Introduction:

Some Christians assume that the Old Covenant was merely physical while the New Covenant is purely spiritual. This distinction creates a problem: does God promise one thing to his people but deliver another? If so, does that imply two different ways of salvation? Scripture teaches otherwise. Circumcision and baptism are covenant signs pointing to the same gospel and the same Messiah. Through both, God consecrates his people to Christ—those under the Old Covenant and those under the New alike. Circumcision looked forward in anticipation of Christ’s redeeming work, while baptism looks back in faith to that same finished work.

What Is Circumcision?

In Colossians 2:11–12, Paul connects circumcision and baptism with the redemptive work of Christ. At first glance, circumcision appears to be a merely physical mark in the flesh. Yet when we examine its origin and meaning, we see that it symbolized far more. It was a seal of the righteousness he had by faith (Romans 4:11). Abraham received the sign after struggling to trust that God would fulfill His promise of redemption through the Messiah’s lineage. The act itself—performed in the organ of generation is a visible sign that Christ would come from a line of people who were spiritually dead, yet made alive by God’s covenant grace. Those who bore this sign, whether individuals or households, were set apart to God and identified with the coming Messiah.

The sign communicates the Gospel warning that the uncircumcised would be “cut off,” a foreshadowing of Christ’s crucifixion and a parallel to Isaac’s near-sacrifice in Genesis 22. Scripture consistently presents circumcision as spiritually significant (Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4). In fact, to be uncircumcised was to be unclean (Isaiah 52:1; Leviticus 19:23). From the beginning, God’s purpose in circumcision was to signify heart renewal and consecration to Him through the promised Messiah. It served as a visible sign of belonging to God’s holy people, anticipating the One who would have to be cut off to redeem his people.

What Is Baptism?

In Colossians 2:12 and Romans 6, Paul links baptism with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism signifies the covenant community being consecrated to Christ's death and resurrection. He is the trailblazer who has gone before us. Like circumcision, baptism marks those who belong to God’s covenant community, including believing households and their children (Ephesians 5–6; Colossians 3). Paul uses this sacramental language, as the prophets did with Israel, to remind us that we are God’s covenant people. Through baptism, we confess that Christ was cut off as the covenant breaker in our place, passed through the sea of death, and rose victorious to secure new life for all who are united to Him.

The Correlation of the Signs

Circumcision and baptism are complementary signs of one covenant promise. In Romans 4 and Genesis 15–17, we see that the sign always follows the Word, confirming the promise God has spoken. Circumcision looked forward to the coming Messiah; baptism looks back to His finished work. Both declare the same covenant reality—death to sin, consecration to God, and new life in Christ.

Conclusion:

Both signs reveal one gospel, one covenant, and one Savior. Circumcision anticipated Christ’s being “cut off”; baptism celebrates His resurrection life. Together, they declare the double edge of the gospel. On the one hand, there is life for those who believe because Christ has been cut off and passed through the sea of death. However, there is a picture of judgment for those who reject the messiah. God’s people, whether Jew or Gentile, are now one new community in Christ, united through His death and resurrection, the true fulfillment of the Lord’s gracious covenant.. Let us seek to live as God’s gospel people.