March 12th Daily Discussion

Tami, Good morning. Circumcision of the heart means to me a cutting away of dead useless things from our heart or life. If it does not glorify God then it needs to be circumcised. Everything we do, say and think comes from the heart.

Sean

This passage is one I struggle with every day. I agree that this is a change that needs to be a staple of my daily life and to keep His laws in my heart and mind every moment.

This one scripture says it clearly to me. Rom 2:24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” It is the uncircumcised heart that blackens the name of God. When I profess Christianity but do not walk in the love of God and surrender my will to the will of God by obeying his precepts and statutes, I become worse than an unbeliever. If I professing to know the Truth, walk in darkness, I then rob the Truth of its light in me. I lead others astray causing them to stumble in the wake of my own sin.

A circumscised heart to me, means a surrendered heart to the Lordship of Christ. If that heart is truly surrendured it will not demand its own way, but will humble itself and seek the will of God. I do not have the power to do that outside of Christ. In Christ I can moment by moment choose to relinquish my will through the power of His Holy Spirit and die to self that Christ might be magnified in my life. Unfortunately I fail miserably on a daily basis. Romans 7:18-25 gives me hope. Even Paul suffered such things and I consider him to be a pillar among apostles.

Thank God that He is not finished with me yet. He will finish the good work He began in me.

To me, "circumcision of the heart" is the accepting of Jesus Christ into our hearts as our Saviour and Lord. It is the relationship status of Jesus with us and us with Jesus. To have our hearts "circumcised" is the physical bonding with our Lord and our "sign" of being in God's family.

I'm new at this, in fact my first day ever with Back to the Bible, so I hope I'm doing this right. By the way, I've read the devotionals and I've looked at part of the daily scripture teaching, in Romans, and I've enjoyed it very much thus far. Thank you and thank you for the opportunity for the interaction.

I am also really enjoying this. Maybe we go through 'seasons' in our reading & study modes. This may be a new one starting for me. In this time of 'Facebook' & blogging, it is good to have a place to go with 'substance.' Thank you BTTB!

I agree with the previous comments. The 'cutting away' of the yucky stuff in us... Yes! I think the more I am not afraid to share Christ, the more that stuff convicts me and gets pushed away. Our human-ness.... But, isn't it good to have this part of us so that we can relate to others better & love them better?!

Rusty and Janet,

First off, welcome to Powered by 4 Rusty! We're glad you signed up and, yes, you are doing this right. :-) I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Now on to Janet. Janet, just wanted to say thanks for your comment on having a substantive blog. Since we are taking a different approach, I always wonder if people will want to engage and respond. So your words were like music to my ears. Thanks for joining in the discussion!
Tami W.

This is really great,I enjoyed the reading and I agree with the previous comments.This is my first time so I hope I am getting it right.

Gloria -

You articulated my heart perfectly concerning this passage. And honestly, it was a hard passage to read, because when I consider the standards of Christ, let's say regarding adultery, then it's pretty easy to say that I've blown in because I have done that in my heart.

But since this passage was directed at the Jews of the day, I can also see why they were not all that crazy about Jesus stepping on their tradition....He has a way with that! :)

Plus, an added thing for me to think about, and I'm sure Dr. Kroll does too, is that when you are a teacher of the Scripture, what you say and how you live are being watched by everyone, and when we mess up, we often dishonor God. That doesn't fall well on today's self absorbed Christianity.

It's beside the point what it means to me. What matters is what was Paul trying to communicate, that's what it meant then and that's what it means now. Be careful how you read your bible, it's not open for your own interpretation.

But anyway, often times when the bible speaks of the heart it means the whole core being of a person, so it's not just a change in some parts of our life but our entire being, our mindset, attitudes towards God and each otehr, our behavior and manners, our words, our out look and morals that needs to show the effect of this circumcision. And if we were there when Paul taught this, we would have been asking questions like how and who can circumcise my heart or my inner being? Is it even possible?

Paul was building his teaching towards the gospel, the sufficiency of Jesus Christ who is God himself made this circumcision of a man's heart possible.

Our reaction should not be the urge or need to display this outward behaviors and changes, but instead to examine myself whether I have really given and surrendered my whole being to Jesus Christ and allowed Him to circumcise my heart and thus enables me to think,talk and act like a man who belongs to God and who will praise Him for all eternity....

This passage speaks to me of the symbolic significance of circumcision. Circumcision was a Jewish man's declaration of the Law...it had no merit in itself...Just as baptism has no merit in itself. It is a declaration of our hearts. What Paul is saying is that: it doesn't matter if you have the physical circumcision if you hold in your heart what it represents. If there is no outward evidence of salvation, then likewise, that baptism is a profaning of all that baptism represents.
On a personal note: I really like this format but it seems to go so fast...I'm still digesting Monday's comments and we're moving on to Friday! :-) I'm also hoping that if we get really off-track in what we believe or comment on what the Scripture is saying, that someone from BTTB will step in and correct. I love it that we are monitored and this is a pleasant place to come...and there is no garbage to wade through. Thanks everyone!

Good morning,
The comments by alexb has really got me thinking this morning.
I lived for 40 years before knowing Jesus, not going to church as a child at all. Then a major thing happened and for the last 16 years I have attempted (which I though was good enough in my own thinking ) to live for Christ. I believe truly that he is my Lord and that the Bible is totally true. I have tithed, taken classes, Gone to church religiously. But I am still having more challenges than I would prefer to have. Balancing my life with my wife of 33 years, 5 children and 8 Grandchildren, Providing income, ETC, ETC. I know that my old nature was filled with the sin nature, and renewing my mind is truly doing a wonderful job. Like Pouring water into a bottle of cola. But it seems like when I least expect it some of the color of the cola (my old nature) wants to show itself. --- Alexb said: but instead to examine myself whether I have really given and surrendered my whole being to Jesus Christ and allowed Him to circumcise my heart.--- I want Jesus to cleans me of all unrighteousness. I don’t like seeing any of the old sin nature. When a person drives a 52 model Car for 40 years, and then Jesus gives him a new Model everyday to drive which has every option available. My question is why do I sometimes open my garage door totally not seeing my new car and get in and start driving the old one, and only notice after I’m going down the road feeling the uncomfortable ride? I truly am enjoying this Study of Romans. I thank you very much.

Stacy H.-

Thank you for your comment Stacy. I appreciate your words of wisdom.

I too have committed adultery of the heart. I wonder if there is a child of God who hasn't. It grieves me deeply when I come to the realization of my sin against such a holy and loving God.

You are absolutely correct about the passage being directed at the Jews of that day. It must have stepped on their toes miserably.

When I read the passage as it may pertain to myself and all of Christidom, I too have to look at it from the vantage point that you pose; that being self-absorbed Christians. I can't speak for anyone but myself, I still have a lot of circumcising to do on my heart. As one blogger stated, cutting away the dead useless things from our heart or life. Speaking as a woman, it is the nasty job of cleaning out the closet. It seems to be a never ending job; just the time I think I've cleaned it out, I fill it up with unnecessary things again.

One thing remains important, "What can I do for Christ today, how can I truly seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and will I be faithful in proclaiming the Gospel of peace." If I focus on that I believe I can keep that closet clean and my heart will be circumcised, as it were, before God.

I agree with you that as we teach or preach the word of God people scrutinize us, watching our every step. I've witnessed people lay traps to see if the "Christian" will fall. Teachers and Preachers are held to a higher accountability, as is proper. I do believe that anyone who wears the name "Christian" should strive to live their life above reproach. Paul likened it to running a race. 1Co 9:24

I have not always done well running the race. There have been times I have been lazy, stepped off on the sidelines to lick my wounds, and got caught up in the scenery rather than the goal. Even though Paul admonishes us to strive on, he reminds us we do not accomplish this in our power or will, but only by God's mercy. Rom 9:16 I always have to remind myself, if it were not for the grace of God, I would not be in this race at all. Yet, though it is by His grace, it does not excuse me from doing my very best for Him. So, I continue to strive to reach the goal and win the prize.

I really enjoyed your comments, Stacy. Thank you

Wow...what awesome insights. Thank you so much for sharing.

Circumcision of the heart is a spiritual act which only the Lord can do. Though is spiritual it is reflected mentally, emotionally and physically. We may try on our own to "act" like a Christian; however, it is just that an act. Being a Christian with a circumcised (SP) heart can only be done, as I said, by our Lord, if it is real the fruit will follow.

This does not mean we are perfect, it means when we stumble (sin) we show others our sorrow and how we are truly forgiven through the grace and mercy of our Lord. The Lord is not finished with us yet, He will continue to cleanse our hearts. We in turn must be willing to allow Him to do so.

Jerry, I like your analogy of the cars in the garage! I assume the question you pose at the end is rhetorical in nature. If not, I believe that it reflects the inherent sin nature we have, even after we are saved and forgiven. The fact that we are convicted when we sin thereafter is a sign of the Spirit continuing to mold us, and it is our response that becomes most important. It amazes me how easy I can neglect my relationship with God and the study of the Bible when my life is comfortably going well. The tough times and sinful times, though not sought after, tend to slap me back to the reality of what I truly need. You, me, David, Paul... the Bible tells of those who have dealt with it and God continues to refine us for His glory!