A.Many lessons can be learned from the Old Testament Scriptures, for Romans 15:4 states, "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
B.Presently, we will consider a lesson from the Old Testament Scriptures concerning the sign of the covenant given to Abraham, which was circumcision.
1.We are not under the covenant given to Abraham, nor are we required to keep the sign of that covenant.Paul declared, "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God” (1Cor. 7:19).
2.Today, we are bound by a different covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:6-13), and there is a different sign of the new covenant in Christ that we are bound to keep.
3.Therefore, let us learn from Abraham’s covenant and its sign so that we may know how to keep our covenant in Christ and its sign.
II.THE SIGN OF GOD’S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM
A.God established a covenant with Abraham.
1.In order to understand the Bible, it necessary to understand the word "covenant.”
a.A covenant is an agreement, alliance, pledge, or testament.
b.Covenants may be made between men, or they may be made between God and man.
c.In general, a covenant governs the relationship between the two parties involved.
d.Covenants include terms by which both parties are obligated.These terms must be honored in order for the covenant to be kept.
2.God’s covenant with Abraham included promises and commandments.
a.God promised that Abraham would become a great nation, that his descendants would receive a certain portion of land, and that all nations would be blessed in him (Gen. 12:2-3; 13:14-17; 15:4-6).
b.God also commanded Abraham to leave his home and go to Canaan (Gen. 12:1, 4-5; Heb. 11:8-10, 14-16), to walk with God and be blameless (Gen. 17:1-8), to circumcise himself and his household (Gen. 17:9-14), and to offer his only begotten son (Gen. 22:1-18; Heb. 11:17-19; Jas. 2:21-24).
c.If Abraham had failed to keep the commandments of God, then he would have forfeited the promises of God.As it was, Abraham believed God, kept the commandments, was counted as righteous, and received the promises in his descendants (Rom. 4:1-12; Heb. 11:13, 39-40; Jas. 2:21-24).In other words, Abraham kept the covenant.
B.The sign of the covenant between God and Abraham was circumcision.
1.In Genesis 17:9-14, God commanded Abraham to practice circumcision as the sign of the covenant between God and him.
a.God gave very specific instructions pertaining to what circumcision was, when it was to be done, and who was subject to it.
b.No exceptions were allowed for this sign of the covenant between God and Abraham.Obedience to the sign of the covenant was not optional.Any male in Abraham’s household or lineage who was not circumcised was cut off from his people and had broken the covenant.
2.This covenant and its sign were passed down to Abraham’s descendants in the flesh through the nation of Israel.
a.In the New Testament times, circumcision was still practiced just as it was when God gave it to Abraham more than 2,000 years before.
b.Notice that Jesus (Luke 2:21), Paul (Phil. 3:4-5), and all Jewish males were circumcised on the eighth day following their births.
III.THE SIGN OF GOD’S COVENANT WITH CHRISTIANS
A.As with Abraham, God has established a covenant between Himself and Christians.
1.The New Testament Scriptures frequently refer to the new covenant that has been established through the blood of Jesus.
a.When instituting the Lord’s Supper, Jesus referred to the new covenant in His blood (Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 20:22; 1Cor. 11:25).It was His blood shed on the cross that inaugurated the new covenant (Heb. 9:11-26).
b.The book of Hebrews provides comparisons and contrasts between the old covenant (not Abraham’s covenant but the Law of Moses) and the new covenant in Christ (Heb. 8:6-13; 9:15; 10:15-17, 29:12:18-24; 13:20).
c.Teachers of the gospel of Christ are truly ministers of this new covenant (2Cor. 3:6).
2.As with the covenant of Abraham, the new covenant of Christ also has promises from God (forgiveness – Acts 2:38, salvation – Mark 16:16, eternal life – John 3:16, etc.) and commandments for man to keep (obedience to Jesus Christ – Heb. 5:9).
B.The sign of the covenant between God and Christians is "a circumcision made without hands.”
1.Consider the sign of the new covenant revealed in Colossians 2:9-13:
For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him 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, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions… (Compare to Rom. 6:3-7)
2.Baptism (immersion in water) in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the sign of the new covenant in Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18-20).
a.In Colossians 2:11, baptism is called "a circumcision made without hands” in an obvious allusion and comparision to the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham.
b.Rather than removing foreskin, the circumcision made without hands is a removal of the guilt of sin (Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1Pet. 3:21).
c.This circumcision made without hands is now the true sign of God’s covenant.It is a circumcision of the heart that makes Christians the genuine people of God (Rom. 2:29; Phil. 3:1-3).
IV.CONCLUSION – LESSONS LEARNED
A.The sign of the covenant without the substance of the covenant is worthless.
1.Circumcision alone was insufficient to justify Abraham.He also had to believe God while faithfully obeying all of God’s commandments (Rom. 4:1-12; Gal. 3:6-9; Jas. 2:21-24).
2.Likewise, the act of baptism alone is insufficient to justify man today.
a.In the likeness of Abraham, man must be faithful to God as a believer in Jesus in order for baptism to be of any value.
b.Remember, the Lord said, "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned” (Mark 16:16).Let us not put too much stock in baptism alone, for it is only the sign of the covenant.
B.If the sign of the covenant is not present, then the covenant is broken.
1.The sign of circumcision was inseparable from God’s covenant with Abraham.In fact, it was even called "the covenant of circumcision” (Acts 7:8).Any male in Abraham’s household or lineage who was not circumcised was cut off from his people and had broken the covenant.
2.Likewise, baptism is inseparable from God’s covenant with Christians.Failure to be baptized is a failure to meet the terms of the covenant and a forfeiture of the covenant’s benefits and promises.
C.Just as God gave specific instructions concerning circumcision, He also gave specific instructions concerning baptism.
1.Abraham was told what circumcision was, when it was to be done, and who was subject to it.He was not given any liberty to alter these specific instructions.
2.Likewise, we are told what baptism is (immersion in water), when it is to be done (when a sinner believes in Jesus and repents of sins), and who is subject to it (believers in Jesus Christ).See Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 8:36-38.We have no liberty to alter the mode of baptism (such as sprinkling or pouring), the occasion of baptism (such as when the church organizes a convenient time), or the subjects to baptism (such as infants).
