Full circle. Paul shot down the rite of circumcision as having any eternal merit. But then in verse 15 of this chapter, he notes that those who are circumcised have no right to brag either. If neither the legal requirement of Moses nor the abstinence from it mean anything, then what does?

It doesn't take a lot of discovery to find people who use things to "prove" the merit of their religion. But then like a big pendulum swinging the other way, others use the fact they don't do it to prove theirs. In Amos 7:8, we learn that God's opinion is like a plumb line rather than a pendulum. Men's opinions vary and swing from left to right, but we can depend on God's word to never change. It's always straight up and down and never subject to man's interpretation or application to validate it.

Have you gained some sort of confidence in what you don't do? Paul's teaching always affirmed the fact that serving God is based on what you do, how you do it and why you do it. He never found any merit in someone sitting on the sideline of issues, claiming to be above it all and thereby finding God's approval. Paul said it's not what you do or don't do. Instead, it's what you are!

When a person is saved, he becomes different. That difference might be negative or positive. For instance, a man may abstain from bad things he did before conversion or do good things he'd never have considered before. But it's not in the doing of those things that a man "proves" his salvation, but the fact that he's different as a result of God's work within him, a process we call salvation.

Paul is the poster-child of radical change after conversion. Maybe you too were a rascal before Jesus got ahold of your life or perhaps you were never outwardly that bad. Either way, when the Holy Spirit started working in you, it should have become evident to you that things would never be the same again. Just as it's impossible to change the laws of nature, Scripture implies it's impossible for you to remain the same when God takes over your life.

Are you a new creation? Do you see things in a new light after having professed faith in Christ and do people note the difference in you? I hope so, for positive change is evidence of the continuing work of the Spirit and He is Himself the ultimate evidence of your salvation.

1 Developed from Read the Bible Thru ( Is. 37:1-38:22 Ga. 6:1-18 Ps. 65:1-13 Pr. 23:24-25 )
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society

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