Becoming Circumcised as a Christian

Thus far, I have examined the relationship of circumcision to the New Covenant in two parts: that it is the sign of the Abrahamic covenant, which is the foundation of the New Covenant, and that it was an outward sign intended to mirror an internal spiritual process. In this article, I would like elaborate on how Christian circumcision, which is spiritual, differs from the physical circumcision undergone by Israel under the Old Covenant.

The Nature of Circumcision

In a previous article, I explained that both the Old and New Covenants have the covenant with Abraham as their foundation and that the practice of circumcision originally began as the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. It was decided in Acts 15 that the physical act of circumcision is not required for an uncircumcised man who becomes part of the New Covenant; however, there are other NT scriptures which simultaneously assert that every person of God is required to be circumcised, and these concepts need to somehow be reconciled.

The purpose of the present article is to examine the nature of circumcision. As I will show, God viewed circumcision as a spiritual matter from the beginning, and this is precisely the point that the NT writers were striving to convince the Jewish converts of.

Is Circumcision Merely Part of the Old Covenant?

In the early history of the New Testament Church, a controversy arose over whether Gentiles in the Church needed to be circumcised. The controversy is formally settled in Acts 15, although there are indications that certain Jews continued teaching this heresy. Most people wrongly conclude that the entire system of Old Covenant law was abolished as a result of the decision of the Acts 15 conference regarding circumcision. As an introduction to the topic of circumcision in the New Covenant, I'd like to examine the origin of circumcision and establish its significance as more than just a part of the Old Covenant law.

Acts 15: Did They Abolish the Law?

Acts 15 tells the story of how the early church resolved a doctrinal dispute concerning whether or not the Gentiles needed to be circumcised in order to be saved. The misunderstanding of this account has contributed to the modern day confusion about the question of whether Christians should observe the law or not. I'd like to examine the account and give a clear answer for why this chapter does not free Christians from keeping God's law.

Let's begin by looking at the statements made by the Pharisees that caused the dispute to begin with:

Acts 15:1
And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."