What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? (Romans 3:1)
Many people misread the Bible because they take each verse as a doctrinal statement instead of reading it with contextual questions. There are 5 questions you need to ask when reading a Scripture.
· WHO are the people being talked to?
· WHERE are we talking about?
· WHY is he saying what he is saying?
· WHAT time period are we referring to?
· WHEN was it written?
The above questions are vital to understanding the context of any verse of Scripture. It’s important to know to whom and when the verse was written because God dealt with humanity differently before the law, during the law, and after redemption and salvation were made available through Jesus.
Paul often debated about the law with Jewish Christians because, although they confessed Jesus as Lord, their entire lives before Jesus were spent studying and understanding the law. So, after they became Christians, they still wanted to act as Orthodox Jews and they wanted to hold everyone, Jew, or Gentile, to the same standard. Some Christians today still hold to following Jewish law. But Paul wrote that under the New Covenant, the law and its rituals, including circumcision, no longer held the same significance as they did under the Old. He emphasized the Jews were the chosen by God as a covenant people, and that is a great honor, but salvation is not based on circumcision or any other ritual, but only on faith in Christ.
Practical Application
Faith in Jesus is the most important aspect of the Christian life. It's not about what rituals you follow, how you grew up, what ethnicity you claim or how much schooling you have. Understanding this, remember to daily declare your faith in Christ and lead others to do the same.