Circumcision

by Terry Wane Benton Circumcision was the cutting off of the foreskin of the males in Israel. Why was it done? It was a daily reminder that the offspring coming through these people (Israel) would one day bless all nations through the “seed of Abraham” (Genesis 12:1-4), and this mark in the flesh was to…

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But He Didn’t Have to be Circumcised!

by Edwin Crozier Didn’t we just have a whole debate in Jerusalem that discovered Christians didn’t have to be circumcised? In fact, in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he will brag that no one made Titus get circumcised during that meeting (Galatians 2:1-3). Yet, Paul circumcised Timothy. What’s up with that? Acts of the Apostles…

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Did God give Moses the commandment to circumcise?

Question: In John 7:21 when Jesus says, circumcision is not of Moses but of “the Fathers,” is he implying that God never gave Moses the commandment of circumcision? I know that this command is written in Genesis 17:10. However, Jesus seems to be implying that this law never came from Moses. Answer: “Did not Moses…

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Is circumcision necessary?

Question: Do you consider male circumcision a necessary intervention in life – young or old? I only ask because some Christian denominations believe so. I was circumcised as an adult. I only ask for your guidance. I accept that Jesus was circumcised. It was my Sunday School teacher who broached the subject. She told us…

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Since only males were circumcised, how did females enter the Old Covenant?

Question: Brother, This question came up in a recent Bible study. We were covering the book of Romans, the last few verses of chapter 2. Circumcision came up. After a little discussion, a sister in Christ asked how women made a covenant with God under Mosaic Law, since circumcision was the sign of the covenant.…

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How would anyone know if Timothy was circumcised or not?

Question: I saw the recent reader’s question – “Why did Paul have Timothy circumcised after the council at Jerusalem?” And your answer “In regards to why Timothy was circumcised after the Jerusalem council, it is simply because Paul met Timothy after that council. Timothy wanted to join Paul, but because they were working among the…

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Could you explain the importance of waiting eight days for circumcision?

Question: Could you explain the importance of waiting eight days for circumcision? Answer: “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. And on the eighth day the…

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Your answers to questions from youth are kind and respectful

Question: I just wanted to thank you for the very thoughtfully written Question and Answers page on your web site. Many of the questions, I can tell, are submitted by youth, and the kind way they were answered shows great respect for the outcome of the choices they are to make. I came looking for…

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How were the foreskins disposed of under the Old Law?

Question: I am curious: in the Old Testament, what was done with the piece of foreskin that is a type of putting off of the sins of the flesh (Colossians 2:11) by the circumcision of Christ? We know that Jesus was the sin offering acceptable to God and as such his body of flesh is…

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Why did Paul have Timothy circumcised after the council in Jerusalem?

Question: I was scanning the questions and found the Jewish lineage one. Timothy was counted as Jewish because of his mother. Paul circumcised him and we know that Timothy’s father was a Gentile while his mother and grandmother were Jewish. Why did Paul have Timothy circumcised after the council at Jerusalem? As stated in, “Was Hebrew…

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Explaining Exodus 4:24-26

by Carey Scott “And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!”…

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How did Simeon and Levi manage to wipe out Shechem?

Question: I have a question regarding Genesis 34:29. I was wondering how the two sons, Simeon and Levi, were able to carry captive all the women after they killed all the male Hivites? Would these two persons have enough binding material to bind a whole town? Also, how did Simeon and Levi kill all of…

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Why Was God About To Kill Moses?

by Terry W. Benton The text of Exodus 4:24-26 seems oddly placed, but it is a separate paragraph from the rest of the text. Moses has been commissioned to go back to Egypt where the Israelites are and tell Pharaoh to free them. Moses thought of excuse after excuse, which angered God, and then made…

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The Marks of Jesus

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/TheMarksOfJesus.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Galatians 6:11-18   I.         Paul battled much of his life with his own Jewish brethren             A.        They insisted on preserving the Law in many ways.             B.        A motivation is to be expected – Galatians 6:12             C.        It appears some tried to justify it by appealing to Paul.                         1.         After all he had Timothy circumcised!…

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Shouldn’t circumcision be advocated for health reasons?

Question: I read your explanation on the subject of “circumcision.” It was very good. However, I believe that having your son circumcised is a good thing. Not for any religious reason but health issues which there are many. Maybe you could add that in your presentation that though circumcision is no longer required as a religious…

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Circumcision Proves the Necessity of Baptism

by Kent Heaton The apostle Paul appeals to the “saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse” to discharge the philosophies of men and embrace Him who has the preeminence in all things (Colossians 1). The church at Colosse had been troubled by the teachings of men that distracted from the glory of…

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Why did God command circumcision?

Question: Why did God command Abraham to cut off the foreskin? Answer: Many of the commands that God gave man early on appeared to be meaningless at the time it was given. Only later did God reveal the meaning of the practice. As an example, God commanded that the Israelites offer up incense during the…

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How important is the Sabbath day?

Question: How important is the Sabbath day (Saturday)? Is it something that we have to do? Thanks for the help. Answer: Ever since the covenant changed with the death of Jesus, the observance of the Sabbath has ceased to be a requirement. The law brought down from Mt. Sinai by Moses, which included the laws…

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