Philippians 3:4-7 GR 632

There is scriptural support for the physical rite of circumcision. Genesis 17 describes it as a physical mark of the
covenant between God and the people of Israel. But the Judaizers had taken this physical rite and made it a necessity for acceptance before God. That was never God's intention with the rite of circumcision. God has always demanded a heart that was set apart to Him; the heart was the focal point. When a person exercised faith in God and the revelation God had given of Himself and was trusting God alone for salvation, he was identified spiritually in his heart as one who was set apart to God. As an indication of the faith of the heart, that person underwent the physical rite of circumcision, a rite practiced on male children, But this physical rite became a distortion of truth when that physical activity was judged to be a part of salvation.