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Genesis 17:10 commands circumcision as the sign of the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants. Is the act of circumcision necessary today?


Answer # 137


No, it is not necessary as a religious requirement for salvation. Under the new covenant, God is calling a spiritual nation composed of individuals converted and begotten by His Holy Spirit. True Christians are now all to be "circumcised" spiritually. Physical circumcision was only a forerunner or type of circumcision of the heart (Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4). Notice also Romans 2:28-29: "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter . ."

Spiritual circumcision is a process of conversion. It is Jesus Christ who circumcises one's heart-spiritually. "And ye are complete in him [Christ] ... in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ" (Colossians 2:10-11). This is why God inspired the apostles and elders of the New Testament church to decree that physical circumcision was no longer necessary for salvation (Acts 15:24, 28). The booklet entitled "Just What Do You Mean - Conversion?",(in the Booklets and Articles section of this web site), explains the process of conversion and living a Christian life.