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"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." - Romans 2: 28-29
EXPLORATION
Definition: To circumcise means to remove the foreskin (prepuce) of a man and, in rare cases, of a woman. It is sometimes carried out for hygiene or health reasons.
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHT: Circumcision among ancient people was a sign of covenant - making, that is the cutting of the skin and the shedding of blood. Circumcision was first given its first religious significance in the Old Testament when it was prescribed as the required external sign or seal that a person belonged to the covenant people of God.
"And God formed out man out of the dust of the ground and man breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and become a living soul" - Genesis 2:7
"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day" - 2 Corinthians 4:16.
EXPLORATION
A Created Being. MAN is the word used to describe the generality of human beings-male or female whether adults, children or infants. A human being is one that's not totally a spirit like God or such that lives only by instincts like animals. He has the ability to feel, communicate his thoughts and invent (create) things.
Text: Genesis 5:21-32, 6:1 - 13
Noah was a man who lived at a time when the wickedness of the human race for a long time had provoked the wrath of God. The Bible tells us that the unrighteousness in the land was such that:
STUDY 1: Adam And Eve - The First Husband And Wife.
In the Holy Scriptures, one can see that Adam was the first human being to be created. (Genesis 1:26, 2:19). He was to obey and serve the Lord. As Adam faithfully served the Lord, at God's appointed time, in God's own way, God provided a wife for Adam. Eve, the first woman was later formed and brought to Adam to be his wife. By this act God instituted the marriage of a man and a woman as husband and wife. The Bible says: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." - Genesis 2:24
"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." - James 4:17
EXPLORATION
SIN in Hebrew is "HATA-AH". In Greek it is "HAMARTA" both meaning "A falling away" or "missing the right path" Sin means a departure from the original state of being and existence. (Jude 6.)
The idea of sin cannot be conceived without a LAW and a LAWGIVER. If there is any one who has the power to decide what should be and what should not be, what should be done and what should not be done, it is God, the Creator of all things. This is because unto Him shall all men give accounts of the stewardship of their lives.
"But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." - 2 Corinthians 9:6
EXPLORATION
Self-consecration has always been explained as the dedication of our person -body, soul and spirit, to the worship and service of God: Abstaining from sin and maintaining purity of the heart.
As we live and work day by day, we find that we eventually acquire material wealth and have some people under our influence and control. Because they are related to us, and we have control over their existence and functions, they become part and parcel of us, and should also be "dedicated" unto God. This could even be our wife and children; house helpers and other dependants.