has become visible lowliness. His loftiness is not measured by days, his weakness
SERMON 196 A
Date: after 4201
By Christ's justification we are circumcised in the heart
1. Dearest brothers and sisters, the invisible loftiness of our Lord Jesus Christ has become visible lowliness. His loftiness is not measured by days, his weakness has undertaken to have its day. Where there's lowliness, there's also weakness. But God's weakness is strength for the lowly. From his exalted loftiness he made the world, by his lowly humility he conquered the world. Unless Christ had agreed to be humble, there would be no signing of the faithful today with the sign of Christ.2 You heard what the apostle said about him, that since he was true God, he did not think it robbery to be equal to God. How could it be robbery, when it was his nature? But what did he do? He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant (Phil 2:6-7). And that is what we are celebrating today.
Many people have despised the humble Christ and have not attained to the exaltation of Christ. Those, however, who have worshipped him in his humility have found him in his sublimity. So on the eighth day the Lord was circumcised as that custom was, and the sacrifice Moses had laid down was offered for him.3 Jews hear about this, and say, "Christ was one of ours." Well, if you acknowl¬ edge him as one of yours, why did you kill him? A superb arrangement, my dearest brothers and sisters! He is going to do away with circumcision, he received circumcision. He received the shadow, he is going to give the light; he received the figure, he is going to fulfill the truth. You see, this very circumci¬ sion, which was so instituted that the tiny infant should be circumcised on the eighth day,4 signified Christ.
But you'll say to me, "How are we circumcised in the heart by the resurrec¬ tion of Christ?"5 So what he was going to do in the heart was being prefigured in the body. You see, the apostle Paul says about the Lord Christ that he was handed over for our transgressions, and rose again for our justification (Rom 4.25). Circumcision is justification. What is circumcision? Laying aside the likings of the flesh, being circumcised from the world, serving God and having truth in the heart. What, after all, is added to a person who has had a little piece of sltin removed from his flesh? But it's a sign. It's a sign, where the truth is in Christ.6 How is it in Christ? I have already said. It's by his justification that we are justified. So by his justification we are circumcised in the heart.