Do not lose heart, for at the proper time you will reap if you do not give up.

 

Do not lose heart, for at the proper time you will reap if you do not give up.

 

Galatians 6:9-12 "Let us not lose heart in doing good (kalon), for at the proper time you will reap if you do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good (agadon) to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of faith. Look at what I have written to you in such large letters with my own hand: that all who want to make a show of the flesh force you to be circumcised, so that they may escape persecution (thiokontai) because of the cross of Christ."

Kalon (καλὸν) means a worthwhile work. Worthwhile work would be going to the Ho Logos, where the saint is present in the heart, entering the Most Holy Place to offer prayers of presence (contemplative prayer), and receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Twenty-five years passed until God declared Abraham righteous. Upon receiving God's call and His command to leave his hometown and his relatives' house, he took his relative Lot with him; he considered Eliezer to be his heir; and since Sarah was unable to conceive, he fathered Ishmael through Hagar. Furthermore, when he was 99 years old, he believed without doubt the voice of God that he would have a child from Sarah the following year, and from that, God declared him righteous.

Saints, too, must not react to circumstances but must look to the presence of the Logos in their hearts. Then, the time will surely come and God's grace will be bestowed.

Agathon (ἀγαθὸν) means to benefit others. In Korean translation, both are rendered as "good deeds." Agathos means helping someone become a person of faith. This is because even a family of faith can have their faith shaken if they are not born again.

The meaning of the large letters was expressed as being of great importance. Making the appearance of the flesh signifies circumcision. At that time, although Christians believed in Jesus, many held negative views regarding the resurrection. Therefore, they instead came to pursue circumcision even more.

Theokontai means not persecution, but pursuit. It means receiving circumcision and pursuing it as the work of Jesus Christ's cross. Without the meaning of being united with Christ, circumcision or baptism is nothing more than a formal ritual.

What about baptism today? Those who consider baptism merely a sign of salvation are no different from those who undergo circumcision. The meaning of circumcision is a ritual of awaiting Christ, the promise of the seed. Baptism is a ritual in which I die with Jesus on the cross, resurrect with Jesus, and the Logos, the Word, enters into the spirit within the flesh. One who believes this is born again, and this leads to the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 6:13 "Even those who are circumcised do not keep the law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh."

Circumcision is one of the ordinances of the law, but they think of being circumcised as a means of salvation, so they do not keep the law and boast that they are saved. They do not even know the essence of circumcision.

Churchgoers generally think of circumcision as a mark placed on the flesh by God to show that the people of Israel are a holy people, His chosen people. This cannot be a complete explanation.

However, through circumcision, we must reflect on the gospel within the law and what Jesus Christ did for humanity. Why did God say that those who are not circumcised will be cut off from His people?

In Genesis 17:1-14, it states, "God made a covenant with Abram. He will become exceedingly fruitful, so keep the covenant." Since God promised to do so, Abram had nothing to do. He was simply instructed that his descendants be circumcised from generation to generation. This is the eternal covenant. God's covenant is only one. The eternal covenant is mentioned again in Genesis 17:19.

He made the same eternal covenant with Abraham and Isaac. As for what kind of covenant it is, Genesis 26:2-4 mentions the promise of offspring, the seed. This promise was not made only to Isaac; He had also made a promise to Abraham on Mount Moriah. However, regarding the promise of the seed, we must remember that in Genesis 3:15, immediately after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God made a promise concerning the seed, the descendant of the woman.

God commanded Abraham to be circumcised, and within that ritual lies the covenant concerning God's seed. Ultimately, the eternal covenant is, "Through your seed all nations under heaven will be saved." The promise of the seed is contained within the ritual of circumcision.

In Genesis 17:13, God said, "My covenant is in your flesh." The genitals produce seed. By placing the promise in that flesh—the genitals—and performing circumcision, the Israelites used it as a token to say, "I believe in God's promise." It is believing that they will be saved in the future through the seed. The Apostle Paul stated that the seed of that promise is none other than Jesus Christ.

Circumcision is a confession and a sign of God’s promise of the seed, namely, "I believe that you will be saved in the future through Jesus Christ." The premise of God’s statement, "You shall be my people, and I shall be your God," is that you are not yet my people.

Circumcision signifies believing that one will receive salvation through the promise of the seed given by God in Christ; however, not being circumcised means not believing in God's promise and not being in Christ, and as a result, one is cut off from the people and cannot receive God's salvation.