Week #9 I am a Child of God and Circumcised in Christ By Allan Wilson Scriptural Thinking http://www.positivepoweraffirmations.com
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Foreword I would like to take the time to explain to you some important information about this course: This page will be exactly the same in every lesson so if you have read it already by all means scroll down. 1 st The emphasis in all my products is that: You reap what you sow (therefore sow the word of God) And for you to take the scriptures personally (therefore apply them to yourself). So when you read I or me it is not to be read as me the author but as you the reader. 2 nd I would hope that it is obvious that the same scriptures apply to all who are in Christ Jesus and it is with great humility that we can take the scriptures personally and apply them to ourselves. 3 rd Many of the scriptures used apply to Israel as a nation or to other individuals in the Bible and applying all of them to ourselves may not necessarily be in context however certainly can be used to illustrate the blessings to us personally. 4 th I have used the King James Version of the Bible for the scriptures however I also have used the Bible concordance, dictionaries and other translations to expand on the meanings of various words. 5 th The whole purpose of this series is to be able to get to the point where we can truly appreciate who we are in Christ. All of the scriptures and affirmations used are designed to help us get to this goal using the principle of we reap what we sow. Page 3
6 th All of the scriptures and affirmations mentioned throughout this course are slanted towards highlighting just the positive. This course does not address the issues of wrongdoing and in no way condones or excuses sin but is solely designed to help us understand our full potential in Christ. This is of particular importance to me as I do not want to just tickle your ears because that will not profit you at all. We must get the right balance and that can only come from reading the Bible. There are some serious consequences in just telling you everything is okay when it may not be as the following scripture shows Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:32) It is my great hope that after you see all of the promises of God broken down for you into bite size chunks and understand the awesome benefits of being in Christ Jesus you will be so stirred up that you will only want to serve him and him only. 7 th Finally I also hope it is obvious that this course is just the work of a mere mortal man and in no way can replace the Holy Bible in any way. I do hope it serves to help you become a more successful Christian and reap all the benefits that are associated with abiding in Christ. Note: If you complete this entire course you will have a total of 51 lessons jam packed with positive affirmations inspirational Bible verses commentary and a total of more then 200 minutes of affirmations recorded on mp3. Page 4
Scriptures for Sermons, Group Conversation Starters and Bible Study In Romans 8:16 it says that the Spirit bears witness with my spirit, that I am a child of God. Romans 8:17 says as a child of God I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. Romans 8:21 says I am in the glorious liberty of the children of God. Galatians 4:28 says I am a child of promise. Galatians 3:26 says I am a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 4:31 says I am a child of the free. Ephesians 5:1 declares I was predestinated to be adopted as a child of God by Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:8 encourages me to walk as a child of light. I Thessalonians 5:5 declares me to be a child of light and a child of the day. Romans 8:14 says I am a child of God because I am led by the Spirit of God. Page 5
Galatians 4:6 says because I am his child, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into my heart, crying, Abba, Father. Philippians 3:3 says that I am of the circumcision because I worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and I have no confidence in the flesh. Colossians 2:11-12 says I am circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also I am risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead. Ezekiel 36:26 says God has given me a new heart and has put a new spirit in me. He has taken away my stony heart and given me a heart of flesh. Romans 2:29 says I am circumcised of the heart, in the spirit. Page 6
I am a child and an heir of God I am a joint-heir with Christ I have liberty as a child of God I am a child of promise I am a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus I am a child of freedom I am predestinated to be adopted as a child of God by Jesus Christ I walk as a child of light I am a child of light and of the day I am a child of God because I am led of the Spirit of God God has sent forth the Spirit of Jesus into my heart because I am his child I am circumcised of heart I am circumcised with the circumcision of Christ I have been circumcised with the true circumcision by God himself God has operated on me and removed my sins God has taken away my stony heart and given me a heart of flesh Page 7
A New Testament Being of sound mind and body, I, Jesus Christ, hereby bequeath my vast fortune and all my possessions to you Most people do not relate the New Testament of the Bible as a will. And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator lives. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. (Hebrews 9:15-17) Here are some of the legal terms you see in modern day wills and their meaning: Testator - the person whose will it is Of course the Testator as mentioned in the above scripture is Jesus Christ. Executor - the person named by the testator to carry out the terms of the will The Executer of the will is the Holy Ghost. Beneficiary - the person or group that receives assets from the deceased Everyone who is in Christ. Page 8
Probate - the court that proves the validity of the will and oversees the executor God s court and he is the Judge Bequest - the gift of personal property from the testator to the beneficiary He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7) What an incredible thing to be called the sons and daughters of the living God and to be adopted into a position whereby we are joint-heirs with Christ. I think another important aspect is we are also called the children of Abraham and it is remarkable how the life of Abraham mirrors the promises given to us in the New Testament. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. (Galations 3:7) For example he left his fathers house and his country and travelled to an unknown land and dwelt in tents. We too have been called out to leave that which is familiar to us, our old ways, and our father s house and follow the Lord into the great unknown. We too have no continuing city. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. (Hebrews 13:14) One of the most tragic things I have seen was a news report showing the cruelty of ethnic cleansing. I cannot remember the country however it showed an army marching forward and heading towards this town. The people in the town knew the army was coming and most of them wisely fled but there were others who absolutely refused to flee. Page 9
When interviewed they said they would not leave their house as it was everything they owned. Tragically they were killed. I remember thinking what was the point in throwing your life away for a house? They died anyway. By staying they achieved nothing and died as a result. I couldn t help thinking how many of us are also sacrificing our own wellbeing for things that are temporal? Abraham lived in tents and wasn t bound by the temporal things of this world. Too many of us are sacrificing our peace of mind, our health, our families and our spiritual well-being for a house or some other temporal thing. I m not saying you shouldn t own these things but make sure that those things don t end up owning you. Also as Isaac was we are the children of promise. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. (Galations 4:28) If you follow the trail from Luke 24:49 to Acts 1:4 through to Acts 2:33 and Acts 2:39 you will see how the Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father and when we are born of the Spirit we become children of the promise. Also we are identified as one of God s children by circumcision made without hands. In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. (Colossians 2:11) I am rather excited about this little study about New Testament circumcision. Page 10
First of all I want to make it clear that New Testament circumcision is not the same as the old. Christians do not have to circumcise their babies Just a casual glance over the following scriptures will prove this: Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: (Acts 15:24) For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. (Romans 8:28-29) Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. (1 Corinthians 7:19) Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. (Galations 5:2-4) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. (Galation 6:5) I feel very strongly about making it crystal clear that Christians do not have to circumcise their babies because a Christian is actually circumcised by an operation God performs. Let s have a look at the wonderful New Testament circumcision Page 11
The Operation of God In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. (Colossians 2:11-14) We are circumcised without hands by an operation that God performs himself. When God operates on us our sin is removed and nailed to the cross of Christ. To truly appreciate this hopefully you know what Old Testament circumcision involved It was the cutting away of the flesh from a certain part of a man s anatomy. Now what do you think happened to that little piece of flesh? Do you think it was kept in a jar somewhere just in case the man wanted to put it back on later? Of course I am being absurd because there is no way it could ever be put back on later. Please take hold of what I am saying here That piece of flesh is representative of your sin. New Testament circumcision is the nailing of your flesh (sin) onto the cross. Now what makes you think you can just climb up onto the cross and pull it back down and put it back on again? God has operated on you and removed your sin as far as the east is from the west. Don t be foolish enough to think you can undo the operation God has performed upon you. Page 12
Our old man is crucified with Christ and our body of sin is destroyed. Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. (Romans 6:3-7) Once again we see your old sinful nature has been crucified with Christ, the sinful person you once were is now dead and your body of sin destroyed! You no longer serve sin because the death of your sinful body has freed you from sin. This is New Testament circumcision the removal of your sinful flesh on the cross of Calvary. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3) So as you can see the Old Testament outward sign of circumcision was a type of what God was going to do for us in the New Testament. Now circumcision is inward, of the heart and we are the truly circumcised who worship God in the spirit and have no confidence in the flesh. Page 13
Why am I a child and an heir of God? Why am I a joint-heir with Christ? Why do I have liberty as a child of God? Why am I a child of promise? Why am I a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus? Why am I a child of freedom? Why am I predestinated to be adopted as a child of God by Jesus Christ? Why do I walk as a child of light? Why am I a child of light and of the day? Why am I as a child of God led of the Spirit of God? Why has God sent forth the Spirit of Jesus into my heart? Why am I circumcised of heart? Why am I circumcised with the circumcision of Christ? Why have I been circumcised with the true circumcision by God himself? Why has God operated on me and removed my sins? Why has God taken away my stony heart and given me a heart of flesh? Page 14