To me, the circumcision of Abraham was an outward sign of his faith.
If anyone wants to UNDERSTAND the Gospel . . . read the below Scriptures. I seem to be the only one presenting the Gospel in the below manner.
Yes, all that you wrote are the standard replies that a person would hear from most people in most "churches." However, we need to be thinking of MORE than just, "circumcision is an outward sign of faith." There's more to in than that. We need to be thinking of Who performs "it."
Deuteronomy 30:6 KJV - "And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live."
1) "To Love thy Lord"
2) "That thou may life"
These are two elements of the Effect of Spiritual Circumcision. Who Circumcises our heart? God. Why?
1) So that we are Enabled to Love Him with all our heart and soul
2) So that we will possess Eternal Life
Therefore, when the Holy Spirit Circumcises our hearts, we think in an entirely new way. We are able to Love wholeheartedly. And who was Wholehearted?
Numbers 32:11-12 NLT - "Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly. The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the LORD."
Why are they Wholehearted?
Numbers 14:24 NIV - "But because my servant Caleb has a
different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it."
We need to be thinking of MORE than circumcision being reflecting of Faith. We need to understand "how" it is done, and by whome.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 KJV - "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
A new heart also will I give you, and
a new spirit will I put within you: and
I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And
I will put my spirit within you, and
cause you to walk in my statutes, and
ye shall keep my judgments, and
do them."
Do you think that maybe physical circumcision represents what we read above in Ezekiel? In fact, God had Ezekiel record this near exact same set of words in chapter 11. We need to memorize them. Is it possible that this is what happened to Caleb, Joshua, and Abraham?
So what will God do?
1) Cleanse us
How?
1) He will put a new Spirit within us
2) He will take away, or cut away (which is what happens in physical circumcision) the heart made of stone (think stone tablets) and will replace it with a soft, tender, and responsive heart of flesh)
Why?
1) To CAUSE us to obey, to walk in His statues
2) KEEP His judgments
3) And DO them
Is it possible that when the Lord said the below words to Abraham that they were NOT a request, but Holy Edicts?
Genesis 17:1-2 NKJV - "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I [am] Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. "And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."
When God told Abraham to Walk and be Blameless, these were not suggestions. These reflect a change of heart. These Holy and Powerful Words very much like,
Genesis 1:3 NKJV - "Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light."
Is it possible that this is what happened? That God changed the heart of Abraham? Is this why Abraham is our Father of Faith?
Again, who changes our hearts?
Romans 2:27-29 NLT - "In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God's law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God's law but don't obey it. For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No,
a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And
true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it
is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people."
So earlier, God Spiritually Circumcises, and now the Spirit takes responsibility for Spiritual Circumcision. This is what "True Circumcision" is, a change of heart represented in the physical circumcision instituted in the life of Abraham.
But wait. Who Circumcises hearts?
Colossians 2:11 NLT - "When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure.
Christ performed a spiritual circumcision--the cutting away of your sinful nature."
So wait a second. Who performs Spiritual Circumcision? Is it God, the Holy Spirit, or Christ? Yes. This is vitally important because all three members of the Eternal Godhead take responsibility for Circumcising the hearts of the Elect.
You might print out these explanations of the Gospel that I have offered to you and present them to your pastor and DEMAND that he explain why he, or she, has kept these passages hidden from you.
It is time that we start teaching, preaching, and understanding the True Gospel of Jesus Christ.