Baptism into Christ is the Fulfillment of the Sign of Circumcision
March 8, 2021

In Matthew 3:13-17 is the account of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist.

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

The reason for this baptism is in bold and underlined above.  John did not want to baptize Jesus saying that Jesus needed to baptize him.  It was only after Jesus said that they needed to fulfill all righteousness that John agreed.
In the old covenant writings God gave a sign to Abraham of circumcision.

Genesis 17:10-11
This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a sign of the covenant betwixt me and you.


Genesis 22:18
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Even though many were circumcised only a few of these ancient people had a relationship with God.  Hebrews Chapter 11, called the faith chapter, gives a list of some of the names of people who were of the faith.  Christians today are of the faith of Abraham and are Abraham‘s seed in Jesus Christ.  The words “thy seed” above refers to Jesus Christ as the promised seed of Abraham.  This makes the saints heirs with Jesus but the law will not.

Romans 15:8 
Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

This is why Jesus was baptized by John; to confirm those saints who were under the sign of circumcision into the righteousness of God.  The baptism of Jesus was the fulfillment of the sign circumcision.

Jesus did not need to be baptized as he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was the new covenant in the flesh.  Jesus was not born under the law; his mother was.  Jesus was not under the law and the new covenant in the flesh at the same time.  Jesus did not fulfill the law by the works of the law but by the love of God.  Jesus gave two great commandments which he said were the greatest of all and that all the law and the prophets hung on them.  Paul says that God’s love is the fulfillment of the law.  The law did not give us the love of God as that comes by the Holy Spirit to us.  While the law is holy, just and good it did not give righteousness, forgiveness, mercy, repentance or justification.  Jesus did not abolish the law as it is a tool God uses to draw us to Him by Godly sorrow over our admission that we are unable to keep the law which leads to repentance and conversion.  All of this to draw us to Jesus.  Jesus said that no one could come to him unless the Father who sent him draws them.  What I have explained here is how God draws the saints to Christ.  
This is when the law,  is used lawfully.

Jesus told us that not one jot or title of the law would pass away and this means that anyone who puts themselves under the law to serve the law is not in Christ Jesus.  That they are under a curse if they do not keep every jot or title.  Those who have taken anything from the law or have added anything to the law are cursed.  The law is not the way to the kingdom of God.  Jesus made possible a new and living way we call the new covenant under which by the power of the Holy Spirit we partake of God’s divine nature of love to fulfill the law as Jesus did.  The new covenant allows for mercy and forgiveness if we do sin by not loving.  The law kills all people who try to keep it because they will sin and their sins can not be forgiven therefore they die.  The law was not made for a righteous man because righteousness does not come through the law and the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom  of God.  All law keepers are unrighteous. 
I do not hate God’s law. I love God’s law because it drew me to Christ and it is still needed to do the same for many other people.  Both covenants; old and new, are in full force and power today.  You can only be in one or the other but not both. 

All of the saints before Jesus were in the new covenant as Hebrews explains and will be in the first resurrection with those after Jesus; they are all the church of God.  The ancient saints looked forward in faith but we look backward in faith. 
It is still the same Jesus and the same faith. 

I hope you see now why Jesus was baptized.