A Covenant of Circumcision
Notes
Transcript
Have you ever wondered where the different traditions of baptisms come from? Some groups mainly the Roman Catholics believe that baptism is a means of grace or salvation.
One of the most controversial subjects in the church is baptism. The arguments generally revolve around the When and the How?
Since our church has an incredibly diverse faith background for it’s size we are going to talk about this very subject. We have many people in our congregation that have come from many different faith backgrounds.
If my memory serves me right, we have people who come from Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic, Methodist, Holiness, Non-sbc baptist, Anglican traditions and possibly some others.
In fact, those of us here today actually raised Southern Baptist are maybe in the minority (including myself)
With that being said, If a person has repented and is fully trusting in Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation than we should call that person Brother or Sister regardless of their position on baptism. So showing grace in this issue is important. But how we approach baptism here should not surprise anyone since our belief on this subject is placed squarely in our church name Cooper River Baptist.
However, My purpose this morning is not to filter scripture through denominational perspectives but just simply explore scripture and lay out a case for believers baptism.
So in other words, The Baptist church rightly reflects my beliefs on the subject but does not dictate them to me. Those of you that have gotten to know me, will find that I am not afraid to challenge common denominational beliefs and put them under the scrutiny of scripture. So that is what I hope to do today.
So then how are Baptism and Circumcision connected? Or are they connected? and Why are we going to talk about this today from a text that never mentions baptism?]
Let’s look at the text to find out. Which by the way, is the question you should always be asking. Not what does my church believe, what is historical tradition, but what does the bible teach?
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless.
I will set up my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”
Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him:
“As for me, here is my covenant with you: You will become the father of many nations.
Your name will no longer be Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations.
Just as a side note in the ancient near eastern culture to give or to change someones name was a sign of authority and ownership. We saw this very thing with Daniel’s name being changed to Belteshazzar by king Nebuchadnezzar during the Babylonian captivity.
Just as a parent gives a child a name. Only the parents have the authority to give a name. In the same way, God gave Abram a new name. Showing his rightful rulership and authority over Abram.
I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you.
I will confirm my covenant that is between me and you and your future offspring throughout their generations. It is a permanent covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you.
And to you and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as a permanent possession, and I will be their God.”
God also said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations are to keep my covenant.
This is my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you, which you are to keep: Every one of your males must be circumcised.
You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and you.
Throughout your generations, every male among you is to be circumcised at eight days old—every male born in your household or purchased from any foreigner and not your offspring.
Whether born in your household or purchased, he must be circumcised. My covenant will be marked in your flesh as a permanent covenant.
If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah will be her name.
We see God’s authority once again.
A couple of things that I want you to notice. The experiences that Abram had with God were often few and far between. Genesis 16 ends with this verse.
I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?”
So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable to you!”
But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a permanent covenant for his future offspring.
As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father twelve tribal leaders, and I will make him into a great nation.
But I will confirm my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”
When he finished talking with him, God withdrew from Abraham.
So Abraham took his son Ishmael and those born in his household or purchased—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, just as God had said to him.
Abraham was ninety-nine years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised,
and his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised.
On that very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.
And all the men of his household—whether born in his household or purchased from a foreigner—were circumcised with him.
Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.
Now look at the beginning of Gen. 17.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless.
13 more years had past and Saran had still not conceived. So God reiterates his promise once again and gives Abram a sign of the covenant, circumcision.
Now some are wondering what does this have to do with Baptism?
We believe Scripture teaches baptism is an outward sign of an inward faith. With this posture in mind we will look at a passage of scripture that is often used as the argument for infant baptism by many mainline traditions.
Gen. 17 is one of the primary passages used to defend the practice of infant baptism, So lets dive into this this idea this morning.
I. The Argument for Infant Baptism
I. The Argument for Infant Baptism
to succinctly state the argument I will quote an article from bible.org by Steven J. Cole.
The main argument for infant baptism is the connection between circumcision in the Old Testament and baptism in the New, especially as seen in the context of the covenant community.
So in other words, in this frame of reference baptism replaces the covenant of circumcision.
In Genesis 17:7 God tells Abraham he is making a Covenant with Abraham and his descendants.
I will confirm my covenant that is between me and you and your future offspring throughout their generations. It is a permanent covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you.
In Genesis 17:12
Throughout your generations, every male among you is to be circumcised at eight days old—every male born in your household or purchased from any foreigner and not your offspring.
Notice the sign of the covenant was not only required of Abraham but also of every male under his household. Why ?because the nation of Israel was never solely a genealogical group of people.
There was always a path for gentiles to become Israel and enter into a covenant relationship with God. God has always made a way for all those who would come to Him.
In fact in Genesis 17:14 we see that to not be circumcised was to not have faith and to be cutoff from the covenant of blessing.
If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
In essence every male in procreation would remember who he belonged too and who his children belonged too. So God literally marked the very apparatus by which procreation took place as a way of saying anything that comes from you is mine.
You are the seed of Abraham and eventually Israel. Even those who are with you whether they share your DNA or not can enter into this covenant relationship with God through faith. Circumcision was the sign of the faith covenant.
So just so were clear and intellectually honest in our approach to this subject. Abraham was circumcised by faith. But the promised son Issac was circumcised before he could choose to have faith at eight days old.
Here is the New Testament Connection
You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ,
when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Can we agree that circumcision is associated with baptism at least in this context?
So let me restate this just so we are clear. People who are not trusting in baptism for salvation but believe the infant baptism is a sign of being part of a covenant relationship are not heretics because the association can be found in scripture.
So the extension of grace is in order.
So Just to sum it up, We have circumcision performed on infant males before they could choose to believe is associated with baptism in the N.T. at least in the context of one of Paul's illustrations.
So some protestant denominations believe that this is enough of a connection to warrant baptizing infants as a sign of them entering into the covenant community of Christ or the church in hopes that one day they will come to faith of their own.
So in other words, Baptism is a sign of the covenant.
So infant baptism isn’t something that was made up out of thin air. Those who practice it believe it is scriptural based on this passage and a few others.
However, as I will argue in a moment. I believe it is a misapplication of a biblical illustration.
Now again, to be intellectually honest, there are a few other instances in the N.T. where whole households were baptized but again I would argue these present less evidence because one would have to assume infants were part of these households but the text simply does not provide that information. So one is basing this assumption on a lack of information and lack of information is a dangerous way to interpret scripture. Instead I would go with the information we have been given. Baptism was a result of faith so then faith can be presumed that all in the household believed.
So this is the summarized version of the evidence given for Infant baptism as honestly as I can present it.
So if one can make a scriptural argument for it why don’t we practice it?
Well first off an argument is just that…an argument. It’s an attempt to prove a point but that doesn’t necessarily mean the argument succeeds.
II. Four reasons why we do not practice Infant Baptism
II. Four reasons why we do not practice Infant Baptism
#1 In the New Testament baptism is always preceded by faith.
#1 In the New Testament baptism is always preceded by faith.
So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.
As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, “Look, there’s water. What would keep me from being baptized?”
So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Notice the order again believe and then baptized. Notice the second mention of believe puts the weight of salvation on the belief and not the act of baptism as a means of salvation.
Why because baptism is so tightly associated with saving faith it is assumed those who are saved will be baptized.
We see this same assumption being made in Galatians 3:27
For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.
Baptism is once again so tightly associated with saving faith that it was used as a shortened way to express salvation. Baptism was a symbolic way to express saving faith.
This again only strengthens the case that baptism followed saving faith.
Again this same association is made in Romans 6:3-4
Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.
Even the great commission puts faith before baptism
#2 Infants are incapable of pledging their life to God.
#2 Infants are incapable of pledging their life to God.
Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Peter says baptism is salvation symbolized as a result of what? A pledge of a good conscience toward God. So we see two things
a. Baptism cannot save but rather is a sign of genuine saving faith.
b. Infants are not yet capable of a pledging toward anything.
#3 Baptism is not a sign of the New Covenant
#3 Baptism is not a sign of the New Covenant
While there are many parallels between baptism and circumcision covenant this next scripture clearly makes them two distinctly different ideas.
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
The new covenant is not administered by our hands but by Christ himself. He is both the covenant maker and the covenant keeper.
The new covenant was the shedding of His own blood.
In fact isn’t that was Paul says in Colossians 2 the passage we read earlier today.
You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ,
when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Do you see this more clearly…Paul is not making the case that baptism is not the new covenant. Rather he is making the case that Christ’s shed blood is. He is once again using symbolic language Baptism was a result of saving faith.So often, the word Baptism, was used synonymously with saving faith. Faith in the new covenant of His blood.
#4 There is no command to baptize anyone, but believers.
#4 There is no command to baptize anyone, but believers.
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,
So then what is Christian Baptism?
So then what is Christian Baptism?
A few minutes ago we read many passages of scripture the show baptism took place after repentance and saving faith.
So then baptism is an outward public confession of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Is is symbolic of Christ’s sacrifice. In him, we die to ones self(going under the water) and are raised up again, symbolizing resurrection and new life)
Who should be baptized?
Who should be baptized?
All those who have been obedient to Gospel message. Those who want to publicly identify with the gospel message.
Baptism is both a public witness but also a public confession.
Baptism is a way of the new believer to say This is it. No turning back. I have chosen my loyalties, I have joined the war.
Dr. Micheal Heiser puts it this way.
Baptism is not what produces salvation. It “saves” us in that it first involves or reflects a heart decision: a pledge of loyalty to the risen Savior. In effect, baptism in New Testament theology is a loyalty oath, a public avowal of who is on the Lord’s side in the cosmic war between good and evil.
Maybe your hear this morning and you have never been baptized. If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ what are you waiting for? It’s time to publicly Identify with the gospel and the war.
Or maybe you hear today and you have been baptized but
