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He also gave him a covenant of circumcision, and he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the 12 family heads
(Acts 7:8)
This circumcision covenant was to be the distinctive mark of the People of God, in that the earthly Israel. It has a spiritual meaning, which is spelled out in the farewell speech of Moses in the book of Deuteronomy: « You must now cleanse your hearts and stop being so stubborn » (Deuteronomy 10: 16). The circumcision in the flesh means what corresponds to the heart, being itself a source of life, obedience to God: « Above all the things that you guard, safeguard your heart, for out of it are the sources of life » (Proverbs 4:23).
(The obedience to God and to his Son Jesus Christ, through reaching, the spiritual maturity)
The disciple Stephen, in his speech that preceded his execution by stoning, had understood this important biblical teaching. He made it clear to his hearers who had no faith in Jesus Christ, though circumcised physically, they were spiritual uncircumcised of the heart: « Obstinate men and uncircumcised in hearts and ears, you are always resisting the holy spirit; as your forefathers did, so you do. Which one of the prophets did your forefathers not persecute? Yes, they killed those who made announcement in advance concerning the coming of the righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, you who received the Law as transmitted by angels but have not kept it » (Acts 7:51-53). Such brave reproach cost him his life, which was a confirmation that these assassins were spiritual uncircumcised of the heart.
The spiritual heart is the spiritual inner part of a person, made of reasoning, words and actions (good or bad). Without using the expression of spiritual circumcision, Jesus Christ explained what makes a person pure or impure, because of the state of his spiritual heart: « However, whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and those things defile a man. For example, out of the heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, sexual immorality, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things that defile a man; but to take a meal with unwashed hands does not defile a man » (Matthew 15:18-20). In this case, Jesus Christ describes a human being in a condition of spiritual uncircumcision, with his « foreskin of the heart », with his bad reasoning that makes him impure before God and not fit for life (see Proverbs 4:23): « The good man out of his good treasure sends out good things, whereas the wicked man out of his wicked treasure sends out wicked things » (Matthew 12:35). In the first part of Jesus Christ’s statement, he describes a human being who has a spiritually circumcised heart.
The Apostle Paul also understood this important biblical teaching explained by Moses, and then by Jesus Christ. The Spiritual Circumcision is obedience to God and then to his Son Jesus Christ: « Circumcision is, in fact, of benefit only if you practice law; but if you are a transgressor of law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. If, therefore, an uncircumcised person keeps the righteous requirements of the Law, his uncircumcision will be counted as circumcision, will it not? And the physically uncircumcised person will, by carrying out the Law, judge you who are a transgressor of law despite having its written code and circumcision. For he is not a Jew who is one on the outside, nor is circumcision something on the outside, on the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one on the inside, and his circumcision is that of the heart by spirit and not by a written code. That person’s praise comes from God, not from people » (Romans 2: 25-29).
The Faithful Christian is no longer under the application of the Law transmitted to Moses, and therefore he is no longer obliged to practice physical circumcision, according to the apostolic decree which is written in Acts 15: 19,20, 28.29. It became confirmed by what has been written under inspiration by the Apostle Paul: « The Apostle Paul also understood this important biblical teaching explained by Moses, and then by Jesus Christ. The Spiritual Circumcision is obedience to God and then to his Son Jesus Christ: « For Christ is the end of the Law, so that everyone exercising faith may have righteousness » (Romans 10: 4). « Was any man called circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Has any man been called in uncircumcision? Let him not get circumcised. Circumcision does not mean a thing, and uncircumcision means not a thing, but observance of God’s commandments does » (1 Corinthians 7:18,19).
Henceforth, the Faithful Christian must have the spiritual circumcision of the heart, he must obey Jehovah God and have faith in the sacrifice of Christ (John 3:16,36).
Just as the one who wanted to participate in the Passover should be circumcised (in the flesh), so the Faithful Christian (whatever his hope (heavenly or earthly)) must have the spiritual circumcision of the heart before eating the unleavened bread and drink the cup of the commemoration of the death of Jesus Christ: « First let a man approve himself after scrutiny, and only then let him eat of the loaf and drink of the cup » (1 Corinthians 11:28 Compare with Exodus 12:48 (Passover)).
The Spiritual circumcision of the heart
and the duty of conscience toward God
As we read in the Bible, the spiritual circumcision of the heart represents obedience toward God and His Son Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 10:16; Matthew 15:18-20; Acts 7:51-53; Romans 2:25-29). This obedience is carried out by letting oneself be guided by the holy spirit that one can have through prayer and by reading and applying the Bible, as scriptural deposit. If we do this, our conscience will be in line with the influence of the holy spirit and we will have a clear conscience before God and His Son Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:28 « First let a man approve himself after scrutiny »). That being said, what has just been written is an idyllic picture of the spiritual condition of a Christian, both before God the Heavenly Father and before his Son Jesus Christ. However, living in a system of things spiritually opposed to these Christian values, the disciple of Christ finds himself confronted with situations out of step with biblical principles, even within the Christian congregation. Despite these adverse situations, the Christian has a duty of conscience toward God, whatever the cost (1 Peter 2:19,20 « because of conscience toward God »).
This discrepancy between the biblical principle and the situation itself has been illustrated by Jesus Christ: « Be on the watch for the false prophets who come to you in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? Likewise, every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit. A good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. Every tree not producing fine fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those men” (Matthew 7:15-20). The important point of this teaching is to judge situations downstream, that is to say by their results because « strange » situations are difficult to detect upstream (by definition, a plot or infiltration is hatched, done in such a way as not to be detected).
This strange sensation is also described in Peter’s first letter: « Beloved ones, do not be surprised about the fiery trials that you are experiencing, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). For example, as the disciple Jude writes, an infiltration of false brothers is generally difficult to detect upstream: « These are the rocks hidden below water at your love feasts while they feast with you, shepherds who feed themselves without fear” (Jude 12). We can read the expression « rocks hidden below water », which demonstrates that these offbeat situations are only detectable by the bad results they produce downstream (Matthew 11:19 « All the same, wisdom is proved righteous by its works »).
Based on the context of this statement, Jesus Christ appears to have been describing this situation within the Christian congregation itself, because this is what he subsequently said: « Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23). Thus, declarations of intention are not enough, we must do the will of God, written in the Bible, and not in any Christian « Talmud », which sometimes, even often, cancels the clear message of the Bible (Matthew 15:3-9).
Very often, we apply this text in terms of biblical teaching, and it is correct. For example, for centuries many so-called « Christian » churches taught non-biblical doctrines, such as the Trinity, hell fire, purgatory, limbo, immortality of the soul, Marian worship, adoration of the cross… Much more recently, and for about a hundred years, some Christians have taught the prohibition of taking the emblems during the commemoration of the death of Jesus Christ (each Nisan, 14, of the Jewish calendar), to millions of faithful Christian brothers and sisters, under the pretext of their earthly hope of everlasting life, while he said to consume the bread of life: « I am the bread of life. (…) So Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I will resurrect him on the last day” (…) This is the bread that came down from heaven. It is not as when your forefathers ate and yet died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever » (John 6:48-58). Very often it is the Christian « Talmud » which is responsible for justifying these false teachings which cancel the teaching of the Bible and of Christ (Matthew 15:3-9).
This is just the teaching aspect, but there are many other areas where Christians have a duty of conscience toward God, showing courage, because this can lead to all sorts of problems such as, imprisonment, ostracism or social death through alienation for several years, of close members of their family. And even, as we have read, in the example of the disciple Stephen, who preached that Jesus was the Christ and then told them that they had killed an innocent soul, in the person of Christ, that cost his life (Acts 7:51-53). Which means that acting according to this duty of conscience toward God, is a true act of courage. Much later, in the Middle Ages, during the inquisitions, thousands of courageous Christians attached to the Bible were imprisoned, tortured and summarily tried to be burned at the stake as « heretics », all done by “Christians”.
Currently, under the so-called « Christian » dictatorships of globalized religious juntas, many sincere and courageous Christians, attached to the Bible, and following the voice of their conscience toward God, have entered into dissidence and are currently separated from the members of their very close family, for some, for many years, by being considered « apostates » and because of the sentences of social death, decreed behind closed doors, on the basis, very often, only of their Christian « Talmud », by these same dictatorial religious corporations (« However, I say to you that everyone who continues wrathful with his brother will be accountable to the court of justice; but whoever addresses his brother with an unspeakable word of contempt will be accountable to the Supreme Court; whereas whoever says, ‘You despicable fool!’ will be liable to the fiery Gehenna » (Matthew 5:22)). However, this is what is written about them in the last part of the prophecy of Isaiah: « Hear the word of Jehovah, you who tremble at his word: “Hear the word of Jehovah, you who tremble at his word: “Your brothers who hate you and exclude you because of my name said, ‘May Jehovah be glorified!’ But He will appear and bring you joy, And they are the ones who will be put to sham » (Isaiah 66:5).
According to this prophecy, these Christian men and women, who continue to love and worship God the Heavenly Father, to love his Son Jesus Christ, to respect the Bible, have followed the voice of their conscience toward God, and this unjust suffering, endured with dignity is pleasing to Him: « For it is agreeable when someone endures hardship and suffers unjustly because of conscience toward God. For what merit is there if you are beaten for sinning and you endure it? But if you endure suffering because of doing good, this is an agreeable thing to God” (1 Peter 2:19,20). ). In due time by God and his Son Jesus Christ, at the latest shortly before the great tribulation, they will be rehabilitated in their Christian honor, currently flouted: « Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. Rejoice and leap for joy, since your reward is great in the heavens; for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to you » (Matthew 5:11,12).
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