Baptism doesn't save you. It points to your Savior.
Colossians 2:11-14
11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 34: The Sacrament of Baptism
We believe and confess that Jesus Christ,
in whom the law is fulfilled,
has by his shed blood
put an end to every other shedding of blood,
which anyone might do or wish to do
in order to atone or satisfy for sins.
Having abolished circumcision,
which was done with blood,
he established in its place
the sacrament of baptism.
By it we are received into God’s church
and set apart from all other people and alien religions,
that we may be dedicated entirely to him,
bearing his mark and sign.
It also witnesses to us
that he will be our God forever,
since he is our gracious Father.
Summary
In his letter to the Colossians, Paul speaks of the relationship between baptism and circumcision. Male circumcision was commanded of Abraham and all of his descendants as part of the Old Covenant. This command was given in Genesis 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.”
The purpose for this circumcision is given in the following verse, Genesis 17:11, “You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.”
Male circumcision was the sign of the Old Covenant, however the Old Covenant was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, in whom we are given the New Covenant of grace. Paul contests that those who come to faith in Christ do not need a physical circumcision because they are already circumcised in Christ.
Dig Deeper
The circumcision detailed in the Old Testament was more than an initiating right of the Old Covenant. It signified the cutting away of sin, a change of heart, and one’s inclusion in the house of faith.
Baptism, as the circumcision of Christ does all these things as part of the New Covenant. Just as circumcision represented the cutting away of sin, baptism signifies the washing away of sin as well as becoming a new creation in Christ and one’s membership in the visible body of the Church.
It is not the sacrament of baptism that can atone for one’s sin. The forgiveness of sins is the result of Christ’s atoning work on the cross, not the actions of man. In baptism we claim no ability to impart salvation, we only point to the work of Christ.
Baptism is a visible representation of the invisible work of washing away the sins of all whose faith is in him for salvation. And just as circumcision was the sign of the Old Covenant for the Israelites, baptism is the sign of the New Covenant for Christians.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, in whose work we place our faith;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will live as one made alive with Christ;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 17
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