What The Bible Says
Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice
When the Philippians were told “beware of the concision” the Apostle Paul was warning them of false teachers which require keeping the law, particularly circumcision. He had told the Galatians if you seek salvation or sanctification by circumcision “Christ shall profit you nothing,” and you are “debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, … ye are fallen from grace!” (Gal.4:9,5:1-7).
Circumcision was a token of the covenant established through Abraham and Isaac and made with all Israel (Gen.17:10-14). It was a physical token only for Israel wherein the foreskin was “cut off.” It was intensely personal, private, and painful, only for males, and very important (vr.14). The spiritual application is “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. … the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live” (Deut.10:16,30:6).
In Genesis 34 Jacob's sons tried to use the physical token for vile deceptive manipulative purposes; man always does that. The rainbow was a physical token of God's covenant, no more world flood judgment (Gen.9:12-13,17). Queers have polluted that token, supposing they might avoid all judgment. Water baptism is a physical token of our New Covenant portraying, for the born-again blood bought believer, the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Religions try to use the physical token for deceptive manipulative purposes, supposing pedobaptism or baptismal regeneration might wash away sin and get one into the kingdom of God. Physical tokens portray the covenant, they do not enact the covenant. Paul warns, “Beware of dogs (False Teachers,Isa.56:10-11), beware of evil workers (Prov.6:16-19), beware of the concision (deceitful token manipulators)” (Phil.3:2).
An Essay for week #30 - Jul 24, 2022
Msg in audio at www.GSBaptistChurch.com/audio/gs220724.mp3
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A weekly 300 word essay- The Penny Pulpit
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