Yes. The purpose of physical circumcision is as an outward sign of the law of Moses. But that law was only a temporary thing until grace came.
You've sidestepped what I wrote. Your response here is entirely non-sequitur. Look at the way Paul uses the words, and how that relates to their circumcision status. Set aside for the moment whether or not they or us were/are living sinless or not, we're just looking at words and how they are used in the Bible.
They were and were not physically circumcised, however, they are reckoned circumcised or not in a way that does not reflect the state of their flesh body, or their rite.
You've argued that "imputation" is the same as "attribution", and that when faith was counted as righteousness, this means that God recognized the righteousness in Abraham that he had in believing God. Do I understand you correctly?
However, in this passage, they are imputed circumcision, though being uncircumcised, and others imputed uncircumcision, though being circumcised.
There are a number of other places where this is shown, I chose this one as I think it's fairly clear.
Another is when we read, "blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin", though we know that "all men sin", that "all have fallen short", there is no man aside from Jesus who is not guilty of sin, and yet, "blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin".
Our reckoning doesn't mean we free ourselves from sin. It means we don't indulge in what we know to be sin. But only the cross of Christ has the power to mortify the flesh and free the inner man to walk as Jesus walked.
Yes, that is correct, we do not free ourselves from sin. That is addressed in other parts of this passage.
It's easier to show when looking at more of the passage,
Romans 6:3-13 KJV
3) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ
were baptized into his death? (immersed into His death)
4) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6)
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7)
For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8) Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9) Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10) For
in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11)
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Being baptized into Jesus' death, we share in His death, and it is our death. The "body of sin" is rendered powerless, that we "should not" serve sin.
God declares plainly, in this context that we have died with Christ when He died, that "he that is dead is freed from sin". This part is literally written, "the one dead is justified away from sin".
And God tells that in the very same way that Jesus is dead to sin and alive to God, that is, having died, and been raised again, we are to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God.
And He goes on, "therefore, don't let sin rule in your mortal body", He is admonishing us to make the right choice, don't let sin rule in your body.
God tells us to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God. This is not,
Our reckoning doesn't mean we free ourselves from sin. It means we don't indulge in what we know to be sin.
This is not an admonition to "don't indulge", that's in the next verse. This reckoning, this is God telling us to think rightly about ourselves, that having died in Christ, and been freed from sin, to now think of ourselves that way, and then comes the admonition, now that you are thinking of yourself as free from sin, now, don't let sin rule in your "mortal body", which is our flesh.
Why are we told to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God? Sight tells us we are not, faith is that we are. We walk by faith and not by sight. If you don't believe you are free from sin you will follow along in the same footsteps you always have, because that's how the mind works. We have to be renewed to the new mind.
We mature in Christ, and this new mind becomes more and more in control, as we are trained being His disciples.
It feels like sin has power, because that's the way our brains, our minds were formed. It's what we became used to in the flesh. In Christ, we are reborn new and righteous spirit children of God who live in these corrupted flesh bodies. The fleshy mind still has it's fleshy circuits, and if we let it, it will still run the show.
But God has freed us in Christ, and now trains us, as children if necessary, to run things His way.
I think maybe put actually more emphasis on "reckon", and remember, God is NOT asking us to lie to ourselves!
Much love!
