RTW September 5
Changed From The Inside Out
“So, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: No foreigners, including those who live among the people of Israel, will enter my sanctuary if they have not been circumcised and have not surrendered themselves to the Lord.”
Ezekiel 44:9
My Takeaways
Something Old
The circumcising of us:
- The law of circumcision was fulfilled through Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection. We, too have been changed by the shedding of blood, we have been spiritually changed.
- And our spiritual life is connected to our devotion to God.
When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature, or you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. Colossians 2:11-12 - True circumcision is the cutting off the “old life,” in favor of the new which is in Christ starting with being born again into God’s family.
No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people. Romans 2:29 - Jesus made it possible to be spiritually circumcised (changed), the Spirit prompts the change, and we submit to that change.
- When the change happens on the inside, it will show on the outside.
Something New
Am I a rebel? (Ezekiel 44:6) I think I might be… sometimes.
Something to Do
Oh, marvel in the changes He has made in me, from the inside out.
From the Inside Out