Why do we baptize our babies? We return now to the same passage that we read on Tuesday . Paul is addressing what he calls being circumcised by Christ. The actions of baptism represent how the believer shares in Christ’s death and resurrection. Since Christians have been circumcised by Christ they do not need to take part in a physical circumcision. While male circumcision still occurs today, this is a matter of hygienic choice, not a spiritual mandate. What was commanded by Jesus is to make disciples and to baptize them. Colossians 2:11-14 11  In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12  having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13  When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14  having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   34: The Sacrament of Baptism We believe and confess that Jesus Christ, in whom the law is fulfilled, has by his shed blood put an end to every other shedding of blood, which anyone might do or wish to do in order to atone or satisfy for sins. Having abolished circumcision, which was done with blood, he established in its place the sacrament of baptism. By it we are received into God’s church and set apart from all other people and alien religions, that we may be dedicated entirely to him, bearing his mark and sign. It also witnesses to us that he will be our God forever, since he is our gracious Father. Therefore he has commanded that all those who belong to him be baptized with pure water “in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” In this way he signifies to us that just as water washes away the dirt of the body when it is poured on us and also is seen on the body of the baptized when it is sprinkled on him, so too the blood of Christ does the same thing internally, in the soul, by the Holy Spirit. It washes and cleanses it from its sins and transforms us from being the children of wrath into the children of God. So ministers, as far as their work is concerned, give us the sacrament and what is visible, but our Lord gives what the sacrament signifies— namely the invisible gifts and graces; washing, purifying, and cleansing our souls of all filth and unrighteousness; renewing our hearts and filling them with all comfort; giving us true assurance of his fatherly goodness; clothing us with the “new man” and stripping off the “old,” with all its works. We believe our children ought to be baptized and sealed with the sign of the covenant, as little children were circumcised in Israel on the basis of the same promises made to our children. And truly, Christ has shed his blood no less for washing the little children of believers than he did for adults. Therefore they ought to receive the sign and sacrament of what Christ has done for them, just as the Lord commanded in the law that by offering a lamb for them the sacrament of the suffering and death of Christ would be granted them shortly after their birth. This was the sacrament of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, baptism does for our children what circumcision did for the Jewish people. That is why Paul calls baptism the “circumcision of Christ.”   Dig Deeper While the command to baptize is clearly laid out in scripture, there continues to be theological discussion around who to baptize. More specifically, should we as Christians baptize the children of believing parents? Our Confession advocates for the baptism of children, stating outright that children ought to be baptized. The strong scriptural argument for paedobaptism (the baptism of infants) comes from Paul’s description of baptism as the “circumcision of Christ”. Under the Old Covenant the sign of the covenant was male circumcision, which was administered to the people of God and their children. The question which Christians continue to debate is whether the sign of the new covenant, baptism, should likewise be administered to the children of believing parents. While this is not a salvation issue, it is important to consider the scriptural and theological processes behind our administering of our sacraments. Those who oppose infant baptism often cite the lack of a direct command in scripture to baptize the children of believers. As paedobaptists, we would counter that the Bible never once commanded believers to stop applying the sign of the covenant to their children. Under the Old Covenant, it was the command of God that children were to be given the sign of the covenant. The burden of proof lies with those who would seek to remove children from being included from amongst those who receive the sign of the New Covenant. It is important that our administration of sacraments is guided by scripture. Consider not only the baptism and communion practices of your church, but also the reasons they adhere to those traditions. The sacraments carry much more meaning when you understand the significance of what we are declaring through them. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who is working out your salvation in Christ; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to fulfill the promises you've made each time you've witnessed the baptism of a covenant child; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 20

You've been washed, so keep yourself clean. Colossians 3:5-11 5  Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7  You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8  But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10  and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11  Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   34: The Sacrament of Baptism We believe and confess that Jesus Christ, in whom the law is fulfilled, has by his shed blood put an end to every other shedding of blood, which anyone might do or wish to do in order to atone or satisfy for sins. Having abolished circumcision, which was done with blood, he established in its place the sacrament of baptism. By it we are received into God’s church and set apart from all other people and alien religions, that we may be dedicated entirely to him, bearing his mark and sign. It also witnesses to us that he will be our God forever, since he is our gracious Father. Therefore he has commanded that all those who belong to him be baptized with pure water “in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” In this way he signifies to us that just as water washes away the dirt of the body when it is poured on us and also is seen on the body of the baptized when it is sprinkled on him, so too the blood of Christ does the same thing internally, in the soul, by the Holy Spirit. It washes and cleanses it from its sins and transforms us from being the children of wrath into the children of God. So ministers, as far as their work is concerned, give us the sacrament and what is visible, but our Lord gives what the sacrament signifies— namely the invisible gifts and graces; washing, purifying, and cleansing our souls of all filth and unrighteousness; renewing our hearts and filling them with all comfort; giving us true assurance of his fatherly goodness; clothing us with the “new man” and stripping off the “old,” with all its works. Summary In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he wrote to encourage a church who was struggling with the influence of false teachers. These false teachers were promoting the addition of works-based requirements to the Gospel that Jesus taught. These teachings amount to heresy because when you add to or take away from the Gospel, you are left with something that is not the Gospel. When addressing these false teachings, Paul wrote on the new self vs the old self. The things that are earthly, which he lists as sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed are all associated with the old self . These are the things that followers of Christ are called to leave behind. In addition to this list of five sins, Paul also names anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language as things to abstain from. These, again, are associated with the old self. Paul then singles out lying as another characteristic of the old self to leave behind. Instead of clinging to the things of the world, the Colossians are instead encouraged to clothe themselves with the new self. Dig Deeper Paul will sometimes use imagery or real-life examples to explain theological concepts. The old self he speaks of is who you were before you came to faith in Jesus Christ. The new self is who you are in Christ. When Paul tells the Colossians to put to death what is earthly, he is encouraging them not to live into these things associated with the world. The Belgic Confession speaks into this truth. Since through Christ you have become a benefactor of the many graces of Christ, live into this new self. Just as you would not remove a clean shirt to replace it with a dirty one, leave behind those things which are considered the practices of the old self. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who is renewing us in His image; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that each day you will reflect less of your old self and more of your new self; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 19

Baptism is a command, not a suggestion. Matthew 28:18-20 18  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   34: The Sacrament of Baptism We believe and confess that Jesus Christ, in whom the law is fulfilled, has by his shed blood put an end to every other shedding of blood, which anyone might do or wish to do in order to atone or satisfy for sins. Having abolished circumcision, which was done with blood, he established in its place the sacrament of baptism. By it we are received into God’s church and set apart from all other people and alien religions, that we may be dedicated entirely to him, bearing his mark and sign. It also witnesses to us that he will be our God forever, since he is our gracious Father. Therefore he has commanded that all those who belong to him be baptized with pure water “in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” In this way he signifies to us that just as water washes away the dirt of the body when it is poured on us and also is seen on the body of the baptized when it is sprinkled on him, so too the blood of Christ does the same thing internally, in the soul, by the Holy Spirit. It washes and cleanses it from its sins and transforms us from being the children of wrath into the children of God. Summary The closing verses of Matthew 28 are some of the best known amongst Christians. Named the Great Commission, this command of Jesus laid out the marching orders for his disciples. Included amongst these orders is to not only make disciples, but to baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Great Commission commanded the sacrament of baptism for Christians. Earlier, in Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist spoke to the nature of this baptism. He said, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” There are several things we can take away from John the Baptist's words, one being that not all baptisms are the same. John was out in the wilderness administering a baptism of repentance. This baptism is not the same as the baptism of Christians in response to the Holy Spirit. John also speaks to how baptism in Christ is more than what one can physically see. While the sacrament of baptism is something we can see, what it signifies is that which we cannot see, the grace of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Dig Deeper Baptism is not something to put off. The command given in the Great Commission was to baptize. In the New Testament, new believers in Christ did not wait around for years to be baptized. When they came to faith in Christ, they were baptized almost immediately. Because baptism is not a salvation issue, not everyone will see the importance of this sacrament. But being a Christian is about more than doing the bare minimum to earn salvation. We are called to be disciples of Jesus Christ. And since Jesus called his followers to baptize and be baptized, we should do likewise. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that Jesus' commision will be your top priority; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 18

Baptism doesn't save you. It points to your Savior. Colossians 2:11-14 11  In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12  having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13  When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14  having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   34: The Sacrament of Baptism We believe and confess that Jesus Christ, in whom the law is fulfilled, has by his shed blood put an end to every other shedding of blood, which anyone might do or wish to do in order to atone or satisfy for sins. Having abolished circumcision, which was done with blood, he established in its place the sacrament of baptism. By it we are received into God’s church and set apart from all other people and alien religions, that we may be dedicated entirely to him, bearing his mark and sign. It also witnesses to us that he will be our God forever, since he is our gracious Father. Summary In his letter to the Colossians, Paul speaks of the relationship between baptism and circumcision. Male circumcision was commanded of Abraham and all of his descendants as part of the Old Covenant . This command was given in Genesis 17:10, “This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.” The purpose for this circumcision is given in the following verse, Genesis 17:11, “You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.” Male circumcision was the sign of the Old Covenant, however the Old Covenant was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, in whom we are given the New Covenant of grace. Paul contests that those who come to faith in Christ do not need a physical circumcision because they are already circumcised in Christ. Dig Deeper The circumcision detailed in the Old Testament was more than an initiating right of the Old Covenant. It signified the cutting away of sin, a change of heart, and one’s inclusion in the house of faith. Baptism, as the circumcision of Christ does all these things as part of the New Covenant. Just as circumcision represented the cutting away of sin, baptism signifies the washing away of sin as well as becoming a new creation in Christ and one’s membership in the visible body of the Church. It is not the sacrament of baptism that can atone for one’s sin. The forgiveness of sins is the result of Christ’s atoning work on the cross, not the actions of man. In baptism we claim no ability to impart salvation, we only point to the work of Christ. Baptism is a visible representation of the invisible work of washing away the sins of all whose faith is in him for salvation. And just as circumcision was the sign of the Old Covenant for the Israelites, baptism is the sign of the New Covenant for Christians. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, in whose work we place our faith; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will live as one made alive with Christ ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 17

Is your zeal for God based on knowledge or something else? Romans 10:1-4 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2  For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3  Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4  Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   34: The Sacrament of Baptism We believe and confess that Jesus Christ, in whom the law is fulfilled, has by his shed blood put an end to every other shedding of blood, which anyone might do or wish to do in order to atone or satisfy for sins. Summary In today’s passage, Paul speaks to his desire for his fellow Israelites to come to faith in Jesus Christ. They had a desire to know God, yet tried to meet him on their terms. The Israelites of whom Paul is speaking were trusting their own works as a means of establishing their righteousness before God. This type of zeal was not based on knowledge. Jesus Christ is the perfect revelation of God to humanity, yet many Israelites chose instead to trust a system of laws and sacrifices rather than trusting in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, for their righteousness. It was Paul’s hope that his fellow Israelites would see the zeal of the Gentiles (the non-Jewish followers of Jesus) and be drawn into faith in Jesus Christ. In Romans 11:11b Paul writes: “Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.” Not only was this a hope that Paul had for his kinsmen, but he also saw it as part of God's purpose for the fruitfulness of faith amongst Gentile believers. Dig Deeper It might seem odd that a section of the Belgic Confession which focuses on baptism would begin by speaking of the law. This introduction stems from the meaning of baptism. Not only is baptism a visible representation of Christ’s invisible work in our lives, but baptism also points us to the resurrection. In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the law, the entire system of ceremonial laws and sacrifices, was fulfilled. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, no other sacrifice or shedding of blood needs to be made for the atonement of sins. This imagery is present in baptism. Just as water cleanses the body, the blood of Christ at the Cross cleanses the believer of their sins. There is no need to look anywhere else for righteousness before God; the grace of Jesus is enough to cover all your sins. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who calls all people to submit to His righteousness; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your zealousness for God would be based on the knowledge that comes through Christ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 16

Participating in the sacraments connects you to God's covenant people in all ages. 1 Corinthians 10:1–4 (ESV) 1  For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2  and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3  and all ate the same spiritual food, 4  and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   33: The Sacraments We believe that our good God, mindful of our crudeness and weakness, has ordained sacraments for us to seal his promises in us, to pledge his good will and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith. He has added these to the Word of the gospel to represent better to our external senses both what he enables us to understand by his Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts, confirming in us the salvation he imparts to us. For they are visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible, by means of which God works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. So they are not empty and hollow signs to fool and deceive us, for their truth is Jesus Christ, without whom they would be nothing. Moreover, we are satisfied with the number of sacraments that Christ our Master has ordained for us. There are only two: the sacrament of baptism and the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ. Summary In the 7th-8th grade Bible class I teach each week at Worthington Christian School , we've been learning about how the Bible often uses a literary device called typology to point to Jesus from the Old Testament. Today's New Testament passage is a perfect passage to demonstrate how typology works. Paul describes the Israelites who escaped from Egyptian slavery as being under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea . If you're familiar with this narrative, you remember that the people followed God, who appeared as a pillar of cloud (and fire at night), and their dramatic escape from Pharaoh as they crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. Paul next mentions their diet. They of course ate the manna that descended from heaven and the quail that God provided, and often their water would spring forth from a rock in the middle of an otherwise parched and dry desert. But Paul inserts a surprising word to describe this food and drink: It wasn't merely sustenance to keep them alive physically, it was spiritual food and spiritual drink. The rocks that miraculously bursted forth with water was none other than Christ Himself. So all of those elements: the Red Sea, the pillar of cloud, manna and springs of water were all types pointing us to Christ and signifying how these were not just ethnic Hebrews wandering across the wilderness, but were marked as God's people in the same exact way you are! Dig Deeper People often despair at the myriads of denominations the church has splintered into over the last two millennia. But the remarkable thing is the massive amount of doctrinal agreement between the various groups - on paper, at least (this might not seem so because at present so many individual groups have deviated far from what their denominations actually profess to believe). So the biggest discrepancies between various aspects of the Church aren't necessarily in what we believe but more so in how we express those beliefs (especially in public worship). And there's no bigger example of this than in how each church handles the sacraments; not only in how to perform them, but even in how many sacraments there are! Part of the difficulty is the vagueness with which the Bible describes them. Today's passage is the only one that mentions both sacraments simultaneously, and it does so in a somewhat cryptic way. Often the Biblical instructions seem short on detail. Who, exactly, ought to be baptized, and when? How much water must be used, and what words should accompany it? What did Jesus mean when He took bread and wine and said "This is my body and blood?" These are questions we'll wrestle through over the next couple weeks. One thing that stands out over these past few weeks as we've looked at church polity is that as Reformed churches, we seek to do everything the Bible commands and nothing it doesn't as we shepherd and govern God's people. We take that same sola scriptura principle to our understanding to the sacraments: We adhere to the only two that Christ our Master has ordained for us. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who has gathered us in as His covenant people; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will not be stubborn and rebellious as His people were long ago as you wander through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 15

Sacraments are designed to Spiritually cut your heart. Romans 2:28-29 (NIV) 28  A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29  No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   33: The Sacraments We believe that our good God, mindful of our crudeness and weakness, has ordained sacraments for us to seal his promises in us, to pledge his good will and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith. He has added these to the Word of the gospel to represent better to our external senses both what he enables us to understand by his Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts, confirming in us the salvation he imparts to us. For they are visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible, by means of which God works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. So they are not empty and hollow signs to fool and deceive us, for their truth is Jesus Christ, without whom they would be nothing. Moreover, we are satisfied with the number of sacraments that Christ our Master has ordained for us. There are only two: the sacrament of baptism and the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ. Summary I've written before in this space about the Red Delicious variety of apples , that look so good from the outside, but on the inside are often mushy and tasteless. This is what Paul has in mind here as he writes of people who externally look really good and proper, but in reality have no depth or character. You probably know people like this. Maybe you've even been a person like this! People who go through all of the proper religious motions: show up like clockwork to church on Sundays, maybe even serve on a committee or two, and faithfully contribute to the financial needs of the congregation, but yet who have no real relationship with God and who don't seem to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit or the marks of Christians in their daily lives. It takes more than just participating in outward (literally: lit up / visible) activities to make a person a true believer. Even things that are otherwise holy, like attending worship services or participating in the sacraments, have no lasting effect upon a person if they are simply taken externally. True religion, Paul writes, is that which is inward . Literally, it shows up in the hidden, concealed aspects of your life that nobody else can see. The physical act of circumcision, one of the sacraments that God had ordained for Israel, involved the cutting off of external flesh, but truly spiritual circumcision happens when the Holy Spirit cuts a person's heart (see Acts 2:37). Dig Deeper Unfortunately many people view the sacraments as if they're some sort of magical rite. Grieving parents may want a dying child quickly baptized to ensure the child will go to heaven. More commonly, people might think that nibbling on a bit of bread and chasing it down with a swig of wine every so often will miraculously absolve their sins. That's exactly the type of thinking that Paul warns against in today's passage. On their own, sacraments - whether it was the circumcision and Passover meal of the Old Testament, or the baptism and communion of the New Testament - have absolutely no effect on a person. Taken by themselves, sacraments are simply empty and hollow signs which fool and deceive those who think that their salvation comes by merely participating in them. We properly refer to sacraments as being part of God's ordinary means of grace. There is true power that's conveyed through the water of baptism and the bread & wine of the Supper. But their powerful truth is Jesus Christ. Their life altering effect comes from the precise circumcision (cutting) of the heart that the Holy Spirit works through them. All of this to say that if you are not truly and Spiritually experiencing Christ as you participate in the sacraments, you might just be simply going through the external motions of an otherwise meaningless religious rite. Understand that such an experience of Christ may occasionally feel like a profound and extraordinary spiritual high, but ordinarily it's most evident in a slow but steady life of increasing sanctification. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : The LORD, who cuts His people to the heart by the powerful working of His Holy Spirit through the ordinary means of grace; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that as you participate in the sacraments, you will clearly see the evidence of a life changed by Christ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 14

Participating in the sacraments is necessary for your salvation! Exodus 12 (NIV) CONTEXT: We began this passage yesterday in which the Israelites were commanded to protect themselves from the coming Angel of Death by covering their door frames with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. 21  Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22  Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23  When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. -- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (NIV) 7  The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8  But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your fathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   33: The Sacraments We believe that our good God, mindful of our crudeness and weakness, has ordained sacraments for us to seal his promises in us, to pledge his good will and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith. He has added these to the Word of the gospel to represent better to our external senses both what he enables us to understand by his Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts, confirming in us the salvation he imparts to us. For they are visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible, by means of which God works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. So they are not empty and hollow signs to fool and deceive us, for their truth is Jesus Christ, without whom they would be nothing. Moreover, we are satisfied with the number of sacraments that Christ our Master has ordained for us. There are only two: the sacrament of baptism and the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ. Summary In looking at the beginning of this passage yesterday, we noted how anxious the Israelites must have been as they watched the drama unfold between a God they barely knew and Pharoah, the mighty despot who held them in slavery. As he conveys God's instructions for how they needed to protect themselves from the terror about to be unleashed, Moses increases the anxiety level by several notches. He commands the Israelites to go at once to select and slaughter their best lambs. Don't stop to discuss things with friends and neighbors, don't even take time for prayer or reflection, drop what you're doing and go at once. Then after you've killed the lamb and smeared its blood all over your door, go inside and stay inside until morning. Then Moses tells them what the blood of the lamb will protect them from: the destroyer. If they were to go out, they'd no longer be covered by the blood and the LORD would not stand in between them and the destruction that would be unleashed. After having already witnessed the first nine plagues, I'll bet each man huddled tightly with his family behind their blood stained doors. That night these enslaved Israelites learned what it means to truly fear the LORD. Dig Deeper Often times the conventional wisdom is that in order to be saved, you need to do the best you can to be righteous, and then Jesus will cover any shortcomings that need to be filled in. But the wonderful good news of the gospel is that your salvation is fully accomplished by grace alone, because of Christ alone, and that all of this becomes yours through faith alone. So what about sacraments? Is being baptized and regularly participating in communion necessary for salvation if salvation is fully the result of God's grace? Yes! Notice how the short passage we read from Deuteronomy demonstrates God's sovereignty in saving Israel. The LORD saved them not because of their strength or the things that they had done, but solely because He is faithful to His covenant. Yet in order for them to realize their salvation, they had to take action. They must comply exactly with God's instructions on that fateful night, for if they deviated from them, they would certainly die. It's not that God saved them because they did what they were told, but it was through their obedient participation in that sacrament that God made known His sovereign, saving grace to them. This is why we understand sacraments to be part of the ordinary means of grace. If you don't obediently participate in them, you will not (ordinarily) come to know God's grace. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : The LORD, who strikes down all who stands against Him, but who passes over all those covered in the blood of the Lamb; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for making His Word visible to you and pray that you will see the gospel more deeply each time you participate in the sacraments; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 13

Sacraments help you viscerally understand the gospel story. Exodus 12 (NIV) CONTEXT: God has subjected Pharoah and the Egyptians to nine of the ten plagues, and He's about to unleash the tenth: the Angel of Death striking down the first born of all who were not covered by the blood of a sacrificial lamb. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2  “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3  Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4  If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5  The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6  Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7  Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8  That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9  Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. 10  Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11  This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover. 12  “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13  The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. 14  “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance. -- Moses later speaks to the people: 24  “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25  When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26  And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27  then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ ” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   33: The Sacraments We believe that our good God, mindful of our crudeness and weakness, has ordained sacraments for us to seal his promises in us, to pledge his good will and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith. He has added these to the Word of the gospel to represent better to our external senses both what he enables us to understand by his Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts, confirming in us the salvation he imparts to us. For they are visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible, by means of which God works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. So they are not empty and hollow signs to fool and deceive us, for their truth is Jesus Christ, without whom they would be nothing. Moreover, we are satisfied with the number of sacraments that Christ our Master has ordained for us. There are only two: the sacrament of baptism and the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ. Summary Put yourself in the sandals of one of these Israelites. Certainly life has been miserable as a slave in Egypt, and it's only gotten worse lately as Moses has been demanding freedom for your people. You've seen the power of the LORD in all of the various terrible plagues that both mocked the gods of the Egyptians but also made them suffer. Yet even though you've heard of the LORD and His greatness, you really don't know much about Him. Now you're being told to pack up all of your belongings to move out, and you're not even sure where you're going. On top of that it sounds like the biggest plague yet is about to be poured out, and if your family isn't protected, they'll be swept up in it as well. All of this to say that that those ancient Israelites had good reason to be on edge that night that Moses relayed the LORD's commands. They needed more than just an uplifting sermon from Moses reminding them of God's covenant faithfulness. They needed more than words. They needed something tangible: a sign that they could see, touch and even taste. They needed a sacrament (the Word made visible). But do you think that the sacrament the Lord provided here was comforting on that particular night? He had them slaughter their best lamb and then smear its blood all over the door frame. What kind of God were they following? Dig Deeper It's easy for us to see what's going on here in Exodus 12 as this first Passover is described. On this side of the gospel we can see how each of the elements involved paints a crude picture of who Jesus would be and what He would do. We can see how the blood of an innocent and perfect lamb protects those covered by it from the terrible but righteous wrath of our holy God. God provided us with sacraments so that we can viscerally experience the Gospel. We see the cleansing power of the baptismal waters. We see the bread symbolizing the body of Christ being broken and the cup of wine poured out like Jesus' blood reminding us that in His sacrifice our sins are completely forgiven. Those experiences sink in far deeper than words. Notice that these sacraments are given as a learning opportunity, certainly for you, but especially for our children. They're visible tools to be used to explain the gospel each time we participate in them. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : The LORD, who strikes down all who stands against Him, but passes over those covered in the blood of the Lamb; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for making His Word visible to you and pray that you will see the gospel more deeply each time you participate in them; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 12

God knows what you need, and He makes His promises visible to you. Genesis 17:9-14 (NIV) CONTEXT: God comes to Abraham when Abraham is 99 years old to renew His promises and to command Abraham to signify their covenant with an external sign. 9  Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10  This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11  You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12  For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13  Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14  Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   33: The Sacraments We believe that our good God, mindful of our crudeness and weakness, has ordained sacraments for us to seal his promises in us, to pledge his good will and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith. He has added these to the Word of the gospel to represent better to our external senses both what he enables us to understand by his Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts, confirming in us the salvation he imparts to us. For they are visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible, by means of which God works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. So they are not empty and hollow signs to fool and deceive us, for their truth is Jesus Christ, without whom they would be nothing. Moreover, we are satisfied with the number of sacraments that Christ our Master has ordained for us. There are only two: the sacrament of baptism and the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ. Summary It had been over 16 years since God had promised to make Abram into a great nation, and yet at 99 years old, he and his equally old wife remained childless. In the meantime, Abraham had tried to help nudge along God's plans by having a son with his wife's servant. But God makes clear to Abraham that Ishmael was not the promised son. In a real sense, God's conversation here with Abraham can be summarized in just two words: "Trust me." Those words ring hollow to us here and now, especially in the midst of election season when each day it becomes more and more apparent that we really can't trust anything that we're told by people in power. Promises that get made so flippantly and easily on the campaign trail are so quickly forgotten or reneged upon after the votes have been counted. If you're feeling a bit cynical about promises now at the close of yet another campaign cycle, you have a small inkling of what Abraham likely felt like after over a decade and a half of seemingly unfulfilled promises. Of course as we read Abraham's story thousands of years later, we know just how rock solid God's promises were. Abraham certainly was made into a great nation, and his descendant would come to save people from every nation. But those promises were just words as God spoke to Abraham at 99 years of age, and Abraham had heard them before. Abraham needed something more to cling to as He waited and trusted upon the Lord. Dig Deeper Our Confession tells it like it is: God is mindful of our crudeness and weakness . He knows that we need more than just words to hold on to in those long and often lonely times between when we first hear the promises God makes to us and when they finally will be completely fulfilled. We need something tangible that we can see, touch, feel and even taste to fully understand what God has promised. So starting here with Abraham, God made His Word visible. We call this aspect of divine revelation sacraments . You won't find that particular word in the Bible. Early Christians borrowed it from the Latin word sacramentum, and in doing so they made a good choice in describing what God meant in giving us these signs and seals. A sacramentum  referred to the sacred oath of allegiance that Roman soldiers would swear upon entering the army. This oath was a personal commitment to loyalty and obedience to their commanders and the Roman state. The oath was made with their right hand raised, and their left hand resting on a symbol of the powerful Roman military, such as an Aquila (eagle) . It was a two way commitment; the recruit certainly swore his commitment, and in response, the military gave him an identity as a Roman soldier. We'll be learning in these coming weeks exactly how and why the sacramental symbols are different for us than what God initiated here with Abraham and later with the Israelites as they escaped slavery in Egypt. But remember each time you witness baptism and participate in communion that you are experiencing the same promise made visible that God first extended thousands of years ago. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Yahweh, our covenant God and Father; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for making His Word visible to you and pray that you will be faithful to the sacramentum you've made with Him; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 11