<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]At this stage I cannot with good conscience change my views because I believe the Baptist position more correct. A lot of the difference is the view of the Nation of Israel in relation to the Church. One was propagated by the flesh, the other by the Spirit. </font><hr></blockquote><p><br><br><br>Mike,<br><br>Please consider that the promise to Abraham, which was accompanied by circumcision, preceded the nation of Israel by 430 years. This was huge when it first dawned on me. Circumcision had only spiritual significance for all of 430 years. God then formed his spiritual people into a nation. When the nation expired, God did not all of a sudden stop dealing with households as he did under Moses and well prior to Moses. Moreover, one could participate in the life of Israel without circumcision, which shows that circumcision even under Moses had more of a spiritual significance than an ethnic or national significance. An alien within Israel could hire out services; Israelites were to show compassion to such; aliens could glean with the rest of the poor in Israel; they were even under the protection of God (Deut. 10:18); the alien could share in the poor tithe; and in the Sabbatical year; he was entitled to the protection of the cities of refuge; they just were not allowed to partake of the Passover unless they had been circumcised. Accordingly, as noted, circumcision had spiritual significance first and foremost. (These thoughts with all their Scipture texts are presented in "Children of the Promise," written by Robert (Randy) Booth, and published by P&R.) BTW, Randy Booth was a baptist at one time, which leads me to my last point of reflection. <br><br>Please consider that it is rare for a Reformed Christian to move from a covenant view of baptism to a baptistic view, but it is extremely common to see people move in the other direction. This fact is not offered in an effort to persuade you, but with the hope that it might help you to continue to reflect more on this matter with a healthy fear and trembling. For what it's worth, my two pastors were both Baptist.<br><br>May God continue to bless you in your studies, and us all.<br><br>In His Grace,<br><br>Ron
