Wow, that is pretty good Derick. So close too. ;-) I would just add that just as circumcision in the OT marked the Israelite and set them apart as God's covenant people so too baptism does the same in the New Covenant. Baptism separates us out from the world and sets us in the body of Christ, the Church. This btw includes the Eunuch - he was baptized into the covenant community, the Church just like what Paul says here to the Corinthians. > 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 12 ΒΆ For as the body is one and has many > members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one > body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized > into one body -- whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free -- and > have all been made to drink into one Spirit. An essential part of any of the Covenants which God has established has been "I will be their God and they will be my people". Baptism is the New Covenant sign and seal of this truth. Now of course only one of us here believes that this includes children of believers as Peter proclaimed on the day of Pentecost: > Acts 2:38-39 38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one > of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of > sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the > promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, > as many as the Lord our God will call." This was language of the Covenant that the Jews would have understood immediately. The promise is to you and your children. All God's covenants have been established not only with one person, but with their children in view as well. > Genesis 9:9 9 "And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with > you and with your descendants after you, > Genesis 15:18 18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with > Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the > river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates -- > Genesis 17:7 7 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you > and your descendants after you in their generations, for an > everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. > Deuteronomy 30:6 6 "And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart > and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all > your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. > 2 Samuel 7:12-14 12 " When your days are fulfilled and you rest with > your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from > your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 "He shall build a > house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom > forever. 14 "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he > commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the > blows of the sons of men. > Acts 2:38-39 38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one > of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of > sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the > promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, > as many as the Lord our God will call." That is about all I will say on this. Enjoy the Word! Peace, Steve Derick Dickens wrote: > Baptism is a Covenant issue in the Bible. I believe that is clear > from the Bible and should be discussed and defended, which I am going > to do. > > First, what is a Covenant. A covenant is a relationship that God sets > up with us and guarantees by His Word. A Covenant always is > represented by a sign and seal of the covenant. There are other > things that were given as a Covenant to us. Namely, circumcision > (Acts 7:8) and I believe the Holy Spirit of Promise, but I will get > into that perhaps later. > > Circumcision is given as a sign of what occurred in the heart. It was > a symbol of faith, not that it gave faith nor that circumcision > resulted in faith, but that faith resulted in Abraham's Circumcision. > Circumcision,therefore represented something inward (Romans 2:27-29). > In Philippians 3:3, Circumcision is connected with worshipping the > Lord. Now, he is not saying that about the New Testament but relating > to an Old Testament mentality--we all agree that circumcision is not > valid today. > > Having said that about circumcision, we can and do assume that > circumcision is a covenant issue that brings us a part of the people > of God in the Old Testament. Each Covenant had such a sign as a > Covenant in the Old Testament always represented a sign of the > Covenant. Even in today's world, we represent the covenant of > marriage by two things. First is a ring and second is the sexual act > itself. THere is always a formal ceremony to ratify the Covenant. > That is seen not only in the Circumcision itself, but it is seen when > God passed through the dead carcasses. It is seen when God came down > to ratify the Covenant made at Mount Sinai. It is seen by God giving > us the Holy Spirit at Salvation. > > Thus, by the time we get to Colossians 2:8-13, we find that the exact > comparison of Baptism and Circumcision is made to detail. Now, I am > not saying and will not say that infants are Baptized, but I am saying > that just as Circumcision was the Sign and Seal of the Covenant, so is > Baptism as it is Covenental. The comparison here, Paul is not trying > to say circumcision is vital to salvation but he is relaying > circumcision as a sign and seal to Baptism. In fact, the verse does > not make sense if you no connection to Circumcision and Baptism. To a > mindset of those back then, they would have seen the clear > similarities and the Covenant idea present. > > Just like the Old Testament, Baptism does not save. What it is, is a > covenant idea manifest in the New Testament. It is of vital > importance as a physical and outward expression of the relationship of > God... which is what circumcision was... which is all about covenant. > > > > > > -- > Derick R. Dickens > www.thedickensfamily.org <http://www.thedickensfamily.org> -- ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pastor Steven G. Rockhill Lisbon Reformed Presbyterian Church PO Box 88 Lisbon, NY 13658 315-393-9041 revrock@... http://lisbonrpc.port5.com +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++