(Genesis) Genesis 17:9-14 — J. Vernon McGee

Circumcision as the Sign of Abraham's Covenant

Now, in verse 9, and I'm reading, "...And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant, therefore thou and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep between me and you, and thy seed after thee.

Every man child among you shall be circumcised.". Now, that's the badge of the covenant. They didn't do this in order to become a member of the covenant. They did this because they had the covenant from God.

Good Works as Evidence of Salvation

And there's all the difference in the world. That's the same place that good works occupies for the believer today. You do not perform good works in order to get saved. You perform good works because you have been saved.

Sonship and the Motive for Obedience

And may I say it's all the difference in the world. As a boy, I remember when I went away from home. I did get in a lot of trouble. But the one thing that kept me from going, and I think becoming an absolute renegade, was the fact of my dad.

I said, because I'm a son of my father, I won't do this, or I won't enter into this. I refrained because of that. Now, I didn't become his son because I didn't do certain things. I was already his son.

Circumcision as Evidence Rather Than the Cause of Covenant

But because I was... Now, that's the badge of the covenant, is circumcision. The thing that put them under the covenant wasn't circumcision. That was the badge of it, the evidence of it. And God gives this to them now.

Christ's Circumcision and Fulfillment of the Law

And verse 12, and he says, "...he that's eight days old shall be circumcised among you.". And if you'll notice how meticulous the record is concerning the birth of Christ, how all the law was fulfilled in connection of the birth of this little baby.

That he was a son of Abraham. He was a son of David. He was in the line. And on the eighth day, he was circumcised. He was born under the law, Paul says. Now, will you notice? God says here that he that is born in thy house and he that is bought with thy money must needs be circumcised.

Baptism and Church Membership as Responses to Salvation

And my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. That's the badge of it. They didn't have to do that in order to get the covenant. God had already made it for them. And I trust that you see that.

That's so important to see. The same thing is true today. A great many people think, well, if I join the church or if I'm baptized, I'll be saved. No, my friend, you don't do those to get saved. Now, if you are saved, let me say as a pastor, I think you'll do both of them.

I think you'll join the church and I think you'll be baptized. But you don't do that to get saved. We need to keep the cart where it belongs, following the horse and not get the cart before the horse.

Individual Disobedience and the Permanence of the Covenant

In fact, the horse is in the cart today for the thinking of many relative to salvation. Now, in verse 14,. And the uncircumcised man child, whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people, if broken my covenant.

The Everlasting Covenant Stands Despite Human Disobedience

Now, you see, the fact that there were those that disobeyed, and you'll find out that practically the entire nation had disobeyed when they came out of the land of Egypt. But the thing was, that did not militate against the covenant.

It just meant that individual would be put out. But as far as the nation is concerned, no individual or group could destroy this covenant God had made with Abraham and his seed after him. It's an everlasting covenant.

That man has broken the covenant. He's put out, but the covenant stands. That's how marvelous it is.