Is your heart circumcised today?

“…circumcision is that of the heart…” – Romans 2:29

In Romans 2 Paul is addressing the Jew who believes they are righteous because of the sacred ritual of circumcision. A young Jewish baby would be circumcised on the 8th day following his birth. This sacred act was a sign of the covenant between God and Jewish males. The cutting off of the foreskin of the flesh symbolized God’s intimacy and closeness with His people. It was also a picture of how He would cut off His people if they disobeyed His laws and statutes. The apostle Paul explains to the Jew that just because you have a sacred ritual performed doesn’t mean you belong to God. The symbol is supposed to represent the heart! It is a reminder to the believer of the heart’s relationship to God! The symbol doesn’t prove anything!

It’s no different today for the Christian. Christians talk about baptisms, foot washings and other religious practices that on the outward prove nothing of the heart’s condition to a holy God. We are to be circumcised of the heart. We are to daily consecrate ourselves to God by cutting off the sinful ways in our lives, cutting away our fleshly desires, and cutting out our sinful relationships. This is circumcision of the heart! There is nothing wrong with religious rituals or practices, but they are only the shadow. The real substance is the human heart’s condition toward God. The shadow only points to the substance and is nothing unless the substance is the reality! We need to ask ourselves… Do we take a spiritual inventory of our lives on a daily basis? Do we “mortify the deeds of our flesh?” Do we ask God to renew our hearts when we grow cold towards Him? Do we allow Him to have His way more often than not in our daily practices? Do we seek His face and His heart or just His blessing? This is real relationship. This is real Christianity. God wants our hearts! God wants us! Now answer this question…Is your heart circumcised today?

– Pastor Mat