Jeff pointed out that baptism is not Christian circumcision. Looking at the comments, I think it might be helpful to point out that Israel was not the Church.
In the new creation, the idea of an “unbaptized Christian” is either very temporary or an anomaly. Those who came to faith were baptized immediately, together with their children. One does not remain outside the Church as a Christian.
But there were plenty of God-fearing Gentiles in the Old Testament economy who remained uncircumcised and yet whom we will meet at the resurrection in glory. Melchizedek, Potiphera, Reuel/Jethro, Uriah the Hittite, Hiram of Tyre, Naaman, and Nebuchadnezzar are a few, and they are certainly representative of many more.
In the time of Moses, Jesus (aka Yahweh) was quite clear that uncircumcised Gentiles had the same privileges (in almost all cases) as a Jew. Thus we read in Numbers 16:
Thus it shall be done for each bull or ram, or for each lamb or young goat. As many as you offer, so shall you do with each one, as many as there are. Every native Israelite shall do these things in this way, in offering a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. And if a stranger is sojourning with you, or anyone is living permanently among you, and he wishes to offer a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord, he shall do as you do. For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you….
If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them.
These are laws for uncircumcised residents to be treated just like the circumcised natives. Other than Passover, which required circumcision and, therefore, naturalization (“he shall be as a native of the land”–Exodus 12.48).
If you think about it, it couldn’t be any other way, if Gentiles were to be saved at all before Christ. What were all those repentant Ninevites supposed to do after Jonah preached?
Get circumcised? Ordain a priesthood? Build a new central sanctuary?
Or mass emigrate to Israel?
Until after the exile and dispersion, a Gentile getting circumcised in a foreign land could make no sense. The promises and calling attached to circumcision were attached to the Promised Land with the Tabernacle/Temple all specific to being a nation of priests. (Are priests ordained solely for their own salvation or for the aid of others. If Israel was a priestly nation–Exodus 19–then that presupposes that salvation is to be granted to other nations that do not get amalgamated into Israel.)
One confirmation of this is the fact that God had no problem with Moses’ uncircumcised son while he was in Midian. But when he approached Egypt and Goshen where the Israelites dwelt, that drastically changed (Exodus 4.24, 25). When away from God’s people (which seems to have made Goshen a sort of special land) the obligation to be circumcised was not in place (after the exile in the new covenant I think different obligations were in play).
Finally, consider the testimony of the Psalms, if we read them carefully. To do that, lets remind ourselves of Biblical terminology by reviewing how Paul addressed a mixed group of circumcised Jews and uncircumcised god-fearers. He said, “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen” (Acts 13.16) and again: “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God” (Acts 13.26).
Now hear God’s call to the Gentiles right along with the Israelites.
From Psalm 115:
O Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us;
he will bless the house of Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
he will bless those who fear the Lord,
both the small and the great.
From Psalm 118:
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
From Psalm 135:
O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who dwells in Jerusalem!
Praise the Lord!
The Psalmist calls the Gentile god-fearers along with the priests, Levites, and other Israelites.
The call of the Abrahamic covenant was to be the light of the world. That was not the calling of all believers during the OT era, and we should not be stingy with God’s salvation, restricting it to those who were supposed to spread it.
Mark Horne is a member of the Civitas group, and holds an M.Div from Covenant Theological Seminary. He is assistant pastor at Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, and is the executive director of Logo Sapiens Communications. He writes at www.SolomonSays.net, and is the author, most recently, of “Solomon Says: Directives for Young Men” from Athanasius Press.