Journal: Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal
Volume: RPTJ 09:1 (Fall 2022)
Article: From Circumcision To Baptism
Author: Clayton J. Williams

RPTJ 9:1 (Fall 2022) p. 11

From Circumcision To Baptism

Clayton J. Williams

Professor of Old Testament Studies Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary

When we think of the biblical topics and theological issues that are most relevant to the Christian life and the modern church, the Old Testament practice of circumcision probably does not even make the list. It may seem to us irrelevant at best, or perhaps even ominous, as we hear Paul say that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing, and you will become a debtor to keep the whole law (Gal. 5:2–3). But the same apostle thought it vital, in Romans 4, to explain the meaning of Abraham’s circumcision to us, saying that it was “a seal of the righteousness of faith,” to the end that Abraham might become “the father of all who believe.” While the practice of circumcision has expired under the New Covenant, the significance of it has everything to do with our identity as children of Abraham who are reckoned as righteous in the eyes of God through faith. This essay will explore the significance of circumcision, how it anticipates and prefigures the work of Christ, and how it was given as a means of grace in a similar way to the sacrament of baptism.

Circumcision As A Sign

When God commands Abraham and his seed to be circumcised in Genesis 17, there is no explanation of why, or what it means. Calvin believed it symbolized the pruning away of the corrupt nature of man,1 and Meredith Kline’s influential opinion was that it was a judicial symbol of the death of the old man, dying to the dominion of sin.2 These views are predominant and certainly not without merit, but if we look more closely at the biblical-theological context of antecedent Scripture, we can perhaps answer the question in a different way—in a way that directly foreshadows the work of Christ.

The biblical-theological solution begins in Genesis 3:15, where, in response to the fall of man into sin, God says to the serpent, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (NKJV). The promise is of a single male descendant, or “seed” (referred to by the singular pronoun “he”), who would come to rectify the problem of sin and crush the head of the tempter. “The Seed of the woman” is a curious phrase, since women do not have seed. It seems to indicate that this promised one would come through a natural human line of descent and be bo...