Circumcision, The New Covenant, and Baptism

Originally posted at theologybythebook.com

Genesis 17

Jeremiah 31

Colossians 2:11-12 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” 

Matthew 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

 

From the 1644 London Baptist Confession:

Chapter XXXIX.

That Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, given by Christ, to be dispensed only upon persons professing faith, or that are Disciples, or taught, who upon a profession of faith, ought to be baptized (Added later: “…and after to partake of the Lord’s Supper.”)

Acts 2:37, 38; 8:36-38; 18:8

 Chapter XL.

The way and manner of the(1) dispensing of this ordinance the Scripture holds out to be dipping or plunging the whole body under water: it being a sign, must answer the thing signified, which are these: first, the(2) washing the whole soul in the blood of Christ; secondly, that interest the saints have in(3) death, burial, and resurrection (of Christ) ; thirdly, together with a(4) confirmation of out faith, that as certainly as the body is buried under water, and rises again, so certainly shall the bodies of the saints by raised by the power of Christ, in the day of the resurrection, to reign with Christ.

1) Mat. 3:16; John 3:23; Acts 8:38
2) Rev. 1:5; 7:14; Heb. 10:22
3) Rom. 6:3-5
4) 1 Cor. 15:28, 29

Chapter XLI.

The persons designed by Christ, to dispense this ordinance, the Scriptures hold forth to a preaching Disciple, it being no where tied to a particular church, officer, or person extraordinarily sent, the commission enjoining the administration, being given to them under no other consideration, but as considered Disciples.

Isa. 8:16; Mat. 28:16-19; John 4:1-2; Acts 20:7; Mat. 26:26

About the author

Christian saved by grace through faith.

Comments

  1. I was thinking recently how baptism seemed to be analogous to circumcision in the OT, when I came across this paragraph in Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology 2nd ed, page 652 (ch 25, The Covenants between God and Man), “In the OT the outward sign of beginning the covenant relationship was circumcision…In the new covenant, the sign of beginning a covenant relationship is baptism.” Thanks for the scripture references in this post!

  2. Hey Maggie, good to hear from you and thank you for the comment! There is a typological relationship between circumcision of the flesh under the Old Covenant and circumcision of the heart under the New Covenant (Romans 2:25-29). Baptism under the NC is the outward sign or symbol of the inward reality of circumcision or baptism of the Spirit.

    Hope you are doing well!

    John
    (Twitter: @reformdagrarian)

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