Water
There is no question that water figures prominently in the Bible. It is through water both that God delivers his judgment upon the unbeliever, while at the same time He delivers His people through the same water. Two notable Law Covenants have this pattern. The Noahide Covenant is introduced by the flood, a flood through which Noah and his family, and all of creation is delivered, based up the faith of Noah in the promise of God. The Mosaic Covenant is introduced by the parting of the sea, and the simultaneous deliverance of Israel and defeat of Egypt by the same water, based upon the faith of Moses in the promise of God. Jonah was delivered into the raging water and into the belly of the whale for three days. Then he emerged from the whale, through the calm waters to be delivered upon the land. His sacrifice saved the boat and the crew, but he was delivered to a new life through the water after three days.
If you can’t see the sign of Jonah to which Jesus Himself refers, then pause and consider for a while. Finally, water is the seal of the New Covenant. Upon our Baptism, we inherit justification and sanctification. After we pass through death, we receive salvation. The water of our Baptism is not just symbolic, it is the covenant seal of the New Covenant in Christ. The Old Testament water events were types and shadows of the more important event, Baptism, that seals our membership in the elect of Christ for those who are given the gift of true faith. Notably, it also seals the doom for those who are Baptized through a false faith. Again, the same water that saves also condemns.
Passover
Passover is a type and shadow of Judgment Day. How is this the case? Consider the events of Passover. The Wrath of God was delivered upon the Egyptians. Who was to say that the wrath of God would be delivered upon only the Egyptians that night? What made the difference? Through the blood of an innocent sacrifice of thanksgiving, the chosen people were passed over by the Wrath of God because they believed in the promise of God as delivered by Moses, who truly believed the promise. Likewise, through the blood of Christ, believers are passed over on Judgment Day by the Wrath of God. But of course, the Blood of Christ is much more than the blood of a sacrificial lamb. The Blood of Christ does much more than just cause God to turn away from those covered by His blood. His blood actually cleanses them of sin in the eyes of God so that they may be Justly judged as Righteous. The Blood of Christ reconciles those same believers to God, propitiating Him on our behalf. Passover is merely a type and shadow of the real deal.
Fire
Fire consumes, except for one fire. When God presents Himself as a burning bush, the bush is not consumed. When God presents Himself as a flaming pot or torch, they are not consumed. Only the one who believes may approach God in this form. All others are consumed. Notice God’s warning to Moses concerning the rest of Israel. The Wrath of God was clearly taken seriously by God. The issue that needs to be addressed is the appearance of the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire upon the Apostles. The best way to look at this is that the Holy Spirit does not consume the believer. But the Wrath of God as manifest by Hell is always depicted as fire. Fire is dangerous. Fire is the sign of God, but not the covenant seal. Nonetheless, God in a pot was much more than a type and shadow of the Holy Spirit. They are of the same type. Baptism by fire is not covenantal reference, it is a Law reference.
When John the Baptist states that one who comes afterwards will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, he is discussing the topic of repentance. Remember that John the Baptist was all about repenting. His reference to fire is that the one who comes after him, Who is mightier than he, can wield fire, a fire that will consume those who fail to repent, while at the same time bringing faith to those whom He chooses as His own. Baptism by fire in its idiomatic form is no less daunting. Being in the line of fire destroys many of those thrown into it. Fire is not a covenant seal, it is a judgment.
Circumcision and Baptism
Circumcision is discussed in great detail by Paul. He clearly makes the point that Abraham was declared righteous by his faith before he was circumcised. Therefore, gentiles and Jews alike have access to this faith and this covenant. Since circumcision is an Old Testament covenant seal, we can guess that it is a type and shadow of something else. Paul tells us that this is Baptism, the Covenant seal shown to us by Jesus. In addition, the covenant seal of the New Covenant is written upon both men and women, not just the men. The covenant seal of circumcision is written upon the very flesh of the men of Israel. Much more than this, the covenant seal of baptism is written upon the very flesh of Jesus. He was not only scarred by the seal, but he was crucified. We are crucified with Christ in our Baptism, and then we emerge from the water as new creations in Christ. Notice how bent out of shape Paul gets with the Galatians over this issue. If you revert to ceremonial circumcision, then you are claiming to be under the Law, and you will be judged JUSTLY under the Law, and may God have mercy on your soul. Baptism is much more than circumcision is so many ways.
Blood and Sacrifice
Finally, there is the issue of the types of sacrifices in the Old Testament. We have basically two types. There is a sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving, and there is a sacrifice of Atonement. Learning about the scapegoats in Exodus 24 is an interesting exercise that we’ve done before. The point is that all of those sacrifices in the Old Covenants point to the ultimate sacrifice of the New Covenant. Jesus, by His work on the Cross, accomplishes many things for us. First, He is both fully God AND fully human. Therefore, he is both born without sin AND he is born under the Law. He fulfills the Law by living a sinless life, being the first and only person to do so. Therefore, as a sacrifice, He is much more than a lamb. He is God. He is perfect. He is a human who has fulfilled the Law. Therefore, He is in a position to offer himself as a perfect sacrifice of thanksgiving, much more than a mere lamb. Second, because of the Great Exchange, where His righteousness is imputed to all believers, we also can offer our lives to God as offerings of thanksgiving. Since we are new creations in Christ through baptism, we can now make this just and full offering of ourselves to God in His service. Third, because our sin is imputed to Christ, He is also the perfect sacrifice of atonement, because He not only turns God away from us and our sin, His blood actually washes away our sin, declaring us righteous before God. Fourth, because we are now pure as snow through the Blood of Christ and we are clothed in His righteousness, we are now reconciled to God to receive our full inheritance: Sanctification and Resurrection on the Last Day. Therefore, how much more than the Old Testament sacrifices is the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross!
This was not intended to be an exhaustive review of this topic, but merely an introduction. The point is to demonstrate that through progressive revelation, we learn about the New Covenant by reading and studying the Old Testament. We learn about the Holiness of God, the Fall of man, the Wrath of God, God’s plan for our Salvation, the details of the New Covenant, the importance of the seal, the importance and necessity of the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, the inheritance, and a rough outline of the timeline of redemptive history. That is a whole bunch of information that is both pertinent and applicable to our situation today. So, now, read the Old Testament again, as the disciples did after the visitation from Christ on the road to Emmaus and in the upper room in Jerusalem. Let Christ unfold the mysteries of All of His Scripture for you.
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