Chapter 14 Circumcision and Baptism
Circumcision was the basic qualification to serve God in the age of the Old Testament. Thus the people of God who wanted to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must had them circumcised.
【Gen 17:10】 「This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.」
【Exo 12:43-44, 48】 「The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover: “No foreigner is to eat of it. Any slave you have bought may eat of it after you have circumcised him …… An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat of it.」
In the age of the New Testament, Bible says, Baptism has the meaning that is the spiritual circumcision done by Christ.
【Col 2:11-12】 「In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.」
Just before the last Supper of the Passover Feast, Jesus said to Peter, “A person who has had a bath(baptism) needs only to wash his feet”, in order to participate in the Passover bread and wine. As it is written;
【John 13:1-10】 「It was just before the Passover Feast …… The evening meal was being served …… so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist …… Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”」
Baptism is a footprint of gospel in which Jesus set the first example. He had set us an example that we should follow as He had done for us.
【Matt 3:13-17】 「Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”」
All of us who were baptized in the name of Jesus were baptized into His death. Therefore we were buried with him into death through baptism. Our old self is buried into death, and our new self may live a new life.
【Rome 6:3-4】 「Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.」
Because baptism means funeral, it must be the way all bodies are submerged. Baptism by spraying water on the head only is not biblical. Even though there is a historical record of the simple way of baptism, it was not the regular case, but the exceptional case for the area of the desert or the patient.
