Circumcision in the Bible: What Christian Parents Should Know

More and more parents are opting not to circumcise their sons. More and more doctors are refusing to perform the surgery. The American Academy of Pediatrics has firmly stated that routine infant circumcision is medically unnecessary. Many insurance companies refuse to pay for circumcision on otherwise healthy baby boys. They note in those cases, circumcision is purely a cosmetic surgery. This may leave the Christian parent wondering what the Biblical perspective on circumcision is. Many people assume that because Jesus Christ was circumcised that indicates Christians should circumcise their sons. However, there is more to be considered than just that. Christians should prayerfully look toward the Scriptures to help them decide what they should do.

Foremost, Christians must remember that we are not bound by the Old Testament Laws. If that were the case, we would be offering up birds and sheep to sacrifice at an altar, we would be forcing rapists to marry their victims, and we would be denying those who were blind, lame, or having a flat nose from approaching the altar of God. Would Christians even consider following those Old Testament laws? Of course not, we respond to non-believers who question that by saying that Jesus was sent to change the law and offer us a new covenant with God.

Further, the circumcision of Jesus' time was quite different than the circumcision of today. Circumcision was merely a cutting of the tip of the extra tissue at the end of the foreskin, not the complete amputation of the entire foreskin. Most of the foreskin was retained, protecting the glans of the penis. As Christian churches developed, the practice of infant circumcision was abandoned by Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches. The Ecumenical Council of Florence even condemned the practice in the winter of 1442.

In the Bible, the practice of infant circumcision, as well as animal sacrifice, was a part of the covenant with God. Circumcision was a physical representation that the Israelites would follow God's commands, and that they in turn would be God's chosen people. These practices, performed on the innocent, were meant to be repulsive, indicating a true sacrifice. Afterall, the mark of a sacrifice is to surrender something that is important or desired. Christians believe that Jesus Christ was a mediator of a new covenant, and that his blood sacrifice was for once and for all. Christ's sacrifice ridded us of the need of infant circumcision in order to secure salvation.

The New Testament is filled with passages that reflect the belief that circumcision is unnecessary. A few of those passages can be read at the following links.

John 7:22-24
Acts 15:1-2; Acts 15:7; Acts 15:10
Romans 2:25-29
Romans 4:9-12
Galatians 5:6
Galatians 6:12-15
1Corinthians 7:18-19
Philippians 3:1-11

The one and only contradiction in the New Testament to these passages is when Paul permitted the circumcision of Timothy as an adult. Timothy's mother was a Jew, his father a Greek. Acts 16 indicates that Paul did so "because of the Jews living in the area." However, later Paul vehemently refused to circumcise Titus (Galatians 2:1-5) and passionately argued against circumcision from that point on. In Titus 1: 10-12, Paul writes, "For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach-and that for the sake of dishonest gain."

After reflecting on the Scriptures, one must wonder why is it that so many people assume the Bible supports routine infant circumcision. The Scriptures clearly do not insist on such a practice. The idea stems from how the current form of circumcision, the complete amputation of the foreskin, came to be.

The circumcision that we know of today did not begin until the late 1800's with the incorrect belief that the procedure would deter masturbation. Victorian-era Christians, believing the myth, linked masturbation to morality and began circumcising their sons. As the practice grew in popularity, more inaccurate reasons supporting the procedure crept into popular thought. However, those reasons have continually been disproven by medical science. What it boils down to is that society has put more faith in old wives tales and in misplaced fears than they do in God's sovereign design of the human body.

When properly informed, Christians can put aside any worry that the practice of circumcision is necessary to their faith. I believe God would want us to prayerfully come to the decision to circumcise or to not circumcise by actively seeking out information on the procedure: what it is, how it is performed, and what risks it entails. Christians should also inform themselves on the truth about keeping their sons intact: what functions the foreskin fulfills and how to properly care for the intact penis. By seeking out both the Biblical and medical truth, parents can come to an informed decision on the practice of routine infant circumcision.

Resources:

James E. Peron, Ed.D., Circumcision: Then And Now The Circumcision Reference Library, Many Blessings, Volume III, Pages 41-42 Spring 2000. http://www.cirp.org/library/history/peron2/,

Rosemary Romberg, Circumcision and the Christian Parent - Anchorage, AK; http://www.noharmm.org/christianparent.htm

Laura Jezek, What the Bible Really Says About Routine Infant Circumcision, http://www.udonet.com/circumcision/christian.html