Covenant Life

Part 4 - The Mark of the Covenant

Four thousand years ago, God made a tremendous promise to Abraham. "I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed" (Genesis 12:2-3).

God followed this promise with a sign. "This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised" (Genesis 17:10). The sign was an outward badge or seal. The apostle Paul interprets. "He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised" (Romans 4:11). Abraham heard the promise of God. He did not trust in his own ability to become a great nation through which the world would receive blessing. He did not trust his own works. Abraham believed the promise of God. Abraham received righteousness from God.

To what end did this specific encounter with God take place? Paul again explains. It was "so that he [Abraham] might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them" (Romans 4:11). The reference here is to Gentiles, people like you and me. Follow two strands of thought, the promise and the sign of the promise.

As to the promise, the apostle Paul again makes a startling comment. "The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying 'All the nations will be blessed in you [Genesis 12:3]'." Paul calls the promise of God to Abraham the Gospel. Abraham heard the Gospel. Abraham believed the Gospel. The Gospel is of course the Good News concerning Jesus Christ. We too must believe this Good News. We enter heaven, not on the basis of works we have done, but on the basis of the work of Jesus Christ. We trust Christ. We receive righteousness from God just like Abraham did.

As to the sign, we turn once again to the apostle Paul. "In Him [Christ] you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism" (Colossians 2:11-12). The circumcision without hands is the circumcision of the heart. This is the circumcision of Christ. True "circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit" (Romans 2:29). It is the new birth.

Note the words, having been buried with Him in baptism. This phrase describes when and how Christians received the circumcision of Christ, the circumcision of heart. It was when they were baptized by the Holy Spirit. "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13). The outward sign of this inward grace is baptism with water. New Testament baptism therefore replaces Old Testament circumcision.

God commanded Abraham to receive circumcision, a sign of covenant faith and obedience. Abraham believed God's covenant promise fulfilled in Christ. Circumcision was the badge and seal of Abraham's inclusion in the covenant. Abraham was a marked man. Christ commands us to receive baptism, the New Testament sign of covenant faith and obedience. We believe the covenant promise of God given to us in Jesus Christ. Baptism is the badge and seal of our inclusion in the covenant God makes with us through Christ. We too are marked men and women.