We can so easily get caught up in cultural customs and traditions, even to the point where we elevate it above Christ and what He has done for us. And some of these customs and traditions seem “good” to us, good to uphold, especially the religious ones... When Jesus was born, as a Jewish boy, he had to be circumcised on the eighth day as we read in Luk 2:21 “Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.” (NLT) This was a covenantal requirement put in place by God when He made a covenant with Abraham (Gen 17:12). Fast forward to Jesus’ life on earth, He made the following remark in Matt 5: 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (NIV) Jesus, through His sinless life, came to fulfil all the requirements of the law, and He also became the last perfect sacrificial offering for sin.
Fast forward to us today, Paul wrote the following for the church in Galatia and for us today “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight - the only thing that matters is faith working through love.” Gal 5:6 (NET)
All that matters is the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and me and you having faith in Him and what He has done for us. I boast in Christ alone. It brings me back to all our cultural customs and traditions with a critical question: Does the keeping of it exalts itself above Jesus and what He has done? If so, it might be time to walk away from it…
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