Joshua 5:1-12
Circumcise the sons of Israel again.
- Joshua 5:2-12 – Renewing the covenant of circumcision
- God’s Covenant with Abraham – Genesis 17:1-14
- Physical circumcision not required of Christians – Acts 15
- Spiritual circumcision in the New Testament:
- Romans 2:28-29 – takes place in the heart
- Colossians 2:9-15 – death or cutting off of our old self that obeys the sinful nature
- Galatians 2:19-20 – receiving a new life from God that is indwelt by the Holy Spirit
- Galatians 6:14-15 – separation from worldliness
- Concept of spiritual circumcision actually comes from the Old Testament, for example,
- Deuteronomy 10:12-21 – “Circumcise your hearts…”
- Jeremiah 9:23-26 – “circumcised only in the flesh,”… “uncircumcised in heart.”
- Spiritual circumcision involves an obligation to keep God’s commands –
- 1 Corinthians 7:19 – “Keeping God’s commands is what counts”
- Galatians 5:6,13-14 – “faith expressing itself through love”
- Colossians 3:1-17 – four areas of life:
- What our hearts and minds are set on
- Personal purity
- Relating to others
- Fellowship with one another
- Renewal of circumcision on entering the Promised Land – reminds us that the success of our journey in our Christian life is dependent on our personal and communal faithfulness and obedience.
- When we come to remember the Lord on Sunday, we need to come with circumcised hearts.
