"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love."
(Galatians 5:6)
There are fashion trends & popular hair styles that are imitated. In sports, effective tactics are copied. Movie themes seem to be recycled over and over again. The ancient phrase, "There's nothing new under the sun," echoes loudly today!
The early Christian church struggled with imitation. Did the non-Jewish (ie. Gentile) converts need to be circumcised prior to conversion? Since all the initial Christians were of Jewish background, this was a real & challenging dilemma.
The apostle Paul, himself a former Pharisee (staunch conservative Jewish leader), argues for a different question. Circumcision or not shouldn't even be a concern. "The only thing that counts is faith working through love."
Wow. There are a lot of things that people push to the front of the line concerning life axioms. This one, however, seems to outdistance them all. The only thing that counts (in our hearts, lives, in the world, etc.) is faith working through love. How much better would we be if we lived this daily?
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