As a Baptist I was always taught that water baptism was symbolic, like the Lord's Supper. Thus, although it is optional, I like it as a rite portraying the death and resurrection of Jesus more than washing, since soap isn't usaully provided.
I think you are not confused about there being some confusion on CC over when heart circumcision takes place. I think the confusion arises when one--for some strange/unbiblical reason--views faith as a meritorious work. While the heart is hostile and sinful, God gives every sinner volition, thereby enabling him to eat the forbidden fruit or not. It is blasphemous to ascribe hatred of humanity to God by saying that His intentional will is NOT for all people to be saved but rather for most to be condemned to hell.
Even you did not pay attention to what I just posted regarding Abraham, who was saved by faith first, and THEN God deemed him to be righteous or spiritually circumcised. It is exactly that "own accord" part that makes a person accountable for sin and justly damnable for choosing wrongly, so we should not understand being a slave of sin as being a robot, or else you then make the devil accountable instead of the soul. Apparently the proto-gospel message was NOT foolishness to Abrahan, which is why he chose to believe it.
IOW, there are two types of freedom: the ability to repent/believe at which point he/she becomes indwelt by the HS and becomes free or has the teachability/humility to learn from the HS and manifest the fruit of the HS as he/she perseveres in faith, choosing rightly more and more of the time, growing spiritually toward maturity or being Spirit-filled most of the time.
In RM 7 Paul talks about the inward struggle between his will or desire to do good and the temptation of his will to sin.
I also love Paul (naming my son after him) and wish that Christians on CC would employ/agree on his hermeneutic.