Circumcision of the Heart, the True Mark of a Child of God—Romans 2:28-29
“A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God” (Romans 2:28-29).
This passage of scripture is powerful. In a world where we judge others on the basis of their skin, the country we live in, or even the church we belong to—we find so many things to divide us. But this is an invitation to unity in Christ. In a startling revelation, as Paul announces that it is the condition of one’s heart that makes him or her a true child of God.
Abraham had a righteousness that could not come from following the commandments in the Law because Abraham had been declared righteous over 400 years before the Law was given.
To the Jewish people, who had prided themselves in being circumcised, a physical sign showing they were a part of God’s chosen people, this is quite the statement. Paul reveals that circumcision is merely an outward sign of an inward reality. This reality is a circumcision of the heart by the Spirit of God himself.