Hello JB/Steve,
I would like to interact with your post. Much of what you have posted all bible based christians should welcome as truth. For sure most of us who post on the PB agree on the meaning of these verses,but we have noticed in times past that we seem to view some of the ideas differently.
What was to be done to physical Jews[ the sign of circumcision] was to uphold the nation as a type of the Holy nation of God. EX19:4-6 1Pet2:9.
The fact that not all Israel was of Israel has always been the case as you point out. The sign continued until the cross.
A change takes place at the cross. Some things remain the same.Some change.
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10Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
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One of the things that changed among the outward, physical types was circumcision. [The sign and seal] looking forward to the reality that is Christ,His person and work.
Here in Acts 15:1,24 we know the relationship of the sign and seal, along with the relationship of new converts to the ceremonial law was addressed.
The apostles did not say that baptism replaced circumcision here, which would have solved the issue we debate frequently. Even later on in Acts 21 we read this;
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20And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
21And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
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Clearly they speak of the change, that is the reformation Hebrews speaks of.
And it is clear they understood that there was a change in the way children were spoken about. How else would you understand the language of verse 21 ? If water baptism was a replacement sign, it would not have came across as it did to them who relied on the outward carnal ordinance/circumcision.
If water baptism were simply the "new sign and seal" still looking forward to Christ, they again would have, or should have just plainly said it was so.
The fact that baptism is speaking more of Identification with, or into by those who God allows to see and hear Christ, savingly is indeed a change,or reformation.
The actual covenant promise of Christ to the seed of Abrahams does not change at all.What has changed is that now the seed of Abraham identifies through faitgh that the promise fulfilled to Jesus, psalm 16:10-11 Acts 2:31-41
is now a reality for all who believe
You-who believe
Your Children-[who believe]
Those who are afar off-[who believe]
as many as the Lord shall call- effectually[ in that they believe]
Steve, you quote from Jer.9r was right on the money when you say this;
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In Jeremiah 9:25 and 26 it is written,
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;
Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.
In the uncircumcised-in-heart house of Israel, which God did not recognize as His people, there remained a believing and faithful remnant, which was Israel indeed.
Scripture is clear that those who were unbelieving, who were without faith, though they were the seed of Abraham after the flesh, were not the seed.
So when I see it asserted that warrant for membership in New Covenant Israel is no longer based on blood ties of natural descent as per the old dispensation, but strictly on faith in Christ and the new birth,
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But, at this point you object by saying this;
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I must object and answer that inclusion into God’s house has always been by faith, and not natural descent. Those who were but Abraham’s seed after the flesh were not included in His covenant household, though they may have appeared to be.
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I agree with this statement because of the typology of Israel as a holy nation. Israel was to be the covenant Son, but they failed nationally.
God keeps a remnant- This remnant was kept until the True Covenant Son, The True Israel came in the incarnation. Your quote of Hebrews 3 :1-6 only makes sense if in the NT. time The true Holy nation is spoken of,and that by new birth,being born of the Spirith. 1Pet 1:22- 2:9
The reality of the one new man in Christ ,
Although salvation is always the work of God, there is a difference in how the Spirit indwells the believer's now.
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17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
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It is The Spirit who seals us,unto the day of redemption.
If there was no change at all as some declare, why not just stay with Circumcision?
Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness. That is why we are told in Col 2
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10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
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Regeneration solves the puzzle as the anti type. We who believe by God given faith welcome the reality of all the Living word has done for us, and to us. So when you say this;
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The sacraments of baptism and circumcision “are God’s word to his elect by which God signifies and seals the promises of his covenant....[they are] instituted by God to be added to the preaching as signs and seals of the truth of the gospel.” *
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I think you have trouble with the language of Acts15, and Acts 21 that I cited above.
When you say:
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We in Israel today “circumcise” our children according to the command given our father Abraham.
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Peter does not preach that, instead he preaches what is the promise this way;
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29Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
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This is what we are told signifies and seals the promises.Iconoclast