That Cross Around Your Neck

My husband teaches them young! This is
little Alana in England, sporting her Cub's hat. 

Scripture:

Rom. 2:25   Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ²⁶ So, if those who are uncircumcised keep the requirements of the law, will not their uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? ²⁷ Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the law will condemn you that have the written code and circumcision but break the law. ²⁸ For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. ²⁹ Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God.

Observation:

For the Jews, the outward sign of their faith was circumcision. The men of the community were proud that they were circumcised and that this set them apart from the “pagans” within the community. They especially reviled the Romans who ruled over them. Spiritually, they saw themselves as superior to those who did not bear this sign of being set-apart as God’s people. Paul began shattering their stereotypes and then turned the tables on them. None of this was about the external, but about what was in their hearts. It must have been shocking for them to read that a real “Jew” was one whose heart was right with God, and this was spiritual. It meant that the uncircumcised pagans could be a Jew “inwardly” without outward circumcision. Likewise, praise was not to come from those in their community, but from God. 

Application:

We often wear symbols of loyalty on our bodies. In my home it’s quite possibly a t-shirt with a #15 for Patrick Mahomes, or at other times it’s a baseball cap for the beloved Chicago Cubs. There are people who have the “love of their life” tattooed on their body — which can become a problem if or when they break up! In the first century the Christians would draw the symbol of the fish in the dirt or sand, appearing to doodle. If the person with whom they were speaking responded in kind, they knew they were a Christian, if not, it was simply a doodle. This would grow to become the “Ichthus” that we know today. 

Today many Christians choose to wear a cross around their neck. There are even some branches of Christianity that require this as a part of baptism. This is the new “outward” sign of being God’s child, but we need to remember that this can be abused just as much as circumcision. If we substituted a cross in Paul’s passage above it would challenge us a great deal. For what he is saying is that you are not a true Christian just because you wear a cross around your neck or declare that you are a Christian. No, you are only a Christian if you are one inwardly. Wearing a cross around your neck, or even carrying a Bible around doesn’t make you a Christian. True Christianity is a matter of the heart — and it is spiritual! 

As the world transitioned into the 20th century Christianity had become pervasive in America and yet, in many ways it had simply become a part of the culture. There were those who said that it was the great need of the day to “Christianize the Christianity of America” (Bresee).  In other words a Christian culture is simply not what God wants. A cross around a neck does not mean that there has been transformation. What is needed is a change of heart and this can only be accomplished in and through the work of the Spirit. 

You are not a Christian because you wear a cross around your neck, but you are a Christian if you live like Christ. The world may not always praise you, but God will.

Prayer:

Lord, I pray that my life will reflect you in my words, attitudes, and actions. Amen.