Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Prescience #2 - Circumcision

In class yesterday, a student asked if a person needed to be circumcised to be a Christian.  I had to ask, "Is this a serious question, or did you just want to say circumcision?"  I had hoped that we had covered this when discussed what grace is and how one is justified in God's sight!  Oh well. 

So, we took a break from starting our new chapter on "The Means of Grace" and read Romans 4.  The question was answered and resolved.  We are credited as righteous in God's sight, not based on any merit of our own or any outward sign such as circumcision, but on faith in the declared promises of God (fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ!). 

But this brought up another prescience issue within the Bible.  God's people were circumcised!  Today, in America at least, almost every male is circumcised regardless of a family's religious views, because it's more sanitary and hygienic than not being cut.  I'm not sure exactly when we came to this conclusion, but we have!  The Isralites likely didn't know this perk to circumcision when they followed God's command, but God sure did.  Another sign of prescience in the Bible. 

Sorry, no pictures for this post. 

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