The Circumcision Decision for Torah-Keepers

Here's a question I'm asked a lot: how do you feel about circumcision?

Sometimes its hard to have a straight answer.

The facts about routine infant circumcision are spot on:

1. The foreskin is the protective covering of a man's penis that acts as a barrier between it and the world. Yahuah created it and it has a purpose and function.

2. The foreskin, just like a vagina, has creases and folds that need to be washed -- not cut off, to prevent disease and infection. 

3. In routine hospital circumcision, your baby boy will be strapped down to a cold, metal surface, without any comfort, and a metal instrument will be inserted under the foreskin to cut it off.

4. There is NO medical reason for routine infant circumcision. HIV/AIDS can NOT be prevented with circumcision. Only the use of a condom/safe sexual practices/sex within marriage can do that.

5. The foreskin creates natural lubrication that makes sex pleasurable. A lot of women with fully circumcised husbands have to use alternative methods of lubrication so that sex is not PAINFUL for them. Women with intact/loosely circumcised husbands do not have this problem.

With this in mind, what do those of us who have a heart for the Father's Law do?

I was not going to take my son in to just any doctor and have them strap my newborn to a cold metal table and remove the foreskin that Yah gave him.

But we still circumcised. 

We were able to look up a Messianic Surgeon who was willing to do a Scriptural Circumcision.

Back in Abraham's time, do you think that all the Israelite men lined up outside of a hospital to have their entire foreskin removed? NO. In fact (and this is NOT, NOT, NOT what we did) he used a sharp rock.

Historically, before the Pharisees got involved,  the foreskin was just pulled up, the very tip was tied off, allowed to drain of blood, and then the tiniest sliver of skin (think hangnail sized) was cut off. 

Done. No strapping the baby down, no surgical removal of the foreskin. 

A nurse and I held my son while the "procedure" was preformed.

Unfortunately -- we didn't know at the time that you didn't have to separate the foreskin too. And that was the part that truly hurt my son...I will never, ever do that again and my heart hurts when I think about that mistake. We later realized that we could have asked for him to leave the foreskin attached and that it would have separated by itself when he reached puberty, if not before. There is NO reason to separate the foreskin.

Circumcised this way, my son still has the protective covering of his foreskin. As he gets older, I will have to teach him how to clean it. That is my responsibility as a parent.

So...what if you aren't a Torah Keeper? Honestly, I can't tell you what to do. I certainly will not tell you to go to the hospital and have them routinely circumcise your child. I also can not tell you to have a Scriptural circ either because it means nothing to you. 

That's a choice you would have to make.

Paul has a lot to say on circumcision. Galatians 5:1 - 11 is often used to preach against circumcision. 

He says that even if you are circumcised, the Messiah is no profit to you.

And you know what -- he's right. Because circumcision does not 'save' you. Think of ALL of the people in the world that are circumcised -- are their hearts circumcised as well? Do they follow the Law of the Father? Do they have a heart for Yahushua the Messiah? Most likely not!

If a man does not have to be circumcised to love the Messiah. A man does not have to be circumcised to learn Torah. He DOES have to be circumcised to be in the Covenant. 

Galatians 6:11 - 16 Paul says  For 'neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.' And he is right! You can be circumcised all you want and that doesn't make you a Believer. That does not make you a new creation. 

On that note -- please, please, do not put your baby boys through ROUTINE infant hospital circumcision.

For Believers -- locate a surgeon who is willing to keep to Scripture and only remove what is necessary  Keep that foreskin!