One of the most misunderstood statements in the Stick of Joseph is in M'roni 8:2 "And the law of circumcision is done away in me." This verse is often misunderstood, because it is often read out of context of the surrounding text. Let us look at the entire paragraph:
2 And now, my son, I speak unto you concerning that which grieves me exceedingly, for it grieves me that there should disputations rise among you. For if I have learned the truth, there have been disputations among you concerning the immersion of your little children. And now, my son, I desire that you should labor diligently that this shameful error should be removed from among you, for, for this intent I have written this letter. For immediately after I had learned these things of you, I inquired of YHWH concerning the matter; and the word of YHWH came to me by the power of the Ruach HaKodesh, saying, Listen to the words of Mashiach, your Redeemer, your Adon, and your Elohim. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. The whole need no physician, but they that are sick. Wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin. Wherefore, the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it has no power over them. And the law of circumcision is done away in me. And after this manner did the Ruach HaKodesh manifest the word of Elohim unto me.
(M'roni 8:2)
And then the next paragraph reads:
3 Wherefore, my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before Elohim that you should immerse little children. Behold, I say unto you that this thing shall you teach: repentance and immersion unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin. Yes, teach parents that they must repent, and be washed by immersion, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children. And their little children need no repentance, neither immersion. Behold, immersion is unto repentance, to the fulfilling the mitzvot unto the remission of sins; but little children are alive in Mashiach, even from the foundation of the world. If not so, Elohim is a partial Elohim, and also a changeable Elohim, and a respecter of persons. For how many little children have died without immersion? Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without washing by immersion, these must have gone to an endless Geyhinnom. Behold, I say unto you that he that supposes that little children need immersion is in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity, for he has neither faith, hope, nor charity. Wherefore, should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to She'ol. For awful is the wickedness to suppose that Elohim saves one child because of immersion, and the other must perish because he has no washing by immersion. Woe be unto him that shall pervert the ways of YHWH after this manner, for they shall perish except they repent.
(M'roni 8:3)
The seventh rule of Hillel tells us that a passage must be understood in context, and the fifth rule of Hillel tells us that general statements and specific statements must be understood in context of one another. The general subject of this section of text deals with the principle that children below the age of accountability are not culpable to Elohim in regards to Torah observance. Moreover the "law of circumcision" is incumbent, not upon an infant, but upon a parent. "Wherefore, little children…are not capable of committing sin. Wherefore, the curse of Adam is taken away from them in me, that it has no power over them." The "law of circumcision" is given as a specific example of this principle. In other words, a child below the age of accountability is not culpable to Elohim in regards to the law of circumcision.
This verse is saying that children below the age of accountability, are not culpable for sins. They are not even culpable for violating the "law of circumcision" since it was their parents obligation to have their male children circumcised, and the child obviously has no accountability in this regard. The parents may beet to "repent and be baptized" "onto remission of sins" but as for the child, for them the law of circumcision is done away in Messiah because the curse of Adam is "taken from them" in Messiah.
Even more insight on this passage can be gained by examining the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis 17:
Gen 17:1 And when Abram was ninety and nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, I, the Almighty God, give unto thee a commandment that thou shalt walk uprightly before me and be perfect.
Gen 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly.
Gen 17:3 And it came to pass that Abram fell on his face and called upon the name of the Lord.
Gen 17:4 And God talked with him, saying, My people have gone astray from my precepts and have not kept mine ordinances, which I gave unto their fathers;
Gen 17:5 And they have not observed mine anointing, and the burial, or baptism wherewith I commanded them,
Gen 17:6 But have turned from the commandment, and taken unto themselves the washing of children, and the blood of sprinkling,
Gen 17:7 And have said that the blood of the righteous Abel was shed for sins and have not known wherein they are accountable before me.
At this time, mankind was in apostasy and holding those below the age of accountability culpable. They were engaging in "washing of children" (infant baptisms) and performing "the blood of sprinkling" for children, believing that children were accountable before YHWH. However YHWH then says:
Gen 17:8 But as for thee, behold, I will make my covenant with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Gen 17:9 And this covenant I make that thy children may be known among all nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be called Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Gen 17:10 And I will make thee exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come of thee and of thy seed.
Gen 17:11 And I will establish a covenant of circumcision with thee, and it shall be my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations, that thou mayest know forever that children are not accountable before me until they are eight years old.
Notice here it is called the "covenant of circumcision" not "the law of circumcision" as in M'roni 8:2. The "covenant of circumcision" was given by YHWH but what M'roni calls the "law of circumcision" must have been a human tradition or "law" which held the child themselves accountable for being uncircumcised.
The "Covenant of Circumcision" was given that we might "know forever that children are not accountable before me until they are eight years old." (JST-Gen. 17:11) and therefore could not have been "done away" by virtue of children not being accountable and thus not needing to repent and be baptized. Instead the "covenant of circumcision" was given as a "forever" knowledge that children are not accountable until the age of eight years old.
YHWH continues:
Gen 17:12 And thou shalt observe to keep all my covenants wherein I covenanted with thy fathers; and thou shalt keep the commandments which I have given thee with mine own mouth, and I will be a God unto thee and thy seed after thee.
Gen 17:13 And I will give unto thee and thy seed after thee a land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
Gen 17:14 And God said unto Abraham, Therefore, thou shalt keep my covenant, thou and thy seed after thee in their generations.
Gen 17:15 And this shall be my covenant which ye shall keep between me and thee and thy seed after thee: Every man-child among you shall be circumcised.
Gen 17:16 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
Gen 17:17 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man-child in your generations--
Gen 17:18 He that is born in the house or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
Gen 17:19 He that is born in thy house and he that is bought with thy money must needs be circumcised, and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
Gen 17:20 And the uncircumcised man-child, whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
The "law of circumcision" mentioned in M'roni 8:2 misunderstood the point of the "covenant of circumcision" was to remind us that children are not accountable. This law applies to uncircumcised adults, and not to children
YHWH continues:
Gen 17:21 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai, thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah thou shalt call her name.
Gen 17:22 And I will bless her, and I will give thee a son of her; yea, I will bless her, and she shall be blessed, the mother of nations; kings and people shall be of her.
Gen 17:23 Then Abraham fell on his face, and rejoiced, and said in his heart, There shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old, and Sarah that is ninety years old shall bear.
Gen 17:24 And Abraham said unto God, Oh, that Ishmael might live uprightly before thee!
Gen 17:25 And God said, Sarah, thy wife, shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name Isaac; and I will establish my covenant with him also, for an everlasting covenant with his seed after him.
Gen 17:26 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee; behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly;
Gen 17:27 Twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
Gen 17:28 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
Gen 17:29 And he left off talking with him; and God went up from Abraham.
Gen 17:30 And Abraham took Ishmael, his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.
Gen 17:31 And Abraham was ninety and nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
Gen 17:32 And Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
Gen 17:33 In the selfsame day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son; and all the men of his house, which were born in his house, and bought with money of strangers, were also circumcised with him.
(JST-Gen. 17:1-33)
If we read M'roni 8:2-3 in context, and also if we add additional context by understating these words of M'roni in light of the "Covenant of Circumcision" in JST-Genesis 17, we find that M'roni's phrase "the law of circumcision is done away in me" has been widely misinterpreted by divorcing it from it's surrounding context, and by failing to understand these words in light of the "Covenant of Circumcision" given in the Joseph Smith "translation" of Genesis 17.
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