¹⁰ This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.^(A)

⁸ Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.^(A) And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth.^(B) Later Isaac became the father of Jacob,^(C) and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.^(D)

¹¹ In him you were also circumcised^(A) with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh^[a](B) was put off when you were circumcised by^[b] Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism,^(C) in which you were also raised with him^(D) through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.^(E)

⁹ Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised?^(A) We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.^{(B) 10} Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! ¹¹ And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.^(C) So then, he is the father^(D) of all who believe^(E) but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.

³ For it is we who are the circumcision,^(A) we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus,^(B) and who put no confidence in the flesh—

Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ

¹¹ Therefore, remember that formerly^(A) you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)^(B)—

¹² Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh^(A) are trying to compel you to be circumcised.^(B) The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted^(C) for the cross of Christ.

³ Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.^{(A) 4} You who are trying to be justified by the law^(B) have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.^{(C) 5} For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.^{(D) 6} For in Christ Jesus^(E) neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.^(F) The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.^(G)

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free,^(A) nor is there male and female,^(B) for you are all one in Christ Jesus.^(C)