Galatians. .Week 2. .Fast Fact

Good morning!!

 Were you all able to get through the information on Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar??
Just wondering. .
Did that give anyone more understanding of the Scriptures. .or just more confusing?
If you have not had the opportunity to read Galatians again since going through that. .
you may not know how much help it was. .

Today is fact fact Wednesday. .
and definitely a “faster” fact than last week. .

But first. .
I wanted to add a little bit of information on circumcision. .
As I studied, I found a new resource biblestudytools.com. .
check it out if you are interested.

Circumcision. .
as we probably all know. .
is the removal of the foreskin of the male genital organ. .
for religious reasons, or purely hygienic reasons (which is generally why it is performed in our culture). Circumcision was practiced in the ancient Near East by the western Semites, including the Ammonites, Moabites, Hebrews, and Edomites. The procedure was rejected by the east Semitic peoples of Mesopotamia, the Canaanites (the people living in the promised land), and the Shechemites.

If you go back to Genesis 17:9-14. .
God made a new covenant with Abraham. .
that he would make Abraham the father of a multitude of nations (17:4) God promised to always be the God of Abraham. .
as well as to be the God of his many descendants. .
God was promising Abraham the land of Canaan for he and his people forever. .
Abraham's responsibility??
that he. .
and every male would get circumcised as a sign that they had accepted the covenant that God offered.
This was to be done to every relative. .
and every slave. .
and in verse 14, God notes that anyone that refused to be circumcised. .
Would be cut off from the covenant family for violating the covenant. God specified that the males would be circumcised on the 8^th day of life. .
this was different from the Pagan’s who were also circumcising their males. .
either at puberty or if they were getting married.

I also liked what R.K. Harrison said in one of the articles I read explaining the other passages in the Old Testament that used the term “circumcise” if you are in the mode of study. .
look up the verses he discusses below and see it with your own eyes. .
I always remember it better that way!

In the Mosaic law, a spiritual interpretation was imposed upon the procedure when the Israelites were instructed to circumcise their hearts (Deut 10:16 ). This demand required them to recognize that, in addition to bearing the physical mark of covenant membership, they were also under obligation to manifest specific spiritual qualities of commitment and obedience to the Lord's will. Jeremiah (4:4) made precisely the same demands upon his contemporaries because of their evil deeds, which were the very opposite of what God required. For him, circumcision entailed consecration to the Lord and to the high moral ideals of the covenant, of which holiness was representative (Lev 11:44 ). A true covenant member would be motivated by love of God (Deut 6:5) and one's neighbor (Lev 19:18 ).

So. .the command of circumcision to the Jews. .
was continued until after the time of Jesus. .
as a sign of their continued covenant with God. .
Now. .you might remember from the other day on the tidbit about all of the laws that went along with the Jewish religion. .
and the Pharisees (of which Paul belonged initially) made sure that those claiming to be following the Jewish religion. .
were following ALL the laws (I can’t remember now how many laws they had made up to go with the originals from God. .but it was hundreds). .
These rule-following Jews could not. .
or WOULD not accept that the Gentiles (the uncircumcised) could be saved JUST by believing. .
they WANTED to make them conform to the Jewish beliefs and laws BEFORE they could be saved
by Christ. .which was NOT what Jesus taught. .
and that was what Paul was reminding them about. .
that the spiritual rite of circumcision had taken place in ALL who believed by an act of GRACE. .
and NOT by the performance of a deed or ritualistic duty.

 

Read the last two paragraphs written by the same gentleman above. .
It provides some added insight into the book of Galatians. .
the first paragraph refers to what Paul tells us in Galatians 2:1-10 (skim those verses right quick)

To resolve the issue, Paul and Barnabas consulted with the elders in Jerusalem, where it was agreed that Gentiles should not be compelled to be circumcised (Acts 15:13-21). Paul was indifferent to the Judaizers' vaunted claims of "circumcision spirituality,” and although he circumcised the partly Jewish Timothy (Acts 16:3) to facilitate his mission, he opposed circumcision for the Gentile Titus (Gal 2:3). In Galatia, Paul resisted strenuously the Judaizers' doctrine of righteousness by works, which he stigmatized as a "different gospel" (Gal 1:6-7), and reviled the proponents as "dogs" and "evil workers."

This controversy was to follow Paul throughout his ministry. To counter the Judaizers' position he conceded that, while circumcision was of great value for the old covenant, it carried no significance for the "covenants of promise" (Eph 2:12). What was fundamentally important in God's sight was being a "new creation" (Gal 6:15) and keeping God's commandments (1 Cor 7:19), apart from which circumcision or uncircumcision are meaningless, and allowing faith to work through love (Gal 5:6). Paul taught resolutely that, in the new covenant, salvation came by grace and faith, not works (Eph 2:8). For the believer, circumcision or the lack of it was a matter of total indifference. What really counted was the faith and obedience that have always characterized covenants between God and humankind.

So. .I hope that little study on circumcision will shed some light for everyone. .
and give an added depth to your understanding as you study!! If you would like to see the whole article that I cited from today. .
it can be found here

SOOOOO. .Fast Fact today. .

WHAT. .is the WORST thing your mother ever made you eat?? And just so my own mom doesn’t feel bad. .Add the BEST thing your mother ever fixed!!    GO!!

DEFINITELY for me. .
putting cow brains into our scrambled eggs!
Back then. .my dad raised his own hogs and cattle. .
and apparently. .
they kept everything that was butchered. .
she was ADAMANT. .
that we could NOT taste them. .
I’m sure my favorite sister could attest. .
that you most certainly COULD taste them. .
YUCK! On the other hand. .
she could cook a mean piece of cow tongue. .a
nd THAT my friends. .is a delicacy!! YUM!!
I think, though, that my favorite thing she ever fixed were fajita meals. .
just like how you would eat them at a restaurant!!

Looking forward to the responses today. .
hopefully they will invoke some smiles and fun heartedness as you turn back your memories today!!