Romans 4:9-12 – Not justified by circumcision

In Romans 4:1-8. Paul had established that it was not works that justified Abraham. After he had established that, he then proceeded to show in verses 9-12 that neither was he justified by his circumcision. He asked three successive questions in verses 9 and 10. “Was the blessing of justification by faith available for both the circumcised as well as the uncircumcised?” “How then was it credited? “Did the justification take place after or before Abraham’s circumcision?” Paul was establishing the time in which Abraham received righteousness.

He teased the minds of his readers by posing the question as to whether Abraham was made righteous before he was circumcised or was he already justified when he was circumcised.  He also quickly answered his own question in verse 10, by declaring that Abraham was made righteous not after he was circumcised but before. These facts are collaborated by the accounts in Genesis 15:6 and 17:11. There was a lapse of years from the moment he was declared righteous by God till the time he was circumcised.

In verse 11, he then proceeded to show that while circumcision might not be the ground for justification, it was the sign and seal of it. Abraham was declared justified by God before his circumcision. He was only circumcised long after that. Circumcision then became a visible sign and seal of Abraham’s justification. It was a sign to identify his status and a seal to authenticate it, and not the reason for it.

Paul then moved on to reveal the purposes for this sequence of justification before circumcision: firstly, so that Abraham might be the father of all who believe but are uncircumcised - the Gentile believers. And secondly, so that Abraham might also be the father of those circumcised, the Jews, as they receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ, and walk like Abraham did and be justified by God.

Paul’s argument depart greatly from the Jewish understanding of the role the circumcision of Abraham played. The Jews saw it as the point where the race was divided between Jews and Gentiles. Paul here shows that through it Abraham’s faith in God was demonstrated and his faith had become the assembling point for all who believe in God, whether circumcised or not. His faith unites whereas his circumcision divides.

Circumcision was a sign of the faith that Abraham had in God long before he was circumcised. Today, we are not required to be circumcised to demonstrate faith in God, what signs than would indicate to people that we belong to God? Wouldn’t it be in water baptism, and in the way we behave and conduct our lives? Our lives should then be lived in a God honoring way so that it will cause others to desire the Lord whom we have.