“A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit” (Romans 2:28–29).
PROMISED LAND (Pt 1)
The children of Israel were led into the promised land, Moses helped to emancipate them from Pharoah’s iron grip and Joshua took them further on to Canaan. These are important lessons for us who are Christians.
Moses had mentioned that the people were to “circumcise your hearts” (Deut 10:16). The people had been set free from Egyptian slavery as we are set free from slavery to sin. The iron grip of sin had formerly held us fast and we could not, in our own strength, break it.
Satan attempted to cast his net over Jesus, but Christ was too wise, too strong and too wholly devoted to his Father for the devil’s grip to have any hold on him. Jesus eluded Satan at every turn, Jesus was not unaware of the devil’s devices.
And let’s remember that “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
We see the symbolism of the physical circumcision: “For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything. What counts is a new creation” (Gal 6:15). The circumcision of our hearts is what counts. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt 11:29).
Our hearts get calloused, hardened and rough—Christ’s heart is tender and loving, ready to forgive. Those “in Christ” will also have their hearts changed to be like his heart.
The Apostle Paul said, “Let your gentleness be evident to all” (Eph 4:5), and, "I want to know Christ... becoming like him" (Phil 3:10).
Paul was a Jew physically but understood that what counts was not his physical link to Abraham but his spiritual link to Christ. The lessons in the Old Testament help us move into what God has for us in the New Testament, we move into our promised land, which is to be “in Christ”. “in Christ we, though many, form one body” (Rom 12:5).
Paul knew the lessons of being set free in Christ: “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in a Christ” (Phil 3:4–9).