So what was that whole thing about? The Old Testament isn't clear. It was God's idea. Abraham was the first and it marked him as God's chosen. Israel didn't do it consistently; they went through periods of none at all. God threatened to kill Moses because he failed to have his son circumcised (Exo 4:24-26). All Jewish males were supposed to be circumcised 8 days after they were born (Lev 12:3). The Jewish leadership was pretty sure it was necessary for salvation in the early church period (Acts 15:1). But what was it for? Paul answers the question. He said that Abraham "received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith" (Rom 4:11). Circumcision for the Jews was God's "seal of righteousness."
Okay, so what about us? Don't we need a "seal of righteousness"? Don't we want an authentication that verifies that we are declared righteous? Seems like that would be nice.
Well, of course, circumcision for the Jews didn't actually declare their righteousness, but God conferred it for that purpose. And, as it turns out, we have a similar authentication.
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. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. (Col 2:11-14)Paul here draws a parallel between Jewish circumcision and Christian baptism. This baptism is a "circumcision made without hands" that represents "putting off the body of the flesh" -- dying with Christ -- and rising again. It is this connection with Christ that results in our forgiveness and salvation. In this way, baptism serves as a "seal of righteousness," the indicator that we have been identified with Christ in His death and resurrection (Rom 6:3-5).
This, of course, produces some questions. "Does baptism produce salvation?" Certainly not, any more than circumcision did for the Jews. If it was a "seal of righteousness" for believing Jews, it was nothing at all for the unbelieving Jew. The same is true for baptism. "Since Jewish babies were circumcised, shouldn't we baptize babies, too?" No, that doesn't follow, either. Children were circumcised when they were born; believers should be baptized when they're born ... again. Jewish babies were circumcised when they became part of the family; Christians should be baptized when they become part of God's family. Even in the Jewish world, if you converted to Judaism you were circumcised after the conversion; baptism is a sign of a conversion, not a nationality. Believers should be baptized. "What value is baptism if it doesn't produce salvation and might be a seal of false righteousness?" The answer to that one is less satisfying, I suppose. God thought circumcision for the Jews was important enough to threaten to kill Moses when he failed to do it. It didn't confer salvation. It didn't guarantee faith. Lots of the circumcised are in hell. But God thought it was important as a symbol of imputed righteousness. Since baptism is our symbol of imputed righteousness, our image of our identification with death to the flesh and resurrection to new life, perhaps we also ought to consider it as important as God does.
Common baptism thinking considers it a "sign"-- not really that important. We should do it, but, really, it's just a sign. I think that's a mistake. God is kind of serious about His signs. Moses struck the rock in the desert instead of speaking to it -- intended to be a sign that the rock (Christ) had to be struck (killed) once, and after that we could just talk to Him -- and it cost Moses his entry into the Promised Land (Num 20:10-11). Our society (under the prince of the power of the air) has minimized God's version of marriage which is intended to be a symbol of Christ and the Church (Eph 5:31-32) and too many Christians are buying the lie that it's not that important. God considered circumcision to the Jews as a seal of righteousness and baptism to all as the same. I would suggest that it's likely more important than we're giving it credit for. Baptism is of considerable, biblical importance. It probably should be to us, too.
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