Two weeks back I mentioned the danger of literal
interpretation of texts that some sort of word picture, specifically chapter 2
verse 25 - For circumcision indeed is of
value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes
uncircumcision. I forgot to comment on what it does mean. Paul is telling
his Jewish kin folk that if they obey one part of the law (circumcision) but
not the balance of the law, their law-keeping (circumcision) becomes
lawlessness (uncircumcision). Partial obedience is lawlessness and physical
circumcision is not complete obedience to the Law of Moses.
9 What
then? Are we any better? Not at all! For we have previously charged
that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin,
As
the apostle moves into deeper theological waters, he pauses to reinforce the
main point thus far: natural man is doomed by sin; the sinful nature we all
inherit from our father Adam and the sin we commit from the moment our brains
are functioning. How can a man come clean? How can some claim man is able to do
the best thing – seek peace with God? Paul answers these questions from a
conglomeration of Old Testament passages; not with exact quotes, verse by verse
as we are accustomed to, but an unquestionable reference to Jewish Scripture
that his audience would have comprehended as such. The question that haunts me
is how can so many Christian fail to see Paul’s point, made here and in many
other places in the Bible? You can listen to this message here.
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