What Does the New Covenant Teach about Baptism?

By Robb Brunansky

Published May 19, 2026

Despite clear facts from Scripture supporting believer’s baptism, our paedobaptist friends will tell us that infant baptism is not found in the logic of the New Testament texts, but in the concept of the new covenant. Therefore, we will now look at the new covenant and how it relates to baptism.

Two fundamentally different ways shape our beliefs about baptism and the new covenant.

One views the biblical narrative as shaped by the covenant of grace, which is the linchpin of covenant theology and paedobaptism. This basic idea is that God has one overarching covenant, and that everything happening in redemptive history flows from this covenant.

Another view correctly sees that the biblical narrative as governed by God’s one purpose expressed in diverse covenants. These covenants do not embody the covenant of grace repeating itself in different dispensations but instead move God’s kingdom purpose forward to its intended goal, which is ultimately realized in the new covenant’s establishment, fulfillment, and consummation.

To help us have a clear understanding of baptism and a proper appreciation of the new covenant’s significance, we must grasp five things, starting with the Old Testament Covenants. All these covenants move God’s kingdom purpose forward but fall short of accomplishing the ultimate fulfillment of that purpose.

The first Old Testament covenant was made to Noah, which reminds us that God has an unrelenting purpose for His creation (Genesis 9:13-17). The deficiency of this covenant, however, is there is no mechanism for this program to advance; this covenant only ensures the created order will survive for God to accomplish His purpose.

The second covenant was made to Abraham (Genesis 17:1-10). There are several problems here, though. Abraham cannot walk blamelessly; God cannot be in relationship with sinful people; land in a fallen world cannot be an everlasting possession, and the problem with humanity is internal of the heart, which cannot be resolved by physical circumcision. The solutions to these detractions are unresolved in Genesis.

A third covenant is then established with Israel after the Exodus through Moses (Exodus 19:5-6). In this covenant, the promise is conditioned on obedience but also extended to cover the entire world. However, Israel did not keep God’s law nor obey His statutes, and the nation went into exile and fell under judgment.

The fourth covenant was with David (2 Samuel 7:8-17). This covenant continues to move God’s kingdom program forward by establishing the line of the one who would reign over all as king. Like the Abrahamic covenant, this one was based on a promise.

These covenants are all related but unique, containing incredible promises supporting God’s kingdom program. However, none clearly show the path to fulfillment. There is some defect in humanity and creation that must be remedied for the ultimate expression and fulfillment of these covenants. Furthermore, someone is required to obey God’s Law and provide permanent forgiveness of sins, which is where the new covenant enters the picture, providing the critical solution at the heart of the baptism debate.

The first promise from the new covenant is a circumcised heart. God gave Abraham the covenant sign of circumcision, but this did not resolve rebellious human hearts. The point of this sign in the Abrahamic covenant was to remind God’s people before Christ’s coming that they required a new heart, which the Lord would provide (Ezekiel 36:26-27, Romans 2:28-29, 2 Corinthians 3:6). The new covenant thus fulfills God’s promise to Abraham, that He would give His people hearts to love and obey Him.

We also see the new covenant fulfills the promise of an eternal inheritance, which was given to Abraham and David, that God’s people would inherit the land forever. In one sense, this promise was fulfilled through Joshua and Solomon, as Israel lived peaceably in their land. In another sense, though, it could not be fulfilled in this present world because it was a promise of an eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15). The new covenant thus ends the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants as such because it fulfills everything promised regarding the land.

The new covenant gives the law-keeping Son of God to provide righteousness to His people. In the Old Testament, there are two sons of God that failed to keep His law – Adam (Luke 3:38) and the nation of Israel (Exodus 4:22-23). Everything changes, however, in the new covenant, as God provides His Son, who perfectly keeps the Law, achieves a perfect righteousness, overcomes the devil, and pleases the Father. The new covenant is grounded in Christ; we cannot break it because Jesus has already kept it as the true Son of God.

The new covenant must provide the messianic Son of David (Jeremiah 23:5-6). God would raise up Christ, and He would reign as King forever, bringing salvation, and providing righteousness for God’s people to have a relationship with Him. Jesus perfectly fulfilled this promise as the Son of David and righteous Son of God.

The new covenant promised forgiveness of sins (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The old covenant through Moses could never provide true and lasting forgiveness of sins that was so final and glorious, that no more sacrifices would ever need to be offered. God settled that issue in the new covenant (Matthew 26:27-28). The new covenant fulfills God’s promise to forgive His people’s sins and provides real forgiveness that ends all forms of sacrifices and offerings.

Lastly, the new covenant promised that the covenant members would know the Lord (Jeremiah 31:31-34). In the new covenant, we won’t need to teach fellow believers the necessity of knowing the Lord, because all people in the new covenant will know Him. That reality is unlike old covenant Israel, where most did not know the Lord.

The writer of Hebrews makes abundantly clear this covenant is now in force, and Jesus is now its mediator (Hebrews 8:6-13). The new covenant is not the same as the one with Moses and Israel. It has better promises and a better Mediator. It is the covenant to end all other covenants because it fulfills all those promises.

These truths bring us to the third point, which is the new covenant sign and seal.

It was obvious if people belonged to the covenant community with the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants because they received the sign of circumcision. What about the new covenant, though?

There are only two places in the New Testament where we find the term “seal” related to the new covenant (Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30). These passages lead us to conclude the new covenant’s sign and seal is not baptism but the presence of the indwelling Spirit of God. What marks those belonging to God’s new covenant people is not their parents or ethnicity, or something external (like circumcision or baptism), but internal. New covenant believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit. This truth makes sense because the key indicator of the new covenant is the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36, 2 Corinthians 3, Galatians 3:14, Romans 2, Colossians 2:11).

That reality leads naturally to our fourth point, which is the new covenant members.

The only members of the new covenant are those who have the Holy Spirit. New covenant members have had their sins forgiven and have a true knowledge of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. If people can be members of the new covenant without those things happening, then the new covenant is not qualitatively different than the old. What makes it new is its transformative effect on its members’ internal lives, that they know God, obtain forgiveness, acquire a new heart, and receive the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence and power.

The last point is the new covenant ordinances.

God has given us two ordinances in the new covenant: the Lord’s Supper and baptism. The Lord’s Supper is only for believers, and we understand this truth because we are called to examine ourselves every time we partake. This fact means infants are not part of the new covenant community until they can examine themselves, confess their sins, seek forgiveness, and forgive others. Additionally, baptism is only for covenant members. Baptism, like the Lord’s Supper, is an outward sign that we are one with Jesus Christ.

While our understanding of baptism must be guided by a proper grasp of the new covenant, we also need to see that a correct view of the new covenant leads to immense power. It is as impossible for us to break the new covenant as it is to undo what Christ did through His obedience, death, burial, and resurrection. Our salvation is secure, not only because Christ has kept the covenant and ratified it with His own blood, but because He has given us the Spirit, who sanctifies and keeps us, and ensures we will remain to the end.