Candidly, circumcision doesn’t seem like a very pleasant experience—one might wonder why anyone would want it. But for the Jews, it was massively important, because it was a mark of association, a permanent proof of their membership among God’s holy nation of Israel. Similar to baptism today, the man who had been circumcised had been identified as a member of God’s covenant people who had God’s favor. (Why it had to be circumcision, God only knows.)
Naturally, as people do with every good thing, the Jews had twisted this gift from God into a source of pride. As long as we’re in the club, as long as we’ve gotten the mark and checked the box, we’re guaranteed Heaven. But Paul reminds his Jewish readers that this was never the point. The whole point of circumcision, he argues, is to say, “this person is a member of the community and so faithfully obeys the Lord’s commands.” The point is obedience—which means circumcision is empty if there’s no obedience! Again, sometimes we tend to treat baptism the same way. Baptism marks us for church community and obedience, but it does not secure us a spot in Heaven.
But Paul didn’t come up with this on his own. The central point of the Law had never been a shortcut or free ticket; it had always been what Deuteronomy 10:16 calls a circumcision of the heart, that is, a heart that loves and longs to obey the Lord’s perfect righteousness. If we have been marked as members of the people of God, as many of us have been, that’s meant to spur us on to glorious things! If we have the mark of transformation on our heart rather than our flesh, then we will disdain the allures of worldly passions, and show overflowing love and generosity to others, and do all things to the glory of our God. These make a true member of the covenant community.
At this point we should back up and consider the big picture. This far into Romans, it may start to sound like we are saved by our own faithful obedience. And the standard looks dauntingly high. But actually Paul is trying to convey just how daunting and unreachable that standard really is, so that we realize how thin our hope really is if salvation in fact depends on us. We are saved fully by the grace of God—and better yet, when he saves us, he is even gracious enough to circumcise our hearts and make us members of the covenant community who love his perfect commands. Praise God, because we really have no other chance! We have no shortcut to Heaven, and no mark we can put on our flesh to secure us a spot. We depend wholly on the God who loves us. Praise God for his entirely undeserved mercy and grace!
