Paedo-Baptism Answers Circumcision of the Heart

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I know it’s been talked about here before, but could someone explain how OT circumcision doesn’t point to New Covenant “circumcision” of the heart?

I’ve heard Baptists say circumcision wasn’t the precursor to baptism; it was the precursor to a renewed heart.
 
It is a both/and matter, not either/or. The sign of the covenant, in both testaments, points to the reality of full redemption in Christ. But the application of the sign, because it is a sign and not the reality, is not limited to those who have experienced the reality nor is to be delayed until they and/or others can verify such. So God can command that Israel circumcise their own heart (Deuteronomy 10:16) even while promising to do that very thing, even for their children (Deuteronomy 30:6 cf. Jeremiah 32:39). The demand comes about as a result of being covenanted to God before the bond of circumcision while the reality comes about as God decrees, though through ordinary means such as the word here and the sacrament itself which testifies to that word. However, what underlies the reality or significance of the sign is the promise of God, not the participant. Participation in the reality is determined by God's choice which itself determines the when of the reality, as the confession states (WCF 28.6).
 
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It's not so much that circumcision was a "precursor" to baptism....it's that both point ultimately to the same thing (the work of God through Christ in justification and regeneration) and are applied in the same way (to believers and their households upon entrance into the visible church). Both of them point to a renewed heart. And Paul explicitly links the two Colossians: "In Him (Christ) ye were circumcised...having been baptized", so both essentially point to the work of God through Christ.

I would also point out that circumcision of the heart is not something limited to the new testament era. Any believer who has ever lived has been circumcised of heart. And any believer who has ever lived has been baptized by the Holy Spirit. Unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Notice that Jesus said that before he was crucified and raised, meaning it's always been true.
 
I don't have much in my own words to contribute here but did recently send some resources to a reforming friend on this topic. Hope they can aid your study as well. Also, Dr. Matt Everhard on youtube has a number of videos covering baptism you might find useful.


A couple passages to consider & worth having in the thread.
And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also.
Romans 4:11 NKJV

“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2:11-12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Resource Links
opc.org

Question & Answer: The Orthodox Presbyterian Church

We're the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Our purpose is simple: to bring glory to God through our churches and individual lives to make known to the world the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ
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heidelblog.net

Baptism and Circumcision According to Colossians 2:11–12

What follows is taken from a larger essay, “A Contemporary Reformed Defense of Infant Baptism:” What is the Connection Between Circumcision and Baptism? The connection between baptism a…
heidelblog.net heidelblog.net
 
My wife and I are going through this series at the moment. It is the most helpful podcast I've listened to thus far. God bless!

heidelblog.net

Heidelcast Series: I Will Be A God To You And To Your Children - The Heidelblog

The question of baptism, who should be baptized and why, is not just a question about the sacraments. It is a question that is integrally connected to the way we read the Scriptures (hermeneutics), the way we understand redemptive history, the way we understand the biblical covenants, the...
heidelblog.net heidelblog.net
 
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