God is the God of extraordinary blessing. He doesn’t promise the bare minimum, or give us only the obligatory free sample. He makes stunning promises that unfold blessing upon blessing. In Deuteronomy, we see an instance of this when God tells Israel that He will, “circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live (Deu. 30:6).â€
God gives the covenant sign of circumcision to signify that they belonged to Him, a tremendous blessing in its own right. But then He unfolds to them a promise to produce within them the glory which is offered in the sign: namely, a heart that loves the Lord their God.
And because God isn’t a Scrooge, He promises this same glory to their seed, so that our children too might love the Lord their God wholly. Paul links true circumcision to true baptism (Col. 2:11-12, Rom. 2:28-29, Phi. 3:3). And so in baptism God makes the same promise, this time with the sign of sprinkled water. The nub of the promise is that He will give circumcised hearts––which love Him wholly––to you and to your children.Â
So parents, believe His glorious promise, and welcome covenant child to Christ.
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