How does 1 Corinthians 7:19 connect with Jesus' teachings on the law? Setting the scene • 1 Corinthians 7:19: “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commandments is what counts.” • Paul addresses a congregation wrestling with identity markers—Jewish circumcision vs. Gentile freedom—and points everyone to the one criterion that matters: obedient devotion to God’s revealed will. Paul echoes the Master • Jesus made obedience—not external labels—the hallmark of genuine discipleship. – John 14:15, 21: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments… whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me.” – John 15:10: “If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love.” • Paul picks up the same melody line: neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has covenant merit; only real, lived-out obedience counts. Jesus’ teaching on the law in focus – Jesus fulfills the Law and the Prophets, not abolishes them. – “Whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” – The greatest commandments—love God and neighbor—sum up “all the Law and the Prophets.” – Jesus condemns neglecting “the weightier matters of the Law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness.” – Empty ritual can nullify God’s Word when it replaces heartfelt obedience. Common threads between Jesus and Paul • External rites vs. internal reality – Circumcision (external) ≈ phylacteries, Sabbath minutiae: all powerless without a heart yielded to God. • Commandment-keeping defined by love – Jesus: love fulfills the law. – Paul: Galatians 5:6, “The only thing that matters is faith working through love.” • Unchanging moral core – Jesus affirms every “jot and tittle.” – Paul agrees: “Keeping God’s commandments is what counts.” Why Paul singles out circumcision 1. It was the chief badge of ethnic and covenant identity for Jews. 2. After Christ’s atoning work, salvation is no longer tied to the Mosaic sign but to faith (Romans 4:9-12). 3. By calling it “nothing,” Paul stresses that ceremonial distinctions cannot add to Christ’s finished work. Practical takeaways today • Evaluate markers we might treat like first-century circumcision—church affiliations, traditions, political labels. They’re “nothing” without obedience. • View every command of God through the lens Jesus used: does it express love for God and neighbor? Act on it. • Keep Scripture central. Weighty obedience flows from accurate, reverent reading. • Let faith work itself out in concrete actions—honesty, purity, mercy, justice—rather than settling for outward religious identity. Summary snapshot Paul’s line—“Keeping God’s commandments is what counts”—is a direct reflection of Jesus’ own emphasis: laws and rituals find true meaning only when lived out in obedient love. External status fades; heartfelt submission to God abides forever. |
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