God established His covenant with Abraham and made a promise to Abraham, that He would multiply Abraham exceedingly. God promised Abraham and his seed the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession and that He would be their God and they would be His people. God told Abraham that He would keep His covenant with Abraham. But not only with Abraham but also with his seed. As a token of God’s covenant with Abraham, Abraham had to circumcise every male child on the eighth day.
The covenant between God and Abraham
God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs (使徒行傳 7:8)
I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.And God said unto Abraham, thou shalt keep My covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
這是我的約, 你們要保留它, 在我和你以及你的後裔之間; 你們中間每個男孩都要受割禮. 你們要給你們的包皮肉行割禮; 這將是我和你之間立約的象徵.
你們中間生了八天的就要受割禮, 你們這一代中的每一個男孩, 出生在房子裡的人, 或用任何陌生人的錢購買, 不是你的後裔. 在你家出生的人, 和用你的錢買來的人, 必須需要割禮: 我的約將在祢的肉體中成為永遠的約. 未受割禮的男嬰，其包皮肉未受割禮, 那靈魂將與他的人民隔絕; 他違背了我的約 (創世紀 17:7-14)
The circumcision in the flesh on the eighth day was a token of the covenant
All the males, who were with Abraham, had to be circumcised, including Ishmael. But God said specifically, that God would establish His covenant with Isaac and not with Ishmael. Isaac wasn’t born yet, but God had made a promise to Abraham, which God fulfilled. Even when Abraham and Sara had doubts about His promise, God kept His promise, as He always does.
When Sara became pregnant and Isaac was born, Isaac was circumcised on the eighth day. And then all those, who were born of the seed of Isaac were circumcised on the eighth day. It didn’t matter what day the eighth day was, whether it was on a Sabbath day or a feast day, the male child was circumcised on the eighth day.
An everlasting covenant
Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (加拉太書 3:15-29).
God said to Abraham, that it would be an everlasting covenant between God and Abraham and his Seed. The Seed refers to Jesus Christ (加拉太書 3:16).
God mentioned the Seed, because, in the Book of Genesis, God had prophesied, that the Seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head.
所以, in Jeremiah 31, God promised a New Covenant, which would be a better covenant than the Old Covenant (另請閱讀: The head of the serpent bruised, because the heel of Jesus was bruised).
看哪, the days come, 主說, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, 主說:
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, 主說, 我要把我的律法放在他們的內心深處, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people.
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, 說, Know the Lord: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, 主說: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more (耶利米 31:31-34)
The promise of a New Covenant
God promised He would establish a New Covenant, not only with the house of Israel but also with the house of Judah. It would be a different covenant than the covenant, God made with their fathers on the day that God took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
God promised in Jeremiah 31 a New Covenant; the New Covenant in Jesus Christ and the promise of the Holy Spirit.
This New Covenant would make it possible for humanity to become born again in the spirit, by faith and regeneration in Jesus Christ, by the baptism in water, the dying of the flesh and the resurrection of the spirit from the dead, and the baptism with the Holy Spirit and become sons of God.
The token of the Old Covenant, between God and the seed of Abraham and Isaac took place on the eighth day.
The New Covenant on the eighth day
For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, 主說, I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, 兄弟們, 因耶穌的血得以坦然進入至聖所, 以一種新的、活潑的方式, 祂為我們分別為聖的, 透過面紗, 也就是說, 他的肉; 並且有一位大祭司管理神的家; 讓我們以一顆真誠的心、充滿信心的信心來親近, 使我們的心擺脫罪惡的良心, 用純水清洗我們的身體 (希伯來書 10:14-22)
On the eighth day, the resurrection of Jesus Christ took place. The redemptive work was accomplished, the Old Covenant had passed away and as a token, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, when Jesus Christ died as Man on the cross. The New Covenant was established on the eighth day and replaced the Old Covenant.
Isn’t that something, that the circumcision on the eighth day was a token of the Old Covenant, and that the New Covenant was established on the eighth day, when Jesus rose from the dead?
Is there only one way, to be saved?
The New Covenant was not only meant for the people of Israel, but also for the Gentiles. Jesus had made a way for the world to be reconciled with God by faith and regeneration in Jesus Christ, (a.o. 約翰 3:16).
Only through Jesus Christ and by faith and regeneration in Him aka the circumcision in Him, it’s possible to be saved and to be reunited with God. There is no other way! (另請閱讀: 耶穌基督裡的割禮是什麼意思? 和 永生只有一種方法嗎?)
God only wanted one thing and that was to be a God for His people, but God was rejected by His carnal people Israel. His people Israel had broken His covenant, therefore a New Covenant had to come.
The New Covenant is a better covenant
But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, He saith, 看哪, the days come, 主說, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in My covenant, and I regarded them not, 主說.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, 主說; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, 說, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
In that He saith, A New Covenant, He hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away (希伯來書 8:6-13)
This New Covenant would be so much better than the Old Covenant. God would deal with sin and death that reigns in the flesh of fallen man aka the old man through one sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ.
God would deal with the sinful nature, that is present in fallen man through the death of the flesh (另請閱讀: The difference between the sacrifice of animals and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ)
By the blood of Jesus Christ and regeneration in Christ and the death of the flesh and the resurrection of the spirit from the dead, God wouldn’t remember the sins and the former life as a sinner anymore, since the old man (fallen man) with all his sins and iniquities and who lives under sin and therefore is a sinner, doesn’t live anymore but has died in Christ (另請閱讀: Are you still a sinner? 和 Jesus restored the position of fallen man 和 The peace, Jesus restored between fallen man and God)
God created a new species, a new generation, a new man; sons of God. The new man was born through the resurrection of the spirit from the dead and God would put His law in the hearts of the new man, who belonged to this new generation, by the baptism and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that wonderful?
每個人, who believes in Jesus Christ and accepts Him as Savior and Lord, shall be saved from eternal death and shall receive eternal life.
The New Covenant and the circumcision in Jesus Christ
In Whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, 藉著基督的割禮脫去肉體的罪孽: 受洗與他一同埋葬, wherein also you are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, Who hath raised Him from the dead (歌羅西書 2:11-12)
The New Covenant was meant for the old man; the carnal man, who was born of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Israel and through natural birth belonged to Israel, and as a token was the circumcision in the flesh on the eighth day. But due to the fact, that the covenant was broken by God’s people, there had to come a New Covenant, a better covenant, and that New Covenant came.
The New Covenant whereof Jesus Christ is the High Priest and Mediator, is sealed with His blood and everyone can have access by faith and regeneration in Christ.
在新約中, there is no circumcision in the flesh, since the New Covenant is not for the old carnal man, but in the New Covenant, the circumcision in Christ takes place.
You become circumcised in Christ by putting away, the body of sins, and laying down and burry your flesh. You bury your flesh through the baptism in water (另請閱讀: ‘What is baptism?').
In the water baptism, you lay down your old life, and through the resurrection of the spirit from the dead, you will be raised in newness of life. From that moment you have become a new creation; a new man and your fallen state has been restored and you live in the New Covenant, which was first meant for God’s carnal people Israel, and then for the Gentiles.
從那一刻起, you shall no longer walk after the flesh in the kingdom of darkness and live under the authority of the devil and the spirits of this world in the power of sin and death, but you shall live in Christ in the Kingdom of God, that you’ve entered through regeneration, and you shall represent, preach and bring the Kingdom of God, where Jesus Christ is King, on earth.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
