Paul
the apostle questioned as to whether “any
man called”
was “circumcised”,
and if so, he told “him not”
to become “uncircumcised”.
He also asked, “is any called in
uncircumcision?”
And if so, that person should “not be
circumcised”.
In chapter seven and verse nineteen of
First Corinthians, Paul declared to the
the church members “circumcision and
uncircumcision is nothing”
where we read:
Circumcision
is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the
commandments of God.
The
verse begins, “Circumcision
is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing,...”
Paul began
with the word, “Circumcision” which
means “they of the circumcision which refers to the Jewish people”
“is nothing”
or “is not anything”, “and
uncircumcision”
which means “those who have not been circumcised which refers to
the Gentiles” “is nothing” or
“not anything”. Whether a person has been physically
“circumcised” or not had no worth to Paul the apostle.
The
verse goes on to say, “...but
the keeping of the commandments of God.”
Paul added
the word, “But” which
is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated “the
keeping” or
“the watching, complying with and obeying” “of
the commandments”
which means “the commands, charges, precepts and injunctions”
“of God”
which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised
of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. “Keeping”
the “commandments of God”
is superior to whether a person was a Jew (circumcised) or a Gentile
(uncircumcised).
When
we think through these words from Paul, we see how he put no
difference between the Jew and the Gentile. Whether a person was
“circumcised” or “uncircumcised” outwardly was
not the most important aspect to a relationship with God and His Son
Jesus Christ. “Keeping” God's law sets a person in the
best path of relating to Him, and those who are wise shall understand
and follow Paul's directive.
Next
time Paul tells the church members to, “let
every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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