Commentaries:
Two parties are necessary to circumcise the foreskin of our heart. In Deuteronomy 10:16, God tells us to "circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer." Here, He commands us to do the circumcising. Compare this to Deuteronomy 30:6, where God says He will perform the circumcision: "And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart." These two passages do not contradict. God cannot create perfect, righteous character—that is the character of the new man—unilaterally. We build that character as we labor with God, cooperatively working with him over, generally, an extended period of time. That is what the Latinate word collaborate means, to "labor with."
Charles Whitaker
Choosing the New Man (Part Two)
This is a command, an exhortation, and an admonition. It puts the responsibility for yielding on us. We are the ones that have to to submit. Circumcision, in this context, is something we must do.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Covenants, Grace and Law (Part 7)
Related Topics:
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Genesis 17:10
Numbers 23:10
Deuteronomy 10:16
Galatians 6:12-16
Ephesians 2:10-18
Colossians 3:9-11
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