Circumcision: A token of obedience just for Israel or for Gentile God-fearers as well?

In my early days and years since finding the Almighty and His Messiah, I had thought the issue of male physical circumcision a simple one based on the writings of the Apostle Paul.

In recent years though, as I have come to learn that a significant amount of mis-translation and deliberate distortion exists in Paul’s epistles, I have come to recognize that circumcision is far from a simple issue.

The challenge is partly in dissecting the epistles of Paul to try and identify what is clearly consistent with the Tanakh; removing what is clearly in contradiction to the Tanakh; and then also trying to fully appreciate what is now revealed more fully through the life, death and resurrection of Yeshua.

 

As a result in a recent article I had said:

“Thus, it would seem that physical circumcision is not a barrier to entry into the community of faith; the Commonwealth of Israel, but that, for men, it is

either

a necessary act of obedience at some later stage in their walk,

or

the physical act is replaced by the ‘spiritual’, that is,

that the sign is seen through the reality it points to namely,  

the circumcision of the heart.

It is argued by some that physical circumcision may still be desirable to show a unity of spirit, that is, that those of the ‘graft’ demonstrate their unity and humility in being grafted into the cultivated Olive Tree through this action. Personally, though I see this as unlikely for the practical reason, that few would ever know if a gentile male has been circumcised as an adult to show his loyalty and support to the Commonwealth of Israel.

Thus, at this stage of my study, I believe the evidence points most strongly to the fact that the circumcision of the heart is a valid way in which the covenant can be fulfilled and a means by which Gentiles, both male and female, can in fact enter into the Abrahamic covenant. Therefore, I also  believe that the Apostle Paul has not demonstrated apostasy through his position on this issue, but that his ‘midrashic’ comments have shown the true intention of circumcision as Moses and Jeremiah had before him.” – see http://luke443.blogspot.com/2011/04/apostle-paul-part-2.html

I had written these comments and tried to leave the question open. After being seriously challenged by some excellent arguments from some Facebook friends especially David Thaxton, I have spent some more time on this issue and feel a little more at ease with my understanding now.

So below I have tried to summarise my understanding.

Abraham was righteous before he was circumcised, but HaShem asked that he and his family be circumcised as a mark or token of their new relationship with the Almighty. This token was to remain to mark their descendants. But this token was to be an outward sign of an inner state.

Gen 17:

1 Then Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me, and be blameless.

2 I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

3 Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying,

4 “As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations.

5 Neither will your name any more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you.

7 I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your seed after you.

8 I will give to you, and to your seed after you, the land where you are traveling, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. I will be their God.”

9 God said to Abraham, “As for you, you will keep my covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations.

10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your seed after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised.

11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. It will be a token of the covenant between me and you.

12 He who is eight days old will be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he who is born in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your seed.

13 He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your money, must be circumcised. My covenant will be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

14 The uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”

Note that this token, this sign that is physical circumcision is for the nation of Israel. All males born into the family and all bought into the family are to be circumcised.

Moses was given the 10 Words, and when explaining what he was to do with the second set of tablets, HaShem speaks to all Israel when he says “Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart; and don't be stiff necked any longer!” (Deut 10:16)

What is meant here by a circumcised heart? I like Moshe Avraham Kempinski’s answer:

“Why does G-d use the term a 'circumcised heart'?
 It is because circumcision involves removing a covering. We believe that every human being was born with the heart of G-d. When G-d breathed His breath into Adam, every single human being had the heart of G-d placed within him.

But what have we done? Since our youth we have covered this heart with our own ego, our won needs, and our selfish desires. We have covered or hearts and separated ourselves from true equilibrium. This is why G-d asks us to uncover our heart - to uncover the heart of G-d that is already beating inside. In this way we re-kindle what is most natural to us.

... having a relationship with G-d is essentially returning to what is most natural. The Hebrew word for repentance, 'teshuvah' means 'to return'. This is a return to the original state of affairs, being in harmony with what was always meant to be. It is not something new to be attained, nor is it some higher state of consciousness. It is returning to what is already ingrained within every single soul and in every single heart. It is about re-establishing the divine connection set in place at creation." --- Moshe Avraham Kempinski - from "The Teacher and The Preacher- a dialogue" p37

How does God establish ‘circumcised hearts’, as he states in Deut 30 that “Adonai your God will circumcise your heart, ..”

Read the whole of the famous ‘blessings and curses’ chapter and it should be evident that it is through the Almighty’s loving discipline that His people Israel, are taught the lessons of life needed to develop ‘circumcised hearts’.

Deut 30:

1.It shall happen, when all these things have come on you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind among all the nations, where Yahweh your God has driven you,

2 and shall return to Yahweh your God, and shall obey his voice according to all that I command you this day, you and your children, with all your heart, and with all your soul;

3 that then Yahweh your God will turn your captivity, and have compassion on you, and will return and gather you from all the peoples, where Yahweh your God has scattered you.

4 If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of the heavens, from there will Yahweh your God gather you, and from there he will bring you back:

5 and Yahweh your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and he will do you good, and multiply you above your fathers.

6 Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live.

7 Yahweh your God will put all these curses on your enemies, and on those who hate you, who persecuted you.

8 You shall return and obey the voice of Yahweh, and do all his commandments which I command you this day.

So, at this time, physical circumcision was a marker of Jewishness, it was a requirement for the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, if they wished to inherit and possess the Land that the Almighty was giving them (see Joshua 5 as well).

It was also a requirement of any who wished to find redemption and salvation. Gentiles could become proselytized Jews and for men this would involve getting circumcised and obeying the 613 mitzvot (commandments).

It may appear that Gentiles could be accepted by HaShem without becoming Jews as we read in Isaiah 56:6-7, “Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh, to minister to him, and to love the name of Yahweh, to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it, and holds fast my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

The ‘New International Bible Commentary’ (General Editor F.F Bruce), argues though, that the to  ‘join or bind to God’ in verse 6 implies circumcision. If so, then the foreigners here, these Gentiles have become prosetylized Jews, as they have not just been obedient to the Sabbath and the 10 Words, but to all the 613 commandments of the covenant.

Thus, it appears that physical circumcision is indeed a marker or token of being Jewish and a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We may well ask though that, if Gentiles who become believers, as they are grafted into this family, must they also be circumcised?

The answer before the arrival of Yeshua was surely yes. So another very relevant question is, what has changed with the crucifixion and resurrection of Yeshua?

Before addressing this though, let us consider a little how HaShem expects obedience to his mitzvot, his commandments (and also perhaps by inference to circumcision) to play out in real life.

Consider the case of so called ‘animal sacrifices’ and ‘blood atonement’.

See for example Leviticus 17:

1 ADONAI said to Moshe, 2 "Speak to Aharon and his sons and to all the people of Isra'el. Tell them that this is what ADONAI has ordered: 3 'When someone from the community of Isra'el slaughters an ox, lamb or goat inside or outside the camp 4 without bringing it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to ADONAI before the tabernacle of ADONAI, he is to be charged with blood - he has shed blood, and that person is to be cut off from his people. 5 The reason for this is so that the people of Isra'el will bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice out in the field -so that they will bring them to ADONAI, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, to the cohen, and sacrifice them as peace offerings to ADONAI. 6 The cohen will splash the blood against the altar of ADONAI at the entrance to the tent of meeting and make the fat go up in smoke as a pleasing aroma for ADONAI. 7 No longer will they offer sacrifices to the goat-demons, before whom they prostitute themselves! This is a permanent regulation for them through all their generations.' 8 "Also tell them, 'When someone from the community of Isra'el or one of the foreigners living with you offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9 without bringing it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to sacrifice it to ADONAI, that person is to be cut off from his people. 10 When someone from the community of Isra'el or one of the foreigners living with you eats any kind of blood, I will set myself against that person who eats blood and cut him off from his people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for yourselves; for it is the blood that makes atonement because of the life.'

We see here the very clear and emphatic prohibition against eating the blood of an animal, because the life (the ‘breath’ of God) is in the blood and this ‘life’ must be given back to God.

God informs Israel that when animals are sacrificed, they are to be sacrificed on the altar, not out in the field where they may be sacrificed to idols but before the Almighty, in recognition that their meat is an offering from God, but that the blood of the animal remains His.

Note also that in verse 11, that the sacrifice required both the altar and the shedding of blood. The offering being made here is a ‘sin offering’, that is, an offering for unintentional sin (see Lev 16 preceding).

Most Christians, on reading the Tanakh (OT) and from the preaching they receive in their churches believe that bringing a blood sacrifice to God is crucial and indispensable for the cleansing of sin. This very belief is foundational to the argument that Yeshua’s death could be a full ‘atonement’ for the sins of the world.

However, it appears that at no time was this the commonly accepted belief of the Jewish people! That is, the custodians of the Tanakh have never believed that the shedding of blood is the only and necessary ingredient for repentance and forgiveness of sin!

Rather the Tanakh declares that there are three ways to find atonement with the Almighty.

They are the ‘sin sacrifice’, repentance, and righteousness or charity[1] (from the Hebrew word ‘Tzedakah’ – giving to the poor is seen as an act of righteousness or justice and is seen as a duty).

In fact the sin sacrifice is only for unintentional sin (see Numbers 15:27-31). There are a great many scriptures that demonstrate as well that sin sacrifice is not really the best option at all. At the core of any act of atonement, is the call from HaShem for man to repent and act with a circumcised heart.

For example, King David stated in Ps 40:7 "Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired; but my ears You have opened; burnt offering and sin offering You have not required." Also in Ps 50:16-17 King David states: For you don’t delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it. You have no pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

Also when we look closer at the ‘blood sacrifice’ we see from Lev 5:11 that a poor person could bring grain if they could not afford an animal.

Lev 5:11 ‘But if he can’t afford two doves, or two young pigeons, then he shall bring his offering for that in which he has sinned, the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it, neither shall he put any frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.

Thus, it should be seen here that all these commandments are ultimately acts which are to serve as tokens, and as ‘heart prompts’. That is, though such actions and steps of obedience, man was to come to a position where he would turn his heart over to HaShem.

The principle that I would suggest is evident here is that it is the state of the heart that is vital, not necessarily the outward sign or token or even mitzvot.

Using this principle, as seen through the replacement of animal blood with grain, we may also surmise that, as physical circumcision is also the outward sign, there may be an approach where the physical act of circumcision is not vital, at least in circumstances where a ‘circumcised heart’ is evident.

And so this leads us quite naturally, I think, to the case of Titus.

Titus was a Gentile (Greek) and one of the Apostle Paul’s most trusted assistants. He went with Paul on a number of his journeys and was also went with him when Paul went to Jerusalem for the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15.

While the Apostle Paul saw that it was important to circumcise Timothy (I have discussed this in a number of my articles incluing ‘Living The Way’ and ‘Siblings of the King’[2]), he very emphatically resisted any calls to circumcise Titus.

Gal 2:3: “But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.”

Or as David Stern translates it:

Gal 2:3-5 “But they didn't force my Gentile companion Titus to undergo b'rit-milah. 4 Indeed, the question came up only because some men who pretended to be brothers had been sneaked in - they came in surreptitiously to spy out the freedom we have in the Messiah Yeshua, so that they might enslave us. 5 Not even for a minute did we give in to them, so that the truth of the Good News might be preserved for you.” – Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

What is especially significant here is that, as far as we can ascertain from the limited accounts we have in the New Testament, Titus was never asked to be circumcised even though he was considered, not only a follower of Yeshua, but also a very influential elder and church leader in the first century.

Also, Titus was present at the Jerusalem Council when the very significant issue of just what ‘Jewish markers’ and what portion of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) should be expected to be complied with by Gentile followers of The Way.

In fact, the Jerusalem Council began with the very question of circumcision:

Acts 15:1-5

1 Some men came down from Judea and taught the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can’t be saved.”

2 Therefore when Paul and Barnabas had no small discord and discussion with them, they appointed Paul and Barnabas, and some others of them, to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question.

3 They, being sent on their way by the assembly, passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles. They caused great joy to all the brothers.

4 When they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all things that God had done with them.

5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

Note that the issue of circumcision is mentioned both in verses 1 and 5, and yet, after the discussion, and with the very presence of the uncircumcised Titus, circumcision is not included in the edict of the Council of Elders.

While I have presented elsewhere that the Noahide Laws presented by the Jerusalem Council were clearly to be in addition to adherence to the 10 Words (which clearly includes the Sabbath), physical circumcision was not part of this core upon which the prohibitions against the worship of idols, against sexual immorality, against eating blood and strangled animals, were added.

Thus, in circumcising Timothy (also discussed in earlier articles) and in not circumcising Titus, the Apostle Paul, along with the Jerusalem Council[3], determined that Gentiles did not need to become Jews to be grafted into the cultivated Olive Tree of Israel[4].

While through the Messiah, Jew and Gentile had become one spiritually, just as male and female had become one, they were still distinctly different. For a great many good and practical reasons, Jewish believers were not to abandon their heritage and their obligations under Torah to, as much as possible, observe all 613 mitzvot[5]; Gentile believers, on the other hand were not called to become prosetylized Jews; that is, they do not need to take on the whole yoke of the 613 plus the Oral Law.

I see 1 Corinthians 7:18-19 as very indicative of this understanding:

“Was someone already circumcised when he was called? Then he should not try to remove the marks of his circumcision. Was someone uncircumcised when he was called? He shouldn't undergo b'rit-milah (circumcision). 19 Being circumcised means nothing, and being uncircumcised means nothing; what does mean something is keeping God's commandments” – CJB

I believe that the Apostle Paul is here stating first that Jews remains Jewish and Gentiles remain Gentiles, but that what is more important than the token of circumcision[6] and the identity that it implies, is that all are to be obedient to Torah, to the commandments of God. Note also, that, if these verses are a reliable translation of the Apostles words and understanding, then if we accept his legitimacy, Paul is clearly stating the circumcision in NOT a commandment of God (at least, not for Gentiles).

Gentiles were still called to be obedient to Torah but to appreciate that just as man and women have different obligations and roles before the Almighty, Gentiles also have different obligations and roles. One of their roles being to make Jewish people jealous of their devotion to HaShem, and in doing so, to help some of the natural seed of Abraham repent and return to HaShem.

While the non-circumcision of Titus is perhaps the most telling testimony in this very challenging case, the Apostle Paul also offers an insight into this new understanding that had been brought about by the life, death and resurrection of Yeshua.

When HaShem poured out the blood of His Son on His Holy Hill[7], the Almighty effectively opened the door to the Kingdom to Gentiles. This was evidenced by the pouring out of the Spirit on the household of Cornelius, and spoken of by the Apostle Paul in a number of places, but significantly in Ephesians 2 and Colossians 2.

In Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul announces that the ‘middle wall of partition’ had been removed. He also speaks of this in Colossians 2:11-15 where he describes how Gentiles are able to move from a place of no hope and without God, to a place in the Kingdom through being ‘circumcised’ in the circumcision of Messiah.

Col 2:11 -12

“Also it was in union with him that you were circumcised with a circumcision not done by human hands, but accomplished by stripping away the old nature's control over the body. In this circumcision done by the Messiah, you were buried along with him by being immersed; and in union with him, you were also raised up along with him by God's faithfulness that worked when he raised Yeshua from the dead.” - CJB

In summary then, I believe that physical circumcision of males is not a necessary act of obedience for Gentile believers. Ultimately, the Almighty and His Son, the High Priest and soon coming judge, will look at the heart to see if it is circumcised.

Is your heart uncovered before HaShem? Have you returned to Him? Have you trusted in Messiah Yeshua and begun to walk with faith in the Almighty, that is with the ‘faith of Yeshua’[8]? If you have been immersed in his death, then you to are raised in his life and your future, your true home is the coming Kingdom of God!

Paul Herring

June 2011

www.circumcisedheart.info

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[1] See for example Leviticus 4:1-35, Deuteronomy 4:26-31; I Kings 8:46-50; Isaiah 55:6-9; Jeremiah 7:3-23; Ezekiel 18:1-23; Hosea 6:6; 14:2-3; Micah 6:6; Psalm 40:7-9; 51:16-19; Proverbs 10:2; 11:4; 16:6; II Chronicles 6:36-39

[2] Timothy’s mother was Jewish and so Timothy was considered Jewish by the Jewish religious authorities of his day. He father though was Greek and he had not been circumcised 8 days after birth. To be an effective witness to his Jewish brethren, the Apostle Paul saw the need for Timothy’s Jewishness to be unequivocal.

[3] The Apostles Peter, James and John, etc., clearly agreed with Paul and Barnabas regarding Titus, as Titus was in their midst when they met and discussed these issues, which included circumcision. – see Acts 15:5 & Gal 2:1

[4] Some have argued that the 3-4 Noahide Laws given here were only a starting point for acceptance of Gentiles into the Commonwealth of Israel, and that therefore at some time later in their journey, Gentiles would be expected to be circumcised and adopt all 613 mitzvot. While this is possible, it seems highly unlikely for a number of reasons. Firstly, if circumcision were to be required at some later date or stage in the spiritual journey of Gentiles, given its primacy in this discussion, we could expect this delay to be explicitly stated. In fact, this is true for all the other Jewish commandments. There is plenty of evidence in the words of both Yeshua and the Apostle Paul that obedience to the 10 Words is a requirement for entry in the Kingdom of God. There is not the same weight of evidence for circumcision or the complete 613 mitzvot. In fact, the evidence for participation in the Feasts for example, is that it is recommended but not obligatory (eg. Col 2:16).

[5] Since the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE and, if living outside of Israel, all 613 mitzvot can not be observed. “The 19th/20th century scholar Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan, identified 77 positive mitzvot and 194 negative mitzvot which can be observed outside of Israel today.” - http://www.jewfaq.org/halakhah.htm

[6] When the Apostle Paul states that ‘circumcision means nothing …’ he should not be taken literally here. He is using a Hebraism (a form of hyperbole), in that he accentuates the differences to make his point. As an observant Jew, his circumcision was still an important part of his identity.

[7] See my article on Psalm 2:6 as well as Frank Selch’s more exhaustive commentary at www.theolivetreeconnection.com  

[8] http://www.charismacomputers.com.au/Christian%20site/The%20Faith%20of%20Jesus.pdf