Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation (Gal 6:15).

This is where the difference comes between our faith in Christ and various religions in the world. What we have is the faith in God’s word, not Christianity, and what counts is God’s “new creation,” not circumcision, or anything, other than God’s grace, that Christians may consider as a means of salvation. Those to whom this letter was written had been saved by Paul’s preaching of the gospel, but when the teachers from the so-called “circumcision group” came and taught them about circumcision as a required means of salvation, they accepted it and departed from the grace of God. Hearing this news, Paul wrote this letter to the Galatian Christians.

For us, this “circumcision” can be anything that we may falsely put our faith in, other than what God’s word really says, like our faithfulness in attending church services, the amount of offerings we give, or the volunteer work we do for the church. Sometimes, good Christians come to me and ask this question, “I have been faithfully doing this for the church, but why are my problems still not solved? Why do I not get blessings so much?” The Bible does not promise that if you work hard, God will solve your problems and bless you more. In fact, he is glad to solve your problems and bless you even before you do anything. God’s salvation and blessings are given freely as his grace, not as your salary—in the form of “a new creation.”

The Bible teaches that the people of Israel came to exist, not by circumcision, but by God’s creation. Hence, the expressions like the following are found in the Bible:

This is what the Lord says—the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker (Isa 45:11):

I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel's Creator, your King (43:15).

God created Israel as a nation, and its people are God’s children. However, when they worshiped idols, God’s judgments came upon then: the nation was destroyed, Jerusalem was burnt, and those who survived were taken captive to Babylon. Yet, God said he would create it again! In order to understand what these passages mean, you will need to know the historical background in which they were written. If you are interested, read Jeremiah and Ezekiel. After the news of the fall of Jerusalem had reached Ezekiel, he had the following experience:

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know (Ezek 37:1-3)."

Where was this “valley” located? 　The following words are also recorded in Isaiah. God said:

Forget the former things;

Do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert,

And streams in the wasteland (Isa 43:18-19).

Just as it was prophesized, the people returned, the temple and the city were rebuilt, the covenant was renewed, and the nation of Israel was created again. In the same way, yet in a much more spiritual and universal level, a creation has occurred in each one of us who are in Christ.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

The old has gone, the new has come (2 Cor 5:17)!