Colossians 2:11–12
11In 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, 12buried 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.
This morning we have the privilege of baptizing Everett Byland & Lydia Eades. So why is a Bible-believing congregation baptizing an infant? Paul helps us answer this question by drawing a parallel between circumcision and baptism. Even as circumcision was applied to infants of believers in the old covenant, so baptism is applied to the infants of believers in the new.
This makes sense when we understand the nature of covenant signs: covenant signs are not first and foremost our word to God, our profession of faith, but God’s word to us, tangible representations of His promises. As the sign and seal of the new covenant, baptism guarantees that the promise of forgiveness offered through the death and resurrection of Jesus is from God Himself. Even as a Presidential seal guarantees that the message contained in the letter is from the President, so baptism guarantees us that the promise of the Gospel comes from God Himself, the Creator of heaven and earth.
As we baptize Everett & Lydia this morning, therefore, God speaks to them and assures them of His grace and through this seal summons Everett & Lydia to trust Him and believe Him. In addition, God is reminding all who have been baptized of His promise: as surely as water cleanses the body, He will forgive and cleanse the one who trusts in the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus. So take your baptism seriously! The message it preaches has come directly from Almighty God!