Circumcision Series

Intro

Romans 4 naturally divides into sections:

1. Justification is by faith, not by works (vv.1-8).

2. Justification by faith is not dependent on ritual (vv. 9-16).

3. The kind of faith that leads to justification is exemplified by Abraham (vv. 17-22).

4. Justification is available now for all who believe the gospel (vv. 23-25).

We have examined verses 1-8 in previous messages. We are now ready to learn additional lessons from the life of Abraham. Follow with me as we read Romans 4:9-12 (NIV):

“Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.”i

Paul is continuing with the subject of justification. Keep in mind that justification is the first major phase of our salvation. Phase 1 is justification. Phase 2 is sanctification.ii Paul deals with that in Romans 6-8. Phase 3 is our bodily resurrection when our salvation will be made complete. As we proceed in our study of Romans 4, keep in mind that Paul is only dealing with phase 1, and he is only dealing with the forensic or legal side of phase 1. We have learned that justification is the legal action of God in which he forgives our sins and credits believers with Christ’s righteousness. By grace he gives us an upright standing before his court of justice. In Romans 4, Paul is not dealing with the transformational side of phase 1 which is regeneration. At the same time God declares you righteous, he imparts to you a new nature through the new birth so that you become a new creature in Christ. But that transformational side is not a part of Paul’s discussion in Romans 4. In Romans 4, he is only dealing with justification by faith. We must stay focused on his subject if we want to understand Paul’s teaching in this text.

The flow of his thoughts in Romans 4:9-12 is as follows:

V. 9a: The question is raised: Is the justification described in the first 8 verses only for circumcised Jews, or is it available to those who have not gone through the rite of circumcision?

V. 9b: A reminder is given of what was established from Scripture in verse 3: Abraham’s justification was by faith rather than works.

V. 10: The question is raised as to the circumstances of Abraham’s justification: Was he justified before or after he was circumcised? He was justified before being circumcised.

V. 11a: Circumcision was a sign and seal of the justification that Abraham had already received by faith.

V. 11b: Abraham’s justification when he was still uncircumcised proves from Scripture, that circumcision is not a prerequisite to justification. It makes him the father of all uncircumcised (gentile) believers.

V. 12: He is also the father of all circumcised (Jewish) believers. Therefore, he is the father of all who put their faith in Christ regardless of circumcision.

UNCIRCUMCISED BELIEVERS

With that understanding of Paul’s logic in this passage, we will now look at a key revelation in Scripture concerning the circumstances of Abrahan’s justification. Paul is basing his argument on this biblical revelation. In verse 10 he asks, “Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before?”iii Anyone knowledgeable of Scripture would know the answer. But Paul gives the answer so that no one misses the point: “It was not after, but before!”

Abraham was circumcised in Genesis 17 when he was 99 years old. But he was declared righteous long before that, back in Genesis 15:6. He was justified at least 13 years before he was given the sign of circumcision. Genesis 17:24-25 says, “Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen.” In Genesis 15:3 Abraham said to God, “You have given me no children.” So, we know that a minimum of 13 years passed between the time Abraham was justified in Genesis 15:6 and the time he was circumcised in Genesis 17. “Some Jewish interpreters made this even longer—twenty-nine years.”iv Everything Paul says in this section of Romans 4 rests on this biblical fact. Abraham was justified by faith before he was circumcised, not after. Therefore, Abraham’s justification did not depend on circumcision. He was justified by faith alone.