Was Abraham justified before or after he was circumcised?
Abraham was justified before he was circumcised. Scripture says he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised. He came into this justification position before circumcision had even been mentioned to him, while still uncircumcised.
Les explains that Abraham’s justification did not come through circumcision or the covenant relationship. For the first 2,000 years there had been no hint of circumcision or the Mosaic Law. Abraham came out of Ur of the Chaldees, Assyrian by birth, while the nation was not yet on the scene, so God dealt with him as a non-Jew. He was still in idolatry when God told him to leave for a place God would show him, and by faith Abraham left. This was not after circumcision was implemented but before. Later, in verse 11, he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the faith he had while yet uncircumcised. Thus he came into justification before circumcision had even been mentioned to him, while still uncircumcised. The purpose is that Abraham might be the father of all who believe, even though not circumcised, so that righteousness might be imputed to them also, tying Abraham to us.
And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: