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PART 1: BAPTISM DEFINED
The
sacrament of Baptism is exceedingly significant and should not be neglected in
Christians’ lives. Various interpretations surrounding Baptism subsist, all of
which point to a greater reality that God’s people are changed by the Lord
Jesus Christ and, in effect, have chosen to die to selfish desires. The New
Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship defines Baptism as “the rite
whereby a person is made a member of the church.”[1]
In a way, therefore, the sacrament of Baptism includes covenant membership at
its core (i.e. the act of Baptism is that which serves as an initiation into
the family of God).[2] The
roots of water for cleansing and Jesus Christ beckoning his people to be
crucified with him daily and carry their cross (Gal 5:24) realizes the meaning
of Baptism.
Baptism is a call to die, for in God’s Kingdom, the one that
loses his life finds it (Matt 16:25) (i.e. God’s economy is inverted from the
world’s and, in fact, does not make sense to the world—it is foolishness) (1
Cor 1:18). A proper survey of the Old Testament roots of Baptism should grant a
better understanding of its meaning, significance, and why it is so crucial to
living in obedience in the Christian life.
Old Testament Roots
The
Old Testament, in many ways, foreshadows what would become ameliorated through
the New Covenant in Jesus Christ. Although Baptism is a solely New Testament
practice insofar as its meaning, certainly, typological instances exist. Also,
Old Testament water rituals are built upon a long-standing development of
cleansing.[3]
Although a variety of perspectives exist on the rite of Baptism, in the Baptist
tradition, generally, the ordinance[4]
is an action employed as a public display and initiation into the family
of God.[5]
Catechism shifted from before
baptism to after baptism in the medieval church as infant baptism became the
most common path of initiation. In the Western church, anointing with oil
(chrism) became detached from baptism and developed into a separate sacrament
(confirmation). First Communion was also delayed until the child was old enough
to understand the significance of the Eucharist.[6]
Baptism in the early church (and indeed
throughout church history) was surely a corporate act (as were both sacraments).[7] As a
public display of one’s profession of faith in Christ, Baptism subsists since
the early church as the sign that a person has been changed by Jesus Christ and
is a part of his family.[8] The
Old Testament typologies of Baptism point to what would be improved in the New
Covenant but hold roots in the cleansing power of God alone.
Baptism’s Old Testament roots first reveal that the sacrament
is a symbol of total cleansing. In the account of Jonah, he is swallowed into
the belly of a fish and then given a resurrection of sorts (Jonah 2:5-6). Jesus
even utilized the story of Jonah as a type of his own Resurrection (Luke
11:29-30). Moreover, Peter references the story of Noah as a type of Baptism.
He writes,
…because they formerly did not
obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark
was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought
safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you,
not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good
conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 3:20-21).[9]
In all instances referenced, God completely saved the
parties involved from dire situations. Noah and his family were kept safe from
the flood, and Jonah was kept safe from drowning. Additionally, both Noah and
Jonah were given opportunities to save others and be used by God after the
employment of water to save them. Such is the case with Christian Baptism.
Baptism
is secondly a symbol of the new mode of life. As water was used in the accounts
of Jonah and Noah, water is also used in the New Testament sacrament of
Baptism. In the account of Moses, water was used to firstly save Moses as a
baby (Exod 2:1-10) and subsequently to save the Hebrews through the actions
performed by God through Moses (Exod 3-11). Further, Elisha began his ministry
after the rapture of Elijah by passing through the waters of the Jordan River
(2 Kgs 2:9). In a total and complete way then, God used water to accomplish his
work through what might be considered regular people. Through the water, bold
accounts through history have been made.
In
the Old Testament, water also symbolizes an element of life.
Water has been an important symbol
throughout biblical history: Noah and his family were saved from worldwide
destruction through the waters of the flood; the Israelites under Moses gained
their freedom from slavery through the waters of the Red Sea; the Israelites
under Joshua entered the Promised Land through the waters of the Jordan River;
Elisha began his ministry after the rapture of Elijah by passing through the
waters of the Jordan; John the Baptist called for repentance to be shown
through baptism in water; and every Christian since Jesus’ Ascension has used
baptism in water to show their repentance from sin and faith in Christ.[10]
When Jesus was baptized (Matt 3:13-17), his action was
predicated upon a covenant that would be made permanent and better (i.e. the
action of John the Baptist in baptizing people with water, although new in
Judaism, held a substantial basis in cleansing, for God would soon cleanse his
people from sin in an undeviating manner). Therefore, John’s call to behold the
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29) is a call that
should be realized by all who profess Jesus Christ as Lord. The waters into
which believers are immersed[11]
are symbolic of the total cleansing performed by the Lord Jesus Christ and the
new life in which Christians are called to live. As the water consummately
washes one physically, he or she dies to the old way of life and hence forth
lives in a new way of life beckoned by Jesus Christ. Baptism is symbolic, but
Baptism is also realized, as Christians publicly declare their new way of life.
New Testament Baptism Through the Lens of the New Covenant
Jesus Christ radically
changed the way cleansing is viewed. Rather than a temporary solution for a
permanent problem, through the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s people are now
given a perpetual cleansing through their own spiritual Baptism (John 3:5).[12]
As a physical act, Baptism symbolizes a spiritual reality in which Christians
live to new life in Christ. The immersion of the entire physical body is
significant in that the complete washing symbolizes two realities:
1) the physical cleansing of the life itself and
2) death to self and life in a new way.
“The
presentation of the body in Baptism, so that it might be rendered sacrificial
in union with the body of Christ, manifests a fundamental principle of
Christian ethics that grounds its imperatives.”[13]
Physical water Baptism is a symbol, but it is also a reality. Without comprehending
Baptism as a reality, the practice is null and void. “Baptism, [however], invariably associated with the proclamation of the advent of the
messianic age, constitutes, along with repentance and faith, the appropriate
response to the good news that the new age had dawned.”[14] The veracity of one’s life after his or her public
profession of faith, therefore, may not be detached from the symbolic
expression of Baptism.
A Christian is baptized in
obedience to the command of Jesus Christ (Matt 28:19-20), but believers must
live in the reality of Baptism. To be sure, “The meaning of Baptism is
principally prospective, rather than retrospective. Baptism is a pledge and
seal that anticipates future resurrection, adoption, and the redemption of our
bodies.”[15]
A renewal of Baptism[16] then
should qualify not as a separate Baptism but rather a recollection of what has
happened spiritually to an individual in the reality of spiritual Baptism. Baptists
traditionally regard the ordinance of Baptism as an act that doubles as a
public covenant with the local church and, thus, necessary for membership.[17] The
covenant, however, includes an understanding that one’s life has been changed
by a relationship with Jesus Christ, which bids individuals die to an old way
of life and live in a new reality—namely daily being crucified with Christ (Gal
2:20). Therefore, Baptism comprises more than a mere physical act, in a
mystical way, the baptismal candidate participates in the death of Christ,
abandonment of his or her old desires, and total cleansing of sin.
The New Covenant in Christ is better than the Old Covenant,
for what humankind could not keep (the law) Jesus fulfilled (Matt 5:17). Through
the lens of the New Covenant, therefore, believers abandon the old way of life
in not only becoming positionally righteous but being made actually righteous.
The new way of life is not perfect but is rather progressive. Said another way,
as God transforms his people from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18),
the pattern of life becomes more like Christ (Rom 8:29). Christians are
assuredly not made complete (Phil 1:6). Nevertheless, the process of
sanctification begins when an individual begins a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as
Lord.
Baptism is a symbol but also a reality. The Apostle Paul
writes, “For in
one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or
free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:13).[18] Paul’s reference to Baptism
here marks an apparent moment in a believer’s life when he or she is changed by
the Holy Spirit: conversion or the new birth. As such, Baptism must hold a
connection to a changed life. Without such change, the sacrament is not
sacramental at all but rather a public display not founded in truth.
The reality of Baptism is found in presenting life as a
spiritual act of worship (Rom 12:1-2). God’s people are called to obedience in
all facets of Jesus’ example including Baptism. The implications of Baptism’s
symbol, however, are deeper than a mere public display. As a part of the
corporeal body of Christ, if someone questions another’s participation in the
church, the person being questioned should be able to point to not only his or
her Baptism but (more) the reality it symbolizes. This is one substantial
reason this paper supports the practice of Believer’s Baptism in which a
professing Christian can articulate their faith accurately. Capitol Hill
Baptist Church’s stance on Baptism contends that “the normal age of baptism should be when the credibility of
one’s conversion becomes naturally evident to the church community.”[19]
Although Baptism is not
synonymous with salvation, the baptismal candidate should surely be a professing
believer with evidence of a changed life, as the symbolism of Baptism is based
in reality. An Old Covenant method of cleansing could not be sustained. The New
Covenant method of Baptism, however, is permanent and symbolizes not only a
one-sided forgiveness where God cleanses his people of sin but also a connected
personal death to the old way of life and an awakening to the reality of new
life in Christ.
The Baptism of
Jesus
Contentions for Baptism should not be made without an
awareness of Jesus’ own Baptism and what it represents. The account is found in
all four Gospels (Matt 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, John 1:32-34). The
Baptism of Jesus is significant in its manifold implications. Although
disparate from the rest of humankind foundationally, the Baptism of Jesus holds
stalwart connections to Jesus’ position as the Messiah. In his declaration of
Jesus as the ”Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29),
there is a foundational truth that John recognized Jesus as the one who had
been prophesied for centuries and was the fulfillment in such prophecies.
One might wonder what the purpose of Jesus’ Baptism is. One
reason is to declare Jesus as the Messiah. John the Baptist was declaring that
Jesus is the one who had been prophesied and foretold (Is 40:3). Jesus is a
descendant of Aaron and, therefore, holds priestly rights (Luke 1:5). His
sacrifice, therefore, would suffice as atonement for the sin of his people.
Moreover, Jesus’ Baptism reveals his identification with
sinners. While Jesus was not conceived in sin, he humbled himself and took on
the form of a human (Phil 2:7). Therefore, Jesus understands human weakness and
struggle because he faced it yet perfectly (Heb 4:14-16). The Baptism of Jesus,
furthermore, exists as an example for God’s people after his earthly ministry.
Jesus commands his people to be baptized as an act of obedience and in
correlation to the change in their lives so he set the example himself and did
so perfectly, for Jesus lived a perfect life.
Jesus’ perfection does not negate his Baptism, for in an act of obedience, he obeyed the Father through the sacrament. Christians today are called to do the same. Jesus fulfilled the law because his people were incapable of doing so. His Baptism then symbolizes a reality that professing believers now live in new life to Christ and in obedience to him as people who are positionally righteous and being made actually righteous.
“Baptizing Them
in the Name:” The Church’s Mission
The final command Jesus gave upon his Ascension is known as
the Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20). Worship is the ultimate goal of the
church,[20] but
this Great Commission might be understood as the church’s mission. Part of that
command is to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
(Matt 28:19).[21] Jesus demonstrated to
believers the example of Baptism. As a symbol of dying to self and living in
new life with Christ, Baptism is a significant part of every Christian’s
spiritual journey. It is no coincidence that Jesus’ final command prior to his
Ascension include Baptism.
Although Baptism holds New Testament roots, there exist Old Testament accounts with regard to water and cleansing that believers must consider. As part of the New Covenant, no longer must God’s people come from a Hebrew bloodline, for indeed, the church has been adopted and grafted into God’s family. To make disciples (Matt 28:19-20), the visible sign of following Christ is a step of obedience that should not be negated. The church is to make disciples and baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, for Christian life functions from such an order. Baptism then is a key first step of obedience for believers.
PART 2: THE PRACTICE OF BAPTISM
Built upon the historical and theological foundations of Baptism, its practice should be considered. New Testament believers should seek to model the sacraments as close to New Testament accounts as possible. For Baptism, the primary contentions here are 1) immersion, 2) Believer’s Baptism, and 3) the public nature of Baptism. The mode of Baptism then is considered in all these elements. While varying viewpoints exist, especially across different traditions, these aspects should be ruminated carefully, as practice teaches theological foundation to God’s people.
On Immersion
This paper holds the viewpoint on Baptism that is both
Reformed and Baptist—the most significant of which is Baptist (i.e. meaning a
certain mode of Baptism: namely immersion and Believer’s Baptism). Baptists
derive their name from a particular belief on Baptism—immersion.
The New Testament word for baptism is baptizo, which
means “to dip:…” The president of the Southern Baptist Convention, then, would
be, he quipped, “the Big Dipper:” The origin of the word, however, does provide
some clue as to its meaning. The verb baptizo comes from the root baph,
from which we get, by means of aspirated metathesis, our English word bath,
from the Greek root bath.[38]
Such is the reason Baptists historically
submerge the baptismal candidate beneath the waters. Moreover, a historic
document of early church instruction on worship practice, The Didache,
teaches that Baptism is to be employed by immersion, as Jesus demonstrated when
he “went up from the water” (Matt 3:16). The Didache instructs the ones
baptizing to “immerse in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit.”[39]
Since the early church possesses the model New Testament
believers should follow, immersion should be taken as the biblical manner in
which to baptize converts.[40] As The
Didache, written during around the time of the Apostles, suggests Baptism
is to be performed publicly and by immersion. Truly, both sacraments (Baptism
and the Lord’s Table) should be practiced in a communal manner, for they are
sacraments of the church collectively rather than of individuals. In a shared
way then, individuals participate in the sacraments to display a shared union
with their Lord.
In the New Testament, immersion best fits the practice of
Baptism. Not only is the term derived from the word meaning to immerse,
accounts of Baptism in the New Testament seem to fit the context of immersion.
Immersion may be the only appropriate visual representation of what happens to
God’s people upon the Holy Spirit’s regenerate work.
In using water as the medium for his Baptism, John points to the
coming Messiah’s Baptism, which will supply the Holy Spirit in abundance
(John’s Gospel). Thus for the Baptist, Baptism is almost certainly by immersion
because in so doing, John stresses the sufficiency of the Baptism of the coming Spirit.[41]
Nevertheless, while no explicit command to
immerse exists in the Bible, the common assumption (among Baptists) is that
immersion best fits the Greek meaning of Baptism. Therefore, to practice
Baptism accurately, Christians should immerse baptismal candidates.
Besides the presumption of immersion, Jesus commands his
disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
(Matt 28:19-20).[42] Upon one’s profession of
faith, he or she is brought to the baptismal waters and immersed in the name of
the three distinct persons of the Godhead. Therefore, there exists a
trinitarian aspect in Baptism. As in all practices of worship, God’s people act
in the power of the Holy Spirit, through Christ the mediator, and to the glory
of God the Father so that triune God is honored in accordance with his will and
the love relationship shared between all three members of the Godhead. In
Baptism, the ordinance is employed because of the Spirit’s regenerative work,
through Christ’s mediation, and because of the Father’s forgiveness. Living in
the reality of Baptism then happens because of the work of the Trinity as well.
The New Testament model is closely tied to the practice of immersion. Although arguments may be made regarding other methods of Baptism, since the roots of the Greek text and early church practice specify immersion, any other mode, at best, reaches for sufficient foundations. In practice, therefore, God’s people are commanded to baptize and should do so in the way that best fits New Testament practice so to begin, immersion is the mode.
On Believer’s
Baptism
Another factor to consider regarding the practice of Baptism
is when one is to be baptized. This paper argues from a Reformed Baptist
perspective, so the scope is derived from a viewpoint of Believer’s Baptism.
Occasionally referred to as credobaptism (from the Latin credo meaning
“I believe”) the stance is that one must understand and believe (through
profession) prior to Baptism. In other words, the baptismal candidate must
already be a follower of Christ.[43] The
practice of Baptism is truly the greatest distinction between Baptist
traditions and those that practice infant Baptism. Believer’s Baptism suggests
that one is not qualified to be baptized until he or she comprehends the
Christian faith as evidenced in his or her articulation thereof.
Through Jesus’ example, it is seen that his public Baptism in
the Jordan River was intended to begin his earthly ministry. In other words,
Jesus’ commitment to follow and obey his Father had already happened. Baptism
then was the public display of that confession. For the Christian, Baptism
indicates a resolve to follow Christ in obedience to his ways. One may not hold
that type of commitment without an understanding of it.
There is not an objective age at which a person may be
baptized. Rather, one’s baptismal qualification is dependent upon evidence
(e.g. the fruit of the Spirit).[44]
Certainly, by the end of the first century, a confirmation or training process
was put in place by early church leaders, as it included baptismal fasting, a
recitation of the Way of Life and the Way of Death, mentorship, and
participation in the Eucharist as the first act out of the waters of Baptism.[45]
Still, there is not an age specified for the baptismal candidate. The objective
qualification is that the candidate must already be a follower of Christ.[46] Such
an age could certainly include adults but also older children and even young
children. In fact, eighty-three percent of professing Christians began their
faith in Christ as children and early youth.[47] It
is probable that the largest group a local church will see converted,
therefore, is children. Perhaps, this is the reason many traditions have a
confirmation process prior to Baptism and participation in the Eucharist—to
ensure the genuineness of one’s faith.
In response to the necessity of understanding the Christian
faith prior to Baptism, it might be asked, “What of entire households baptized
in the book of Acts?” There surely are instances of households being baptized
after one person in the family was converted such as the following:
·
Cornelius, his relatives, and his close friends (Acts
10:24-48)
·
Lydia’s household (Acts 16:15)
·
The Philippian jailer and his household (Acts 16:33)
·
Crispus of Chalcedon and his household (Acts 18:8)
Although, these accounts are often used to
support infant baptism, there is no mention or hint of infants in any of them.
In that case, therefore, the understanding of Believer’s Baptism still
subsists.
To understand the practice of Baptism, believers should
realize that Baptism is not salvific (i.e. the sacrament does not save people).
Certainly, Baptism is a part of one’s sanctification (because it is a primary
step of obedience for the new believer), but the act possesses no saving power.
For that reason, it could be said that Baptism is assuredly not an empty act
(for God works as subject through the candidate’s participation with him in it)
but it is not salvific either. As a sacrament, Baptism involves the candidate’s
participation in the faith in union with Christ and in unity with the body;
Baptism then serves as an initiation into the family of God. To consider
Baptism an act and nothing more is to effectively diminish its full effect:
identification with Christ and participation with his body.[48]
How then does a local church know if one is ready to be baptized? First, a profession of faith must be made and trusted. In other words, when one professes Christ, the local body must believe him or her and move for Baptism. As an initiated member of the church, fruit must then be evident. If there subsists a lack of fruit, because of his or her public statement before the church that he or she has died to self and now lives to Christ, accountability must be pursued and (if necessary) church discipline. The profession of faith is the genesis point. Upon that profession, the first step of obedience (and as soon as possible) is Baptism. The key in this discussion is Believer’s Baptism. The Bible supports Believer’s Baptism where the candidate understands the gospel and has been changed by it.
The Public
Nature of Baptism
Whatever the mode of Baptism, there should be no debate among
Christians that the sacrament is to be employed publicly. As one of two
sacraments of the church, the act is dependent on 1) its institution by Jesus
Christ and 2) its communal nature. Baptism is intended to be public because it
is a public declaration of one’s faith in Christ and covenant with his people.
For three fundamental reasons, Baptism should be employed publicly:
1)
Baptism is public because faith is public,
2)
faith cannot be separated from any part of life, and
3)
God’s love for his people is public.
Baptism should be performed publicly because faith is lived
publicly. Faith is essential to one’s identity. Faith is the assurance of what
is hoped for and the substance of what is not seen (Heb 11:1). Faith changes
one’s perspective on everything about life and, therefore, its impact is
unmitigated and complete. Nijay K. Gupta writes, “While faith in the present involves seeing as
God sees, eschatological faith is necessary because sin has corrupted human
understanding (Rom 1:18–32). To see properly is a dimension of present faith,
but God promises that all that is hidden will be revealed when Christ returns
(at the Parousia; 1 Cor 4:5).”[49] Faith,
thus, transcends, what is visible to the human eye to a dimension that runs
deeper than surface-level living. At the core of one’s identity is his or her
faith so the way an individual lives life is rooted in faith. Faith is public.
Therefore, Baptism should be public as well.
Secondly, faith cannot be separated from any
part of human life. As an act of covenant, Baptism states to God’s people that
an individual pledges to not only attend worship gatherings but to be a part of
the church in covenant with the body. The meaning of Baptism then surpasses the
superficial nature of many human relationships in that it suggests, at its
core, that the baptismal candidate has made a pact with God and his people to
live life in a disparate way.
Josephus…uses faith (πίστις, pistis)
quite often with the meaning of covenantal pledge. For example, he writes of
King Josiah that “when [the people of Israel] had gathered together, he first
read to them the holy books; after which he stood upon a pulpit, in the midst
of the multitude, and obliged them to make a covenant (πίστεις, pisteis),
with an oath, that they would worship God, and keep the laws of Moses.[50]
Those who
make feeble attempts at separating faith from life itself find tension in the
attempt, for faith is at the crux of one’s identity (i.e. whatever beliefs one
holds, life cannot be lived apart from faith—everyone has faith in someone or
something).
Lastly, Baptism should be employed publicly
because God’s love for his people is public. Jesus Christ became incarnate
flesh and lived and died publicly. God declares his love for his people through
his public word. God is not ashamed of his people so his people should not be
ashamed of him. Baptism is a public display of one’s faith before God’s people
and, therefore, an initiation into the family of God based on a public
profession of faith. If the profession is false, the initiation is also false.
Jesus teaches that whoever denies him before me he will also deny before his
Father in heaven (Matt 10:33). To neglect the public nature of faith then is to
effectively neglect Jesus’ requirement of boldness in following him. The same
is true with Baptism. Not only is Baptism a statement of faith before the
people of God, the sacrament is also a public statement of a new way of life
for the baptismal candidate. Thus, from the point of profession, all who know
the individual may assume him or her to be identified with Christ.
In every instance of Baptism, as best as possible, the sacrament should be employed publicly. As both a sacrament and an ordinance, Baptism belongs to the church and has been ordained and instituted by Christ, so it holds a communal nature with his people. A sacrament should not be completed privately, as a couple, or without the blessing of the church if possible.[51] While this paper takes the perspective of Believer’s Baptism by immersion, whatever the mode, there should be no disagreement between believers that Baptism is a public act.
A Beginning Step of Sanctification
The Christian life is one of progressive sanctification, and Baptism is one of the first steps in the process. While one’s salvation and justification are initiated the moment he or she is awakened by the Holy Spirit, Baptism is a sign and a seal of one’s participation in the Christian faith and in the body of Christ. The act should be employed as soon as possible for the new convert and by immersion, as the mode of immersion most closely represents the New Testament pattern. Additionally, Baptism should be employed publicly, as faith is public. Jesus Christ loves his people publicly so baptismal candidates should declare their faith boldly and publicly. More than an empty act, God works in a trinitarian manner through Baptism. Through the sacrament of Baptism, individuals follow in one of the first steps of obedience, through which God continues the process of sanctification (i.e. as God’s people obey, God perpetually sanctifies). Therefore, Baptism is an imperative step in the Christian life and one that should not be neglected. Baptism is a beginning step in covenant with God and his people; Baptism is a beginning step of participation and identity with Christ; and Baptism is a beginning step in the process of sanctification. Therefore, believers should consider their faith an undeserved blessing and take immediate steps toward obedience.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“At What Age Do Americans Become Christians?” Southern
Nazarene University. n.d. https://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/ages.htm.
“Baptism of Children.” Capitol Hill Baptist Church.
n.d. https://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/ministries/children/baptism-of-children/.
Beasley-Murray,
G.R. Baptism in the New Testament. Eugene, OR: Paternoster, 1972.
Carson, D.A. The Gospel According to John. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Leicester, England;
Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991.
Davies, J.G., ed.
The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship. Philadelphia, PA:
SCM Press, 1986.
“Is Baptism in
the Old Testament.” Got Questions. n.d.
https://www.gotquestions.org/baptism-Old-Testament.html.
Josephus.
Antiquities. In Espinoza, Benjamin. “Baptism.” Edited by John D. Barry et al. The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham,
WA: Lexham Press, 2016.
———. Antiquities. In Gupta, Nijay
K. “Faith.” Edited by John D. Barry et al. The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham,
WA: Lexham Press, 2016.
Levertoff, P.P. “Special Introduction.” In A New Commentary on Holy Scripture:
Including the Apocrypha. Edited by Charles Gore, Henry Leighton Goudge, and
Alfred Guillaume. Vol. 3. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1942.
Milavec,
Aaron, ed. The Didache: Text, Translation, Analysis, and Commentary.
Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2003.
Nolland,John. The Gospel of
Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New
International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B.
Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2005.
Roberts, Alastair J. Baptism and the Body.
Self-Published, 2016.
Stacy, Wayne R. A
Baptist’s Theology. Edited by Wayne R. Stacy. Macon GA: Smyth & Helwys
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Webber, Robert
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[1]
J.G. Davies, ed., The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship
(Philadelphia, PA: SCM Press, 1986), 55.
[2] The practice and mode of
Baptism (e.g. sprinkling, immersion, original meanings, etc.) will be discussed
later. For now, however, this paper examines the definition of Baptism.
[3]
G.R. Beasley-Murray, Baptism in the New Testament (Eugene, OR:
Paternoster, 1972), 1.
[4] For the purview of this paper,
ordinance and sacrament will be employed interchangeably. Although their
meanings are different, both terms are accurate and acceptable. Where an
ordinance is an action ordained and instituted by Jesus Christ in which he commands
his people to follow, a sacrament is a sacred act (of the same type and
roots—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper), through which God’s people participate
with Christ.
[5]
J.G. Davies, ed., The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship
(Philadelphia, PA: SCM Press, 1986), 55.
On occasion, the
sacrament of Baptism may include also a confirmation process.
[6]
Robert E. Webber, ed., “Baptism,” Complete Library of Christian Worship
(online version) vol. 6,
https://www.worshiplibrary.com/library/the-sacred-actions-of-christian-worship/baptism/.
[7] Davies, New Dictionary,
56.
[8] Some theological persuasions
view Baptism as the replacement for circumcision (e.g. question 74 from the
Heidelberg Catechism).
[9] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are
from the English Standard Version Bible.
[10]
“Is Baptism in the Old Testament,” Got Questions, n.d.,
https://www.gotquestions.org/baptism-Old-Testament.html.
[11]
Although there are varying perspectives on the age which one should be baptized
this paper holds the perspective of Believer’s Baptism rather than infant
Baptism.
[12] As
one is born of water, he or she must also be born of the Spirit of God in his
or her spiritual Baptism symbolized by the water Baptism.
[13]
Alastair J. Roberts, Baptism and the Body (Self-Published, 2016), 16.
[14]
Wayne R. Stacy, A Baptist’s Theology, ed. Wayne R. Stacy (Macon GA: Smyth
& Helwys Books, 2021), 159.
[15]
Roberts, Baptism and the Body, 8.
[16] That
is the practice of remembering one’s Baptism, perhaps through another
physically symbolic act of Baptism of merely mentally recalling what has
happened because of Baptism.
[17]
Wayne R. Brandow, “The Centrality of the Church Covenant Among the Early
Separate Baptists on the New York Frontier,” (ThM thesis, The Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, 2016), 27.
[18] It
should be noted that Paul’s implication of baptism in the Spirit is disparate
from Luke’s usage (Acts 1:5). Paul speaks of conversion in his instance while
Luke references empowerment.
[19]
“Baptism of Children,” Capitol Hill Baptist Church, n.d.,
https://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/ministries/children/baptism-of-children/.
[20]
Missions exists because worship does not. Therefore, worship supersedes
missional activities.
[21] This
reference in the Great Commission is a strong indicator as to how God’s people
are to baptize in practice.
[22] D. A. Carson, The
Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary
(Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans,
1991), 187.
[23] Carson, The
Gospel according to John, 188.
[24] Carson, The
Gospel according to John, 188.
[25] Josephus, Antiquities,
18:116-117, in Benjamin Espinoza, “Baptism,” ed. John D.
Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary
(Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
[26] Not coincidentally, the Greek word for witness is
μάρτυρας (martyras), from where the word, martyr is derived.
[27] Espinoza, “Baptism.”
[28] Espinoza, “Baptism.”
Such is the reason historic Baptists consider Baptism to be
legitimate only upon the believer’s salvation. A Baptist theology of Baptism
suggests that Baptism is not connected to salvation (not necessary) but rather
to obedience after salvation. Baptists derive their name from their belief in Believer’s
Baptism. Even among traditions that believe in Baptism as the replacement for
circumcision, the concept of the New Covenant is seemingly neglected. Under the
Old Covenant, circumcision was the visible mark or sign of God’s people, which
was often tied to bloodline (e.g. the people of Israel). Under the New
Covenant, however, there is no such genetic distinction for God’s people, for
believers have been grafted as a part of God’s family (Rom 11:17).
[29] John
Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary
on the Greek Text, New
International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B.
Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2005), 206.
[30]
Nolland,
The Gospel of Matthew, 207.
[31]
Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew, 691.
[32] P. P.
Levertoff, “Special
Introduction,” in A New Commentary
on Holy Scripture: Including the Apocrypha, ed. Charles Gore, Henry
Leighton Goudge, and Alfred Guillaume, vol. 3 (New York: The Macmillan Company,
1942), 170.
[33]
Battle, “The Significance of the Mode of Baptism,” 8.
[34]
Roberts, Baptism and the Body, 11.
Baptismal candidates should be completely immersed in water
because this mode best displays the thorough and complete nature of God’s
cleansing of an individual life and the disparate way of life in which the new
convert agrees to live.
[35] That
is the desires themselves (i.e. God places desires within the heart of one who
follows him).
[36] This
should not imply that obedience is easy, for certainly, Jesus promised
difficulty in the Christian life (John 16:33, 2 Tim 3:12).
[37]
Westminster Larger Catechism, 165, in John A. Battle, “The Significance of the
Mode of Baptism,” Western Reformed Seminary Journal 14:1 (February
2007): 7.
Any claim that the sacraments are devoid of
God’s grace misrepresents the participation that occurs in union with Christ
and his body throughout the entire Christian life.
[38]
Stacy, A Baptist’s Theology, 155.
[39]
Aaron Milavec, ed., The Didache: Text, Translation, Analysis, and Commentary
(Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2003), 62.
[40] This
paper acknowledges the theological persuasion that understands Baptism as the
replacement for circumcision. Nonetheless, the scope of understanding here is
that such a viewpoint neglects to consider application of the New Covenant.
Where circumcision was the visible sign of God’s people under the Old Covenant,
Jesus has mediated a new and better way, which holds no genetic boundaries.
Therefore, God’s people are now grafted in as a part of his family, signified
by Baptism so while Jewish children are circumcised on the eighth day of their
life, infant Baptism does not consider the New Covenant in which a child is
ineligible to become a believer. Repentance is necessary for salvation and to
be a baptismal candidate. Thus, in the New Covenant, one being baptized should
already have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
[41]
Robert Joseph Matz, “Should Southern Baptists Baptize Their Children? A
Biblical, Historical, Theological Defense of the Consistency of the Baptism of
Young Children with Credobaptistic Practices” (DMin diss., The Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, 2015), 44.
[42] This
paper acknowledges an understanding that Pentecostal and holiness traditions
often baptize solely in the name of Jesus as the name of all three persons of
the Godhead. Nonetheless, the perspective held here is that this is a
misunderstanding of Jesus’ instruction, for the name of Jesus is only the name
of God incarnate.
[43] Local
churches have various ways of discerning whether one is a believer (e.g. new
member classes, Baptism classes, or even confirmation).
[44] While
traditions exist that employ a confirmation process prior to baptism, New
Testament accounts advance Christians being baptized immediately upon
conversion (Acts 2:38, Acts 2:41, Matthew 3:5-6).
[45]
Milavec, The Didache, 63-64.
[46] While
extrabiblical sources (e.g. The Didache) offer the possibility of a
confirmation period, New Testament accounts are heavily suggestive of immediate
Baptism upon conversion. Confirmations may be good but highly unnecessary, as a
new convert will usually possess only a foundational faith. Thus, the deeper
mysteries of the faith might be difficult to grasp for the potential baptismal
candidate. If such a confirmation period is opted, leaders should be careful to
ensure the content of training is foundational.
[47]
“At What Age Do Americans Become Christians?” Southern Nazarene University,
n.d., https://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/ages.htm.
[48] Some
free traditions are hesitant to refer to Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as
sacraments because they believe such implies an impartation of grace through
the act. It may certainly be clarified, however, that God imparts non-salvific
grace in many ways every day. Thus, he surely may impart his grace through the
sacraments, although not in a saving manner. A sacrament is simply a sacred act
and rite, which God has instituted for the church’s participation. In this way,
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (while also ordinances) are most assuredly
sacraments.
[49] Josephus, Antiquities,
in Nijay K. Gupta, “Faith,” ed. John D.
Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary
(Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
[50]
Gupta, “Faith.”
[51] This paper acknowledges that instances arise when sacraments must be engaged privately (e.g. health issues, concerns of safety, etc.), but in most cases, the church should partake communally.
