Regarding this area of the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, Love, Joy, Peace…, something comes to me I want to bring out. And it is this.

The Apostle Paul addresses the topic of circumcision and the Law and Gospel.

Romans 4 Rom 4:9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
Rom 4:10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
Rom 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
Rom 4:12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

Paul asks COMETH THIS BLESSEDNESS?

The point of Salvation has always been God’s BLESSEDNESS coming to those cut off from it because of Adam’s transgression.

I was reading Deuteronomy and Joshua the other day and came to these verses. I will quote them now and then make a point.

Deu 30:5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
Deu 30:6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

AND

Jos 5:2 At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.
Jos 5:3 And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
Jos 5:4 And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.
Jos 5:5 Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.
Jos 5:6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD swore that he would not show them the land, which the LORD swore unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
Jos 5:7 And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.
Jos 5:8 And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.

The point is this, God is God and He has a way of doing things. His way is His way and I have found now after 30 plus years of Ministry that the Lord just doesn’t change His ways. In fact, as one man said, “when the Lord shows up in your Life, one of you is going to change his ways and IT WON’T BE HIM.”

Paul’s point and the point of these other verses of Scripture is circumcision is a AFTER GOD act showing that ACT of God upon His Elect.

The cutting of the foreskin of a man is a sign of something that happened first, a faithful acknowledgement of an Act of God to him. How many eight day old baby boys know what that Act of God was or the faithful acknowledgement circumcision signifies?

The cutting of the foreskin of one’s heart is also a sign of something that happened first.

What is more important to understand is someone other than oneself has to do the cutting!

Eight day old baby boys don’t circumcise themselves.

No man circumcises his own heart.

This truly is an Act of God.

God does it. He does the spiritual cutting while He leaves it to man to do the natural cutting. Both kinds of circumcision signify something God did.

Interestingly enough, the “spiritual” cutting is to both males and females. It is always God’s election and He continues to do so even today by the sanctification of the Holy Ghost and Jesus Christ.

Again, thanks Tom for clearing up the easily misunderstood sense of Scripture. We can do nothing of ourselves either naturally or spiritually. God does it all that His Glory is ascribed to Him Alone.

We simply rejoice in what He does and continues to do.

He bears His own fruit through His creatures.

I leave off with one more quote from Paul::::>

1Co 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
1Co 16:14 Let all your things be done with charity.

Michael Burke
Eureka, Ca.