4:11
Circumcision was a sign of what had taken place by faith. Likewise, baptism does not save us, but is a sign of our salvation, of what has taken place through faith in Jesus Christ. So Paul draws the conclusion that this happened so that Abraham was the father of all who believe without being circumcised. When God called Abraham He said all nations would be blessed through him (Gen 12:2,3). God had always planned that salvation would come to the uncircumcised.
4:12
But one might argue that accepting that this is all true, Abraham was circumcised afterwards (Gen 17) so Gentile believers should also be circumcised. But this is to misunderstand. Circumcision was not the “real thing”. The “real thing” was the giving of the Holy Spirit, the putting off of the old nature, the change in our nature. The “real thing” is “walking in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised”. God is concerned with real change, not outward form.
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