God's covenant with Abraham, begun in Genesis 15, occupies all of chapter 17 of Genesis. In it God sets up the requirement of circumcision for male babies (verses 11-14.) Later (see Exodus 4:25) God continues that covenant in the time of Moses. Forty years later, as the Israelites, at the end of the Exodus, are about to enter the promised land, they are circumcised and then celebrate the Passover. (See Joshua 5:2-9.)
In the time of the prophets, circumcision becomes a metaphor; what happened "in the flesh" is also supposed to happen "in the heart." Jewish males are reminded that the mere fleshly ritual, practiced on them when they were just 8 days old, is merely a sign of the covenant. It is not the covenant itself. They are to have their hearts circumcised so that they follow God automatically! This argument begins in Deuteronomy 30:6, in the time of Moses, and continues throughout the nation of Israel. (See Jeremiah's call in Jeremiah 4:4 and Jeremiah 9:25-26.) Circumcision was a bloody and painful metaphor for a commitment of the heart!
In the same way, in Romans chapter 4, Paul argues that Abraham was made righteous before circumcision and so it is not circumcision that makes one righteous, but it was something prior to that. It was Abraham's "faith", that is, Abraham's trust and submission to God, that granted him righteousness.
In modern times, circumcision is practiced for both religious reasons or health reasons. It is a controversial topic at times, as people debate the apparent value versus the pain suffered by an 8-day-old baby. (See this story from 2012, where a German court tried to outlaw circumcision.) For the modern Christian, circumcision certainly appears to be sexist, as by definition, only boys got the "privilege" and pain of this initiation rite. Fortunately, Christian baptism is (1) offered to both genders and (2) much less painful!
As always, there is a good Wikipedia article on this topic.
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