This covenant, which was made with Abraham when he was 99 years old, was an agreement that if Abraham would obey God and always do what was right in His sight, then God would bless him and his descendants; He would greatly multiply his descendants as the stars in heaven; he would be the father of many nations; He would give him and his descendants the land of Canaan. As a physical symbol of this covenant relationship, every young male was to be circumcised, and any man who was not circumcised could not be one of God's people. By performing this rite Abraham demonstrated his acceptance of the covenant and his willingness to be God's man.
Up until New Testament times this ritual was a purely physical act performed on every Jewish boy, but then Jesus put a new interpretation on circumcision. The apostle Paul states that to obey the law is as good as circumcision, and that true circumcision is something that happens deep in the heart and not something done to the body (Romans 2:28). So, nowadays our relationship with God does not depend on a physical act but rather on a decision of the mind or heart, a willingness to obey God and to do what is right in His sight. This willingness involves the honoring of God as the Creator by keeping the Sabbath day sacred and holy; it involves observing the rite of baptism as a symbol of the death of the "old man of sin" and a rebirth into the new life of service for God; it involves the observance of the ordinance of humility (feet washing) and the taking part in the communion service which commemorates the death and resurrection of Christ.
These are the earmarks of God's people, those that have been spiritually circumcised.
