Circumcision

Circumcision, the surgical removal of the male foreskin, was instituted by God as the covenant sign for Abraham and his descendants in Genesis 17:10–11, marking every male as a member of the covenant community. It was required for all Israelites and for male foreigners wishing to participate in the Passover (Exodus 12:48). Joshua renewed the rite at Gilgal after the wilderness generation had lapsed in its observance (Joshua 5:2). Among surrounding nations, including the Philistines, its absence was a mark of foreignness and contempt.

The New Testament reframes circumcision in two ways. Paul argues in Romans and Galatians that physical circumcision is without saving value apart from faith and obedience — Abraham was justified before he was circumcised, making him the father of all who believe whether circumcised or not. The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) decided that Gentile believers were not required to be circumcised for salvation. Paul speaks of a circumcision of the heart, made without hands, as the true inward transformation signified by the physical rite (Colossians 2:11).