“Birthright” vs. “Re-Birthright”
17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” 25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
COREM DEO
How many different ways has God told us that He is more concerned with who we are rather than what we do?
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. ~Psalm 51:16-17
And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, ~Isaiah 29:13
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. ~Matthew 6:1
“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me; ~Matthew 15:8
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. ~Matthew 23:27
As potent and direct as all of these passages are, Paul’s declaration that a Jew is one “inwardly” and circumcision a matter of the “heart” would have been the most startling way of communicating this truth in the first century. The Jewish people were “God’s people.” They were His “treasured possession.” However, Paul is saying, in no uncertain terms, that this birthright is not a matter of genealogy, but rather a matter of a “re-birthright.” A person is not born into God’s family; they are reborn into it, and that rebirth can take place within the heart of any human, no matter their bloodline.
We live in the age of “identity culture” where society is fractured into subcultures based on a claimed shared value that defines them. For the Jewish people, it was circumcision and outward obedience to God’s law. In our day, many find their identity in sexuality, politics, race, money, etc. Even within Christendom, we fracture into subgroups: Reformed, Arminian, Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc.
Perhaps the more important question lies not in where we find our identity, but in how God identifies us. It is not about what we do. It is about who we are.
