SHOULD CHRISTIANS BE CIRCUMCISED?

I was asked by a Christian friend, "Should I be circumcised?"

         My answer to him was, "Yes," if you are doing it for some health reasons, BUT "No" if you think this was what God commands you to do in order to be saved or be grafted to vine. Our grafting is not to the Mosaic Law but to Christ who is the vine (John 15:5-6).

         It is clear from my study of the Scripture that it is clear that "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God." (1 Corinthians 7:19)

        Paul, in speaking to the Corinthians, was speaking in the context of marriage. Had they been Jews themselves, they would have understood God's purpose for marriage, but the Corinthians, many of whom were Gentiles who were worshipping pagan gods, were asking whether they were allowed to get married or they should abstain from it.

       Paul gave them a very plain and direct answer:  "Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk." (1 Corinthians 7:17)

       He used a few other examples, and one of it was the from a prevailing theological debate in the early church, where he and Barnabas had debated vehemently against the Judaising influence at the Council of Jerusalem during their times (Acts 15:1-5). 

        Even at one point, Peter was taken aback by these heretics until God had to overturn this Jewish mindset of his which was a major barrier for the Holy Spirit to move into the world of the Gentiles (Acts 10: 9-22). However, after the vision Peter had of the "unclean" animals which God asked him to eat, Peter's Jewish mindset was still a big hindrance to God's entire plan for mankind.

       When these Judaizers opposed Peter, he also withdrew himself from eating with the Gentiles, until Paul stood up to him. From Paul's own account, we read: 

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? (Galatians 2:11-14)

Should We Emulate Jesus' Example?

        The question arises, "Why then was Jesus circumcised? Should we not emulate Jesus?" I look back at the Scriptures.

        Jesus Himself was circumcised because He had to come as One under the Law, so that He could show Himself as One who could perfectly fulfill all the requirements of the Law as the Perfect Man; yet being crucified not for His, but our sins, He could become the Pascal Lamb who paid the price of our sin and conquer death (Luke 2:21; Romans 6:23).

       Peter later explained why Christ had to "die to sin and live to righteousness": 

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. (1 Peter 2:21-25)       

       If we are prepared to live according to the Law and do everything Christ did including being crucified to the Cross, the question about circumcision should not even arise at all. 

For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision (Romans 2:25)

        Jesus lived a Perfect Life under the Law and only He was able to fulfill all the requirements of the Law. None of us can meet all the requirements under the Law. 
     
        For us now, Jew or Gentile, it is no longer to live according to the Law but our salvation is by grace through faith. Abraham's righteousness was on account of his faith, not by following the Laws of Moses (Romans 4:3).

Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. (Romans 3:27-30)

        Paul, in refuting the heretics during his time, said even Titus was never asked to be circumcised (Galatians 2:3). He had very strong words against these Judaizers: "But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage." (Galatians 2:4). 

         The only person who was circumcised was Timothy since his mother was Jewish, and this was done just for the sake of reaching the Jews (Acts 16:1-5). It wasn't even necessary for Timothy to be circumcised, as the Word of God has clearly stated: "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God." (1 Corinthians 7:19). Jew or Gentile, we are now one new man (ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον) in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 2:14-16).

         The two greatest commandments are stated by Jesus Himself:

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:36-40)