It is hard for us to fathom that circumcision was one of the biggest controversies in the early church, but it was a big issue. Why? Because it strikes at the heart of issues that still exist in the church today, but in different forms.
The first is legalism. We want to "contribute" to our own salvation. Rather than acknowledge the grace of God and the fact that only He can save us, we want to have done something to earn our favor with God. Many believers are caught in this "works trap" still trying to gain God's favor. We can never be good enough. Salvation is by grace…period.
The second is favoritism, prejudice or racism. Our sinful hearts tend to make us feel that certain people are better than others. That some people "deserve" salvation and some do not. Generally we see ourselves as the "good guys" and whoever is different as the "bad ones".
Both of these lies still exist and continue to erode our churches. We should fight to eliminate these lies from our hearts.
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