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Redeemer Bible Church

16205 Highway 7
Minnetonka, MN, 55345
952-935-2425
www.redeemerbiblechurch.com

“Christ Our Passover, Part Two”

July 18, 2004
By: R. W. Glenn
Exodus 11:1-13:16

Introduction
There’s a fairly famous story about the keeping of traditions that goes like this: Mom is
preparing her Easter ham. She sprinkles the meat with salt and pepper and various other
seasonings, cuts off the end of it, and places it into the roasting pan. One year her daughter,
carefully observing her mother preparing the holiday meal asks, “Mommy, why do you cut off
the end of the roast like that?” Her mother replies, “Because that’s what my mother did.”

Now since she represents the second generation of roast-cutters, this mom wants to find
out why her mother prepared the Easter ham minus the end. So one afternoon she asks, “Mom,
when we were growing up you always cut the end off your Easter ham. Why did you do that?”
And her mother replies, “Because my roasting pan was too small to accommodate the entire
ham.”

The point of this story (no doubt, among others) is to illustrate the relative ease with
which we adopt traditions without ever considering their implications, without ever considering
why we’re doing what we’re doing, or even why in some cases we’re supposed to be doing what
we’re doing. In the case of the amputated Easter ham, once the rationale was uncovered, it
became obvious that the tradition was a sham and ought to be abandoned.

Now when it comes to something like the annual preparation of a holiday dish, the
consequences for following this meaningless tradition are rather trivial: we’ll have less ham at
the dinner table. But when it comes to other traditions, traditions say, that we are obligated to
observe, the consequences for ignorance of their rationale can be of much greater moment. For
in the case of some traditions knowing the “why” is itself essential to the proper observation of
the ceremonies.

This is clearly the case for the ancient Israelites’ celebration of Passover, the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, and the consecration of the firstborn, all of which are described in Exodus
11:1-13-16.

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Turn with me first to Exodus 12:24-27a:

"And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children
forever. When you enter the land which the LORD will give you, as He has promised,
you shall observe this rite. And when your children say to you, 'What does this rite mean
to you?' you shall say, 'It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses
of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.'"

Clearly, the assumption of the children’s question of verse 26 is that they will ask their
parents, “What does this rite mean to you?” as they are celebrating. When they enter the land
that the Lord has promised to give them, the Israelites will observe this rite, and when they do,
their children will inquire (I think naturally) of its meaning.

And in verse 27, the Lord tells them what they are to say as they celebrate: You shall say,
“It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in
Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.” In this way, the explanation
should be understood not simply as additional to the ritual, but as integral to it. Therefore not to
communicate the rite’s meaning would be not to celebrate the rite in accord with the Lord’s
command.

The same is true with respect to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Look ahead to 13:5-10:

"It shall be when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite,
the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a
land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall observe this rite in this month. For
seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast
to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing
leavened shall be seen among you, nor shall any leaven be seen among you in all your
borders. You shall tell your son on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the LORD did
for me when I came out of Egypt.' And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and
as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for
with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt. Therefore, you shall keep this
ordinance at its appointed time from year to year."

Similar to the language of 12:25 regarding the Passover, in verse 5 the Lord stipulates
that the sons of Israel should observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread when they enter the
Promised Land. And part of that celebration includes their words. Read verse 8 again: You
shall tell your son on that day, saying, “It is because of what the LORD did for me when I
came out of Egypt.” Notice that the Israelites are commanded to speak to their sons on that
day; that is, the very day their feast begins.

The combination of word and symbol is especially evident in verse 9: And it shall serve
as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the
LORD may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of
Egypt. Both sign and explanation are linked if the feast is to be truly kept. The words just as
much as the rituals are part of one and the same liturgical event.

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And like the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the consecration of the
firstborn is no different. Look down to verses 11-15:

"Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to
you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, you shall devote to the LORD the first
offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males
belong to the LORD. But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb,
but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man
among your sons you shall redeem. And it shall be when your son asks you in time to
come, saying, 'What is this?' then you shall say to him, 'With a powerful hand the LORD
brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. It came about, when Pharaoh was
stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt,
both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD
the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'"

Here, occurring as it does with more regularity, the consecration and redemption of
firstborn sons described in verses 11-13 is also not to be performed—indeed, is not properly
performed—without also articulating the reason (see verses 14-15).

So the ceremonies demand explanation. More than that, in order for them to be rightly
observed the word of explanation must be given at the time and every time the signs are
performed. Failure to do so would be a failure to obey the law of the Lord, which would carry
with it negative consequences. For if the Israelites have learned anything to this point in the
Exodus narrative it’s that you cannot with impunity refuse to obey the word of Yahweh.

So for an Israelite living at the time of the Exodus and beyond, knowledge of the reason
for the ceremonies represents something that is not simply a good idea, but something that must
be carefully communicated and assimilated from generation to generation.

This, I think, is especially important for Christians. Knowing as we do that Jesus Christ
represents the fulfillment of every Old Testament ceremony, of every Old Testament reality, we
will fail to appreciate the Christian trajectory of passages like these if we fail to grasp the
theological significance of the events to our brothers and sisters living under Moses’ leadership.
So in order for us to realize the weight of Jesus’ statement in John 5 that Moses wrote about him,
we need to understand the significance of these passages to the original audience.

What Passover Means to an Israelite before Christ

Last time we were together we began our study of these ceremonies with the Passover,
paying careful attention to the instructions of 12:3-13 and 21-27. There we learned especially
from 12:27 that the significance of the Passover is found in the Lord’s sparing Israel from the
judgment of the plague of death.

Look again at 12:27: You shall say, “It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who
passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but
spared our homes.” On seeing the faithful application of the blood of the lamb to the doorposts

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and lintels, the Lord passed over the obedient for judgment. Succeeding generations of Israelites
would say to their children, “The Lord saw the blood of the lamb and kept us safe.”

But there is more to the significance of the Lord’s Passover than the Lord’s passing over
the homes with bloody entrances. Look down to 12:42 and read it with me: It [the Passover] is a
night to be observed for the LORD for having brought them out from the land of Egypt;
this night is for the LORD, to be observed by all the sons of Israel throughout their
generations.

What this means is that the Passover is not simply in commemoration of Israel’s shelter
from judgment, but of Israel’s deliverance from slavery. Passover is not only about avoiding
God’s wrath, but of experiencing his liberation from the slavery of an oppressive Egyptian
regime: It is a night to be observed for the Lord for having brought them out from the land
of Egypt. The Passover celebrates God’s work of deliverance.

Isn’t God’s Deliverance the Theme of All Three Rites?

Now with that said, you have probably thought that we could just as easily say the same
thing about the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the consecration of the firstborn. And you would
be right. These chapters are unambiguous about connecting each of the ceremonies to the theme
of God’s deliverance. For example, read 12:17: You shall also observe the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt;
therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent
ordinance.

Now jump ahead to 13:14 and note the clear identification of the ritual of consecration
and redemption with God’s deliverance of Israel: And it shall be when your son asks you in
time to come, saying, “What is this?” then you shall say to him, 'With a powerful hand the
LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

So then, since all three ceremonies are tied to the theme of deliverance, what’s so special
about the Passover in this connection? Well, the answer is that although each of the ceremonies
are closely related to the deliverance theme, the descriptions of each of the ceremonies preserve
for us particular aspects of God’s deliverance that he intended to highlight with them.

The Nations Delivered by Means of Israel’s Deliverance

In the case of the description of the Passover that resumes in 12:42, the aspect of God’s
deliverance to which the ceremony fixes our attention is rooted in the rules for the participants in
the Passover, given in verses 43-49. Let’s read it:

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover: no
foreigner is to eat of it; but every man's slave purchased with money, after you have
circumcised him, then he may eat of it. A sojourner or a hired servant shall not eat of it.

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It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring forth any of the flesh outside of
the house, nor are you to break any bone of it. All the congregation of Israel are to
celebrate this. But if a stranger sojourns with you, and celebrates the Passover to the
LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near to celebrate it; and
he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat of it. The same
law shall apply to the native as to the stranger who sojourns among you."

As you can see, the Lord appears to be addressing a variety of individuals: (1) the
foreigner (verse 43), (2) the slave (verse 44), (3) the sojourner (verse 45), (4) all the
congregation of Israel (verse 47), (5) the stranger (verses 48-49), and (6) the native; that is,
the native Israelite1 (verses 48-49).

In spite of this apparent variety we can reduce the individuals into two broad categories:
Israelites and non-Israelites, Jews and Gentiles. All Jews and the slaves that belong to their
households are to keep the Passover as directed.

Generally speaking, however, the Passover is not for Gentiles. Verse 43 says no
foreigner is to eat it. And verse 45 says that a sojourner or a hired servant shall not eat of it.

And yet, as we move to verses 48-49, we read that there are circumstances under which
Gentiles may participate in Passover. If temporary residents (sojourners/strangers—they mean
the same thing2) and temporarily hired laborers (hired servants) would like to establish residency
among the Israelites, then they may keep the Passover with their Jewish counterparts: The same
law shall apply to the native as to the stranger who sojourns among you.

Now we need to ask a very important question; for our answer will uncover for us what
particular feature of God’s deliverance that the Passover is meant to commemorate. Here it is:
Why does the Lord spend all this time talking about how future Gentiles should or shouldn’t
participate in the Passover? In other words, what does this have to do with God’s deliverance of
Israel?

The answer is found in the actual events surrounding Israel’s departure. Look especially
at verse 38. Look at it with me: A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks
and herds, a very large number of livestock. On Passover night it was not only Jews who
were delivered from Egypt, but it was a mixed multitude as well. That is, the refugees from
Egypt included foreigners; they included Gentiles.

So in order to commemorate that a mixed multitude was rescued along with Israel, God
instituted the Passover celebration, specifying that everyone was welcome to participate.

But more than that, there is a deeper theological lesson that is screaming to be let loose;
namely, that the nations are delivered by means of Israel’s deliverance. The Lord delivered
Israel that night and at the same time a mixed multitude was included to enjoy the splash-off of
God’s shower of blessing upon Israel.

1
Coming from the root Hebrew word meaning “Israelite”.
2
Coming from two Hebrew words with the same root.

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Circumcision and Deliverance

Now this truth—that the nations are delivered by means of Israel’s deliverance—has a
very natural application for future Gentiles who would want to know the blessings of Israel’s past
deliverance: circumcision for Passover.

Look again at verse 44. The Lord says that every man’s slave purchased with money,
after you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it. The privately owned slave, once
circumcised is treated as a family member and may partake of the Lord’s Passover.3

Now drop down to verse 48: But if a stranger sojourns with you, and celebrates the
Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near to
celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat
of it. The Lord is straightforward: only if a person is circumcised may he participate. No
uncircumcised person may eat of the Passover meal—period.

Now if you’ll recall, just a moment ago I said that the Gentiles’ circumcision for Passover
is a natural application of the truth that the nations are delivered by means of Israel’s deliverance.
I’m sure you’re wondering how I made that connection. How is it that I believe I am justified in
saying that the necessity of circumcision for Passover naturally flows from the doctrine that the
nations are delivered by means of Israel’s deliverance?

Well, I’m basing my assertion on the unassailable fact that the deliverance signified by
the Passover represents the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise to Abraham. You’ll see in a
moment how this makes circumcision such a natural and necessary application for the Gentiles.

The Passover Fulfills God’s Promise to Abraham

Turn with me in your Bibles to Genesis 12:1-3:

Now the LORD said to Abram,

"Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father's house,
To the land which I will show you;

And I will make you a great nation,

And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;

And I will bless those who bless you,

And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

3
See Gen 17:12-13.

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Do you see what the Lord says in verse 3? There it is! And in you all the families of the
earth will be blessed. God promises that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed;
it is not simply his own descendants, but all the families of the earth who according to God’s
promise would experience this blessing.

So in the deliverance of a mixed multitude we have yet another aspect of God’s promise
to Abraham coming to fruition in the events recorded in the book of Exodus. I say “yet another
aspect of God’s promise to Abraham” because so far in Exodus we have witnessed many aspects
of that promise coming to pass.

We have witnessed the miraculous transformation of seventy Israelites into a teeming

swarm, numbering in excess of two million people. This God promised Abraham4 in Genesis
17:2 & 6.

We have witnessed God’s people, Abraham’s natural descendants, strangers in the land of
Egypt, enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. This God promised Abraham in Genesis
15:13.

We have witnessed the Lord judging the nation of Egypt through ten catastrophic plagues.
This God promised Abraham in Genesis 15:14.

And we have witnessed Israel come out from servitude with many possessions in 12:35-
36. This God promised Abraham in Genesis 15:14.

All of these are features of God’s original promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3; and all
of the ones we’ve cited here find their fulfillment in the events of the Exodus, including the
deliverance of a mixed multitude, which God promised Abraham in Genesis 12:3: In you all
the families of the earth will be blessed.

Still, perhaps you have not yet made the circumcision connection. Well, you’re still in
Genesis; look ahead to Genesis 17:3-10:

Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
"As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
"No longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
"I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings
will come forth from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your
descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be
God to you and to your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants
after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting
possession; and I will be their God."

4
For the purposes of this message, I will refer to Abraham by the name the Lord gives him in Gen 17:5 even
when referring to earlier passages in Genesis.

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God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant,
you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant,
which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male
among you shall be circumcised."

The covenant that the Lord makes with Abraham is that Abraham would become a great
nation and that all the families of the earth would be blessed in him. And God seals this
covenant promise with the rite of circumcision. Therefore, if you wish to enjoy the blessings of
the Abrahamic covenant, you must be circumcised.

In fact, according to Genesis 17:14 it doesn’t even matter if you’re one of Abraham’s
relatives if you haven’t also been circumcised. Look at it: But an uncircumcised male who is
not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he
has broken My covenant. The failure to be circumcised makes one a covenant breaker. This is
why God nearly puts Moses to death in Exodus 4:24. Unless you’re circumcised, none of the
covenant promises are yours regardless of your genealogy.

Now do you see why I say that circumcision for Passover is a very natural application of
the truth that the nations are delivered by means of Israel’s deliverance? Let me make it as clear
as I can.

1. The deliverance of the nations by means of Israel was promised by God to Abraham.

2. The promise that the nations would be delivered by means of Israel belongs only to
the circumcised.

3. The Passover represents the fulfillment of the promise to the circumcised that the
nations would be delivered by means of Israel.

4. Therefore circumcision is necessary to celebrate Passover.

A contemporary Jewish exegete sums it up this way: “Being the physical token of God’s
covenant and a symbol of consecration and commitment to a life lived in the consciousness of
that covenant, [circumcision] is the indispensable prerequisite for those who participate in the
paschal offering.”5

So there you have it. Passover is meant to commemorate the promised deliverance of
Israel, and through Israel, the deliverance of the Gentiles. And in order to participate in that
promised deliverance, it is necessary to become an heir to the promise through circumcision.

Having said that, I find it difficult to absorb the theology of this component of the
Passover without thinking of the ministry and teaching of the Apostle Peter and especially of the
Apostle Paul; for as the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul labored to explain to his brethren and his
more strident theological opponents the significance of God’s deliverance of his people Israel
from their sins as well as God’s deliverance of the Gentiles from theirs.
5
Nahum M Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary: Exodus (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1991),
63.

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What Passover Means

Turn with me in your Bibles to Romans 15:8-12:

For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the
truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify
God for His mercy; as it is written,
"THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES,
AND I WILL SING TO YOUR NAME."
Again he says,
"REJOICE, O GENTILES, WITH HIS PEOPLE."
And again,
"PRAISE THE LORD ALL YOU GENTILES,
AND LET ALL THE PEOPLES PRAISE HIM."
Again Isaiah says,
"THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE,
AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES,
IN HIM SHALL THE GENTILES HOPE."

Now that we have unearthed the theology of the Passover it is hard to miss how it
anticipates Romans 15. Through his saving work, Jesus Christ has become a servant of the
circumcision to confirm the promises given to the fathers (like Abraham) and simultaneously to
serve the Gentiles to glorify God for his mercy.

And this teaching Paul sees confirmed in the entire Hebrew Bible. It is in the Law (verse
10 is a quotation of Deuteronomy 32:43). It is in the prophets (verse 12 is a citation from Isaiah
11:10). And it is in the psalms (verses 9 and 11 quote from Psalm 18:49 and 117:1 respectively).
All of the recognized divisions of the Old Testament are represented, indicating the
comprehensiveness of the teaching that the nations are delivered by means of Israel’s
deliverance. Salvation is to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

And yet I still wonder if Christ being our Passover lamb still means that on the basis of a
passage like Exodus 11:1-13:16 “circumcision is the indispensable prerequisite” to participate in
what his death has affected? Well, my first inclination is to respond with a resounding “no.” I
do not become an heir to God’s promised deliverance through circumcision. I’m sure you would
agree.

Nevertheless, I’m afraid that we all too easily faith to appreciate the sheer weight of the
impact of saying no to circumcision. In order to do this, allow me to invite you to engage your
imagination. Let’s say that you are a Jewish person who has grown up hearing that the Lord
delivers the nations through Israel’s deliverance.

Now let’s take it a step further and say that you have also come to believe in Jesus under
the ministry of Peter on the Day of Pentecost. You have believed and have been baptized. You
have continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine, the breaking of bread, the fellowship, and the
prayers.

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And then you hear the teaching of a new apostle, Saul of Tarsus, who now calls himself
Paul. And he says something that is so outrageous that you can hardly contain your indignation.
He says, “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit
to you” (Galatians 5:2).

“What do you mean?! Impossible! Salvation is from the Jews. Matthew has said that
Jesus’ lineage can be traced to Abraham himself. No, Paul, the truth is that if you don’t receive
circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.”

Now brethren, I want pause to help you understand that this is how most Jewish
Christians thought about the Gentiles’ relationship to God’s salvation in Jesus.

When the Gentiles in Acts 10 respond with faith to the message of the gospel and
experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Bible says that “all the circumcised believers who
came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the
Gentiles also” (Acts 10:45). Why were they amazed? They were amazed because it was baffling
to think that without entering the covenant community, and without keeping the Mosaic Law,
Gentiles could participate in God’s promised salvation.

And in Acts 11, when it is reported that Peter returned to Jerusalem to inform the apostles
and the brethren that the Gentiles had received the word of God, many Jewish Christians took
issue with Peter on the basis of Peter’s having eaten with Gentiles. But after Peter explains what
had happened, the Bible says that “when they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God,
saying, ‘Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life’” (Acts
11:18). Can you feel the tone of resignation? the tone of surprise? “Wow, the Gentiles are saved
as Gentiles! Remarkable!”

This explains how it is possible in Acts 15 after certain men suggest that circumcision is a
necessary prerequisite for the Gentiles’ salvation that the apostles and the elders would come
together to look into the matter (Acts 15:6). To look into the matter?! What?!

Not only that but Acts 15:7 says that there was “much debate” amongst the apostles and
elders about the question of whether or not Gentiles should be ordered to be circumcised. Much
debate?! What is there to debate? How long would one need to look into the matter? Isn’t the
answer obvious?

Perhaps not; for in order for there to have been a desire to look into the matter, in order
for there to have been much debate on the subject, to their minds there had to have been some
degree of legitimacy to the claim that circumcision was necessary for Gentiles to observe in order
to participate in God’s salvation in Christ. If it was an absolutely ridiculous claim, they would
have rejected it out of hand—but they didn’t. They carefully considered the matter and it aroused
a great debate.

All this is to say that if you were a Jewish Christian living at the time of the nascent
church, the issue would not have been as clear-cut as you might have suspected. And the reason
for this is owing to the central place of circumcision in the life of Israel. Without it I do not

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belong to the covenant people, and if I don’t belong to the covenant people, then none of the
covenant promises are mine, and if none of the covenant promises are mine, then Christ isn’t
mine. Do you see the logic?

So when Paul takes the finished work of Christ and reasons from it that the new era in
redemption history that he affected means that circumcision has become obsolete, that faith is all
that is necessary to receive the promises of God, he is saying something very radical.

And yet, from the perspective of his Gentile contemporaries, it meant liberation beyond
their wildest dreams cf. Acts 13:46-48:

Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of
God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of
eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us,
'(3) I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES,
THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.'"
When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of
the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

So then, only after much wrangling in the history of the church are we able to say with
such decisiveness that circumcision is not the indispensable prerequisite for those who
participate in the paschal offering.

Now we’re ready to appreciate the power of Paul’s theology, especially his message to
the Romans in Romans 4:1-5, 9-25:

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has
found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not
before God. For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT
WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." Now to the one who works, his
wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but
believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.
Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we
say, "FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." How then
was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised,
but while uncircumcised; and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the
righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the
father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited
to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but
who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while
uncircumcised.
For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the
world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who
are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; for the Law
brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.
For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so
that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of
the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (as
it is written, "A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU") in the

Exodus 11:1-13:16: Christ Our Passover, Part Two © 2004 by R W Glenn

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presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into
being that which does not exist. In hope against hope he believed, so that he might
become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, "SO SHALL
YOUR DESCENDANTS BE." Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his
own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the
deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in
unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what
God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED
TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Now not for his sake only was it written that it was
credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe
in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered over because of
our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

So in order to enjoy the deliverance that promised to Abraham—we need not be

circumcised; for

...you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were
baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are
all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's
descendants, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:26-29).

So let us sing…Father Abraham…Amen.

Exodus 11:1-13:16: Christ Our Passover, Part Two © 2004 by R W Glenn