Come Sojourn with Us
This is where you will find sermons and updates for our church. Our mission is to preach expository sermons focusing on the gospel of Christ. We are a church that is tied to the reformed tradition and seeks to submit to the scriptures so we walk in the Lord’s wisdom rather than our own.
We would love to have you join us on our Christian sojourn if you are in the Belgrade, MT area. If you are not in area then join us by listening to our bi weekly free sermon podcast.
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This is our seventh and final part of our series on baptism. We considering some of the things that we have learned and wrap up this series. If you have any questions please reach out to me through the contact us section on our webpage http://urcbelgrade.com
Here is a link to the “Introduction to Baptism” playlist.
This is our sixth part in our seven part series on baptism. We consider the issue of whether the sign of baptism and the sign of circumcision have a correlation. It is clear that the shedding of blood is finished in the Old Testament, but what about consecration? Is there any significance of death? Is there significance of being consecrated through death?
Here is a link to the “Introduction to Baptism” playlist.
This is the fifth part of our seven part series. Some claim that circumcision is a physical sign, for a physical people, and it designates a people tied to a physical land. The assumption is that the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit is not necessarily symbolized in this sign. So, is circumcision symbolizing the work of the Spirit? Is there a spiritual nature to circumcision?
Here is a link to the “Introduction to Baptism” playlist.
This is the fourth part of our seven part series on baptism. In this teaching we explore whether there is a correlation between the sign of circumcision and the sign of baptism. So, is there any continuity between these signs? If so what could such a correlation imply?
Here is a link to the “Introduction to Baptism” playlist.
The Apostle Paul mentions baptism and circumcision as two signs of Christ’s work. Does Paul mention circumcision first to show that there is something more basic or inferior to this sign tied strictly to the Old Testament? Does he mention baptism second to communicate we have really arrived in history? Is it possible that Paul sees these two signs as having similar implications, but looking to the coming of Christ from different viewpoints in history?
So often people think of the sacrament of circumcision as a physical sign while baptism is a sign of Spiritual renewal. So, these signs might point to Christ, but they have radically different intentions. When we survey scripture we find that this is not necessarily a true distinction with circumcision being physical while baptism is spiritual. In fact, Moses teaches that one being uncircumcised is stating that one is not walking in power of the Lord. So, can we really say that circumcision is not a spiritual sign?
Many times people will say that the sacraments are a sign of our faith. We might not think that it is important to see that sacrament is a sign of God’s faithfulness verses the sign being a sign of my faith. Ultimately we need to look discussion in light of the covenant of grace. Did Abraham receive the sign because of his faith or because of the Lord’s faithfulness? In other words does the sign point to Abraham’s faith or does it point to the promises of God and His faithfulness? What does Paul say in Romans 4:11 regarding the sign that was given to Abraham?
So often I hear that the sacrament of baptism is administered only after someone makes a profession of faith while circumcision is something that is applied to children in the Old Testament. The reason that is given is that the Old Testament was a physical promise tied to a land while the New Testament is about the Spirit working in the lives of God’s people. The appeal is by looking to the book of Acts where we see someone profess their faith and then they receive baptism. If this case is so cut and dry then why is Christ circumcised and baptized? How can these signs encourage a church that is flat scared of what will happen tomorrow?
We continue to consider the themes of the catechism and the issue of baptism. In many ways it is tempting to say that circumcision is associated with the Old Testament and baptism is associated with the New Testament. This could mean that the application of these signs are radically different. What can we see in Scripture that shows us that these signs might have more continuity than discontinuity? Ultimately, what should these signs be communicating to us that can be missed in the context of our discussion on infant baptism?
Normally when we think about the sign of circumcision being instituted we think of Moses. We are also quick to think of this sign as being something that is tied to the flesh with a land promise with very little Spiritual significance. The sign of Baptism on the other hand we may think has great significance in terms of Spiritual blessings. Is this fair? Is this what Paul, Moses, and Abraham would have us take away from this sign?
We are a bible believing church in the Belgrade, MT. We are a Reformed Protestant church who desire to build one another up in love as we sojourn under the sun.
