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Question 3

Chrysostom is quoted saying Paul rejects “the person who is not really a Jew” and even says the uncircumcised Gentile has an advantage “if he takes heed to himself”; what does it mean, in practice, to “take heed” in a way that could expose a baptized, churchgoing person as still “uncircumcised in heart”?

Another way to ask: Chrysostom says an uncircumcised Gentile can have an advantage “if he takes heed to himself.” What would “taking heed” look like today, and how could it reveal that a baptized church member still has an “uncircumcised heart”?

Direct Answer In practice, “take heed” means examining whether one’s life shows inward circumcision—putting off “the sins of the flesh”—rather than relying on outward religious status. The transcript implies that a baptized person can still be exposed as “uncircumcised in heart” if there is disobedience and unchanged living.

Support from Transcript:

Chrysostom says Paul rejects “the person who is not really a Jew… uncircumcised in heart,” not Jews/circumcision as such.
He adds: “the uncircumcised Gentile even has an advantage if he takes heed to himself… For it is he who is the real Jew.”
“Circumcision, Sabbaths, sacrifices, and ritual purifications are all outward things… For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly.”
The lesson stresses “the need for a good life is everywhere demonstrated.”
Heart circumcision is linked to moral reality: “A Gentile who obeys the natural law is circumcised in the heart. The Jew who disobeys… remains uncircumcised in the heart.”
Colossians defines it as “putting off the body of the sins of the flesh.”

Discussion Follow-ups What “outward” signs do churchgoers today lean on as proof of being right with God? What kinds of ongoing sins would most clearly contradict “putting off the body of the sins of the flesh”?

Jumpstarter 3 of 10