2018-11-30
Good Morning Dear Ones,
At the behest of the Holy Spirit, our discussion of support Scriptures for the book of Colossians continues. We can’t help but see we have a “certificate of debt” to the Lord for all the blessings He showers upon us. COL 2: 11, “In union with Christ you were circumcised, not with the circumcision that is made by human beings, but with the circumcision made by Christ, with results of being freed from the marketplace of slavery to sin.” The ancient Jews had their males physically circumcised (removal of the foreskin of the penis) with the focus on the ritual itself. It was a physical sign of official membership in the tribe and was done at the age of 8 days by a human being. Spiritual circumcision not done by human hands but done divinely, signals a complete change of heart and mind is accomplished when a person accepts Christ as his personal Savior. It signifies the death of control by fleshly desire and assumption of leadership over one’s life by Jesus Christ. Human work doesn’t buy our way into heaven; instead it is genuine confession of sin and proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ. These things, coupled with a lifetime of obedience to His teaching, make up the “hard path through the narrow gate” that leads to eternal life [MT 7: 13-14]. It is these things that are possible for us through God’s grace alone. As for the ransom that was paid that gets people out of that marketplace of slavery to sin, it was paid in full by Christ’s Atonement [HE 9: 15; 1 TIM 2: 5-6; MK 10: 45; MT 20: 28].
There is so much more to spiritual circumcision of the heart by divine hands, the hands of our Lord. In GA 2: 20-29, Paul writes, “So far as the Law is concerned, however, I am dead-killed by the Law itself-in order that I might live for God. I have been put to death with Christ on His cross, so that it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ Who lives in me. This is the life I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave His life for me” [RO 6: 11]. In RO 2: 28-29, God’s judgment of hypocrisy among ancient Jews, who have been physically circumcised, but are not living in a way which pleases Him, is seen. “After all, who is a real Jew, truly circumcised? It is not the man who is a Jew on the outside, whose circumcision is a physical thing. Rather, the real Jew is the person who is a Jew on the inside, that is whose heart has been circumcised and this is the work of God’s Spirit, not of the written Law. Such a person receives praise from God, not from human beings.”
COL 2: 12-14 continues to fill out our understanding of our relationship as believers with Christ. “For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ through your faith in the active power of God, Who raised Him from death. You were at one time spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were Gentiles without the Law. But God has now brought you to life with Christ. God forgave us all our sins; He canceled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross.” This, Dear Ones, is huge-meaning having very significant blessings for us! Eternal forgiveness is mentioned in several places in the Scriptures, most notably in RO 6: 5-11; HE 9: 14-15 and 1 JN 1: 9. We are dead to sin and alive in Christ!
COL 2: 15, “And on that cross Christ freed Himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities; He made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in His victory procession.” We must accept the truth of 1 JN 4: 4, which tells us that “the Spirit of God is more powerful than the spirit in the world.” The legalism of Jewish rituals and laws is rejected by Christ, in favor of service done “not by the letter of the written Law, but in the new way of the Spirit” [RO 7: 6]. We must note the prediction of these events in GN 15: 6 (Abraham’s justification-the very first one) and RO 4: 3. GA 3: 6-8, which concludes in verse 8, “The Scripture predicted that God would put the Gentiles right with Himself through faith. And so, the Scripture announced the God new to Abraham: “Through you, God will bless all people. Abraham believed and was blessed, so all who believe are blessed as he was.” RO 10: 4, “For Christ has brought the Law to an end, so that everyone who believes is put right with God.” We must understand that Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven was a complete triumph over hosts of hell and Satan, for the latter was prince of the power of the air, demons, and evil spirits. We, who are alive in Christ, have nothing to fear [1 COR 15: 54-57; IS 25: 8; HO 13: 14]!
PRAYER: O Lord, the difference between physical and spiritual circumcision is great. While the former is a sign of membership in the Jewish community in males, one definitely dominated by them, it is not a sign of the saving faith that our Lord Jesus has given those who believe in Him. While the former is done by human hands, the latter is divinely accomplished. Those divinely circumcised have overcome the wages of sin and have come alive in Christ. We who believe in Him are victors over the certain spiritual death that sinning brings. Gentile believers are assured of eternal forgiveness and partner with believing Jews in their being grafted to the metaphoric olive tree of RO 11: 16-25. Jews and Gentiles who serially reject Christ’s position as their Savior are removed from that olive tree with the patriarchs at its base. RO 11: 25 is a clear message from You that “the stubbornness of the Jews is only temporary and will last only so long as it takes for every Gentile called to accept Christ and come to faith.” You are a just and equitable God, One Who never forgets the covenants to which You invite us. Just as You justified Abraham for believing in You, so You justify every believer in Jesus Christ, Your Son. We acknowledge Your kindness and generosity in bringing about our redemption by Christ’s Atonement on the cross. We thank and praise You for all You do for us. In Christ’s holy/mighty name, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: Our support of Colossians with other Scriptures continues next week, commanded by the Holy Spirit. I’m astonished at how a small book of only four chapters can hold so many blessings revealed. And yet, it is doing just that!
Being Jewish and having 55 years of careful study of the OT and NT, is quite an experience for me. I’m blessed to come from a very spiritually rich culture and set of beliefs. Moreover, the continuity of teaching between these two Testaments is something only our Lord can achieve. I’ve often referred to the supernatural nature of the Bible. I’m stunned to think that God has given me the self-discipline to study it so carefully, that I can plainly see how richly blessed Jews who do this really are. We can’t refute the humanness and the deity of Christ any longer. He was raised in our Jewish culture, and He drew heavily on its teaching to prepare Himself for the task of our redemption to which the Father called Him. The same can be said for the task of creation that He did, in obedience to the Father’s wishes. Let me remind everyone of the 6 C’s, which give us the layout of God’s word-both OT and NT. Creation, Catastrophe, Covenant, Christ, Community, and Consummation are these stories, in that order. See if you can identify which Bible books fit into each category. It’s an exercise well worth doing. In the meanwhile, I pray that each of you readers is blessed by God’s use of me as His instrument through my writing. You are each precious to me and worth the time to read and consider all that He gives me to share. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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