4:9,10
“Is this blessing only for the circumcised ...” This is the fundamental question that faced the early church and it crops up in several places in Acts and especially in Paul’s letters. Much of the early opposition to the church came from the Jews, and there were those within the church who argued that Gentile converts needed to be circumcised. We find it hard to appreciate why they should think like that. Abraham was regarded as the archetypal Gentile convert, and Abraham was circumcised, therefore circumcision was essential, or so would go Jewish thinking (Gen 17). However, Paul shows that that is a fundamental misreading of Genesis. Abraham was declared righteous because of his faith. Circumcision came some thirteen years later. This is the key point that Paul is making, faith is primary, circumcision is secondary.
4:11
Circumcision was a sign of the covenant. It was a seal of what had already happened (being counted righteous on the basis of faith), it did not achieve anything itself. So Abraham is the father of all who are uncircumcised but who believe. And the purpose is that righteousness might be credited to all who believe. God wants to credit righteousness to us.
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