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Acts 7:8 THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION MADE WITH ABRAHAM

Introduction:

Stephen is still defending himself of the charges made against him before

the Sanhedrin Council. In this text he talks about the Covenant of Circumcision

which God made with Abraham.

I. The circumstances involved in our text

Stephen was not a preacher. He was a deacon. But like the twelve

apostles, he witnessed to many people about Jesus Christ and many people were

saved at his witness. He testified that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

He testified that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of men. He testified that

those who believe in Jesus as Savior get into the kingdom of God.

Also, like the apostles, he was given the power to perform miraculous

healing of the sick and afflicted. Many people were brought to him. Many

people got healed and many people got saved.

The leaders of several Jewish synagogues in Jerusalem got together and

arrested Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin Council. They charged him

with speaking against God, speaking against Moses, speaking against the temple

of God and speaking against the law of Moses.

In this text Stephen defended himself by making mention of the Covenant of

Circumcision which God made with Abraham.

II. The Covenant of Circumcision which God made with Abraham

V. 8, “And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so [Abraham]

begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac [begat] Jacob; and

Jacob [begat] the twelve patriarchs.” The Covenant of Circumcision which God

made with Abraham was not a second covenant which God made with Abraham. It was

actually a part of the covenant which is recorded in Genesis chapter twelve.

According to this chapter God called upon Abram (Abraham) to leave Ur of the

Chaldees to serve Him, the only true and living God.

God made a covenant with Abraham. God promised Abraham a son. God

promised to make of Abraham a great nation through that son. God promised

Abraham that He would give a land to Abraham and to his descendants born through

that son.

Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees as God had asked him to do and started out

to go to the promised land, but at the age of ninety-nine he still did not have

the promised son. At the age of ninety-nine God instructed Abraham to be

circumcised. God instructed Abraham that when the promised son was born that

son was to be circumcised on the eighth day. Furthermore, all of his son’s sons

should all be circumcised on the eighth day and all of their sons and their

son’s sons down through the years should be circumcised on the eighth day. Even

the male servants of Abraham and their sons should be circumcised.

Any male uncircumcised was to be banished from among his people. He was

not to live in Abraham’s nation nor to be permitted to live in the land which

God had given to Abraham and his seed.

Circumcision was not a new and different covenant with Abraham. It was a

part of the covenant in which God had promised Abraham a son, a nation and a

land. In Genesis 17:11 God told Abraham that circumcision was a token of the

covenant which God had made with him and his descendants in the covenant nation.

It was a token that this people were the rightful heirs of the land which God

promised Abraham and the only rightful heirs.

Stephen said that Abraham begat Isaac, who begat Jacob who begat the

twelve patriarchs. Abraham’s circumcision was a token that God would keep the

covenant which God had made with him. Isaac’s circumcision was a token that God

would keep the covenant that God had made with Abraham and had confirmed with

him. Jacob’s circumcision was a token that God would keep the covenant that God

had made with Abraham and had confirmed with Isaac and with himself. The

circumcision of the twelve patriarchs was a token that God would keep the

covenant which He had made with Abraham.

This nation, Israel, which came from those twelve patriarchs, is the only

nation which can rightly inherit the land which God has promised to Abraham and

to his seed. Circumcision is the token that the Israelite man and his family

are rightful heirs to a part of that land.

II. What this statement about circumcision has to with Stephen’s defense

Stephen had been charged with speaking against the law of Moses. He

hadn’t. He was not guilty as charged. What Stephen had done was that he had

told people that they could not get into the kingdom of God by keeping the law

of Moses. Stephen said that there was no way to enter the kingdom of God than

through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This meant that Stephen was

telling the people that one cannot get into heaven by circumcision or by keeping

any other part of the law of Moses. The circumcision which Abraham had

instituted at God’s command was not a part of the law. But circumcision had

later been incorporated into the law of Moses. The Jews believed that they had

to keep the law of Moses to get into the kingdom of God and that this included

circumcision.

Many of the Jews who heard Stephen say that salvation does not come by

keeping the law and, therefore, not by the law of circumcision misunderstood

what Stephen was talking about. They thought that Stephen was speaking against

the law of Moses. They particularly thought this since he did not think that

circumcision is necessary to get into the kingdom of God.

Stephen is now defending himself against the false charges by showing that

he did believe that all male descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob is

necessary to be a rightful heir to the covenant which God made with Abraham

concerning being a rightful heir to the land of Canaan. Stephen believed that

circumcision was a token of being in the kingdom of Israel. But he most

certainly did not believe that it is necessary to get into the kingdom of God.

It is not necessary to get into heaven.

IV. What the New Testament teaches about circumcision

Since the Apostle Paul wrote most of the New Testament, I will confine my

remarks chiefly to what Paul said about circumcision. Paul said that it is not

the circumcision of the flesh which gets one into the kingdom of God, but rather

the circumcision of the heart, which is “the circumcision made without hands,”

Col. 2:11.

Paul said that circumcision of the flesh does not help to get one saved

and that the lack of it does not hinder one from getting saved, Gal. 5:6.

Paul said that salvation does not come by one’s efforts to keep the law,

but rather by placing one’s faith in Jesus Christ, Eph. 2:8-9.

Circumcision was commanded by the law of Moses, but Paul gives two reasons

why salvation is not obtained by keeping the law: (1) Man cannot keep the law,

Rom. 3:23. (2) The law was not God’s plan of salvation, John 3:16; Romans

10:13; Galatians 2:21; and Galatians 3:24. He said that the law was a

schoolmaster to bring men to Christ.

Being circumcised physically does not help one spiritually in any way

whatsoever. What God requires for salvation is the circumcision of the heart

by faith in Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

Jesus said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will

give you rest, Matt. 11:28. You must trust Jesus Christ as your Savior and God

will give you an inheritance which is far better than an inheritance in Canaan’s

land. It will be an inheritance in heaven. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house

are many mansions.” If you will trust Jesus to save your soul He will prepare a

place for you and He will come and get you and take you to that place.