“Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to keep the entire law. You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.” (Galatians 5:3–4, HCSB)

It doesn’t require much imagination to see the resistance grown men might have to circumcision upon following the Messiah. In fact, circumcision was so divisive that it led to the Jerusalem Council, a meeting of all the leaders of the church in Jerusalem to decide the matter. This is recounted in Acts 15.

The Jerusalem Council

Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved!” But after Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, the church arranged for Paul and Barnabas and some others of them to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem concerning this controversy. When they had been sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, explaining in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they created great joy among all the brothers. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some of the believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses!” 

— Acts 15:1–5

Before we finish the story of the council meeting, I’d like to highlight that in the passage above, we see the law being used to create a stumbling block for new believers. The very nature of the good news is that it is a decision made willingly. If it came with forced circumcision after conversion (unlike at day six for all the Jewish babies), new believers would have to have the procedure performed on them regardless of age. Had the Jerusalem council gone the other way, I wonder if the Way would have grown anywhere near as fast, or as wide. Okay, back to the council. 

The Apostle Peter stands and makes his opinion clear to the assembled council. 

Then the apostles and the elders assembled to consider this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them: “Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them by giving the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.” 

— Acts 15:6–11

Peter displays a warning of the law we should not rush past. A yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors, nor we have been able to bear. A terrible yoke, with a 0% success rate. There is an alternative yoke available to us, that is Jesus yoke. We’ll get to that in coming chapters. Meanwhile, back in the council chambers:

“Then the whole assembly fell silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describing all the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they stopped speaking, James responded: “Brothers, listen to me! Simeon has reported how God first intervened to take from the Gentiles a people for His name. And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written: After these things I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again, so the rest of humanity may seek the Lord— even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, declares the Lord who does these things, known from long ago. Therefore, in my judgment, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God, but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood. For since ancient times, Moses has had those who proclaim him in every city, and every Sabbath day he is read aloud in the synagogues.”

— Acts 15:12–21

We heard first from Peter, the the head of the church, then Paul and Barnabas. The timing for the Jerusalem council is generally accepted to be AD 49-50, which is also the timing of the writing of the book of Galatians, where this same topic is addressed. Once the two missionaries finish, the Apostle James weighs in with his perspective. He further defines the worry in his epistle.

“For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all.” (James 2:10, HCSB)

If you choose to put yourself under the law, you are then under the entirety of the law, and therefore, if you choose to place yourself under the law, you are rejecting grace. The law is not grace. You cannot be under both the law and under grace, they are mutually exclusive. 

“Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to keep the entire law. You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.” (Galatians 5:3–4, HCSB)

And finally. 

“Now we know that whatever the law says speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment. For no one will be justified in His sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.” (Romans 3:19–20, HCSB)

Further reading.

With the preceding interpretation in mind, read Romans 7. 

Romans 7.1-6

“Since I am speaking to those who understand law, brothers, are you unaware that the law has authority over someone as long as he lives? For example, a married woman is legally bound to her husband while he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law regarding the husband. So then, if she gives herself to another man while her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law. Then, if she gives herself to another man, she is not an adulteress. Therefore, my brothers, you also were put to death in relation to the law through the crucified body of the Messiah, so that you may belong to another—to Him who was raised from the dead—that we may bear fruit for God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions operated through the law in every part of us and bore fruit for death. But now we have been released from the law, since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old letter of the law.” (Romans 7:1–6, HCSB)

And for a deeper look, read the book of Galatians. The thrust of the book is the New Life and freedom from the law. 

“To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law —to win those under the law. To those who are without that law, like one without the law—not being without God’s law but within Christ’s law—to win those without the law.” (1 Corinthians 9:20–21, HCSB)

 It isn’t merely the physical act of circumcision that places one under the law, it is in choosing to be under the law, and Paul states clearly here that willingly placing yourself under the ANY part of the law puts you under ALL of the law.  Why is that bad? Because the law requires judgment.