约书亚五章二至九节说到新以色列人受割礼。新以色列人的割礼是在吉甲进行，吉甲的意思是『辊』。关于这点，九节说，『耶和华对约书亚说，我今日将埃及的羞辱从你们身上辊去了。因此那地方名叫吉甲，直到今日。』
割礼的目的是使神的选民成为新的民，好承受神所应许之地。新以色列人的割礼，预表基督借着祂的死，在信徒身上行割礼，使他们脱去属肉体的身体，好在复活里承受基督作神所分给他们的分。
割礼是在基督的死里埋葬的继续。借着过约但河，以色列的旧人被埋葬，然后他们出来，成为新人。这是神所作客观的工作，以色列仍需要将其应用于他们的肉体。所以，他们预备了火石刀，割去他们的阳皮。这个割除就是他们应用神在过约但河的事上所作的。借着割除他们的肉体，辊去埃及的羞辱，他们就在实际并实行上被埋葬、得复活。
在新约里，割礼的意思乃是不断的将主的死应用于我们的肉体。罗马六章三至四节说，我们已浸入基督的死，和祂一同埋葬；但罗马八章十三节和加拉太五章二十四节告诉我们，我们该凭着灵，将十字架的割礼应用于我们的肉体。在事实上，我们的肉体已经被钉十字架，但在实行上，我们需要天天将肉体钉十字架。这是留在基督之死与埋葬里的实际与实行，这也是割礼的意义。
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The Circumcision of the New Israel — Rom 6:3-5
Joshua 5:2-9 speaks of the circumcision of the new Israel. The circumcision of the new Israel took place at Gilgal, which means “a rolling.” Concerning this, verse 9 says, “Then Jehovah said to Joshua, Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. So the name of this place has been called Gilgal to this day.”
The purpose of circumcision was to make God’s chosen people a new people for the inheritance of God’s promised land. The circumcision of the new Israel typifies the circumcision of Christ, by His death, on the believers in the putting off of the body of the flesh for their inheritance, in resurrection, of Him as the God-allotted portion to them.
Circumcision is a continuation of the burial in the death of Christ. By crossing the river Jordan, Israel’s old man was buried and they came out to become the new man. This was an objective work done by God. Israel still needed to apply it to their flesh. Therefore, they prepared flint knives to cut off their foreskins. This cutting was their application of what God had done in the crossing of the river Jordan. By cutting off their flesh to roll away the reproach of Egypt, they were buried and resurrected, both actually and practically.
In the New Testament circumcision means the constant application of the Lord’s death to our flesh. Romans 6:3-4 says that we have been baptized into the death of Christ and buried with Him, but Romans 8:13 and Galatians 5:24 tell us that we should apply the circumcision of the cross to our flesh by the Spirit. In fact, our flesh has already been crucified, but in practicality we need to crucify the flesh day by day. This is the reality and practicality of remaining in the death and burial of Christ, and this is the significance of circumcision.