will not circumcise their own heart, leading them to frustrate the covenant, and bring the curses of the covenant into their lives, scattering the among the nations. But God promises to bring them back out of those nations and into the land he promised them. Once they are in the land, it says God will circumcise their hearts. This happened first in Jesus when God the Son became a human, was born under the law as an Israelite, and partnered with the Father, and the Spirit to circumcise his own heart, making it possible for Jesus to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law within himself.
Exodus 6:12,30 - Moses talks about his lips being "uncircumcised" implying that there is something hindering his speech from persuading others to follow him
Jeremiah 4:4 - the problem with Israel is their heart is uncircumcised - resulting in their unfaithfulness
Jeremiah 6:10 - the problem with Israel is their ear is uncircumcised - resulting in their unresponsiveness to God's word
Jeremiah 9:25-26 - God says he will judge both circumcised and uncircumcised people together - implying that the real problem is a problem of the heart.
Colossians 2:11-13 - we receive the circumcision of Christ, implying that Christ himself completed the circumcision in himself first, making it possible for it to be completed in us, too.
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* Intro Music: "Admirable" Carlos Herrera Music
