Paul Opposing God On Issue Of Circumcision?
A Matter of Circumcision or No?
As I was watching Kenny Russell’s (Bulldozer Faith) most recent Sabbath teaching entitled “Press On!,” the text of which he based his message being Philippians 3, I became fixated on verses 2 and 3 of that chapter. It is here that Paul touches upon the issue of circumcision.
What Was Paul Writing About If Not The Abolition of Circumcision?
However, Paul was not at all discussing whether or not a male disciple of Y’shua Messiah should or should not be circumcised. He was actually speaking to “matters of the heart.” Yet many within and without our Faith have used this brief passage to dissuade untold numbers of people from keeping Torah. These take the dangerous step of suggesting Paul opposed YHVH on the issue of circumcision. We will find this is not the case at all.
Beware of the Mutilation!
Phiippians 3:2,3 read as follows:
Beware of dogs; beware of evil workers; beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
The inflammatory verbiage Paul uses here has the high potential of leading the reader down a path of believing Paul was rejecting Torah. It is rather easy to see that Paul’s use of the phrase “beware of the mutilation” is either directly or indirectly referring to the practice of circumcision given to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Torah (Gen. 17:11; Exo. 4:25, 26).
What About Circumcision Is Paul Talking About?
However, in this particular passage, Paul elected to NOT use the Greek term “peritemno” to describe the act or practice of circumcision. Instead, Paul uses the term “katatome,” which is a rather derogatory or negative term to describe cutting something up or mutilating something, which many English translations have chosen to use. Some English translations have chosen to use the term “concision” over mutilation such as the Young’s Literal Translation which reads:
Look to the dogs; look to the evil-workers; look to the concision…(Phi. 3:2).
Another Challenging Pauline Text?
Some of us might have some fundamental problems with this passage. If we read the plain wording of the passage, Paul seems to be instructing the Philippian assembly members to beware of those of the mutilation, or more civilly, those of the circumcision, suggesting that circumcision is a bad thing.
As Torah Observant Disciples of Yahoshua Messiah, how must we reconcile this anti-Torah stance that Paul seems to be taking. Abba gave the instruction to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and it has been carried down throughout generations by His people. When the Hebrews entered the Land of Promise, Joshua had all the males circumcised, suggesting that most of those males entering the land had not been circumcised as Abba directed.
Is Paul Telling Us to Reject Torah?
Is Paul actually denigrating or rejecting the instructions of Yah here? Is Paul giving New Covenant male disciples a full pass on circumcision?
Well, no.
Concision or mutilation–katatome–according to Nave’s Topical Bible denotes a “term for ‘over-zealous’ circumcision.
What we are seeing here is classic Pauline play on words. The apostle to the Gentiles is clearly playing to the conventional wisdom of his Gentile audience in Philippi by using a play on terms and phrases common to that time and culture.
A Play on Words and Phrase
We know from the Book of Maccabees, that the Greeks viewed the Hebrew practice of circumcision as barbaric. They called the practice mutilation. Philippi was a Greek city and her citizens would have no doubt held similar views of circumcision and used the derogatory term katatome to refer to orthodox Jews.
In order that he “might gain them that were without law,” Paul sought to appeal to them that were without Torah by using their common vernacular–their common terminology–their method of talk–their slang to get his point across to them (1 Cor. 9:21).
Paul expertly used common Gentile terminology to describe a certain class of individual causing confusion and division in and around the body of Messiah there in Philippi. Essentially, Paul was warning his Philippian readers to beware of Judaizers who were going about in the body insisting that the members of the Philippian Assembly follow to the letter of the law, Rabbinic Judaism. Among so many other things, these Judaizers were pushing a requirement that all Gentile male converts to the Way had to first convert to Judaism, which meant they had to first be circumcised.
Religion Corrupting the Purity of the Gospel Message
This was not the Gospel message that Paul originally brought and taught them. In fact, these Judaizers, or “dogs” and “evil doers” as Paul refers to them, were perverting the Gospel that Yeshua brought and that Paul had taught.
So Paul was using Gentile terminology to get his warning across to the Philippian Assembly members. He also chose to flip the verbiage around on the Judaizers as well. Jews often referred to Gentiles as “dogs” (ie., Greek=kuon) and “evil workers.” Thus Paul’s reversing and plays on words and phrases would have a poignant impact upon his readers across the board.
Labels Can Be Powerful
According to ESV Study Bible, Paul “labels those who extol good works of the law as evildoers…”
Beware of those who mutilate the flesh is Paul playing on the Gentile’s perspective of the practice of circumcision. Whereas the Judaizers’ badge of pride and honor was circumcision (as opposed to a relationship with YHVH and Y’shua), it was actually a sign of their destruction. These are ultimately leading men down a path away from the Truth of the Gospel by forcing converts to focus on Rabbinic laws and traditions.
Master Yahoshua has effectively freed us from such things–that is, He freed us from religion.
None of this is to say that circumcision in and of itself is bad. Heavens no. Father gave it as a sign between Him and His people. Therefore, who are we to denigrate and reject that which Abba has given?
Circumcision and Heart–Inseparable
The point is that true circumcision is of the heart–as it always has been. Physical circumcision is still valid in the Body of Messiah, even today. Once one’s heart is properly situated with Messiah and YHVH our Elohim, then it becomes an issue between the disciple of Messiah and God the right time for circumcision. This plays right back into the whole Aggadah first, then Halakhah second. We looked at this in our Paul and Hebrew Roots series.
Father in His Torah always sought for a circumcision of one’s heart before that of the flesh. And Paul taught the same thing.
Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart; and don’t be stiffnecked any longer (Deu. 10:16; HCSB)!
YHVH your Elohim will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live (Deu. 30:6; HSCB).
Yet ancient Israel violated Torah both aggahdically and halakhically:
When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in both heart and flesh, to occupy My sanctuary, you defiled My temple while you offered My food–the fat and the blood. You broke My covenant by all your detestable practices…This is what Master YHVH says: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, may enter My sanctuary, not even a foreigner who is among the Israelites (Eze. 44:7,9; HCSB).
As Torah Observant Disciples of Yahoshua Messiah, each of us are commanded to circumcise our hearts–to give our hearts, minds and souls over to the Creator of the Universe. In doing so, our walk–our obedience to His eternal Torah will fall naturally into its proper place in our lives.
Not to leave his Philippian readers hanging, Paul clarified what he was referring to regarding “beware of the mutilators” or “concision” or katatome in verse 3 of the same 3rd chapter. Paul writes: “For we are the circumcision; meaning that are hearts and minds are that of Messiah and thus we walk in the newness of life and obedience of YHVH and Yeshua Messiah.
Bottom line saints: it’s a heart thing. We must ask ourselves: is our hearts circumcised
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