De Jager
Puritan Board Junior
Being a sign of the NW to them, there would be no real value to them until/unless they receive Jesus as Lord and are saved then, correct?
It is of value, but not of saving value. A baptized person can look back on their baptism, and the baptism of others as a visible evidence of God's work through Jesus Christ. Their confidence/faith can thus be strengthened, which is a work of God's grace.
Of course if the baptized person doesn't exercise personal faith, then all they ever received was the sign, and not the thing signified. This would be like standing at a road sign outside a town which said "Smithville 20 Miles Ahead", and acting like you were actually in Smithville.
Being circumcised never saved any OT saint, and being baptized never has saved any NT saint, or for that matter contributed to their justification at all, since that was accomplished by Christ's death and resurrection, alone.