Author: Wick

The heart of someone whom God has worked on, has circumcised, is and acts differently than before. But it is not God who, without permission, reaches down and circumcises without permission. It is our created state, our freedom from love, that allows us to regularly offer our hearts, motivations, and lives up to the God who offers to transform our sacrifices in His perfecting Love.

Wesley is also quick to include that this is not merely something than can happen, and one can boast. It is evidenced by the fruits of the Spirit in a persons life. That Spirit which is the source of all such transformation. That yes, we are called to “agonize first to enter in at the strait gate”, but it is not from our efforts this happens.

Wesley uses the scripture mentioned to remind the people that God has not called us solely to some non-physical “circumcision of the soul” where it’s all taking place in a ethereal spiritual realm, and we can only speak of it vaguely. He preaches right from the Gospel, which says “circumcision of the heart”. It is a very real sacrifice God is calling His followers to make in response to salvation offered in Christ.

In those days, it would probably seem like you are following “the law” simply because God has elected you as one who will. In the book of Romans, it was the religious leaders of the time who felt that God’s work was evidenced in the strict following of the law. John Wesley preaches these words to both misunderstandings using scripture and reminds people of his time and beyond that the law has been fulfilled by Christ. As God works on our hearts that we have offered to Him, we are made more and more into the image of Christ. So that “the mind in us which was also in Christ Jesus…and whether we eat, or drink, or whatever we do, we do all for the glory of God.”

In 1733, John Wesley would have been about 20 years old. He was just finishing up his studies at Oxford University, and yet already involved in the ministries and evangelism. Before his days, it was widely discussed that humanity played either the main role or no role in salvation. More recently, John Calvin had expanded on earlier theologians’ work to state that humanity played absolutely no role as salvation is concerned. It seems almost specifically to that belief that he preaches his sermon “The Circumcision of the Heart”.

He begins his message with a quote from Romans 2:29, that “circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit and not in the letter.” Wesley doesn’t waste much time before revealing what he is speaking of here: Holiness. His second point would have been something they were familiar with: God’s work in our lives “implies humility”. It is something being worked in us. Calvinists of those days would have connected with his words here, and he discusses further how unable we are on our own to do anything but “add sin to sin”.

But what could be easily missed in that same sentence, he expands on further later on. That along with humility to allow God to do His work, comes faith, hope and charity. That Wesley connects these things as part of the experience of salvation, would have been hard to swallow for many who had already accepted that their heart has nothing to do with the work God is doing in and through them.

But these three things cannot be overlooked, Wesley believes. It is the process of God to bring His love to perfection in our lives, and we are very much involved. We respond, both to God and to His creation, and are given faith through God’s grace.

I remember one Sunday morning, we were loaded into the car. My older brother was driving, I was on the passenger side, and our 3 younger sibs all in the back seat. We were all dressed up either from or for church that day. Driving on a good sized highway, 2 lanes going the same direction.

We saw a truck crossing the highway, who stopped between the opposing sides at a stop sign like you would expect. Didn’t think much of it really. Until, we we approached that intersection, when it was too late to stop (again, we were on a highway), for some reason he pulled right out in front of us. My brother swerved to try and avoid/soften the impact, but there wasn’t anything he could have done….we smashed into the truck, and in an instant many things happened. Everything went blank.

Seconds later, we were collecting ourselves. Obviously our main concern were our three youngest siblings in the back seat. Through the smoke, and the smell of the airbags, we turned to see 3 uninjured, but clearly shaken, younger family members. Not having been in an accident before, but seeing them in movies – we knew the car was about to explode. 🙂 So we hurried to get everyone out, and by that time were instructed by the local neighbors to sit on the grass nearby. A bloody nose on our driver seemed the worst of the injuries. Whew. Brush some dust off my shirt. That’s when I noticed it.

My pointer finger was bending in a different direction than all the other fingers. Midway up, where the big knuckle usually allows it to bend forward, it was branching out sideways. I felt no pain, so I was kinda amused by the fact that I could still bend it, even with the odd direction. Then the adrenaline faded, and pain hit like no other. Oh man, the pain of a day filled with straightening one simple finger. I was on meds for Epilepsy at the time, and they didn’t know what medication would cause a seizure, so pain medication was off limits for now. I get a shiver just remembering.

I’m thankful the extent of our injuries were very minor compared to what could have happened. I know that not everyone makes it out of something like that unscathed. As we continue towards Easter, I remember that I am fragile. My body is made up of blood and bones. I look forward to the physical bodies that are brought to live by Christ in the new creation…