Circumcision in the Bible: What Christian Parents Should Know

More and more parents are opting not to circumcise their sons. More and more doctors are refusing to perform the surgery. The American Academy of Pediatrics has firmly stated that routine infant circumcision is medically unnecessary. Many insurance companies refuse to pay for circumcision on otherwise healthy baby boys. They note in those cases, circumcision is purely a cosmetic surgery. This may leave the Christian parent wondering what the Biblical perspective on circumcision is. Many people assume that because Jesus Christ was circumcised that indicates Christians should circumcise their sons. However, there is more to be considered than just that. Christians should prayerfully look toward the Scriptures to help them decide what they should do.

Foremost, Christians must remember that we are not bound by the Old Testament Laws. If that were the case, we would be offering up birds and sheep to sacrifice at an altar, we would be forcing rapists to marry their victims, and we would be denying those who were blind, lame, or having a flat nose from approaching the altar of God. Would Christians even consider following those Old Testament laws? Of course not, we respond to non-believers who question that by saying that Jesus was sent to change the law and offer us a new covenant with God.

Further, the circumcision of Jesus' time was quite different than the circumcision of today. Circumcision was merely a cutting of the tip of the extra tissue at the end of the foreskin, not the complete amputation of the entire foreskin. Most of the foreskin was retained, protecting the glans of the penis. As Christian churches developed, the practice of infant circumcision was abandoned by Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches. The Ecumenical Council of Florence even condemned the practice in the winter of 1442.