<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Romans 2;25-29<div><br></div><div><b>25. &nbsp;Circumcision indeed is a value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.</b></div><div><b>26. &nbsp;So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision&nbsp;be regarded as circumcision?</b></div><div><b>27. &nbsp;Then those who are physically uncircumcised&nbsp;but keep the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law.<br>28. &nbsp;For he is not a real Jew, who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision, something external and physical.</b></div><div><b>29. &nbsp;He is a Jew, who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal. His praise is not from men but from God.<br></b><br>None of us of ourselves keeps the law of God. &nbsp;Therefore, circumcision is of no value at all. &nbsp;<i>“Real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal.” &nbsp;</i>(v. 29).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The gift of repentance (see Acts 5;31&amp;32) is the gift of brokenness, whereby we despise ourselves and yearn to be changed and different from who we have been. &nbsp;Repentance produces in us a willingness to change,&nbsp;a desire to change. &nbsp;Faith believes we can&nbsp;change, we <u>can</u>&nbsp;walk imperfectly&nbsp;in newness of life.</div><div><br></div><div>But,&nbsp;repentant Believers of themselves according to human will and strength, cannot change. &nbsp;Change is possible only through faith in Christ indwelling us by the Holy Spirit, received in Baptism.</div><div>But&nbsp;Believers who sincerely&nbsp;desire to do the will of God and be righteous are allowed by God to fail!</div><div><br></div><div>He lets us fail because He desires for us to no longer think of ourselves as&nbsp;separate, independent self-reliant&nbsp;beings. &nbsp;<span>He desires for true Oneness with us.</span><i>&nbsp;&nbsp;</i><span>The New-man lives by faith in Christ indwelling by the Spirit.</span></div><div><i>“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” &nbsp;</i>(Galatians 2;20)</div><div><br></div><div>Christ <i>“gave himself”</i>&nbsp;for&nbsp;us on the cross, AND&nbsp;He continues to give himself into us&nbsp;by the repentance and faith He continues to live and&nbsp;work&nbsp;in us through&nbsp;His Word &nbsp;(all it’s Means: washed in, heard, read, and eaten),&nbsp;and the divine working of the&nbsp;Holy&nbsp;Spirit.</div><div><br></div><div>The indwelling presence of Christ by the Holy Spirit (in us and us in Him), is how the Church does the good works we are created for&nbsp;in Christ Jesus.&nbsp;Christian living, is the intimate faith union of the Bridegroom with the Bride, the “<i>two become One/one.”</i></div><div><i>“For&nbsp;God&nbsp;is at work in you, both to will and to do&nbsp;according to His good pleasure.” </i>(Philippians 2;13)</div><div><br></div><div>Our baptism is indeed effectual, just as circumcision made the Jew a partaker of the Abrahamic Covenant,</div><div>so also does baptism. &nbsp;But baptism does even more, praise God!&nbsp; The water and the Word not only forgives&nbsp;sin, they join us into Christ, His death to sin&nbsp;and resurrection to new Life. &nbsp;They<span>&nbsp;give the gift of the Holy Spirit, by W</span><span>hom we walk imperfectly (still troubled with </span><i>“the sin which clings so closely” </i><span>Hebrews 12;1)</span><span>)&nbsp;</span><span>in newness of life.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, forgive our slowness of heart to believe <u>all</u>&nbsp;that the Scriptures teach us. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br><br><br><br><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPa</a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Romans 2;25-29
25.  Circumcision indeed is a 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 those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law.
28.  For he is not a real Jew, who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision, something external and physical.29.  He is a Jew, who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal. His praise is not from men but from God.

None of us of ourselves keeps the law of God.  Therefore, circumcision is of no value at all.  “Real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal.”  (v. 29). 
The gift of repentance (see Acts 5;31&32) is the gift of brokenness, whereby we despise ourselves and yearn to be changed and different from who we have been.  Repentance produces in us a willingness to change, a desire to change.  Faith believes we can change, we can walk imperfectly in newness of life.
But, repentant Believers of themselves according to human will and strength, cannot change.  Change is possible only through faith in Christ indwelling us by the Holy Spirit, received in Baptism.But Believers who sincerely desire to do the will of God and be righteous are allowed by God to fail!
He lets us fail because He desires for us to no longer think of ourselves as separate, independent self-reliant beings.  He desires for true Oneness with us.  The New-man lives by faith in Christ indwelling by the Spirit.“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  (Galatians 2;20)
Christ “gave himself” for us on the cross, AND He continues to give himself into us by the repentance and faith He continues to live and work in us through His Word  (all it’s Means: washed in, heard, read, and eaten), and the divine working of the Holy Spirit.
The indwelling presence of Christ by the Holy Spirit (in us and us in Him), is how the Church does the good works we are created for in Christ Jesus. Christian living, is the intimate faith union of the Bridegroom with the Bride, the “two become One/one.”“For God is at work in you, both to will and to do according to His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2;13)
Our baptism is indeed effectual, just as circumcision made the Jew a partaker of the Abrahamic Covenant,so also does baptism.  But baptism does even more, praise God!  The water and the Word not only forgives sin, they join us into Christ, His death to sin and resurrection to new Life.  They give the gift of the Holy Spirit, by Whom we walk imperfectly (still troubled with “the sin which clings so closely” Hebrews 12;1)) in newness of life.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, forgive our slowness of heart to believe all that the Scriptures teach us.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”





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