Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Divine plan behind the ritual of circumcision and its spiritual significance, Part 2.
Thursday, May 9, 2002
GEN 17:10 “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.”
The true meaning of circumcision is maximum Bible doctrine in the soul as illustrated by Abraham reaching a maximum stage of spiritual growth.
When God destroyed the nation of Israel under the fifth cycle of discipline, it was because of no Bible doctrine in the soul - lack of circumcision of the soul.
ROM 9:6b For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;
Circumcision = emotional revolt of the soul, scar tissue of the soul, hardness of the heart, JER 6:10; JER 9:25-26, EZE 44:7, Acts 7:51.
closed - `arel = uncircumcised, to have foreskin; foreskin on their ears refers to hardness of the heart and scar tissue of the soul.
JER 6:10 To whom shall I speak and testify, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, (ASV)
JER 6:10 To whom shall I speak and give warning, That they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, (NKJV)
JER 6:10 To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, (KJV)
EPH 2:3 - indulging the desires of the fleshly mind
COL 2:18 - being arrogant and inflated by a mind filled with flesh.
With his physical seed and the new racial species came the fantastic opportunity of client nation Israel under four Jewish nations.
They were not following the pattern of the spiritual seed of Abraham in the O.T. - “Abraham believed in the Lord, and it was credited to his account for righteousness”- the pattern for O.T. salvation, GEN 15:6; ROM 4:3;GAL 3:6.
Throughout their history, the Jews failed, because they were given physical superiority in the O.T. through the new racial species, but had no advantages from it because they rejected TLJC as their God: Adonai Elohenu, Adonai Echad.
Circumcision was used to portray P.M.A. of Bible doctrine, DEU 10:14-16.
You circumcise your right lobe by the daily perception and metabolization of Bible doctrine.
Negative volition toward doctrine is having the ritual of circumcision without the reality of spiritual growth.
Acts 7:51 “You men! You are stiff-necked and uncircumcised of heart and ears! And you are always resisting the Holy Spirit. You are doing just as your fathers did.”
1. At the point of common and efficacious grace. 2. At the point of the communication of doctrine, both the demonstration of Gods fantastic grace.
Stephen looked back on the entire history of Israels failure when he said, “just as your fathers did.”
To avoid racial prejudice and the arrogance it feeds, the Jew of the O.T. had to be circumcised in his heart,.
ROM 9:6 “All Israel is not Israel.”
Under the divine plan behind the ritual of circumcision and its spiritual significance, we also need to note the false circumcision during the Church-age.
Because the PPOG has replaced the ritual plan of God, to which circumcision belongs, circumcision is not even a spiritual issue of any kind.
The only issue today in this dispensation: Will the believer fulfill the PPOG?
Circumcision is not only non-beneficial spiritually, but is a source of legalism and a means of distracting the believer from the execution of the PPOG.
“You have been severed from Christ” - katargeo = to cut off, to be inactive, impotent, or inoperative.
Joseph Thayer - it means to terminate all intercourse with one.
“Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh were exhibitionists with circumcised phalluses.”
NEB - As for those agitators, they had better go the whole way and make eunuchs of themselves.
Robert R. McLaughlin All Rights Reserved 2002