He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.
—Romans 4:11
Paul makes a point in Romans 4 that must have stopped his Jewish readers in their tracks. They prized circumcision as the great mark of belonging to God. So, Paul asks a simple question of the timeline: when exactly was Abraham declared righteous, before or after he was circumcised?
The answer is going to surprise you. Abraham believed God and was counted righteous long before he was ever circumcised. In fact, he wasn’t circumcised until years later, when he was around ninety-nine years old, well after God had already declared him righteous by faith.
Do you see Paul’s point? Abraham was not justified because he performed a religious rite. The righteousness came first, by faith. The circumcision came afterward as a sign and a seal of a faith that was already there. The rite didn’t produce the righteousness; it pointed to it.
This matters enormously, because the human heart is forever trying to turn signs into saviors. We love something we can do, something we can point to, some ceremony or step we can check off and feel secure. But Abraham’s circumcision, as significant as it was, was a sign of his faith, it was not his faith.
We have signs and seals in the Christian faith too. There are two great ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These are precious, and every believer should observe them. But hear me clearly, they do not save you. You are not saved by being baptized. You are not saved by taking communion. You are not saved by walking an aisle, joining a church, or being confirmed. These are the signs that point to a faith already given; they are not the source of it.
I’ve met many people who are resting on a ceremony. “I was baptized as a baby.” “I took my first communion.” “I joined the church.” And while those things may be good, they cannot do what only Christ can do. A wedding ring is a beautiful sign of a marriage, but slipping on a ring never made anyone married. The ring points to a covenant; it doesn’t create one.
So, let me ask you gently: are you trusting in a sign, or in the Savior the sign points to? Are you leaning on something you did in a building, or on what Christ did on a cross?
Abraham’s order is the gospel’s order, faith first, then the sign that marks it. Don’t put your confidence in the seal. Put your faith in the One it was always meant to point you toward. Believe God, as Abraham did, and let every sign in your life simply confirm a salvation you already possess.
A SIGN POINTS TO FAITH, IT CANNOT PRODUCE IT. DON’T TRUST THE CEREMONY; TRUST THE SAVIOR.
