CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE IN CHRIST MINISTRIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDY ON YOUTUBE
Luke 2:21
When Jesus was born, the ways of the Old Testament Law were being followed. The new covenant had not yet been made through the death and resurrection of Jesus in fulfilling the requirements of the Old Testament Law. In order for Jesus to fulfill the requirements of the Law, He must first be born under the Law.
In Genesis 17 God made a covenant with Abram (Abraham) and promised him that he would be the “father of many nations.” The involvement of circumcision in this covenant is detailed in Genesis 17:9-14 (NKJV) stating, “And God said to Abraham: ‘As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.’”
Moses said to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 10:14-16, “Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it. The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.”
The Apostle Paul further explains the action of circumcision of the Old Testament Law in relation to circumcision of the heart by faith in Christ Jesus. He states in Galatians 5:4-6, “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision not uncircumcision avails anything, but by faith working through love.”
This is the promise that Jesus, being born under the Law, is the fulfillment for the Law.
Circumcision was a physical way of showing one’s dedication to following God. The Old Testament Law was all about actions that we could physically do to gain righteousness if all of the actions were always followed. The problem is that no one person was capable of following all the requirements of the Law all the time. This is why the Law was given to man by God; to show man that he is not capable of obtaining righteousness in and of himself while living in a fallen, sinful world. The Law was given to show man’s need for a Savior.
Jesus came to cleanse our hearts from sin as it is our hearts that develop the inner thought of carrying out the action of sin. Our physical bodies will die and decay one day, but our spirit that guides our hearts and minds will live on forever, in heaven or in hell. We will never be able to do enough physical actions to earn our way into heaven, for Jesus tells us in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
We are a proud, stiff-necked people, just as the Israelites were in the time of Moses. We must humble ourselves to the need of a Savior if we are to ever find Him. He died on the cross with His arms outstretched as to welcome us to Himself. His arms are still outstretched as He awaits each of us to humble ourselves and accept the love that He desires to give us. He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6a).
Dear Lord,
The entirety of the Old Testament is to show us the need for a Savior. You have given us the one and only Savior, Jesus. He died for our sins and paid our price to death for our sins. He arose from the grave defeating sin, death, and Satan once for all. Please speak to our hearts and give us the strength to humble ourselves to You, that we would be able to see, believe, and receive the great love that You have given us in eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. In Jesus name I pray, amen.