Abraham obeyed EVERYTHING that God commanded.
Abraham also was the first to be circumcised.
Circumcision is a WORK.
It is a seal and evidence that he belonged to God.
Paul speaks of CIRCUMCISION when he speaks of Abraham, and works.
Paul separates doing what is right and being circumcised.
Abraham Justified by Faith
4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”
9 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.
Do you understand now?
The WORK is circumcision.
Circumcision for what?
For a sign and a seal.
It is about GOD JUSTIFYING us.
Justifying?
Right.
There were works that the Jews had to do to JUSTIFY themselves before God.
Those works BEGAN WITH CIRCUMCISION.
Now through Jesus' shed blood on the cross, we do not have to justify ourselves, for Jesus will justify us, just by our believing his blood cleans us of the sins we repent of doing. That is HOW GOD JUSTIFIES US. We no longer have to justify ourselves/make ourselves clean by doing certain WORKS.