Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people but from God.

The uniform a person wears, whether it be a policeman, soldier, nurse, or firefighter, serves a functional purpose, but it also communicates something about the inner part of that person. The uniform communicates a certain level of training, intelligence, and discipline, as well as the qualities of bravery and courage. But what about someone who steals a uniform and wears it? There is an act called stolen valor, where a person wears a soldier's uniform even though they are not a soldier. These fakers gain a sense of importance and borrowed respect that they have never earned. The outside does not accurately express the true inside. The soldier's uniform should mean that a person enlisted, was trained, served, and holds certain knowledge or experience, yet one who falsely wears the uniform is a fraud who has none of this experience or training. These people are often found out and seen as frauds because they do not wear the uniform correctly and are not able to answer basic questions that a true soldier would know. The counterfeit version simply cannot stand up to the real thing.

Paul speaks of something similar: the danger of relying on symbolic acts as a cause or proof of something internal. He speaks of the danger of thinking change and transformation happen from the outside in instead of inside out. The Pharisees of the day saw the symbolic act of circumcision, a physical outward expression, as evidence and proof of right standing and favor with God. Many rabbis even taught that Abraham sat at the entrance of hell and made certain that none of his circumcised descendants entered. They also taught that God would judge the Gentiles with one measure and the Jews with another, which led to some Jews making profits from dishonest practices connected to idolatry without fear of angering God. In response, Paul reminds his fellow Jews that God said in the Old Testament that the failure of the Jew to obey the Law causes Gentiles to blaspheme God. The Pharisees, like all humans today, are outside-in people, meaning we look at the physical first and of the highest importance, and then the spiritual as second priority. But God is inside out, meaning he looks first at the heart and mind of a person to see spiritual and inner change as a priority of the highest importance, then physical change and transformation flowing out of what first happened on the inside. To many in Paul's world, their hearts and minds were still far from God. They were serving themselves, but they thought that since they were circumcised, since they were Jewish, since they wore the right clothes, said the right prayers, and did the right traditions at the right time, that these physical expressions would keep them in right standing with God no matter what and ultimately save them. This is a works-based salvation that comes from the person's actions themselves rather than being a gift from God. It is the most common error of all mankind and continues to this day in every system of religion: the futile attempt to work our way to God on our own terms. Paul reminds the reader that God is more concerned with the circumcision of the heart, an inner transformation from old to new, rather than some external ritual in which the heart could remain corrupt and dark.

Every “boast" of the Jewish man in this passage concerns the possession of the law. The Jews of Paul's day were extremely proud, confident, and outspoken about the fact that God gave His holy law to them as a nation. They believed this act confirmed their status forever as a specially chosen people, and along with being descendants of Abraham and circumcised, ensured their salvation completely. Paul spent most of his ministry life fighting against this kind of foolish thinking, showing how mere possession of the law, ethnicity, or genealogy justifies no one, and this way of thinking will lead to separation from God and ultimate destruction. In the ancient world, many Egyptians also circumcised their boys, but it did not make them followers of the true God. Even in Abraham’s day, Ishmael (the son of the flesh) was circumcised, but it did not make him a son of the covenant. This same issue exists today, just as it did in Paul's day. But circumcision, baptism, confirmation, communion, dedication, or any symbolic act or ritual checklist does not save a person or ensure connection to God. Owning a Bible doesn't make you a Christian or right with God. Being a member of a church doesn't do it either. Even getting baptized or repeating a certain prayer, oath, or mantra is not evidence of salvation because these are all external and physical acts. Circumcision and baptism do about the same thing that a label on a can does. If the outer label doesn’t match what is on the inside, something is wrong! If there are carrots inside the can, you can put them on a label that says, “Peas," but it doesn’t change what is inside the can. Being born again changes what is inside the can, and only then can you put the appropriate label on the outside. All the outward signs of religion may earn us praise from men, but they will not earn us praise from God. The evidence of our rightness with God is not contained in outward signs or works, and it is not assured because of our parents or our pastor. The evidence is found only in the work of God in our hearts, and it shows itself in fruit. Salvation has to come from the heart... the same as genuine repentance. It cannot just be words of contrition or confession, but it must come from the inside out. Salvation only comes through believing and confessing the name of Jesus as both Lord and Savior. In doing so, we have given up attempting to save ourselves or prove our salvation, and instead, we accept what Jesus freely offers. In that way, we 'put on' and clothe ourselves in the uniform of Christ.