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22*Infant*Baptism:*Putting*Old*Wine*Into*New*Wineskins?**questions* whether* he* can* truly* trust* God’s* word* of* promise* that* his*descendants*will*inherit*the*Promised*Land.*God*had*already*entered*into*his*covenant*with*Abraham*to*this*effect*in*Gen*15,*where*the*covenant:making*ceremony*involved*the*cutting*of*various*animals.*The*fundamental*promise*made*in*the*covenant*is*the*promise*of*offspring*from*Abraham’s*own*body,*since* this* is* a* pre:requisite* of* the* fulfilment* of* God’s* promise* that* he* will*become* a* great* nation* and* that* his* descendants* will* inherit* the* land.*Circumcision*thus*enacts*the*promise*God*made*to*Abraham*in*the*covenant*and* brings* assurance* that* it* will* be* fulfilled.* It* physically* marks* Abraham*and* his* descendants* with* a* reminder* of* the* covenant:making* ceremony* of*Gen* 15,* and* thereby* of* the* accompanying* promise,* and* also* warns* of* the*consequences* of* breaking* the* covenant* by* abandoning* covenant* loyalty* to*the* sovereign* who* made* the* promise.* It* is* entirely* appropriate* that* the*covenant*sign*is*borne*in*the*penis*of*Abraham*and*his*descendants,*since*the* covenant* promise* concerns* his* fertility.* It* reminds* the* bearer* of* the*promise* to* Abraham* that* his* literal* “seed”* will* produce* his* metaphorical*“seed”*of*physical*descendants.*The*sign*was*also*especially*apposite*to*the*Israelites*as*a*reminder*of*the*God’s*promise*of*fertility*in*contradistinction*to*the*fertility*gods*of*the*Canaanites.*******Circumcision* therefore,* like* the* prescribed* signs* of* the* other* Old*Testament*covenants,*serves*as*a*physical*enactment*of*the*chief*promise*of*the* covenant.* It* was* not* a* sign* of* personal* salvation* or* regeneration,* nor*even*of*covenant*membership.*It*was*a*physical*reminder*of*the*promise*to*Abraham*that*he*would*have*descendants*who*would*take*possession*of*the*Promised* Land.* It* was* a* means* by* which* the* covenant* promise* would* be*remembered* and* trusted* in* subsequent* generations,* especially* whilst* the*descendants*of*Abraham*endured*four*hundred*years*of*slavery*in*Egypt. 7 *It*was*a*reminder*that,*despite*appearances,*God*was*working*out*his*plan*for*his*people*in*the*salvation*history*they*were*experiencing.**This*function*of*circumcision*is*supported*by*the*fact*that*it*was*applied*to* physical* descendants* of* Abraham* who* were* outside* of* the* elect* line*through*which*the*covenant*promises*would*be*fulfilled.*Thus*in*Gen*17:23*Ishmael*was*circumcised,*even*though*he*would*never*personally*be*the*heir*of*the*promises.*Ishmael’s*circumcision*was*surely*not*a*sign*of*any*inward*spiritual* reality* in* his* life.* Similarly* Esau* was* circumcised* alongside* Jacob,*despite*the*fact*that*in*his*case*God*had*revealed*that*he*was*not*the*elect*bearer*of*the*promise*(Gen*26:23;*Rom*9:10:13). 8 *His*circumcision*was*not*a*sign*of*an*inward*spiritual*reality,*and*certainly*provides*no*support*to*the*********************************************************************7*See*the*context*of*the*covenant*in*Genesis*15:13:16.*8*Douglas*Wilson,*To%a%Thousand%Generations:%Infant%Baptism%–%Covenant%Mercy%to%the%Children%of%God*(Moscow:*Canon*Press,*1996),*45.*