Transformation in Christ - The New Humanity and the Identity of God's People, Part IV

Beginning with the Abrahamic Covenant, circumcision was the primary identity marker of the people of God. Whether descended from Abraham or not, all who had a share in God's covenant with him were marked out by circumcision as the sign of the covenant. But the nationalizing of God's people with the calling of the Israelite nation introduced another identity marker to the covenant community. Israel was defined, established, and governed by the Law of Moses (the Sinai Covenant), so that participation in the Abrahamic covenant household subsequent to the forming of the nation of Israel also included personal ownership of and conformity to the demands of the Mosaic Law. This is precisely why the question of Gentile obligation to circumcision and the Law of Moses arose early in the life of the Church (Acts 15). This sermon examines how the Mosaic Law - which was fundamental to the identity and life of the people of God in the era preceding Christ - has found its fulfillment in Him and what that fulfillment means for the Law's continuing role in identifying and governing God's covenant people in the "fullness of the times."