Circumcision as relates to Water Baptism

[RevDWW]

Originally Posted by Sam

The laver was not a one time experience. The laver was used over and over to remove defilement. Using it as a type of baptism is, in my opinion, a little bit of a stretch.

A couple of other thoughts about the brazen altar.

Even though dimensions are not given for all of the furniture, it is thought that they all would fit within the brazen altar. If the brazen altar typifies repentance, this would show the importance of real repentance.

One time when an Apostolic pastor was talking to me, he took a piece of paper (I think it was a napkin but I'm not sure now) and drew a little diagram of the tabernacle. He showed the outer fence and the gate. Just inside the gate was the brazen altar. Then he showed the laver and the tent of meeting. He pointed to the whole tabernacle and said, "If this tabernacle represents Christ, and this altar represents repentance, anyone who comes to this altar is in the tabernacle or in Christ."

Sure you could be in the tabernacle, but you couldn't enter the Holy Of Holies where the Spirit of God dwelt and lest you went to the altar and washed at the laver. And the sins of Israel where not rolled forward until the blood was on the Mercy seat.

[TRFrance]

Colossians 2 says it the most clearly. In a nutshell, just as circumcision was a mark of being entered into the old Abrahamic covenant, baptism similarly serves a similar purpose. It is the mark of the new covenant.

11 In 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: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Instead of circumcision of the flesh, this is a "circumcision made without hands" (verse 11), or a spiritual circumcision, of the heart.

Instead of putting off of the male foreskin, baptism serves as a "putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh". This of course is in line with other scriptures that tell us baptism is for "the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38) or for "washing away of sins" (Acts 22:16)