distinctions and distinctive concerns of life in this present age (cf. 1 Cor. 7:29–31). The tension and relationship between the ‘already’ and ‘not-yet’ aspects of Christian eschatology must inform the moral and ethical thinking and behaviour of the believer. Only in this light can Paul say that circumcision is nothing. In one sense, Paul’s sentiments in verses 18–19 concerning the relative irrelevance of circumcision, despite the obvious contradiction of Genesis 17:10–14, and other texts, finds