In Genesis 17, God gives Abraham and God's people the "everlasting covenant" of circumcision. What is this covenant? Does circumcision have anything to do with Christians today? Why should we care? This lesson is packed with the heart of God, foreshadowing of Christ, and an explanation of the circumcision made available to us under the new covenant. Putting in the effort to understand circumcision, and the early church's conflict (and confusion) around it, will pay rich rewards in gaining greater insight into New Testament teaching, including the book of Acts and the letters to the Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, and Colossians.
This lesson also addresses the birth of Ishmael, and that the great promise given to Abraham was to be realized through his son Isaac, directly contradicting the claims of Islam, which looks to Ishmael for the fulfillment of the great promise.