The “holy nation” that is in the new covenant is therefore a spiritual Israel, made up of Christians who are Jews or Israelites inwardly. These have been circumcised in their hearts rather than outwardly in the flesh. So we read in Romans 2:28, 29.

32. According to 2 Corinthians 5:16-18, why do we know no Christian, not even Christ himself, according to the flesh?

³² In the face of all these new features about the spiritual sons of God, can we be surprised at all that the apostle Paul speaks about “a new creation”? No! It is just logical for him to do so. Reasoning from the fact that Jesus Christ had been raised up from the dead as a heavenly spiritual Son of God, the apostle Paul says: “Consequently from now on we know no [Christian] man according to the flesh. Even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, certainly we now know him so no more.

2 Corinthians 5:16

33. To gain entrance into the heavenly kingdom, is circumcision in the flesh necessary, or, if not, what is?

³³ From all of this it follows that fleshly circumcision of a person as a fleshly descendant of the patriarch Abraham or as a natural Jew is not a requirement for us to gain salvation through the Messiah, Christ.