Covenant, Circumcision, and Baptism

How many of you this last week read the story of Father Andre Sarango? Anybody agree about that? Yeah. about. He's a priest in the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Phoenix. And for the last 20 years, for the last 20 years, he's been baptizing babies, and he has said, we baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And that's wrong.

It's I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And so all the baptisms he's done in the last 20 years are invalid. Which means there's all these people who have been baptized for the last 20 years who are headed for hell because they didn't have their original sin washed away. And all the rights of the church and everything else don't count for them.

Are you with me? 20 years and so, you know, they've got to get that fixed. They've got to, you know, I don't know what they're going to do, but the people who were baptized, it was invalid. They were never cleansed of original sin, and now all bets are off. What is it? What's that?

What is it? So, and the reason why he can't say we is they told him, well, they explained that, you know, it's not the church that baptizes, it's Christ through the priest who baptizes. Therefore, it's wrong. Again, now that just shows you something of, you know, those views of baptism. They have very particular effects in life. Okay.

Okay. We're going to talk about covenant, circumcision, and then finally baptism again. Now listen, I've got a lot of material to cover, so I'm hoping I can get it done. But if I see you fading, I'm going to quit. After a half hour, any of you start going. If one of you starts fading, the rest of the class has to quit.

All right? All right, let me pray. Thanks, Father, for our time together. Help us now to be charitable and clear. Help us to think of these things through Scripture. and we'll thank you for that as you work in our lives. In Jesus' name, amen.

Okay, so think about this. Since you're a Christian and a member of the church, should you have your children baptized since God promised to be the God of Abraham and all his descendants? Your Presbyterian friends insist that the Abrahamic covenant applies and that means that the covenant sign has to be applied to your children. or circumcision was a covenant sign and it was applied to God's people and their boys then so you have to baptize your children because it's the new covenant sign.

Baptism replaces circumcision. God's covenant community is always a mixed community. That is, it's always composed of believers and unbelievers. And circumcision was applied to all the male children under the old covenant making them part of God's covenant community, but not all of them believed. And so now, under the new covenant, baptism is applied to believers' children, making them part of God's covenant community, and it's still true that not all of them will believe.

What happens here is there's a straight line drawn from the old covenant community to the new covenant community. But is there a straight line? Is it just a straight line from the Abrahamic community to the believers and their children today? Is it a straight line straight from circumcision to baptism? Is it a straight line from a mixed community then to a mixed community now?

Is that just a straight line? There's nothing that happens, okay? I would suggest that our paedo-baptist friends have overlooked the primary issue of promise and fulfillment. Okay? Of pointer to where it's pointing. That is to say, the way the Old Testament promises or pictures or points to a greater reality in the New Testament.

Alright? And I didn't put it up there, but I want you to get that fixed in your mind. The Old Testament promises or pictures or points to a greater reality in the New Testament. And when you just draw those straight lines, you miss that. There is no greater reality. As important as it is to show the absence of any recorded infants in the New Testament or that the idea of household baptisms just don't hold water, there are more primary issues at play.

And that's what we're going to talk about today. There are these very primary issues that are at play. Does baptism merely replace circumcision, or is there a greater reality to which circumcision points? Does the church merely continue as God's people, the same people as Israel, or does the church constitute a new, greater, promised community? Does the Abrahamic covenant remain the same, requiring us to baptize our children, or has something happened that fulfills that covenant so that it points to something greater.

That's the issue that you have to think about. Always be thinking this. The Old Testament points to something greater Therefore is it right just to draw a straight line That the question okay And I believe our Pado friends follow the flat line and they miss the fulfillment. And that makes all the difference in the world, okay? That makes all the difference in the world.

And what we want to talk about now is the greater reality, how we have to get that into our minds or we're going to miss the issue of baptism. So let's talk about the Abrahamic covenant. What about the Abrahamic covenant? Now remember the centrality of that covenant. Okay, so what were the promises? They were this.

God promised Abraham a great nation to make his name great. Cursings and blessings for those who dishonor and honor him. Nations coming to him. The promise of an heir. Descendants like the stars. the land of Canaan, and that God would be a God of his descendants, and a seed, most importantly, a seed through which God would bless all the nations. Okay?

All that was in there. And remember that circumcision was the sign and seal of this covenant, to say, I'm going to fulfill these promises. Okay? And remember, and this is key, the genealogical principle, that circumcision marking out the promises and the people of God must be applied to all of Abraham's descendants and their households. Okay? The genealogical principle that it still applies.

Since Abraham baptized his children in his household, the genealogical principle still holds to now so that Noah, he didn't baptize, he circumcised them, they baptize them now. Okay? That's a key. And then remember that although the covenant sign changed, the covenant promises continue to relate to us. alright but again you've got to ask the question does everything remain the same are there no differences as you move the promise to fulfillment and for example what happens to the physical and the national promises the land right, what happens there what do we do with that I don't know what our paedo-baptist friends tend to do is to ignore that part and they spiritualize or they take the other part more seriously.

On the other hand, on the opposite end of the spectrum are dispensationalists who emphasize the land promises and tend to forget the other promises. But they're all there. All those are in the Abrahamic covenant. And so does the genealogical principle, does that still apply exactly the same way? Are there no differences as you move from promise to fulfillment.

Are there no differences? Well, I bet you know where I'm going, don't you? Alright? Something has happened to fulfill the covenant promises and to bring about a new reality. Okay? A greater reality emerges as Jesus fulfills the promises of the Abrahamic covenant.

Alright? God still deals with us according to that covenant since he blesses all the nations through the promised seed of Abraham. Okay? Now, as you read through the Old Testament, you see that first of all there's his seed and that included Ishmael, it included Isaac, it included the sons of Keturah, his second wife, Abraham's second wife. They were all circumcised too, right?

But then the line narrowed to Isaac and Jacob and the patriarchs. So there's a seed and then there's this seed that God is particularly working with, right? He went from not Ishmael but Isaac, not Esau but Jacob and so forth. And so there's this true seed that sends. And then the nation of Israel is the fulfillment of that seed as it brings to us the Messiah.

But notice Galatians 6 or 3, Galatians 3. You know, we've got a lot of scripture to look at, so please, someone volunteer quickly. Someone read Galatians 3, verse 16, and then verses 25 through 29. This is key to understanding these things. Galatians 3, 16, and verses 25 through 29. All right, Yannis.

Okay, 25 through 29. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under an guardian. For in Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you have been baptized in Christ and put on Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, but you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring.

All right. All right, so what happens here, according to Paul, the promise of the seed in the Abrahamic covenant finds its fulfillment in Jesus. He's the promised seed. Jesus is the promised seed, right? And then because of Jesus, believing Jews and Gentiles are the promised seed or become the promised seed of Abraham through Jesus So Jews and Gentiles now become the promised seed of Abraham through Jesus He is the seed And now we have been joined to him.

And the way into Abraham's family is no longer dependent on circumcision or the law or birth, but by faith in Jesus and a spiritual rebirth. That comes with it, right? We're born again when we are united to Jesus. The seed now is spiritual in nature. That is, you're the seed of Abraham if you believe in Jesus, if you put on Christ. So one has written, now that Christ has come, only those who have faith and have experienced spiritual rebirth are his people and part of his family.

So you become a part of Abraham's family only through your union with Christ through faith by the Spirit. Okay, that's what Paul is saying here. So only if you then put on Christ can you call yourself part of Abraham's family and heirs of the promise. Notice that it's only those who put on Christ who are the heirs of the promises. Okay? You are sons of Abraham and heirs of the promises.

Those of you who have become part of his family by faith through the Spirit. So you're part of Abraham's family, not if your parents applied the covenant sign of baptism to you, but if you've placed your faith in Jesus. You're heirs of the covenant promises, not if your parents applied the covenant sign of baptism, but if you've placed your faith in Jesus.

So you can see then how the genealogical principle has been reinterpreted and expanded because of Christ. Okay? So, this is how our Paedo-Baptist friends look at it. They look at it this way. Here's Abraham. Here's Abraham's seed, which is the true Israel.

Right? And then here we are, believers and their children now equal Abraham's seed and true Israel. Okay? Straight line. Straight line. Okay?

Nothing's happened here. However, if I understand Galatians correctly, here's Abraham, and then there's Abraham's seed in the true Israel, and then what? Jesus. Jesus. Jesus, who is Abraham's seed and true Israel? Jesus now is Israel.

And by the way, if you want to see that, just read through the book of Matthew. Right? Matthew continually tries to show that Jesus is the true Israel. In other words, the nation of Israel goes all the way down and finds its focus in one person. Alright? The seed promise goes all the way down and finds its fulfillment in one person.

For example, let me just give you an example. That really famous verse where it says that Joseph and Mary and Jesus had fled to Egypt and then they came out. And then Matthew says, because the Bible says, out of Egypt have I called my son. right? Oh, see, that's a prophecy about Jesus. Yes, it is. But when you go back to the Old Testament, who is Hosea talking about there?

He's talking about Israel and its exodus out of Egypt. And he's saying Jesus is Israel. He's come out of Egypt. Do you think there's anything significant about Jesus spending 40 days in the wilderness? Does that ring any bells? Sure it does.

Sure it does. That's why when you come to Matthew 5, Jesus says, I fulfill the entire Old Testament. You get to Luke. He shows how Jesus fulfills the entire Old Testament. So Jesus is Abraham's seed and the true Israel. And then those who believe are Abraham's seed and true Israel.

So it's not just straight from circumcision to baptism. circumcision has to come through Jesus or the seed has to come through Jesus and all who are related to Jesus are Abraham's seed not believers and their children. Okay? Now, how does this apply to baptism? I think you can see what happens then. First of all, the covenant sign then has to be applied to all those in Abraham's family, right?

Who's in his family? Those who believe. Those who are members are those who have exercised faith, who have put their trust in Jesus, and therefore the covenant sign must surely be applied to the members of Abraham's seed. But they are all believers in Jesus. Okay? Now, next thing.

What about the new covenant? What about the new covenant? Now, remember how it was under the old Mosaic covenant. Circumcision is the covenant sign. It doesn't save, but it marks you out as part of the people of God. That naturally results in a mixed community.

There are some who are going to believe. There are some who will not. Okay? And it is a conditional covenant. That is to say, when you read the covenant, and Andrew gave us a hint of it in the Confession of Faith today where it talks about Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, and what they did was they renewed the covenant and they had some people standing here and some people standing there and those on Gerizim pronounced the blessings if they were faithful to the covenant over here the curses if you were unfaithful to the covenant so there was a condition right you got to remain faithful to the covenant or God will bring all these curses on you If you do remain faithful He bring all these blessings on you Let's turn and look at the new covenant that's promised in Jeremiah chapter 31.

Jeremiah 31. Jeremiah 31. Jeremiah 31 beginning in verse 31 Behold the days are coming declares the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them up out of the land of Egypt my covenant that they broke though I was their husband declares the Lord for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord.

I will put my law within them. I will write it on their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother saying, know the Lord, for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more.

Now there's the promise of the new covenant. And so, let's compare that. So now we have our Presbyterian friends saying clearly we baptize these children into the new covenant. And what do they say about that new covenant? Baptism doesn't save, but marks you out as part of the people of God. It of course results in a mixed community, and of course it is a conditional covenant.

You keep the covenant by believing in Jesus and you reap the blessings of eternal life. You break the covenant and you reap curses of eternal judgment. Now some of you, I hope you're right now thinking this thought. Wait a minute. What's so new about this new covenant? It looks almost exactly the same.

Does it not? Am I wrong? Do you see that? What's so new about the new covenant? Well, let's look at what the new covenant is, how the new covenant is described. Number one, starts out, I'm going to make a new covenant not like the old one.

That ought to be a kind of a major point, don't you think? It's not going to be like the old one. All right? Notice, every covenant member, everyone who's in this covenant has the law of God written on his heart. every member or every covenant member will have God as his God notice the original Abrahamic promise by the way you see that all the way through when you get to Revelation what do we find at the very end of the Bible you see that same thing I will be their God and they will be my people and I will dwell among them so there's that promise from the Abrahamic covenant every covenant member know, though now, will have God as his God.

Every covenant member will know God. Alright? Every covenant member will know God from the least to the greatest. Alright? From the children to the adults. From the poor to the rich.

Everyone who's a member of this covenant, who's under this covenant, will know God. And knowing God means properly acknowledging and recognizing him. It doesn't mean kids who've just been catechized. It means that you know God. Alright? Tons of Israelites knew all kinds of things about God too.

But they didn't know God. Alright? Every covenant member will know the forgiveness of sins. Okay? Every covenant member is included because it is an unconditional covenant. There are no conditions in this covenant.

It says, this is what I'm going to do. That God will do this for every member. And by the way, the faith that brings forgiveness is included in this covenant. It has to be. If God promises for everyone who's in this covenant that they'll have forgiveness of sins. They'll know God.

All of those things. Okay? So, this is what the covenant promises. But again, notice this. It comes to us, oh, I'm sorry, for the main point, to sum it all up, the new covenant community appears to be a regenerate community. It doesn't appear to be a mixed community.

It appears to be every member of this, every member under this covenant is going to be a believer. I mean, it just, I don't know, reads that way to me. But once more, lest we forget, it comes to us through Jesus. alright someone read Luke 22 17 through 20 very familiar words who will read it alright Joe Luke 22 17 through 20 who will read for us Hebrews 7 23 through 25 Hebrews 7 ok Pam alright go Joe and he took a cup and when he had given thanks he said take this and divide it amongst yourselves For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the food of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And likewise the cup, after you have eaten it, saying, This is the cup that is poured out for you, is a new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. for the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed.

Okay, notice what Jesus says when they take that second cup. This cup is the new covenant in my blood. This cup is the new covenant. which has come about by my death, by blood. That's what the word blood means. It means death. Okay?

So this covenant is yours through my death. Alright, Hebrews 7, 23-25. Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office, but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Okay, so here it talks about the former priests were prevented by death. There's a new covenant where the priest goes on forever. Drop down to chapter 9, verse 15. Therefore he, that is Christ, is the mediator of a new covenant so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance since death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

So there, because of Jesus, we have a new covenant. It's part of his work to give us a new covenant. And then drop down, of course, to 23 through 25. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. for Christ has entered not into holy places made with hands which are copies of the true things but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf nor was it to offer himself repeatedly as the high priest enters the holy place every year with blood not his own so again what we see here is the fact that Jesus has guaranteed a better covenant his death brings about a better covenant It's ratified and inaugurated by Jesus.

And his death guarantees the promises of this new covenant. Okay? His death guarantees the promises of the new covenant. And if that, not to put too fine a point on it, not to put too fine a point on it, the writer to the Hebrews applies this directly to the church. It is our covenant. The church is under the new covenant.

The new covenant that promised all of these things. And by the way, if you look at Hebrews chapter 8, he runs through the whole new covenant promises again. Telling us this is what Jesus has brought. Alright? So through Jesus, the new covenant that we find promised is applied to those who belong to him. Okay?

It's applied to those who belong to him. All those things are true. Now, what does that then have to say about baptism? If the covenant sign of baptism has to be applied to covenant members, then it can only be applied to those who are in the new covenant, that is, those who have been regenerated, and who have repented, and who have believed. if the new covenant is what it says and Jesus brings it to us and we're under the new covenant well then what does that say? it says the covenant sign is applied to members of that covenant community which are those who know God law of God written on their heart and so forth and so the question is how then can infants be baptized? and I've never quite understood that when I hear the baptismal formula and they talk about this baby being baptized into the new covenant it just seems like to me there's a major disconnect when you look at the promises of the new covenant are you saying that this baby has the law of god written on his heart are you telling me this infant knows god are you telling me this infant right by the way i poked around some of my presbyterian resources You know what I found out?

Some Presbyterians do believe that baptism has a salvific effect. I was surprised to hear that. I was surprised to hear that there's a group of Presbyterian-like churches who accept, and by the way, this Presbyterian showed me in the Westminster Confession where it says it can have a salvific effect. and then I found out that the group the Presbyterian type group that his church is a part of accepts the Lutheran formula for baptism as well as the Westminster so there are some Presbyterians and I don't know all the details of it I don't know if they're saying every child is or the spirit can do that I don't know Andrew?

Is it the Federalist Vision? Federalist Vision? Is that what you're talking about? You know, it's been a while since I thought about that, since it seems to be the way out. But is that the Federalist Vision? The Federalist Vision seems, I thought, said, and the Federalist Vision is a concept that Doug Wilson, and some of you young'uns here know who Doug Wilson is.

Doug Wilson started this thing with the federal vision. And man, he caught fire for it. Fire for it. Because essentially, my understanding is, Andrew, that once you're baptized, you're in. And we'll just consider you. Now, this is what I picked up.

We'll consider you as saved. Unless something shows that you're not. It takes an extra step, doesn't it, to say you are saved, right? It could. I don't know, because I'm trying to figure out how Presbyterian even... It is consistent It consistent with what the Bible says about the New Covenant isn it With what Presbyterians say about baptism yeah Yeah with what they say about baptism If you're baptizing this baby into the New Covenant, then why are you even telling us?

Like, I've proposed to you. By the way, what I've said is the majority Presbyterian view, which is, it doesn't save you, it's a covenant that if you keep the conditions of believing in Jesus, you will. So it's, again, future, right? But this Presbyterian brother told me that this is the minority view, the salvific view. He says it's the minority view. But evidently there are some Presbyterians who believe.

Doug Wilson quite probably, as Andrew has explained, believes it. By the way, when Doug Wilson proposed what's called the Federal Vision, the Presbyterian church all across the nation were up in arms because they said, no, no, it doesn't save. But let's say this. If you're baptizing a child into the new covenant, it sure makes sense that they're saved because the new covenant says, law of God written on your heart, knowing God, your sins are forgiven, all those promises, right? anyway I'm thankful for inconsistent Presbyterians alright so you see what's the point?

The point is with the coming of the new covenant covenant members have all these things true of them how then can you say you apply the covenant sign to infants when are you trying to tell me that infants have the law of God written on their hearts. It's just inconsistent with what the New Covenant says. Okay? Alright. I don't see anybody fading yet. Are you fading now?

Okay. Because if anybody's fading, we're going to quit. Alright. You remember that in circumcision, Cato Baptists say that baptism replaces circumcision. Straight line. Straight line.

Okay? One and the other. Now, what did circumcision signify? First of all, it marked out Israel as the people of God, which by its nature then was a mixed community. Okay? It marks out the people of God.

So that's what it does. But it produces a mixed community because that doesn't mean everyone's going to believe. It just marks you as part of the people of God. and it pointed to the need for a circumcised heart that would result in wholehearted devotion to God. All right, who will read Deuteronomy 30, verse 6? Who will read Jeremiah 4, 4? All right, which one do you want?

Carrie? Deuteronomy, Jeremiah 4, 4. Caleb? I'm not even going to give you guys the five count on the room volunteer system here. Okay. alright Deuteronomy 30 verse 6 and the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live alright so God says you know someday we're going to circumcise the hearts so that you and your children will obey alright Jeremiah 4.4 circumcise yourselves to the Lord move the foreskin of your hearts All right, here the prophet says, circumcise your heart.

Get rid of that uncleanness so that you can be what God wants you to be, so you can obey. All right? So again, we have to ask the question, how does this point to a greater reality in Jesus? How does circumcision then point to a greater reality in Jesus? Alright, because circumcision's fulfillment is a greater reality. Alright, let's look at Colossians 2, 11-13.

Alright, now look. Colossians 2, 11-13 is the only scripture passage in the New Testament that directly talks about circumcision and baptism. Okay? It's the only clear passage in the New Testament that talks about circumcision and baptism. So what would you expect in that text? What you should expect, what you should expect is that he's going to say that circumcision is replaced by baptism.

But that's not what he says. Colossians 2, 11 through 13. Okay, I'll get there. Hang on. In him, in Christ also, in Christ also, you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, 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.

Now, notice what he says. You've been circumcised with a circumcision done without hands. It was done by Jesus when, or having been, how does it happen? with baptism in which you also were raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God to raise him from the dead. He's saying here, circumcision points to the circumcision that Jesus performs, right?

A circumcision that is accomplished through our union with Christ death burial and resurrection A circumcision that has actually been accomplished by Jesus He was crucified, he was buried, he was resurrected. And our circumcision, accomplished by our baptism, unites us to all that he has accomplished. So, circumcision finds its fulfillment in regeneration, and baptism testifies to the fact that those realities have occurred.

Okay? Circumcision is pointing to regeneration, not directly to baptism. So again, straight line, it's not circumcision, baptism. Right? Something has happened, and it's Jesus. Right?

Circumcision of God's people, Jesus comes and we have the circumcision of Christ and now we talk about baptism. So I kind of think of it this way. Circumcision looks forward to that spiritual circumcision and baptism looks backward to that spiritual circumcision. One anticipates it, one testifies to it. Okay? I was trying to figure out a way of putting a cross that goes, or an arrow that goes back to Jesus, but that would have been confusing.

All right? But if you will, you could draw this in your notes. Circumcision Jesus, baptism Jesus. Right? Circumcision points, according to Colossians 2, circumcision points not directly towards baptism. it points to regeneration. Okay?

Well, then what does this say about baptism? Well, it signifies, baptism signifies spiritual circumcision. In other words, baptism signifies for us our salvation. The fact that we're regenerated. Alright? And so as a covenant sign applied to those who have been spiritually circumcised, you can only apply it to believers.

It just follows. You can only apply it to believers. Alright. Just a second. Okay, we may have to quit. I'm going to go through it anyway.

I want to kill two birds with one stone. I want to explain these baptismal passages which many people have stumbled over but when you understand them they point to believers not a mixed company alright a number of texts seem to attribute union with Christ and our salvation to baptism let's look at those one is Colossians 2 verses 11-13 another is Romans 6 1-11 Another is Galatians 3, 26 and 27. Here, they're in your notes, aren't they?

And the last is 1 Peter 3, 21. Now let's look at Colossians 2. Colossians 2, 11 through 13. Now what I want to say is, I don't think that we can say from these texts that baptism is necessary. Baptism is not necessary for salvation. These passages are not referring to people baptized, but who don't believe.

And we're not talking about, none of these passages point to someone who doesn't believe, but they're baptized and suddenly saved then. And there's tons of references in the New Testament, tons, the overwhelming preponderance of verses that talk about our salvation say, you are saved by faith. We could just rattle all those off. You're saved by faith.

Faith alone. Okay? In fact, if baptism were necessary, then Paul failed. Because in 1 Corinthians 1.17, after saying he doesn't remember exactly all he baptized, Gaius, Crispus, oh yeah, Stephanus and his household. Then he says this, For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel. So baptism is not necessary to salvation.

Okay? But what is the nature of baptism as it's pictured in the New Testament? All right? In the primitive church, baptism and conversion were many times synonymous. How so? How so?

Well, look how it's described in Acts 22. This is the Apostle Paul giving his testimony to... I always get the two mixed up, if it's Festus or Felix. Acts 22. And that reference is wrong. It's verse 16.

Ananias is talking to him and he says, And now, why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name. All right? Now, what's Ananias saying here to Paul? Or Saul at this point? Your sins are washed away as you call on his name.

Baptism seems to be a means of calling on the name of Jesus. So it's not that the baptism saves you. It's that you're converted at that moment, if you will. Baptism was actually the moment you called upon the Lord in faith. It was the way you expressed your faith. Look at 1 Peter 3, verse 21.

Another passage that we tend to stumble over. 1 Peter 3 Someone read that when you get it 1 Peter 3 verse 21 Baptism which corresponds to this now saved, not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Alright, do you see what's going on there? There's the resurrection of Jesus mentioned, and your baptism is what? what is it say it again our baptism is defined as an appeal to God alright your baptism is defined as an appeal to God this is you making your appeal so is it baptism that's saving you or is it your faith alright so in the primitive church that's why in those early ones you know you see baptism and conversion almost conflated.

But when you read these passages, notice, faith is always present. There's always faith there. It's the instrument of your faith. Okay? Also, the text often described union with Christ both to faith and to baptism. All right?

So look at Galatians 3. Galatians 3, 26 and 27. Jans read that for us earlier. All right. Verse 26. For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.

For as many as of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Notice verse 26 talks about faith. Verse 27 talks about baptism. Are you with me? faith and baptism are together. They're not separate as if you believe and then you have to be baptized. He attributes the same to both.

And then in Colossians chapter 2, again, look at that, Colossians chapter 2. 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, 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. So again, right?

He says you're buried with him in baptism and then through faith. So baptism in faith. Baptism is the instrument of your faith. Now Romans 6, 1-11 talks again, doesn't mention faith in that passage, but I'm assuming it because of the other ones. I'm not going to, as one of my mentors said, you can't make the whole Bible rest on one verse. So Romans 6, 1-11 has the same thing in baptism, right?

Shall we go on sinning? No. You've been united to Christ, and His barren resurrection through your baptism. One writer has put it this way, just as faith is always assumed to lead to baptism, so baptism always assumes faith for its validity. Now, are you with me? This is why the New Testament sometimes puts baptism and conversion together because baptism was seen as the actual expression of your faith.

Alright? What's the point? Now, why do I bring up these things? Why do I include these verses? Simply because we have to conclude that if baptism in faith unites us to Christ and brings all the benefits of salvation, then we can only administer it to believers. Right?

If we take those passages, like Colossians 2, to say that you're saved merely by baptism and the infant has no faith, I've got a problem now. But again, as I just mentioned, some Presbyterians are consistent. They will say it does save. Because that's what that verse says. Okay? So, what does this say about baptism? if you say that infants must be baptized then you must conclude that infants are united to Christ and saved or that they can exercise faith if we understood those passages that say baptism unites us to Jesus then you also have to say that faith is present or that they are saved and again Again, it points to the fact that only believers are the proper subjects of baptism.

One writer puts it this way, Scripture links all the gracious benefits of the believers being united to Christ with water baptism. But if this is so, we cannot conceive how the new covenant sign of baptism may be applied to anyone who does not have faith. so add up all the evidence from household baptism to understanding covenants and circumcision and and baptism and when you do that it's no wonder that you do not find a record of infant baptism in the new testament it's foreign to the theology of the new testament which talks about a greater reality. We would expect a greater reality because of Jesus.

Alright? Okay, we're done. Questions? Not quite done. Any questions? No, we could go on for about four more weeks just on these subjects, but I just wanted to kind of give you the basics.

Alright? No questions. Andrew. So the Mosaic Covenant has circumcision. You have the covenant with baptism. Would you say that the Mosaic Covenant saved people eternally?

The blessings of being circumcised, I mean, in the covenant, was it different than the blessings you've received in the new covenant? Yeah. We're talking about differences between the covenants. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Would you say that the old covenant saved of itself? No.

So what were the blessings and curses then of the old covenant? Blessings and curses of the Mosaic covenant? Right. Land, fertile land, lots of children, a knowledge of God. You're the only people in all the earth who do have a knowledge of God. But by the way, that knowledge was always not immediate.

It was mediated through priests, prophets, and kings. So you had those advantages. You had the advantage of hearing the word of there is a promise, right? But the Mosaic Covenant wasn't about eternity. Now, could it point us to eternity? Yeah, because the Word of God was there.

Yeah, it seems that it was mainly physical. It was mainly. So it makes sense that the act to get into it was a physical act where the New Covenant is spiritual. So the act was spiritual. Oh, good point. The regeneration of the heart, not baptism on the outside.

Yeah. Say that louder so everybody can hear me because I can't remember. I don't know if I can sum it up. The benefits of the Old Covenant were physical. Physical. The benefits of the New Covenant were spiritual, which is why spiritual act is needed to get into the New Covenant. physical act needed to get to the Old Covenant.

Okay, that's good. Okay good I hadn thought about that You know what tough about having another pastor around What good is you really can learn some stuff And I'm telling you my heart now. The other one is when you're preaching, you're going, I wonder what that pastor thinks about what I just said. I know Andrew doesn't struggle with that. All right. Anybody else?

Okay. again, a word to you. Don't go out and pick fights now. Now that you've really loaded, don't go out and pick fights. Well, Andrew, why don't you close this in prayer? Our great God in heaven, we are so thankful for the new covenant. We are thankful, Lord, that everything pointed to the great promises that Jesus Christ has delivered for his people.

Lord, and we are thankful for baptism. We're thankful that we can show the work of faith that has been done in our hearts by baptism, that we can show that we are identifying ourselves with Jesus Christ, that we have believed upon him for salvation, and how we can show that in a way to the church, to everyone, that we believe. And so we're thankful that you've given us baptism.

And I pray, God, that we would have charity for those who do not have the same understanding of it as us, but we would still at the same time celebrate what baptism truly is. And so we thank you for these teachings that have helped us, solidified us, helped us to understand what we're doing in baptism so we can truly celebrate it as we see others perform it as well. So we praise you for proper doctrine, for good teaching.

And I pray that it would just affect the way that we worship you in the future. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.