Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. -Galatians 5:2-6 NLT

Warrior;

I enjoy the paraphrase that is found in the Message Bible. Eugene Peterson explains this scripture this way: I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law. In other words, when we STEP IN to be self-righteousness, we then choose that as our METHOD OF PAYMENT. Here is the problem with that: You’ve been weighed on the scales—and you don’t measure up. (Dan 5:27)

Leader, I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.

Conduit, following religious customs and dogmas does NOT make you closer to God! If you are adding anything to the CROSS, or the BIBLE, then you are under a system of religion that is NOT OF Yahweh- this is NOT the way of JEHOVAH! Many people are claiming their stake in heaven based on the religious practices of their faith. Many religions believe ONLY their Faith gets them into heaven.  Heaven will surprise many- MORE will be surprised that they are NOT included! There will be Jews, Mormons, Muslims, Catholics and many religions.  Your religion is NOT what is going to get you into heaven, it is your RELATIONSHIP to JESUS, and FAITH in HIS propitiation of your sin-debt, so YOU can stand before CHRIST justified through HIS MERCY and GRACE! Can I get a witness!