Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.
“Lord Jesus, I ask that you search our hearts and see if there be anything wicked in them. We ask that your Holy Spirit show us what you are saying to us today. I ask that the words on this page would jump out to us as you speak to our hearts and minds truth and life. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Romans 4: 9-17 (NASB).
“Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” 10How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; 11and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised. 13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14For if those who are of the Law are heirs, then faith is made void and the promise is nullified; 15for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation. 16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17( as it is written: “I HAVE MADE YOU A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, that is, God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that do not exist.”
What the Word is Saying
For Paul as a Jewish believer in Jesus. The roots of His Jewish beliefs were not cast away when He came to faith in Jesus Christ. Rather those roots enforced the reality of Jesus as the Messiah. Circumcision then was not the reason that God made Abraham the father of many nations. Rather it was the outward sign of the covenant given to him by God. Abraham's faith was credited as righteousness. That is the reason God made the covenant with Abraham. Circumcision had nothing to do with it. Circumcision was a given as a sign of the commitment to Abraham God gave to him in making him the father of many nations. When Jesus arrived that all changed.
Jesus was the manifestation of that covenant. Now all nations could turn to God and be His people through faith in the work Jesus did on the cross for us. Whether Jew or Gentile all could be God’s people through faith in the Lord who died for us. Therefore, the covenant in circumcision was no longer required. This is because the seal so to speak on the heart was Faith through Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that testified to the promises of God. Circumcision was an outward sign that Jewish people could see to remind them of who they were and what awaited them in eternity. The Holy Spirit is an inward sign written on our hearts and minds assuring us that we are God’s people and what lies for us in eternity.
If you do not yet have that assurance, I implore you to do so now. Pray this prayer with me aloud right now: “Jesus I confess that you are Lord, I believe you came into this world and lived a sinless life, I believe you suffered and died on a cross for my sins, I believe that they placed your lifeless body in a tomb and closed it with a stone, I believe that three days after you rolled the stone away and rose from the dead. I confess to you that I am a sinner and ask you to forgive me. I ask you to send me now your Holy Spirit to fill me with power to live for you and lead me into all truth. In Jesus Name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, I encourage you to contact us so that we can stand beside you and hold you up as you begin your journey with Jesus. I also encourage you to find a church that preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ. I ask the Holy Spirit to quicken your thoughts as to where that might be or to order your steps so that you might find a community of believers to support you. Trust me when I say that we have all been where you are, and the support of fellow believers was crucial to our new find faith. Additionally, it is the pleasure of every believer to support you in the way that someone else did when we found faith in Jesus.
Thank you for joining me today as we searched the scriptures for What the Word is Saying. I pray that God will send His Holy Spirit into our lives anew and fill us again with His love and His purpose for us. So that we can fulfill the mission He left us in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” lockman.org.
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