Foundations of the Christian Life.
Chapter 17 – Baptism in the Name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:18-20.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
These are last words of Jesus to his disciples. One would think that these would be the most important thing he could say to them, the one thing he would want them to remember.
In them is his plan for the salvation of the world.
Jesus says five things:
(i) All authority has been given to Jesus.
(ii) Therefore we should go and preach the good news.
(iii) Those that receive the word should be baptised.
(iv) We should teach/disciple those who receive the word and are baptised.
(v) He will be with us to the end of the age.
If we accept the premise that this is the most important thing Jesus could say to his disciples before his departure we are compelled to conclude that baptism, in the mind of Jesus, was incredibly important.
"Baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
The wording he uses about baptism is important because for the first time in human history we are introduced to a Trinity of beings who are all God. Up till now the Jews had thought that God was “one” in the sense of one single personality. The “Spirit of God” in the OT age was understood to be simply God in action. Jesus, in his ministry, introduced the idea that God was Father and he was the Son of the Father. This was radical enough, but now he puts “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” on an equal footing indicating in his words that each one is a separate and complete personality and that they are all equally God.
As we have already seen, in N.T. understanding, Baptism IS Conversion.
The Bible was written in the context of a Church in which there were no unbaptised believers. To become a Christian meant you got Baptised. Baptism was conversion.
This makes a difference in the way we read what is written here. What we are seeing here is a summary of what becoming a Christian is. It is a tremendously powerful and meaningful formula so we need to spend some time looking at what it means. However before we can do this we need to look at another idea that has repeatedly cropped up in the history of the Church.
A POPULAR IDEA:
At various points in Church history there have arisen groups that have made the claim that Baptism needs to be administered using the phrase, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (the Christological Formula). Such groups reject using the phrase, “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” (the Trinitarian formula).
There seems to be three main types of groups that have argued for this:
1. Various small groups in Church history have rejected the doctrine of the Trinity altogether and have centred on Christ. The wider Church has always deemed such groups to be heretical. They are/were anti- Trinitarian, Jesus only groups.
2. Since the rise of Liberal Theology there has been some doubts as to whether the Trinitarian formula was original or added to Matthew later in church history. Liberal theologians rejected its authenticity because it didn't fit with their idea of the development of doctrine in the Early Church. Until this Liberal attack it was never doubted except by the heretical groups. However, as far as we can tell from Christian literature the Trinitarian formula was the formula used at Baptism throughout the whole Church from the beginning. Because of this historical fact the Liberal position is wrong because it is simply unhistorical. They have devised a schema of doctrine development in their own minds and are trying to force the facts of history to fit their own ideas.
3. In recent years there has been a movement that has gone around the world that argues for the Christological formula and this has caused a bit of controversy. I shall give a short outline of the idea and some reasons why I feel it fails the test of truth.
1. Short Statement of the Teaching for using the "Lord Jesus Christ" formula.
(i) Starts with Matthew 28:19,20 where the words "the name" are singular, not plural (“names”). Hence it cannot refer to the three names given here.
(ii) In Acts it seems as if the formula "in the name of Jesus" was used, or some variation of it.
(iii) The title "Lord Jesus Christ" is interpreted to mean:
Lord = God, the Father.
Jesus = the Son.
Christ = the Anointing, the Holy Spirit.
Hence this interpretation guards itself against being another anti Trinitarian, or the "Jesus Only", heresy.
(iv) Some exponents of this theory claim that the phrase “Baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” is not Christian baptism at all but is the baptism of John the Baptist.
2. Answers to this theory:
(i) The singular, “the name” does not imply necessarily a reference to one person following. This is particularly true when we are talking about the Trinity who, though being three, are one. Also the idea of “Name” in Hebrew thought is important – it refers not so much to the actual name but to the person. I shall develop this further below.
(ii) Baptism in the Book of Acts.
G.R.Beasley–Murray and R.E.O.White (see note last chapter) are distinguished theologians and Church historians. They have studied Acts and also the literature of the Early Church to see how baptism was conducted. In their understanding the following procedure was followed:
* The candidate for baptism would go to a pool with those baptising him.
* Once in the water he would confess his sins and accept Jesus as his Saviour and Lord. If he had already done this he would be asked to make a confession of Christ as Lord. Thus the candidate would say, “I believe Jesus is Lord.” “Lord” here is used in the sense of “the Supreme divine being”.
* Those attending would then baptise him, using the formula “in the name of the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit.”
* Following this hands would be laid on the candidate for the receiving of the Holy Spirit, often with anointing with oil.
In other words, the phrase “I believe Jesus is Lord” was used by the candidate as a confession and not as a formula pronounced over him by others. The formula, used by those administering the baptism, universally seems to have been the Trinitarian formula. This seems to be the pattern from all literature from the Early Church period.
The procedure was thus almost identical to Jewish proselyte baptism. Baptism was not new to Jewish culture with John or Jesus. When Gentiles converted to Judaism they were baptised. The procedure was like this:
* A period of Discipleship would take place, instruction in the Law. At some stage he would undergo circumcision in preparation for the ceremony of conversion.
* When the candidate was ready to make the commitment to Yahweh he would go to a pool with some priests. He would enter the water alone; the priests were only witnesses.
* In the water the candidate would confess his sins and recite the Law of Moses.
* Then he would immerse himself in the water. The Baptism would be a self-baptism.
* On coming out of the water he was accepted as a Jew.
Christian baptism was similar, with these differences:
* The baptism was administered by someone else. It was not a self-baptism.
* Reciting the Law was replaced with the confession: “Jesus is Lord.”
The Early Church seems to have followed the practice of Judaism and other religions in baptism, with the ceremony containing both a confession by the candidate and a formula spoken over the candidate by the Baptiser. In Judaism the confession was the Ten Commandments, in the Church it was the name of “Jesus as Lord”.
What happened in Acts?
* It is unsure what formula the Church in Acts used at Baptisms. Possibly both formulas were used in different situations and were seen to be equivalent.
* The phrase "in the name of the Lord Jesus" appears four times in Acts, but there are several other baptisms in Acts where no formula appears.
* It is not clear in Acts that, in these four instances, the phrase is the Baptismal formula said over the candidate. Acts 8:37 and Romans 10:9 are both confessions made by the candidate, not formulas spoken over him. The other Acts instances are probably the same.
(iii) The Interpretation of the title, “The Lord Jesus Christ”.
Answer: The division of "Lord Jesus Christ" into three separate people is simply hair splitting to attempt to justify a difficult position. We have only to consider the use of this phrase elsewhere in the NT to see how ludicrous this interpretation is:
Acts 2:36; 11:17; 15:11,26; 16:31; 20:21; 28:31.
All of these can only mean Jesus himself.
2 Corinthians 13:14 - if we use the suggested interpretation here we end up with God and the Holy Spirit being mentioned twice.
“Christ" is never used anywhere as a proper name for the Holy Spirit. It is a special word meaning "Messiah", and in the NT is nearly always "The Messiah" i.e. the Anointed one, the King, i.e. “Jesus the Christ”.
Conclusion: The title "Lord Jesus Christ" is not in Acts, nor anywhere else in the Bible, a title for the Trinity. To suggest it is a way of referring to the Trinity is to introduce a novelty and the burden of proof is on those making the suggestion. In my view the proof is lacking.
(iv) The Trinitarian formula is the Baptism of John.
Answer: This is patently wrong.
(i) John was an OT prophet and as such he had no idea of God being “Father”, nor of Jesus being “the Son”, and the “Holy Spirit” was not, to him, a separate personality, but was understood to be “God himself in action”. The revelation of the Trinity came through Christ and John was not party to it. In fact he was beheaded before it was revealed.
(ii) The foolishness of this idea is clearly shown by the fact that when Jesus gave this command to his disciples John had already been dead three years. There is no way “Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” is the Baptism of John the Baptist. The Messiah was never considered to be God until Jesus suggested the idea. Hence John could not, and did not, baptise in a threefold formula. If the Trinitarian formula is the baptism of John then why did Jesus command his disciples to baptise with John's baptism during the Church age? If this is Christ's command shouldn't we be doing it?
(iii) John’s baptism was a “baptism into repentance” but there is no indication in his preaching that he saw himself founding a new community. Considering his background in the Essenes this is startling. They did create a separate community. John did not. Rather he was calling Israel back to its ancient faith. To baptise, “Into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” would be to make a radical break with Israel and to form a new community of faith, and John is clearly not trying to do that. It would be to form a community that believed there was a “son of God” and Israel did not and could not do that.
It seems to me that the “Baptism in the name of Jesus” theory is lacking in proof and is contrary to common sense. It does not stand up to good exegetical criticism. It is, to say the least, another idea that ends up robbing people of the fullness of the Gospel, as we shall outline in the next section of this chapter.
The Matthew Trinitarian formula is clearly very old and certainly reflects the practice of the Jewish church in Judea (Matthew was written in Judea), at about 70A.D. This in itself suggests that it is the original practice of the church in Palestine and so is original to the Gospel of Matthew. Most scholars now accept its authenticity.
By 100A.D. Church writings indicate that the Trinitarian formula was universal, often with threefold baptism (see Didache). The normal practice was for the candidate to confess "Jesus is Lord" and then the Baptiser to recite "In the name of the Father,… the Son… and the Holy Spirit" when Baptising him/her three times. This established practice indicates that the Acts instances are all confessions, not formulas.
THE MEANING OF THE TRINITARIAN FORMULA.
The Trinitarian formula has tremendous meaning, and sums up the meaning of Christian commitment and Baptism.
Greek:- "into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."
In Hebrew thought the name of a person stood for his whole being, his personality, power, authority and sphere of influence.
Therefore the formula means: "into the person and power/authority of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit".
The first thing to note here is that this then is not just an identification with God in the way we might identify with a political party or some, other group by “giving ourselves a name”. This is not the meaning at all. The idea Jesus is speaking out here has far more depth – we are being grafted into a person so that we become part of him, part of his body. We become a corporate body “in Christ”. As such we take on his life, authority and power in a real way, not just in some nominal way.
Two Aspects:
A) "Into the Person of..."
i.e. into the sphere of their life.
B) "Into the Authority / power of..."
i.e. into their power/authority.
A) "Into the Person of..."
i.e. into the sphere of their life.
(1) The sphere of the Father's life = the Family of God.
Implied in the name "Father", but the Bible tells us this many times:
John 1:12
" to all who received him, who believed on his name He gave the power to become children of God."
This wonderful truth speaks of:
(i) A new family nature.
Genesis 1 teaches us that every creature propagates "after it's kind". God created every creature with it's own character and nature. Mankind was created to be "in the image of God".
Unfortunately sin has marred the image of God in man. It is not destroyed, but sin has so corrupted the image of God in man that the Bible calls us "Fallen". This is the basic meaning of sin - that we have "fallen short" of what God intended for us a human beings. Because Adam sinned and gained a Fallen nature before he fathered any children, when he had children he propagated "after his kind", i.e. with a fallen nature.
This was Satan's greatest triumph - to corrupt the image of God in Man. God had made no other creature which so fully expressed what he himself was like, and Satan set out to destroy it.
The miracle of the Gospel is that, through faith in Christ, there is a Redemption - a restoration of what was lost to Adam. The nature of God is made available to us again.
In Christ we die a death to Adam. In Baptism this old nature is buried and we are born again into the family of God. We die to our fallen inheritance from Adam, and are born again with a new uncorrupted nature made in the image of God.
(ii) A new inheritance.
One of the things the Bible continually calls us is the "Sons of God". This title is given to us all whether male or female, for a particular reason, not because the Bible is sexist. In the culture of the Bible times it was normally the sons that inherited the Father's property, the daughters only inherited if there was no sons.
By calling us all "sons of God" the Bible indicates that no believer is going to be left out of partaking in the inheritance that God has provided for us. It is a title which speaks of inclusion, not a sexist title intending to exclude.
Ephesians 1:5
“…he (God) predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will…”
Ephesians 1:13-14
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”
Galatians 4:1-7
“What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, <"Abba>, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”
What is the inheritance God has for us?
Colossians 1:12.
"an inheritance of the saints in light"
God does not tell us in any detail what the inheritance will be - he simply says in Ephesians 3:20 that it is “greater than we can even ask or think’. It is beyond the comprehension of our human intellect. It is to share in God himself in some mysterious way.
As a proof, a guarantee, that we have this inheritance awaiting us God has given us a down payment, a deposit, on it. This down payment is the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 1:22
“…he set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
Ephesians 1:13,14 (above)
(2) Into the sphere of the Son's life = the kingdom.
Colossians 1:13.
" He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son"
We read before how we have an inheritance in light, now we are told that we have escaped from a kingdom of darkness. There is a kingdom, unseen but real, that has a nature what can only be termed "darkness". This kingdom thrives on those negative experiences that cripple and bind us and make us less than human. By this we mean things like fear, hatred, jealousy, enmity, bitterness, violence, depression, anger, greed, selfishness, covetousness, pride, self seeking, lying, cheating, and the like - of these things Paul tells us that "those that practice these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God".
It is these things which bind us to evil and to darkness.
But Paul tells us here that we are delivered from the dominion of darkness.
This means that we are under a different authority structure - instead of being dominated by darkness - fear, hatred, resentment, anger, depression, enmity, etc, we are under the rulership of light - love, joy, peace, etc.
Instead of oppression and tyranny, we can experience freedom.
(3) Into the sphere of the Holy Spirit = the community of the Spirit.
In conversion we become members of a new community, a new fellowship, one in which the unity is based not on personal likes and dislikes, but on a common experience of Christ.
Ephesians 4:3ff
"maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. For there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, One faith, one Baptism. One God and Father of us all".
It is a community which has a unity based in a Spiritual reality, a common experience of the Spirit, not on anything that draws us together in a fleshly way.
For this reason Baptism has always been seen as the doorway to church membership - a sort of initiation rite if you like. When we understand that baptism WAS conversion, we see why it became the initiation rite to church membership.
It is this community that God is going to use to demonstrate his love and power to the world. It is this community that is going to inherit the world at the end of the age and rule it on behalf of God.
This community is the Church, created and lead by the Spirit of God.
B) "INTO THE AUTHORITY / POWER OF..."
(1) Into the Authority or power of the Father = Eternal life.
Ephesians 2:4,5
"But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ."
In this life in God is a new quality of life which we can experience and enjoy.
It is resurrection life - it is not just a restoration of the life Adam had before he sinned.
Adam had two trees in the Garden that were special.
There was the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil, which was prohibited to him.
The other was the tree of life, which God said would give eternal life. This was not prohibited to Adam in the beginning - it was only after Adam fell that the way to it was barred.
Adam was not created eternal - he was given life by God, but there was an aspect of life that Adam was not given automatically - an aspect that he had to choose to receive by going to the tree and eating of it. It is this eternal life that becomes ours the moment we receive Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Paul defines it more thoroughly in:
Ephesians 1:19 -22
"and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every
title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."
Here he talks of an incredible power available to us as believers, more than just available, but resident inside us. This is the eternal life of God, resurrection power which overcomes death and all of its works. It becomes ours in our baptism.
(2) Into the Authority, or power, of the Son = Authority, kingship, victory.
We are not only made members of the kingdom as we saw before, but we are made RULERS in the kingdom. The whole point of the kingdom is that it is so vast there is room for every person in it to have an area of rulership. So God made us kings to rule in his kingdom with him.
Revelation 1:5,6.
"To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father."
To enable us to do so God has given us the Spirit of God.
(3) Into the Power, or Authority, of the Spirit = fullness of the Spirit - resurrection power.
Ephesians 1:17 (above)
What a mighty calling, what a mighty experience Baptism is - We are baptised INTO the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.
HOMEWORK:
Seek out a group of Christians who will baptise you by immersion, if you have not already done so.
In some countries, especially those under Islamic rule, this may be a very costly act, and very dangerous. Jesus warned us to consider the cost before we act. Don’t do anything rash. Take advice from senior Christian leaders as to when and how to go about this act.
TRANSFORMER VERSES:
Matthew 28:18-20.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
PRAYER:
Father I thank you for the tremendous gift you give us in Baptism when we enter into the life and ministry of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Release this life and ministry through me I pray, in Jesus name, Amen.
Showing posts with label Baptism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baptism. Show all posts
Friday, 29 December 2006
Thursday, 21 December 2006
Foundations of the Christian Life. Chapter 16: - Baptism #2: - What Baptism Does for Us.
Foundations of the Christian Life.
Chapter 16: - Baptism #2: - What Baptism Does for Us.
Over the centuries of Church history much debate has raged over what baptism actually does for us, if anything at all. Consequently there is a range of views held in the Church.
* On one end of the spectrum is the Roman Catholic idea of Transubstantiation, which is almost magical in its understanding that "Baptism effects salvation", in the sense of justification. The logical implication of this is that one should baptise as many as possible and as soon as possible, i.e. as infants, so that they can be saved.
* On the other extreme is the view of Zwingli, that baptism is only a symbol and effects nothing.
* The logical outcome of the Zwingli position is the Salvation Army position, which says, “If baptism is only a symbol and we have the reality by faith then we can do away with the symbol.” And so they have dispensed with Baptism and Communion altogether.
* In between there is a range of views.
The problem, as I see it, is one the Church often falls into in trying to interpret the Bible.
1. Instead of allowing the Bible to speak for itself we read into the text our own ideas, in this case Western Greek) philosophy. Then we twist the Bible text to suit our already preconceived ideas. This, it seems to me, is the case with the Roman Catholic position.
2. Then comes a “back to the Bible” revival, such as the Protestant Reformation, and there is reaction against the accepted view by different people in varying degrees, so we end up with a range of views. But there is always an extreme view in reaction to the accepted view, and this, I feel, is the case with Zwingli. He just goes too far.
In reality the truth is somewhere in the middle. Baptism does actually do something for us; but it is not magical, it is in response to faith. When we obey Christ by getting baptised in faith there are blessings that are released to us that cannot be obtained any other way.
Rather than try to explain the range of positions and critique them I want to approach the subject from a different angle. The problem starts, I believe, with trying to explain what baptism does for us by using philosophical ideas that have no real place in scripture. If I try to counter that by arguing against it we will spend a lot of time talking about nothing important. So I would rather start with a Bible idea that will, I believe, give you the true picture of what Baptism does for us and how.
The idea I want to show you is that of the “prophetic action.”
THE PROPHETIC ACTION.
A prophetic action is an action that conveys a message, but it in some way the action causes the message to become true.
The best way to teach this is by way of illustration. Perhaps the best illustration of this principle is found in:
2 Kings 13:15-19.
“Elisha said (to the king), "Get a bow and some arrows," and he did so. "Take the bow in your hands," he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. "Open the east window," he said, and he opened it. "Shoot!" Elisha said, and he shot. "The LORD's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!" Elisha declared. "You will Completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek."
Then he said, "Take the arrows," and the king took them. Elisha told him, "Strike the ground." He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times."
We see here the prophetic act is an act whereby the prophet, or the servant of God, invites God to come and do something up to a certain limit. That is why the prophet said to the king if he has hit the arrows on the ground several times God would have responded with several victories over the enemies. But now it was limited to three victories – not limited by God’s ability, but limited by the degree of the asking of the man responsible for asking.
In other words the prophetic action determined the actual events or outcomes.
That is the idea of a prophetic action.
We see this idea of the "prophetic action" in operation right through the Bible. This story is not just an isolated instance. It is seen through into the life and ministry of Jesus also – he spat on the ground and made clay and then putting the clay on a blind man’s eye-sockets created eyes in the socket and the man saw.
What is a prophetic action?
1. A prophetic action is an action performed by the servant of God that contains a message or symbolises a message or illustrates a message.
2. In some sense the action of the prophet ensures that the event being symbolized, the message, becomes real or is actualized. In some sense the activity of the prophet causes the event to happen.
This is all part of a particularly Jewish way of seeing things. The Jews do not separate the spiritual and the material in the way that we do, and they saw a clear causal connection between the prophetic word, the symbolic act and the event itself.
This idea is fundamental to understanding the self-identity of the Jew. No orthodox Jew considers the events of Bible history—the bondage in Egypt, the Passover, the Red Sea, Mount Sinai, the events around the feast of Purim, etc., to be purely historical. In Jewish society every year these events are commemorated, they are "remembered". Every year they are acted out at annual celebrations – memorials – Passover, Pentecost, Atonement, Purim and so on. Each of these festivals contains a message.
In the festival the history is re-enacted in such a way so as to relive the story again. In this way every Jew since those events thousands of years ago has become part of the original events. The purpose of this acting out, this "remembering", is to bring the events of the past into the present in such a way that the past events become personal and real to the present generation. The story is told again in a prophetic way.
As a result these are no longer just memories, no indeed - every Jew was there. They were all in Egypt, they all went through the plagues and the Passover, they all crossed the Red Sea and came to Sinai, they all suffered under Haman in the days of Esther. And so on. And this “remembering” every year has served to make the events so real in their consciousness that their national identity will never die out.
So the idea of "remembrance" in Jewish thinking is not simply to have a memorial and to remember past events, but a "remembrance" is a recreation of the original events in such a way that the participants in the "remembrance" actually are participating in the original events. They were there. These are prophetic actions.
So when Jesus said about communion, "This do in remembrance of me" he was not just calling us to remember some historical event in the sense that I remember "2+2 = 4". He was inviting us to participate in the event of the Cross and resurrection in such a way as to become somebody who was "there". And in "being there" the meaning of it becomes true for us at an experiential level.
When we look at Baptism we see this idea is true for Baptism.
* It is an action that preaches a message.
* In some way doing the action makes the message come true for the participant.
* It brings the past events of Christ’s death and resurrection into present experiential reality.
When we understand this concept of the "prophetic action" we can clearly see that the NT teaching about Baptism indicates that something real happens in the act. We don't have to "symbolise it all away", there is a reality there that gives the necessity for following through with the action. “Faith without works is dead”.
Romans 6:3-7
“Do you not know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live in newness of life.”
Notice that Paul does not say here that we are “symbolically baptised into Christ’s death.” The tendency for many Christians, particularly if they have been taught in a church where Zwingli’s interpretation holds sway, is to read it that way. But this is to insert words into the text that are not there to arrive at an interpretation to suit ourselves. And such is not allowable. It is a short road to deception.
When we understand the Jewish way of thinking we see that baptism is a prophetic action, a memorial, by which we make to historical acts symbolised in it (Christ’s death and resurrection) real and up to date for us. In a sense we are transported through time back to the original events and we are made part of them.
Hence baptism is an eternal act in that it transcends time. The historical acts of Jesus were eternal acts, in that they had ramifications that are true for all eternity. When we get baptised we link into those historical acts of Christ and are made part of them and in that way we perform an eternal act.
In that sense we can see that once you are baptised it is forever, for eternity. You can’t be "unbaptised". The act is eternal.
I.e. when you get baptised it is not just a symbol – something actually happens. The NT describes what happens as “being buried and rising with Christ”. We pass from this time-controlled life that ends with death and we rise with Christ into eternal life!
The word I use here is Incorporation.
Through baptism we are incorporated into the death, burial and resurrection on Christ – at an experiential level.
Baptism, then, is a real experience of deliverance, or salvation, from the bondage of the Old man corrupted by sin. Victory over sin is made possible through baptism because the old fleshly nature has been, in a real sense, buried with Christ in Baptism.
When we accept Christ as saviour our old man dies, but when we are baptised the body of the old man is buried. It is “put off” forever.
THE PROCESS OF SALVATION, OR DELIVERANCE.
Two words are important here:
(i) Justification - means my sin is forgiven and in Christ, before God, I have a new standing. I am declared righteous/justified - just-as-if-I'd never sinned. I am free from guilt, and declared righteous. This is purely a legal declaration.
(ii) Salvation - means I am delivered in experience from the guilt and power of sin and of all its effects. It includes justification, but is more than justification.
Justification is by faith alone, and is true the moment we believe.
Salvation is a process that begins at new birth. It starts with justification, but will not be completed until we receive our resurrection bodies. The way of salvation includes confession, repentance, faith, baptism, sanctification, healing, deliverance, etc., up to glorification.
Justification deals with the problem of the GUILT of sins I have committed.
Salvation deals with the problem of the POWER of sin that drives me to commit acts of sin.
God has provided a way of deliverance (or salvation) from this power. Jesus has totally defeated all evil powers, but we need to apply that deliverance to our own lives by faith and obedience to the Word of God. Baptism is one small part of this process of obedience whereby we apply the deliverance to our lives.
(a) The General Principle.
Again the best way to teach this principle is by an Illustration:
Hebrews 7:4-10.
“Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people- that is, their brothers- even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.”
This passage illustrates a truth that we can apply in the case of baptism also.
The writer says "Levi paid tithes in Abraham". How? He was not physically present.
The background idea is one of covenant headship or family solidarity: What the head of the family does brings lasting effects on the family. This is an application of the covenant / corporate headship idea.
Levi was a son of Jacob, who was a son of Isaac, who was Abraham's son. Isaac was, as yet, unborn; hence his seed was "still in the loins of Abraham". Hence he was present "in Abraham". Everything that Abraham did, Isaac did also by proxy, and so on for his descendants right down the chain to Levi and beyond.
(b) Application.
Romans 5:12-21.
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned- for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgement followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Paul here contrasts two states, using the principle of covenant / family solidarity.
* Every person is born into the family of Adam.
* When Adam sinned we all sinned "in Adam", as Adam sinned before he had children.
* When Adam sinned his nature was debased, he became "fallen". This fallen nature, under the power of sin, was passed on to all of his descendants (i.e. us), as life only propagates "after his kind" (Genesis 1:11,21,25).
Our problem with sin, therefore, is one of parentage; we belong to the wrong family. Adam's family is under a curse of sin and death. We need to get out of that family and be born into a new family which has the nature of life (i.e. God's family).
The only way out of Adam's family is death, but we cannot die and yet live. Death consigns us to Hell. But God's Law demands that sin be punished by death. Our position appears hopeless.
To solve this problem, Christ came and was born a man, the "last Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45). He came of Adam's line through Mary, thus a relative of man, but was the Son of God. In his coming Jesus summed up all that was Adam in himself and so became truly representative of all who are “in Adam”. Because he summed up all that was Adam and put it to death he is the “Last Adam”.
1 Corinthians 15:45.
“So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.”
This miracle of the Virgin Birth has two results with respect to sin:
(1) The Nature of Sin.
Through Mary Jesus took on (assumed) true fallen humanity so that he could redeem it. Though he assumed sinful flesh he did not succumb to it and thus redeemed it. We discussed this in Chapters 6-9.
Romans 8:3.
“For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,...”
"Likeness" means "in the same nature".
(2) The Guilt of Sin.
Christ, however did not take on man's position with respect to guilt -the legal claim of sin. Christ lived as perfect man - a sinless life - so sin had no legal claim on him. However he still died. Thus there exists a death that is not a result of sin, a death that is voluntary and is offered on behalf of others who have sinned. Because he was also the Son of God this death is limitless in magnitude and effect. It applies for all time and for all eternity.
His death was vicarious/substitutionary (for us) and thus satisfied the demands of the law on our behalf. The law is satisfied and now we can be set free from its demands.
If we accept Christ three things happen:
1. He pays our sin debt, Sin then no longer has any claims on us in the courtroom of the universe.
2. His death, the death of the "Last Adam" is credited to us and we die, we exit Adam's family.
3. God takes us and puts "into Christ". Christ is the Son of God, so we become, "in Him" members of a new family, the family of God. We now have a new family inheritance, one of life, not of death.
Where Adam's history and sin and nature were ours, now we receive Christ's nature and history:
Christ lived a perfect life of victory over sin 2000 years ago - therefore I have a perfect life of victory.
Christ died 2000 years ago - therefore I died (Romans 6:6; 2 Corinthians 5:14).
Christ was buried - so was I.
Christ rose - so did I (Romans 6:3,4).
Christ ascended to heaven - so did I (Ephesians 2:6).
Christ now rules - so do I.
To exit from Adam I needed to die - I have died. I am now "born again" into the family of God (John 3:3-8).
This is what we confess in baptism, that Christ's death and resurrection have become ours.
(3) How Do We Experience this Deliverance Now?
Romans 6:1-12.
“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death?
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot
die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.”
(a) The Process.
(i) 6:3 "know" - to know by assurance from God that this is true. To be convinced in your heart by faith. This comes by revelation.
If you do not "know" the rest of the process will not work.
(ii) 6:11 "consider" - Greek = "reckon". This is a bookkeeping world meaning "to credit it as being so". You can stake your life on it.
There are two stages to this:
(a) 6:3 Baptism.
(b) Sanctification.
6:12,13 - "Do not yield... yield"
C/f Colossians 3:5,8 - "Put off ... Put on."
The Place of Baptism.
Christ has died; the Last Adam. He put to death the whole Adamic race. In God's eyes the whole of Adamic mankind and its sin is dead. It has been condemned and crucified.
Romans 8:3 - the flesh, the old Adamic man, is dead.
PROBLEM:
As Christians we know that this is LEGALLY true, but in our experience we find that the old nature of the flesh is still hanging around. A conflict results (Romans 7:14-8:8). Even though the flesh is dead, it is like a body that will not lie down. It trips us up as we try to move in God. Also it decays, it creates a stench, putting off the non-Christians we come in contact with.
The flesh is DEAD, but we need to "put off the flesh with all of its desires". This is where baptism comes in.
Colossians 2:11,12.
“In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ,
having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.”
Baptism is a burial - ours'. It is the burial of the old man, the flesh, now dead in Christ.
Colossians 3:9,10 "Put off... put on"
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry…Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”
This is Baptismal language. In Baptism we take off our old man, like a set of dirty clothes, and we put on the new man, like a new suit of clothes.
In the Early Church this was often symbolised very dramatically. Candidates for baptism took off their old clothes, were baptised in the nude, then were given a new set of white robes to wear, symbolising the righteousness of Christ. This is the origin of the Baptismal robe.
Through baptism we put off the old man. It is illegal to bury a man when he is still alive, but it is equally illegal to leave a dead body lying around unburied. Burial is only for the dead, but if the dead "in Christ" do not get buried then the stench of their old man will be a hindrance to their growth and witness.
Something actually happens, therefore, at Baptism. It is not just a symbol, but it is a prophetic drama through which we enter into the reality of what we symbolise.
Baptism, when coupled with faith, is the burial of the flesh, hence it delivers us (i.e. saves us) from the power of the flesh, sin, death, the law, the world and the devil.
Baptism SAVES us:
Mark 16:16.
“Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Romans 10:9,10.
“That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
1 Peter 3:20-22.
“…and this water symbolises baptism that now saves you also- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”
Baptism is therefore necessary for your subjective experience of salvation while here on earth, but we must insist that it is not necessary for justification, nor does it affect your eternal destiny.
Baptism as a burial is an exit from spiritual bondage, but it is also a resurrection, and so is the doorway to the Christian life.
Baptism is the doorway to full Christian experience. One cannot experience the full power of God without being baptised.
The Church has always acknowledged this by making baptism the INITIATION RITE into the Church. The Church is that sphere of the activity of the Holy Spirit in his fullness. That fullness is only available to the Church. We enter the Church by Baptism. This is because the Church is Christ's body, and the only way we can enter his body is by death and resurrection.
In Acts Baptism is clearly an initiation rite. Baptism was always at conversion.
Baptism, therefore, is a way out of bondage, and the doorway to full Christian experience. It is not just a ritual or symbol, but something happens in the spiritual realm when we are baptised on which we can take a stand and find deliverance.
It follows, therefore, that we can and should thereafter live in victory:
Romans 6:12-14.
Colossians 3:5-7.
ILLUSTRATION OF THESE TRUTHS.
That Baptism is an exit and a doorway is clearly seen in two OT pictures of Baptism.
(1) The Red Sea.
1 Corinthians 10:1,2.
“For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”
Exodus 15:10-15,21.
“But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you- majestic
in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them. "In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.
The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia.
The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away;…
Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea."
(a) They were delivered from the hand of Pharaoh = Satan.
removed from Egypt = World.
delivered from horses = flesh.
delivered from riders = demons.
(b) Put them in the wilderness = the place of spiritual growth and experience.
There is a change - one cannot go back.
(2) The Flood.
1 Peter 3:20-22.
“…who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolises baptism that now saves you also- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand- with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”
The flood destroyed the old world and its way of life, and brought Noah into a new world of experience. He could not go back.
You know, when one really understands what Baptism by immersion can do for you why would anyone want to argue about it? Why not just get it done and get the blessing? Why hang on to a church ritual of sprinkling that has no scriptural blessing or validity when one could have a real deliverance from the power of sin through Christian immersion?
Four Words that sum up Baptism:
1. Immersion.
2. Initiation.
3. Identification.
4. Incorporation.
Note:
Worth reading on this subject is:
Derek Prince: Burial by Baptism.
Originally it came out as a booklet, but it may now be part of the Foundations book. I'm not sure.
Watchman Nee: The Normal Christian Life.
(a great exposition of Romans!)
I have to admit that the whole idea of the prophetic action and its application to baptism and the other sacraments is not something I have read anywhere, or heard anywhere. I believe it is a revelation God has given me. I also believe that it is the way to reconciling the differing opinions in the church on Baptism. It is a new way of looking at it, and as far as I know, no one else has approached it from this angle. In my view, the boxes people have been thinking in about baptism, and the other sacraments, have been unprofitable. All this means is that you may need to do some quite deep thinking on the subject to decide if what I have said is right or not.
HOMEWORK.
Homework for this week is a series of confessions. These are real transformer verses.
1. Read the following out every day – do it for as many weeks as you have to until it becomes true for you in experience.
2. Pray around each one as the Holy Spirit leads.
3. After reading each confession and the attending verses pray a prayer of thanksgiving and acceptance of that truth in your life.
I am united with Christ in his death:
Galatians 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Colossians 3:3
"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."
Romans 6:3
"Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?"
I am united with Christ in his Burial:
Romans 6:4
"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
I am united with Christ in his resurrection:
Colossians 2:12
“having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.”
Romans 6:5
"If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection."
I am united with Christ in his ascension:
Ephesians 2:6
"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,"
Colossians 3:1,2
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
I am united with Christ in his life:
Romans 6:8
"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him."
Romans 6:11
"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Romans 8:10.
"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal body through his Spirit, who lives in you."
I am united with Christ in his power:
Ephesians 1:19,20.
"(I pray that you may know)… his incomparably great power for/in us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,"
I am united with Christ in his inheritance:
Romans 8:16,17
"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
Galatians 4:4-7.
"But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, <"Abba>, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir."
Chapter 16: - Baptism #2: - What Baptism Does for Us.
Over the centuries of Church history much debate has raged over what baptism actually does for us, if anything at all. Consequently there is a range of views held in the Church.
* On one end of the spectrum is the Roman Catholic idea of Transubstantiation, which is almost magical in its understanding that "Baptism effects salvation", in the sense of justification. The logical implication of this is that one should baptise as many as possible and as soon as possible, i.e. as infants, so that they can be saved.
* On the other extreme is the view of Zwingli, that baptism is only a symbol and effects nothing.
* The logical outcome of the Zwingli position is the Salvation Army position, which says, “If baptism is only a symbol and we have the reality by faith then we can do away with the symbol.” And so they have dispensed with Baptism and Communion altogether.
* In between there is a range of views.
The problem, as I see it, is one the Church often falls into in trying to interpret the Bible.
1. Instead of allowing the Bible to speak for itself we read into the text our own ideas, in this case Western Greek) philosophy. Then we twist the Bible text to suit our already preconceived ideas. This, it seems to me, is the case with the Roman Catholic position.
2. Then comes a “back to the Bible” revival, such as the Protestant Reformation, and there is reaction against the accepted view by different people in varying degrees, so we end up with a range of views. But there is always an extreme view in reaction to the accepted view, and this, I feel, is the case with Zwingli. He just goes too far.
In reality the truth is somewhere in the middle. Baptism does actually do something for us; but it is not magical, it is in response to faith. When we obey Christ by getting baptised in faith there are blessings that are released to us that cannot be obtained any other way.
Rather than try to explain the range of positions and critique them I want to approach the subject from a different angle. The problem starts, I believe, with trying to explain what baptism does for us by using philosophical ideas that have no real place in scripture. If I try to counter that by arguing against it we will spend a lot of time talking about nothing important. So I would rather start with a Bible idea that will, I believe, give you the true picture of what Baptism does for us and how.
The idea I want to show you is that of the “prophetic action.”
THE PROPHETIC ACTION.
A prophetic action is an action that conveys a message, but it in some way the action causes the message to become true.
The best way to teach this is by way of illustration. Perhaps the best illustration of this principle is found in:
2 Kings 13:15-19.
“Elisha said (to the king), "Get a bow and some arrows," and he did so. "Take the bow in your hands," he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. "Open the east window," he said, and he opened it. "Shoot!" Elisha said, and he shot. "The LORD's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!" Elisha declared. "You will Completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek."
Then he said, "Take the arrows," and the king took them. Elisha told him, "Strike the ground." He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times."
We see here the prophetic act is an act whereby the prophet, or the servant of God, invites God to come and do something up to a certain limit. That is why the prophet said to the king if he has hit the arrows on the ground several times God would have responded with several victories over the enemies. But now it was limited to three victories – not limited by God’s ability, but limited by the degree of the asking of the man responsible for asking.
In other words the prophetic action determined the actual events or outcomes.
That is the idea of a prophetic action.
We see this idea of the "prophetic action" in operation right through the Bible. This story is not just an isolated instance. It is seen through into the life and ministry of Jesus also – he spat on the ground and made clay and then putting the clay on a blind man’s eye-sockets created eyes in the socket and the man saw.
What is a prophetic action?
1. A prophetic action is an action performed by the servant of God that contains a message or symbolises a message or illustrates a message.
2. In some sense the action of the prophet ensures that the event being symbolized, the message, becomes real or is actualized. In some sense the activity of the prophet causes the event to happen.
This is all part of a particularly Jewish way of seeing things. The Jews do not separate the spiritual and the material in the way that we do, and they saw a clear causal connection between the prophetic word, the symbolic act and the event itself.
This idea is fundamental to understanding the self-identity of the Jew. No orthodox Jew considers the events of Bible history—the bondage in Egypt, the Passover, the Red Sea, Mount Sinai, the events around the feast of Purim, etc., to be purely historical. In Jewish society every year these events are commemorated, they are "remembered". Every year they are acted out at annual celebrations – memorials – Passover, Pentecost, Atonement, Purim and so on. Each of these festivals contains a message.
In the festival the history is re-enacted in such a way so as to relive the story again. In this way every Jew since those events thousands of years ago has become part of the original events. The purpose of this acting out, this "remembering", is to bring the events of the past into the present in such a way that the past events become personal and real to the present generation. The story is told again in a prophetic way.
As a result these are no longer just memories, no indeed - every Jew was there. They were all in Egypt, they all went through the plagues and the Passover, they all crossed the Red Sea and came to Sinai, they all suffered under Haman in the days of Esther. And so on. And this “remembering” every year has served to make the events so real in their consciousness that their national identity will never die out.
So the idea of "remembrance" in Jewish thinking is not simply to have a memorial and to remember past events, but a "remembrance" is a recreation of the original events in such a way that the participants in the "remembrance" actually are participating in the original events. They were there. These are prophetic actions.
So when Jesus said about communion, "This do in remembrance of me" he was not just calling us to remember some historical event in the sense that I remember "2+2 = 4". He was inviting us to participate in the event of the Cross and resurrection in such a way as to become somebody who was "there". And in "being there" the meaning of it becomes true for us at an experiential level.
When we look at Baptism we see this idea is true for Baptism.
* It is an action that preaches a message.
* In some way doing the action makes the message come true for the participant.
* It brings the past events of Christ’s death and resurrection into present experiential reality.
When we understand this concept of the "prophetic action" we can clearly see that the NT teaching about Baptism indicates that something real happens in the act. We don't have to "symbolise it all away", there is a reality there that gives the necessity for following through with the action. “Faith without works is dead”.
Romans 6:3-7
“Do you not know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live in newness of life.”
Notice that Paul does not say here that we are “symbolically baptised into Christ’s death.” The tendency for many Christians, particularly if they have been taught in a church where Zwingli’s interpretation holds sway, is to read it that way. But this is to insert words into the text that are not there to arrive at an interpretation to suit ourselves. And such is not allowable. It is a short road to deception.
When we understand the Jewish way of thinking we see that baptism is a prophetic action, a memorial, by which we make to historical acts symbolised in it (Christ’s death and resurrection) real and up to date for us. In a sense we are transported through time back to the original events and we are made part of them.
Hence baptism is an eternal act in that it transcends time. The historical acts of Jesus were eternal acts, in that they had ramifications that are true for all eternity. When we get baptised we link into those historical acts of Christ and are made part of them and in that way we perform an eternal act.
In that sense we can see that once you are baptised it is forever, for eternity. You can’t be "unbaptised". The act is eternal.
I.e. when you get baptised it is not just a symbol – something actually happens. The NT describes what happens as “being buried and rising with Christ”. We pass from this time-controlled life that ends with death and we rise with Christ into eternal life!
The word I use here is Incorporation.
Through baptism we are incorporated into the death, burial and resurrection on Christ – at an experiential level.
Baptism, then, is a real experience of deliverance, or salvation, from the bondage of the Old man corrupted by sin. Victory over sin is made possible through baptism because the old fleshly nature has been, in a real sense, buried with Christ in Baptism.
When we accept Christ as saviour our old man dies, but when we are baptised the body of the old man is buried. It is “put off” forever.
THE PROCESS OF SALVATION, OR DELIVERANCE.
Two words are important here:
(i) Justification - means my sin is forgiven and in Christ, before God, I have a new standing. I am declared righteous/justified - just-as-if-I'd never sinned. I am free from guilt, and declared righteous. This is purely a legal declaration.
(ii) Salvation - means I am delivered in experience from the guilt and power of sin and of all its effects. It includes justification, but is more than justification.
Justification is by faith alone, and is true the moment we believe.
Salvation is a process that begins at new birth. It starts with justification, but will not be completed until we receive our resurrection bodies. The way of salvation includes confession, repentance, faith, baptism, sanctification, healing, deliverance, etc., up to glorification.
Justification deals with the problem of the GUILT of sins I have committed.
Salvation deals with the problem of the POWER of sin that drives me to commit acts of sin.
God has provided a way of deliverance (or salvation) from this power. Jesus has totally defeated all evil powers, but we need to apply that deliverance to our own lives by faith and obedience to the Word of God. Baptism is one small part of this process of obedience whereby we apply the deliverance to our lives.
(a) The General Principle.
Again the best way to teach this principle is by an Illustration:
Hebrews 7:4-10.
“Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people- that is, their brothers- even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.”
This passage illustrates a truth that we can apply in the case of baptism also.
The writer says "Levi paid tithes in Abraham". How? He was not physically present.
The background idea is one of covenant headship or family solidarity: What the head of the family does brings lasting effects on the family. This is an application of the covenant / corporate headship idea.
Levi was a son of Jacob, who was a son of Isaac, who was Abraham's son. Isaac was, as yet, unborn; hence his seed was "still in the loins of Abraham". Hence he was present "in Abraham". Everything that Abraham did, Isaac did also by proxy, and so on for his descendants right down the chain to Levi and beyond.
(b) Application.
Romans 5:12-21.
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned- for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgement followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Paul here contrasts two states, using the principle of covenant / family solidarity.
* Every person is born into the family of Adam.
* When Adam sinned we all sinned "in Adam", as Adam sinned before he had children.
* When Adam sinned his nature was debased, he became "fallen". This fallen nature, under the power of sin, was passed on to all of his descendants (i.e. us), as life only propagates "after his kind" (Genesis 1:11,21,25).
Our problem with sin, therefore, is one of parentage; we belong to the wrong family. Adam's family is under a curse of sin and death. We need to get out of that family and be born into a new family which has the nature of life (i.e. God's family).
The only way out of Adam's family is death, but we cannot die and yet live. Death consigns us to Hell. But God's Law demands that sin be punished by death. Our position appears hopeless.
To solve this problem, Christ came and was born a man, the "last Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45). He came of Adam's line through Mary, thus a relative of man, but was the Son of God. In his coming Jesus summed up all that was Adam in himself and so became truly representative of all who are “in Adam”. Because he summed up all that was Adam and put it to death he is the “Last Adam”.
1 Corinthians 15:45.
“So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.”
This miracle of the Virgin Birth has two results with respect to sin:
(1) The Nature of Sin.
Through Mary Jesus took on (assumed) true fallen humanity so that he could redeem it. Though he assumed sinful flesh he did not succumb to it and thus redeemed it. We discussed this in Chapters 6-9.
Romans 8:3.
“For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,...”
"Likeness" means "in the same nature".
(2) The Guilt of Sin.
Christ, however did not take on man's position with respect to guilt -the legal claim of sin. Christ lived as perfect man - a sinless life - so sin had no legal claim on him. However he still died. Thus there exists a death that is not a result of sin, a death that is voluntary and is offered on behalf of others who have sinned. Because he was also the Son of God this death is limitless in magnitude and effect. It applies for all time and for all eternity.
His death was vicarious/substitutionary (for us) and thus satisfied the demands of the law on our behalf. The law is satisfied and now we can be set free from its demands.
If we accept Christ three things happen:
1. He pays our sin debt, Sin then no longer has any claims on us in the courtroom of the universe.
2. His death, the death of the "Last Adam" is credited to us and we die, we exit Adam's family.
3. God takes us and puts "into Christ". Christ is the Son of God, so we become, "in Him" members of a new family, the family of God. We now have a new family inheritance, one of life, not of death.
Where Adam's history and sin and nature were ours, now we receive Christ's nature and history:
Christ lived a perfect life of victory over sin 2000 years ago - therefore I have a perfect life of victory.
Christ died 2000 years ago - therefore I died (Romans 6:6; 2 Corinthians 5:14).
Christ was buried - so was I.
Christ rose - so did I (Romans 6:3,4).
Christ ascended to heaven - so did I (Ephesians 2:6).
Christ now rules - so do I.
To exit from Adam I needed to die - I have died. I am now "born again" into the family of God (John 3:3-8).
This is what we confess in baptism, that Christ's death and resurrection have become ours.
(3) How Do We Experience this Deliverance Now?
Romans 6:1-12.
“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death?
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot
die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.”
(a) The Process.
(i) 6:3 "know" - to know by assurance from God that this is true. To be convinced in your heart by faith. This comes by revelation.
If you do not "know" the rest of the process will not work.
(ii) 6:11 "consider" - Greek = "reckon". This is a bookkeeping world meaning "to credit it as being so". You can stake your life on it.
There are two stages to this:
(a) 6:3 Baptism.
(b) Sanctification.
6:12,13 - "Do not yield... yield"
C/f Colossians 3:5,8 - "Put off ... Put on."
The Place of Baptism.
Christ has died; the Last Adam. He put to death the whole Adamic race. In God's eyes the whole of Adamic mankind and its sin is dead. It has been condemned and crucified.
Romans 8:3 - the flesh, the old Adamic man, is dead.
PROBLEM:
As Christians we know that this is LEGALLY true, but in our experience we find that the old nature of the flesh is still hanging around. A conflict results (Romans 7:14-8:8). Even though the flesh is dead, it is like a body that will not lie down. It trips us up as we try to move in God. Also it decays, it creates a stench, putting off the non-Christians we come in contact with.
The flesh is DEAD, but we need to "put off the flesh with all of its desires". This is where baptism comes in.
Colossians 2:11,12.
“In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ,
having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.”
Baptism is a burial - ours'. It is the burial of the old man, the flesh, now dead in Christ.
Colossians 3:9,10 "Put off... put on"
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry…Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”
This is Baptismal language. In Baptism we take off our old man, like a set of dirty clothes, and we put on the new man, like a new suit of clothes.
In the Early Church this was often symbolised very dramatically. Candidates for baptism took off their old clothes, were baptised in the nude, then were given a new set of white robes to wear, symbolising the righteousness of Christ. This is the origin of the Baptismal robe.
Through baptism we put off the old man. It is illegal to bury a man when he is still alive, but it is equally illegal to leave a dead body lying around unburied. Burial is only for the dead, but if the dead "in Christ" do not get buried then the stench of their old man will be a hindrance to their growth and witness.
Something actually happens, therefore, at Baptism. It is not just a symbol, but it is a prophetic drama through which we enter into the reality of what we symbolise.
Baptism, when coupled with faith, is the burial of the flesh, hence it delivers us (i.e. saves us) from the power of the flesh, sin, death, the law, the world and the devil.
Baptism SAVES us:
Mark 16:16.
“Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Romans 10:9,10.
“That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
1 Peter 3:20-22.
“…and this water symbolises baptism that now saves you also- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”
Baptism is therefore necessary for your subjective experience of salvation while here on earth, but we must insist that it is not necessary for justification, nor does it affect your eternal destiny.
Baptism as a burial is an exit from spiritual bondage, but it is also a resurrection, and so is the doorway to the Christian life.
Baptism is the doorway to full Christian experience. One cannot experience the full power of God without being baptised.
The Church has always acknowledged this by making baptism the INITIATION RITE into the Church. The Church is that sphere of the activity of the Holy Spirit in his fullness. That fullness is only available to the Church. We enter the Church by Baptism. This is because the Church is Christ's body, and the only way we can enter his body is by death and resurrection.
In Acts Baptism is clearly an initiation rite. Baptism was always at conversion.
Baptism, therefore, is a way out of bondage, and the doorway to full Christian experience. It is not just a ritual or symbol, but something happens in the spiritual realm when we are baptised on which we can take a stand and find deliverance.
It follows, therefore, that we can and should thereafter live in victory:
Romans 6:12-14.
Colossians 3:5-7.
ILLUSTRATION OF THESE TRUTHS.
That Baptism is an exit and a doorway is clearly seen in two OT pictures of Baptism.
(1) The Red Sea.
1 Corinthians 10:1,2.
“For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”
Exodus 15:10-15,21.
“But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you- majestic
in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them. "In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.
The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia.
The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away;…
Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea."
(a) They were delivered from the hand of Pharaoh = Satan.
removed from Egypt = World.
delivered from horses = flesh.
delivered from riders = demons.
(b) Put them in the wilderness = the place of spiritual growth and experience.
There is a change - one cannot go back.
(2) The Flood.
1 Peter 3:20-22.
“…who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolises baptism that now saves you also- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand- with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”
The flood destroyed the old world and its way of life, and brought Noah into a new world of experience. He could not go back.
You know, when one really understands what Baptism by immersion can do for you why would anyone want to argue about it? Why not just get it done and get the blessing? Why hang on to a church ritual of sprinkling that has no scriptural blessing or validity when one could have a real deliverance from the power of sin through Christian immersion?
Four Words that sum up Baptism:
1. Immersion.
2. Initiation.
3. Identification.
4. Incorporation.
Note:
Worth reading on this subject is:
Derek Prince: Burial by Baptism.
Originally it came out as a booklet, but it may now be part of the Foundations book. I'm not sure.
Watchman Nee: The Normal Christian Life.
(a great exposition of Romans!)
I have to admit that the whole idea of the prophetic action and its application to baptism and the other sacraments is not something I have read anywhere, or heard anywhere. I believe it is a revelation God has given me. I also believe that it is the way to reconciling the differing opinions in the church on Baptism. It is a new way of looking at it, and as far as I know, no one else has approached it from this angle. In my view, the boxes people have been thinking in about baptism, and the other sacraments, have been unprofitable. All this means is that you may need to do some quite deep thinking on the subject to decide if what I have said is right or not.
HOMEWORK.
Homework for this week is a series of confessions. These are real transformer verses.
1. Read the following out every day – do it for as many weeks as you have to until it becomes true for you in experience.
2. Pray around each one as the Holy Spirit leads.
3. After reading each confession and the attending verses pray a prayer of thanksgiving and acceptance of that truth in your life.
I am united with Christ in his death:
Galatians 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Colossians 3:3
"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."
Romans 6:3
"Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?"
I am united with Christ in his Burial:
Romans 6:4
"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
I am united with Christ in his resurrection:
Colossians 2:12
“having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.”
Romans 6:5
"If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection."
I am united with Christ in his ascension:
Ephesians 2:6
"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,"
Colossians 3:1,2
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
I am united with Christ in his life:
Romans 6:8
"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him."
Romans 6:11
"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Romans 8:10.
"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal body through his Spirit, who lives in you."
I am united with Christ in his power:
Ephesians 1:19,20.
"(I pray that you may know)… his incomparably great power for/in us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,"
I am united with Christ in his inheritance:
Romans 8:16,17
"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
Galatians 4:4-7.
"But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, <"Abba>, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir."
Foundations of the Christian Life. Chapter 15: - Baptism #1- What is it?
Foundations of the Christian Life.
Chapter 15: - Baptism #1- What is it?
We now come to the final section of our studies on spiritual foundations – the four “instructions” that accompany repentance and faith. The rest of this series will focus on these four things.
Hebrews 6:1-2.
“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, with instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement.”
The first instruction is about baptism.
Baptism is a rite that has been practiced in the Church since the beginning. Much discussion has been carried on over the exact nature and meaning of Baptism. These three chapters are an attempt to try to answer some of the questions raised from a Biblical perspective.
THE HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF BAPTISM.
Different forms of baptism were known in the ancient world, all of which were religious rites. In fact all were initiation rites into some religion or cult. So familiar was the rite that the use of it by Christians would not have seemed strange in the Greco-Roman world. It was not the rite itself, but the meaning of it, that set Christians apart.
Some forms of baptism were:
1. Initiation rites into the mystery cults and religions. Most of these practiced baptism in some form, often a baptism in the blood of the sacrificial beast offered as part of the initiation rite.
2. In Jewish culture, a self- baptism was practiced when a Gentile converted to Judaism, called proselyte baptism.
3. Many Jewish cults also practiced “washings” which were a form of baptism both as initiation rites and as a regular part of worship – a washing to be “cleansed”, signifying sanctification. The Essenes were one such group.
4. John the Baptist, who was probably brought up in an Essene community introduced a shocking and radical new twist to baptism. In his preaching he put Israel on the same level as the Gentiles – needing a thoroughgoing conversion – and so demanded a baptism of repentance of the Jews. He also seems to have been the first to baptise others in Jewish culture. Until then baptism seems to have been self-baptism.
In all of these two ideas are present, and these ideas carry through to the practice of baptism in the ministry of Jesus and the Church.
1. The Baptism was an initiation rite. Baptism was always at the point of actually joining the cult group. Until then people were only considered to be interested adherents, or seekers. This is so strong an identification that we can say: Baptism is Initiation.
2. Through the act of baptism the candidate sent himself/herself apart for the service of the “god” in a significant way. In other words Baptism brought about some form of sanctification (“Sanctify” = “to set apart”).
We will see these ideas as we look at Christian baptism.
WHY BAPTISM?
(1) It is a Command to be Baptised.
Matthew 28:19.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
* Baptism is a command directly from Christ.
* The responsibility for making sure it happens is left with the Chruch, not with the person becoming a Christian.
Acts 2:38.
"Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"
* "Baptised" here is in the imperative, it is a command, not an option.
(2) We cannot grow to spiritual maturity without being baptised and coming to an understanding of it.
Hebrews 6:1-3.
One of the essential ingredients of our foundation that God, as the building inspector, will look for is Baptism. Without it he will not allow us go on to maturity.
(3) Baptism is the Seal of our Saving Faith.
James 1:22; 2:14,20-26.
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
…What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?…As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead”
Faith needs accompanying works to complete it and make it effective in our lives. Baptism is the divinely appointed action that seals the faith that brings us into Christ.
Ephesians 1:13,14
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”
"sealed" - this word was used as a technical term for Baptism in the Early Church.
Here it refers primarily to the Baptism in the Spirit. However confession of Christ as Lord and Saviour, water baptism and the reception of the Spirit were seen as three parts of the one event, or package, in the Early Church. Water Baptism was thus the human side of Spirit Baptism, two sides of the one coin.
Baptism is the seal of saving faith. It is the work that completes saving faith and makes it operative in our experience. Every blessing that the Bible says comes by faith it also says comes by Baptism.
* Forgiveness, cleansing, justification - Acts 2:38, 22:16. 1 Corinthians 6:11.
* Union with Christ - Galatians 3:27.
* Identification with Christ in Death, Burial & Resurrection - Romans 6:3ff. Colossians 2:11ff.
* Participation in Christ's sonship - Galatians 3:26.
* Membership of the Church - 1 Corinthians 12:13. Galatians 3:27ff.
* Holy Spirit - Acts 2:38. 1 Corinthians 12:13.
* New Life - Titus 3:5. John 3:5.
* An inheritance in the Kingdom - John 3:5.
Hence Baptism is a Sacrament. Through it spiritual promises become real in our experience.
(4) Baptism is necessary for Salvation in the full sense of the word.
(See Chapter 16, "Baptism - What it does For Us.")
Mark 16:16.
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. “
1 Peter 3:21
“… and this water symbolises baptism that now saves you also- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”
BAPTISM – A DEFINITION.
Baptism is the Immersion of Believers in Christ, in Water, as a public confession and seal of their faith in Christ, and a testimony of their acceptance of his work on their behalf.
This definition raises three issues:
(1) What does it mean?
(2) How should we do it?
(3) Who should be Baptised?
WHAT DOES BAPTISM MEAN?
(a) Baptism is Initiation.
Baptism was always at the point of conversion in the Early Church, and it sums up the meaning of conversion in its symbolism. Often when NT writers want to recall Christians to their conversion they mention their Baptism.
E.g. Romans 6:3.
“ Or don't you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death?"
Ephesians 1:13,14. (above).
Baptism has always been seen by most of the church as an INITIATION RITE into Christ, i.e. into the Church. This is because originally Baptism WAS conversion. There is no such thing as an unbaptised Christian in the NT.
Historically it was like this:
1. The gospel was first preached in a Jewish context where the listeners were familiar with the OT. The listeners already knew about sin, God, the Messiah, the coming of the Messiah, sacrifice for sin, and so on. So when the gospel was preached an appeal could be made for salvation and the respondents were baptised immediately. Because of this “background knowledge” Paul, and the other apostles, would always try to preach in any Jewish community they could find when they went into Gentile countries and cities. To find converts to Christ among those who already knew the OT would save many hours of discipling and a church could be planted in days, where if there was no such group it could take months or years to plant a church.
Hence baptism was at the point of conversion. It was an initiation rite
2. Where there was no Jewish group Paul could contact, or the Jewish group was unresponsive. Paul would then make his appeal differently. Instead of calling people to an immediate response he instead gathered the interested people into a group and would disciple them, instructing them in the Way of Christianity. A sort of Early Church "Alpha" course. The Apostle's Creed is thought to be the outline of such discipleship classes in many parts of the Roman Empire. Only when they understood what it was they were getting into would the apostle ask for commitment to Christ, and then they would be baptised. Possibly the order of things in Matthew 28, where "discipling them" comes before "baptising them" reflects this practice. This practice continued for the first several hundred years of the Church. Discipleship classes, or Catechism classes as they came to be known, preceded conversion to Christ. But Baptism was still at the point of conversion. Baptism was accompanied by the laying on of hands for the reception of the Spirit. However baptism was still seen as the point of salvation, an initiation rite.
3. As time went by the belief grew that the Spirit could only be given by the Bishop, and that baptism could only be performed by the Elders. In the beginning this was not so. So a division was made between conversion and baptism and confirmation (the laying on of hands). Also pressure from parents who were concerned (wrongly) that their unbaptised infants who died would not go to heaven led to the introduction of infant baptism. Thus one could become a Christian without being baptised and one could be baptised without becoming a Christian. Typically Baptisms were “saved up” until Easter and formed part of the Easter celebration, the rising from the waters being linked to the time of Christ’s resurrection. However the Bishop could not be present at all baptisms so often the laying on of hands (confirmation) was done at a later date. This is the pattern we see in what is known as the “traditional Churches”. It’s origins are historical but are not scriptural. The idea of baptism being an initiation rite changed slightly. Instead of being seen as the initiation into Christ, i.e. conversion, baptism came to be seen as the initiation rite into the church because baptism was now separated from conversion at least as far as timing was concerned. The right to take communion was withheld until a person had been both baptised and confirmed, these still being seen as two parts of the one event even though they were often separated by a long period of time. Doctrinally and in theory the three things were still seen as one, but in practice they were separated. It only took a matter of time for them to be separated in the minds of the common people at a theoretical leval also - no matter what the official doctrine said!
In Acts Baptism is clearly an initiation rite. Baptism was always at conversion. There were no unbaptised Christians.
Acts 2:37,38; 8:4-17,26-39; 10:1-8, 30-48; 16:25-34.
All these were clearly baptised at conversion.
Two problem cases:
(i) Paul - Acts 9:1-19.
According to popular legend Paul became a Christian on the Damascus Road, and was baptised three days later. However the events of Paul's conversion are not clear here, it is only as we examine Paul's own account of this event in Acts 22:12-16 we see that this popular understanding of the events was not the case.
Acts 22:12-16.
"A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. He stood beside me and said, `Brother Saul, receive your sight!'
And at that very moment I was able to see him. "Then he said: `The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptised and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'"
(a) Paul did not receive his sight back until Ananias came - physically, but the implication is spiritually also. One is the picture of the other.
(b) Paul says he did not "call upon the name of the Lord" until Ananias came and instructed him to do so (v16). Hence he had made no Christian commitment until this time.
(c) Ananias tells Paul to “wash away your sins” indicating clearly that Paul had not yet received Christ.
The experience of the Damascus Road was very powerful, and clearly the final catalyst in bringing Paul to repentance, but it stretches the record to say he was actually converted then. The shocked stupor Paul sat in for three days shows the tremendous turmoil he was going through. Psychologically he was not yet ready to make such a commitment. It is amazing that he could make such a strong and radical change after only three days!
The record leaves us in no doubt that Paul was converted when Ananias came to him, hence he was baptised at his conversion.
(ii) The Ephesian “Disciples” - Acts 19:1-6.
“While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.
There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied.
Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptised into the name of the Lord
Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.”
Some interpreters say that these disciples were Christians before Paul spoke to them. Hence this is said to be a re- Baptism. Examination of the details shows this is not the case.
* It specifically says that they were disciples of John the Baptist and were baptised “into John’s Baptism”.
* John ministered for three and a half years before Jesus was revealed and had many disciples scattered throughout the known world. Pockets of these disciples lasted until very recent times. The last known group was in existence at the end of the 19th Century in the Middle East. There is no reason to assume that these disciples knew anything about Jesus. They knew the Messiah was coming - that was part of John's message - but the revelation as to who the Messiah was came to John only towards the very end of his ministry.
* It is clear that these disciples did not know that the Messiah HAD actually come, this clearly dates their contact with John to the period before John knew Jesus was the Messiah. Hence these "disciples" did not know about Jesus, they cannot be in any sense seen to be Christians. The Baptism they had experienced was clearly the Baptism of John, not Christian Baptism.
* When Paul introduces the subject of Jesus their reaction shows that this was all news to them.
* Also we note that they did not know anything about the Spirit, which they would have had they been Christians.
This story is one of several in Acts which show that the previous moves of God were not adequate, and that Jesus is the only way. The episode of the Samaritans is also one of these. The point of the story here is to show that John's Baptism was not enough, and did not bring salvation.
Hence the only conclusion that we can come to here is that this is not a Christian rebaptism, but another case of Baptism at conversion.
Summary: As far as we can tell from Acts every Convert was baptised at conversion. Other early Church writings confirm that this was the normal pattern.
(b) Baptism is Confession of Faith.
Through Baptism we make a Public Declaration of faith in Christ.
Romans 10:8-10.
"But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
The phrase "Jesus is Lord" was, in the Early Church, a Baptismal confession that candidates for baptism uttered while in the water. This passage, then, is referring to their Baptism.
(c) Baptism is the Seal of Faith (above).
(d) Baptism is a Sacrament.
Because Baptism makes real what faith promises, it is more than just a symbol, it is a sacrament, it does something for us (see next chapter).
Romans 10:10 (above).
Faith, which is internal, justifies us, but the fruit of faith, i.e. experiential salvation, only becomes ours through confession in Baptism.
HOW SHOULD WE BE BAPTISED?
Christians, in the main, have agreed that ALL Christians should be baptised; but have disagreed on HOW?
Three methods have been practiced:
(i) SPRINKLING - Catholics, Some Protestants.
(ii) POURING, or Affusion - Mainly Historical now.
(iii) IMMERSION - Baptists, Brethren, Most Pentecostals, etc.
The evidence is as Follows:
(a) The Greek Word: Baptizo.
(i) Traditionally meant to dip into a fluid, plunge underwater, sink (a ship), immerse.
(ii) In later Greek it came to mean, "to saturate", whether by pouring or dipping was not defined. This later meaning appears to be post-New Testament.
(iii) Either way it cannot mean “sprinkle” (Greek = rhantizo).
The English word "baptise" is a TRANSLITERATION and not a translation. “Immersion” is the proper meaning of the Greek word in the N.T. The word was not translated at the time of the translation of the KJV because of political reasons.
(b) The Symbolism of the Act.
It is important that a symbol actually symbolise what it is intending to symbolise. Symbols are not useful if they are arbitrarily chosen and bear no resemblance to the thing they are trying to symbolise.
Baptism has three sets of ideas; hence the symbol we use must effectively convey the root meanings of these three ideas:
(i) Burial and Resurrection.
Romans 6:4,5.
"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection."
(ii) An outpouring / overwhelming of the Spirit.
John 1:33.
“ I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, `The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.'”
Acts 2:33.
“Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.”
Romans 5:5.
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
(iii) Cleansing from sin, a washing.
Acts 22:16.
“And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptised and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'”
When we compare these three meanings with the three methods of Baptism we see:
(i) Sprinkling symbolises cleansing from sin, through the sprinkling of his blood
(Hebrews 9:15-21; 10:22).
(ii) Pouring symbolises the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
But neither of these convey the meaning of burial and resurrection.
(iii) Immersion clearly and completely symbolises all three meanings:
* Cleansing, as washing in a bath.
* Overwhelming by the Spirit, as being covered by the waters.
* Burial, as being buried in the waters as a grave and rising out of them again.
Immersion is clearly the only method that fully symbolises the meaning of Baptism.
(c) The Practice of Church History.
The NT and Early Church writings clearly give the impression that immersion was the norm. Pouring was allowed under exceptional circumstances.
Didache (110A.D.)
"Baptism should be threefold, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in running water, but if not available, in a pool, but if not available then three jars (each containing around 30 gallons) should be poured over in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."
Clearly the candidate got properly wet.
Sprinkling was a late development and only became popular around the 13 -15th Century. The Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches to this day practice immersion (they know the language!).
The evidence is clear - baptism should be by immersion in water.
WHO SHOULD BE BAPTISED?
Obviously all Converts should be - it is commanded! But are there other possibilities?
Two Groups have been suggested:
(i) The Families of those husbands and fathers who have been saved. This is called "Household Baptism". Proof for this theory is offered from mentions to household baptism in Acts and 1 Corinthians.
(ii) The children of Believing Parents - called "Infant Baptism".
Both of these positions can be answered with the same proof.
(a) Summary of Arguments for Infant Baptism.
(i) Baptismal Regeneration.
Roman Catholics argue that to be saved you have to be in the church. The door to the church is baptism. Unbaptised people are therefore outside the church and are going to Hell. Baptism, therefore, saves you, so baptise as many as you can. Also we should baptise infants in case they die so they will be saved. This teaching is called "Baptismal Regeneration", as it teaches that baptism in itself, somehow almost magically, will cause New Birth. This view is held to some degree by all that practice infant baptism (Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Etc) - otherwise why bother doing it? It is easy to see how this doctrine would grow out of a practice of automatically baptising all new Christians.
Answer: - The Bible teaches that only faith justifies us before God and brings about regeneration. Religious rites have to be made in response to personal faith which already exists.
The statement that "Baptism saves us" is scriptural, but is not referring to justification, but to the personal experience of salvation, i.e. a step in the process of personal deliverance from sin in experience.
Ephesians 2:8.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God"
(ii) Household Baptism.
In the NT several "households" were baptised all together. It is argued that it is "inconceivable that there were no infants present in those households." Therefore, it is said, here is proof of infant baptism in the Bible.
Answer: - Why is it inconceivable? No infants are mentioned in any of the cases, and what is said excludes the possibility of there being any:
Acts 10 Cornelius and his Household.
v2 - they all feared God already.
v33 - they were all present to hear, implying they could understand.
v44 - they all spoke in tongues, implying they were old enough to speak.
His household could possibly have been made up solely of servants and soldiers. There is no mention of a wife or children. "Household" in the Bible does not mean, as we think, "family", it is a much broader concept.
Conclusion: - No infants here.
Acts 16:25-34. The Philippian Jailer.
v32 - All in the household were spoken to, yet it was after midnight. It is unlikely that infants would have been dragged out of bed to hear, hence "all" means "no infants here".
v34 - "all rejoiced" because they believed, i.e. they were old enough to appreciate the meaning of what they had heard and respond to it with intelligent rejoicing.
Conclusion: - No infants here.
Acts 16:14,15 - Lydia's Household.
The fact that she is named implies she has no husband, either being single, divorced or widowed. She is clearly head of the household. Hence there is no infant children. Again her "household" means her servants and those who worked in her trade with her.
Conclusion: No infants here.
1 Corinthians 1:16, 16:15-17. Stephanus.
No mention of children, or even a wife.
Conclusion: - None of the references here to household baptism give any room for including infants in the number.
(iii) Covenant Theology.
Argues from the parallel between the covenant of Abraham and the New Covenant.
Acts 2:39.
"For the promise is to you and your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God calls to him."
"And your children" implies families are in on this automatically.
Romans 4.
Galatians 3.
Argument: In the Abrahamic covenant all infants in the family were circumcised, bringing them into the covenant. We are now partakers of this covenant, but baptism has replaced circumcision as the sign and seal.
Answers: -
1. This misunderstands the role of Circumcision. The descendants of Abraham were born into the covenant, then were circumcised as a sign of the covenant they already had by birth. Hence the covenant is prior to the sign of it. Failure to take the sign negated the covenant, but simply taking the sign without being born into the right family was useless. For this reason women were part of the covenant even though they could not be circumcised.
2. It also fails to understand what Paul was talking about. His whole point was that natural birth does now no longer make one automatically part of the covenant, in fact it never did (as Esau and Ishmael prove). Nor does taking the sign of the covenant. Rather it is faith that makes the covenant operative.
3. If Baptism were to be equated with circumcision it is amazing that no one says so in the NT. The constant battles Paul had with the Judaisers about circumcision would have been negated if circumcision had been replaced by baptism. Paul, as an apostle, would only have had to say it was so, and it would have been, but he did not!
4. The Phrase "and your children" needs to be evaluated and interpreted in the light of other passages of scripture that planily indicate personal faith is required, not just the faith of parents.
(iv) The Extension of Grace to Family Members.
1 Corinthians 7:14.
“…and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband.Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”
This text is offered as proof that children of believing parents are in the covenant. However "holy" does not necessarily mean "saved", and hence in the context can simply mean its basic meaning of "set apart". When one member of a family is saved God puts his hand on the family in a special way, but how is not defined.
Summary.
There is no evidence of infant or family baptism in the Bible where someone was baptised on the basis of the faith of someone else. Every passage requires the understanding that those who were baptised willingly and knowingly undertook it in response to their own faith.
Those who practice Infant Baptism believe and teach, by direct statement or by implication, that a child can be justified without personal faith in Christ. Such a belief is a denial of the Protestant faith, and the teaching of Paul, that justification is by faith alone.
(b) Who Can Be Baptised?
(i) Candidates must be able to repent.
Acts 2:37,38.
"Peter replied, "Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
(ii) Candidates must believe.
Mark 16:15,16.
Acts 8:36,37
"As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptised?" And Philip replied, “If you believe you may.”"
(iii) Candidates must be teachable.
Matthew 28:19,20.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Baptism is a response to an inward condition of heart ALREADY OBTAINED by faith, so faith is prior to baptism.
1 Peter 3:21 (above).
Summary: - These conditions eliminate infants from being baptised.
Infant baptism is therefore invalid. It is not Christian Baptism. Anything “done without faith is sin” (Romans 14:23), so infant baptism is a sin.
SUMMARY: The 3 “I’s” of Baptism.
Baptism is:
1. An Immersion in water.
2. An Identification with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection.
3. An Initiation rite into Christ.
Note:
If you want to follow through any of the ideas in this study then try to get hold of the following books:
R.E.O.White: The Biblical Doctrine of Initiation.
G.R.Beasley-Murray: Baptism in the New Testament.
A.Gilmore: Christian Baptism.
These three are written by Baptist scholars (my roots are revealed!). The problem is they are probably all out of print now so your best bet is a library.
Also worth reading is the section in:
Derek Prince: Foundations.
A significant amount of the content of this study is drawn from these four books.
HOMEWORK:
1. There is a lot in this study. Go over it 2-3 times over the week and make sure you understand the positions put forward.
2. Don’t forget to do the transformer verse. Read it out every day, pray about it. Do it for two weeks.
3. If you get time this week, read over chapters 12,13,15 as a unit – in one sitting. Look up all the verses.
TRANSFORMER VERSE:
Baptism - a command: Matthew 28:19.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
PRAYER:
Father God, I thank you for the act of baptism. As I come to understand it more make it’s meaning real in my life I pray. Let me live in the knowledge of my sins having been washed away, the fact that I have died and have risen with Christ and the fact that the Holy Spirit has been poured out on me. In Jesus name I ask it, Amen.
.
Chapter 15: - Baptism #1- What is it?
We now come to the final section of our studies on spiritual foundations – the four “instructions” that accompany repentance and faith. The rest of this series will focus on these four things.
Hebrews 6:1-2.
“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, with instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement.”
The first instruction is about baptism.
Baptism is a rite that has been practiced in the Church since the beginning. Much discussion has been carried on over the exact nature and meaning of Baptism. These three chapters are an attempt to try to answer some of the questions raised from a Biblical perspective.
THE HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF BAPTISM.
Different forms of baptism were known in the ancient world, all of which were religious rites. In fact all were initiation rites into some religion or cult. So familiar was the rite that the use of it by Christians would not have seemed strange in the Greco-Roman world. It was not the rite itself, but the meaning of it, that set Christians apart.
Some forms of baptism were:
1. Initiation rites into the mystery cults and religions. Most of these practiced baptism in some form, often a baptism in the blood of the sacrificial beast offered as part of the initiation rite.
2. In Jewish culture, a self- baptism was practiced when a Gentile converted to Judaism, called proselyte baptism.
3. Many Jewish cults also practiced “washings” which were a form of baptism both as initiation rites and as a regular part of worship – a washing to be “cleansed”, signifying sanctification. The Essenes were one such group.
4. John the Baptist, who was probably brought up in an Essene community introduced a shocking and radical new twist to baptism. In his preaching he put Israel on the same level as the Gentiles – needing a thoroughgoing conversion – and so demanded a baptism of repentance of the Jews. He also seems to have been the first to baptise others in Jewish culture. Until then baptism seems to have been self-baptism.
In all of these two ideas are present, and these ideas carry through to the practice of baptism in the ministry of Jesus and the Church.
1. The Baptism was an initiation rite. Baptism was always at the point of actually joining the cult group. Until then people were only considered to be interested adherents, or seekers. This is so strong an identification that we can say: Baptism is Initiation.
2. Through the act of baptism the candidate sent himself/herself apart for the service of the “god” in a significant way. In other words Baptism brought about some form of sanctification (“Sanctify” = “to set apart”).
We will see these ideas as we look at Christian baptism.
WHY BAPTISM?
(1) It is a Command to be Baptised.
Matthew 28:19.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
* Baptism is a command directly from Christ.
* The responsibility for making sure it happens is left with the Chruch, not with the person becoming a Christian.
Acts 2:38.
"Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"
* "Baptised" here is in the imperative, it is a command, not an option.
(2) We cannot grow to spiritual maturity without being baptised and coming to an understanding of it.
Hebrews 6:1-3.
One of the essential ingredients of our foundation that God, as the building inspector, will look for is Baptism. Without it he will not allow us go on to maturity.
(3) Baptism is the Seal of our Saving Faith.
James 1:22; 2:14,20-26.
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
…What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?…As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead”
Faith needs accompanying works to complete it and make it effective in our lives. Baptism is the divinely appointed action that seals the faith that brings us into Christ.
Ephesians 1:13,14
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”
"sealed" - this word was used as a technical term for Baptism in the Early Church.
Here it refers primarily to the Baptism in the Spirit. However confession of Christ as Lord and Saviour, water baptism and the reception of the Spirit were seen as three parts of the one event, or package, in the Early Church. Water Baptism was thus the human side of Spirit Baptism, two sides of the one coin.
Baptism is the seal of saving faith. It is the work that completes saving faith and makes it operative in our experience. Every blessing that the Bible says comes by faith it also says comes by Baptism.
* Forgiveness, cleansing, justification - Acts 2:38, 22:16. 1 Corinthians 6:11.
* Union with Christ - Galatians 3:27.
* Identification with Christ in Death, Burial & Resurrection - Romans 6:3ff. Colossians 2:11ff.
* Participation in Christ's sonship - Galatians 3:26.
* Membership of the Church - 1 Corinthians 12:13. Galatians 3:27ff.
* Holy Spirit - Acts 2:38. 1 Corinthians 12:13.
* New Life - Titus 3:5. John 3:5.
* An inheritance in the Kingdom - John 3:5.
Hence Baptism is a Sacrament. Through it spiritual promises become real in our experience.
(4) Baptism is necessary for Salvation in the full sense of the word.
(See Chapter 16, "Baptism - What it does For Us.")
Mark 16:16.
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. “
1 Peter 3:21
“… and this water symbolises baptism that now saves you also- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”
BAPTISM – A DEFINITION.
Baptism is the Immersion of Believers in Christ, in Water, as a public confession and seal of their faith in Christ, and a testimony of their acceptance of his work on their behalf.
This definition raises three issues:
(1) What does it mean?
(2) How should we do it?
(3) Who should be Baptised?
WHAT DOES BAPTISM MEAN?
(a) Baptism is Initiation.
Baptism was always at the point of conversion in the Early Church, and it sums up the meaning of conversion in its symbolism. Often when NT writers want to recall Christians to their conversion they mention their Baptism.
E.g. Romans 6:3.
“ Or don't you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death?"
Ephesians 1:13,14. (above).
Baptism has always been seen by most of the church as an INITIATION RITE into Christ, i.e. into the Church. This is because originally Baptism WAS conversion. There is no such thing as an unbaptised Christian in the NT.
Historically it was like this:
1. The gospel was first preached in a Jewish context where the listeners were familiar with the OT. The listeners already knew about sin, God, the Messiah, the coming of the Messiah, sacrifice for sin, and so on. So when the gospel was preached an appeal could be made for salvation and the respondents were baptised immediately. Because of this “background knowledge” Paul, and the other apostles, would always try to preach in any Jewish community they could find when they went into Gentile countries and cities. To find converts to Christ among those who already knew the OT would save many hours of discipling and a church could be planted in days, where if there was no such group it could take months or years to plant a church.
Hence baptism was at the point of conversion. It was an initiation rite
2. Where there was no Jewish group Paul could contact, or the Jewish group was unresponsive. Paul would then make his appeal differently. Instead of calling people to an immediate response he instead gathered the interested people into a group and would disciple them, instructing them in the Way of Christianity. A sort of Early Church "Alpha" course. The Apostle's Creed is thought to be the outline of such discipleship classes in many parts of the Roman Empire. Only when they understood what it was they were getting into would the apostle ask for commitment to Christ, and then they would be baptised. Possibly the order of things in Matthew 28, where "discipling them" comes before "baptising them" reflects this practice. This practice continued for the first several hundred years of the Church. Discipleship classes, or Catechism classes as they came to be known, preceded conversion to Christ. But Baptism was still at the point of conversion. Baptism was accompanied by the laying on of hands for the reception of the Spirit. However baptism was still seen as the point of salvation, an initiation rite.
3. As time went by the belief grew that the Spirit could only be given by the Bishop, and that baptism could only be performed by the Elders. In the beginning this was not so. So a division was made between conversion and baptism and confirmation (the laying on of hands). Also pressure from parents who were concerned (wrongly) that their unbaptised infants who died would not go to heaven led to the introduction of infant baptism. Thus one could become a Christian without being baptised and one could be baptised without becoming a Christian. Typically Baptisms were “saved up” until Easter and formed part of the Easter celebration, the rising from the waters being linked to the time of Christ’s resurrection. However the Bishop could not be present at all baptisms so often the laying on of hands (confirmation) was done at a later date. This is the pattern we see in what is known as the “traditional Churches”. It’s origins are historical but are not scriptural. The idea of baptism being an initiation rite changed slightly. Instead of being seen as the initiation into Christ, i.e. conversion, baptism came to be seen as the initiation rite into the church because baptism was now separated from conversion at least as far as timing was concerned. The right to take communion was withheld until a person had been both baptised and confirmed, these still being seen as two parts of the one event even though they were often separated by a long period of time. Doctrinally and in theory the three things were still seen as one, but in practice they were separated. It only took a matter of time for them to be separated in the minds of the common people at a theoretical leval also - no matter what the official doctrine said!
In Acts Baptism is clearly an initiation rite. Baptism was always at conversion. There were no unbaptised Christians.
Acts 2:37,38; 8:4-17,26-39; 10:1-8, 30-48; 16:25-34.
All these were clearly baptised at conversion.
Two problem cases:
(i) Paul - Acts 9:1-19.
According to popular legend Paul became a Christian on the Damascus Road, and was baptised three days later. However the events of Paul's conversion are not clear here, it is only as we examine Paul's own account of this event in Acts 22:12-16 we see that this popular understanding of the events was not the case.
Acts 22:12-16.
"A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. He stood beside me and said, `Brother Saul, receive your sight!'
And at that very moment I was able to see him. "Then he said: `The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptised and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'"
(a) Paul did not receive his sight back until Ananias came - physically, but the implication is spiritually also. One is the picture of the other.
(b) Paul says he did not "call upon the name of the Lord" until Ananias came and instructed him to do so (v16). Hence he had made no Christian commitment until this time.
(c) Ananias tells Paul to “wash away your sins” indicating clearly that Paul had not yet received Christ.
The experience of the Damascus Road was very powerful, and clearly the final catalyst in bringing Paul to repentance, but it stretches the record to say he was actually converted then. The shocked stupor Paul sat in for three days shows the tremendous turmoil he was going through. Psychologically he was not yet ready to make such a commitment. It is amazing that he could make such a strong and radical change after only three days!
The record leaves us in no doubt that Paul was converted when Ananias came to him, hence he was baptised at his conversion.
(ii) The Ephesian “Disciples” - Acts 19:1-6.
“While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.
There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied.
Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptised into the name of the Lord
Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.”
Some interpreters say that these disciples were Christians before Paul spoke to them. Hence this is said to be a re- Baptism. Examination of the details shows this is not the case.
* It specifically says that they were disciples of John the Baptist and were baptised “into John’s Baptism”.
* John ministered for three and a half years before Jesus was revealed and had many disciples scattered throughout the known world. Pockets of these disciples lasted until very recent times. The last known group was in existence at the end of the 19th Century in the Middle East. There is no reason to assume that these disciples knew anything about Jesus. They knew the Messiah was coming - that was part of John's message - but the revelation as to who the Messiah was came to John only towards the very end of his ministry.
* It is clear that these disciples did not know that the Messiah HAD actually come, this clearly dates their contact with John to the period before John knew Jesus was the Messiah. Hence these "disciples" did not know about Jesus, they cannot be in any sense seen to be Christians. The Baptism they had experienced was clearly the Baptism of John, not Christian Baptism.
* When Paul introduces the subject of Jesus their reaction shows that this was all news to them.
* Also we note that they did not know anything about the Spirit, which they would have had they been Christians.
This story is one of several in Acts which show that the previous moves of God were not adequate, and that Jesus is the only way. The episode of the Samaritans is also one of these. The point of the story here is to show that John's Baptism was not enough, and did not bring salvation.
Hence the only conclusion that we can come to here is that this is not a Christian rebaptism, but another case of Baptism at conversion.
Summary: As far as we can tell from Acts every Convert was baptised at conversion. Other early Church writings confirm that this was the normal pattern.
(b) Baptism is Confession of Faith.
Through Baptism we make a Public Declaration of faith in Christ.
Romans 10:8-10.
"But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
The phrase "Jesus is Lord" was, in the Early Church, a Baptismal confession that candidates for baptism uttered while in the water. This passage, then, is referring to their Baptism.
(c) Baptism is the Seal of Faith (above).
(d) Baptism is a Sacrament.
Because Baptism makes real what faith promises, it is more than just a symbol, it is a sacrament, it does something for us (see next chapter).
Romans 10:10 (above).
Faith, which is internal, justifies us, but the fruit of faith, i.e. experiential salvation, only becomes ours through confession in Baptism.
HOW SHOULD WE BE BAPTISED?
Christians, in the main, have agreed that ALL Christians should be baptised; but have disagreed on HOW?
Three methods have been practiced:
(i) SPRINKLING - Catholics, Some Protestants.
(ii) POURING, or Affusion - Mainly Historical now.
(iii) IMMERSION - Baptists, Brethren, Most Pentecostals, etc.
The evidence is as Follows:
(a) The Greek Word: Baptizo.
(i) Traditionally meant to dip into a fluid, plunge underwater, sink (a ship), immerse.
(ii) In later Greek it came to mean, "to saturate", whether by pouring or dipping was not defined. This later meaning appears to be post-New Testament.
(iii) Either way it cannot mean “sprinkle” (Greek = rhantizo).
The English word "baptise" is a TRANSLITERATION and not a translation. “Immersion” is the proper meaning of the Greek word in the N.T. The word was not translated at the time of the translation of the KJV because of political reasons.
(b) The Symbolism of the Act.
It is important that a symbol actually symbolise what it is intending to symbolise. Symbols are not useful if they are arbitrarily chosen and bear no resemblance to the thing they are trying to symbolise.
Baptism has three sets of ideas; hence the symbol we use must effectively convey the root meanings of these three ideas:
(i) Burial and Resurrection.
Romans 6:4,5.
"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection."
(ii) An outpouring / overwhelming of the Spirit.
John 1:33.
“ I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, `The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.'”
Acts 2:33.
“Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.”
Romans 5:5.
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
(iii) Cleansing from sin, a washing.
Acts 22:16.
“And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptised and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'”
When we compare these three meanings with the three methods of Baptism we see:
(i) Sprinkling symbolises cleansing from sin, through the sprinkling of his blood
(Hebrews 9:15-21; 10:22).
(ii) Pouring symbolises the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
But neither of these convey the meaning of burial and resurrection.
(iii) Immersion clearly and completely symbolises all three meanings:
* Cleansing, as washing in a bath.
* Overwhelming by the Spirit, as being covered by the waters.
* Burial, as being buried in the waters as a grave and rising out of them again.
Immersion is clearly the only method that fully symbolises the meaning of Baptism.
(c) The Practice of Church History.
The NT and Early Church writings clearly give the impression that immersion was the norm. Pouring was allowed under exceptional circumstances.
Didache (110A.D.)
"Baptism should be threefold, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in running water, but if not available, in a pool, but if not available then three jars (each containing around 30 gallons) should be poured over in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."
Clearly the candidate got properly wet.
Sprinkling was a late development and only became popular around the 13 -15th Century. The Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches to this day practice immersion (they know the language!).
The evidence is clear - baptism should be by immersion in water.
WHO SHOULD BE BAPTISED?
Obviously all Converts should be - it is commanded! But are there other possibilities?
Two Groups have been suggested:
(i) The Families of those husbands and fathers who have been saved. This is called "Household Baptism". Proof for this theory is offered from mentions to household baptism in Acts and 1 Corinthians.
(ii) The children of Believing Parents - called "Infant Baptism".
Both of these positions can be answered with the same proof.
(a) Summary of Arguments for Infant Baptism.
(i) Baptismal Regeneration.
Roman Catholics argue that to be saved you have to be in the church. The door to the church is baptism. Unbaptised people are therefore outside the church and are going to Hell. Baptism, therefore, saves you, so baptise as many as you can. Also we should baptise infants in case they die so they will be saved. This teaching is called "Baptismal Regeneration", as it teaches that baptism in itself, somehow almost magically, will cause New Birth. This view is held to some degree by all that practice infant baptism (Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Etc) - otherwise why bother doing it? It is easy to see how this doctrine would grow out of a practice of automatically baptising all new Christians.
Answer: - The Bible teaches that only faith justifies us before God and brings about regeneration. Religious rites have to be made in response to personal faith which already exists.
The statement that "Baptism saves us" is scriptural, but is not referring to justification, but to the personal experience of salvation, i.e. a step in the process of personal deliverance from sin in experience.
Ephesians 2:8.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God"
(ii) Household Baptism.
In the NT several "households" were baptised all together. It is argued that it is "inconceivable that there were no infants present in those households." Therefore, it is said, here is proof of infant baptism in the Bible.
Answer: - Why is it inconceivable? No infants are mentioned in any of the cases, and what is said excludes the possibility of there being any:
Acts 10 Cornelius and his Household.
v2 - they all feared God already.
v33 - they were all present to hear, implying they could understand.
v44 - they all spoke in tongues, implying they were old enough to speak.
His household could possibly have been made up solely of servants and soldiers. There is no mention of a wife or children. "Household" in the Bible does not mean, as we think, "family", it is a much broader concept.
Conclusion: - No infants here.
Acts 16:25-34. The Philippian Jailer.
v32 - All in the household were spoken to, yet it was after midnight. It is unlikely that infants would have been dragged out of bed to hear, hence "all" means "no infants here".
v34 - "all rejoiced" because they believed, i.e. they were old enough to appreciate the meaning of what they had heard and respond to it with intelligent rejoicing.
Conclusion: - No infants here.
Acts 16:14,15 - Lydia's Household.
The fact that she is named implies she has no husband, either being single, divorced or widowed. She is clearly head of the household. Hence there is no infant children. Again her "household" means her servants and those who worked in her trade with her.
Conclusion: No infants here.
1 Corinthians 1:16, 16:15-17. Stephanus.
No mention of children, or even a wife.
Conclusion: - None of the references here to household baptism give any room for including infants in the number.
(iii) Covenant Theology.
Argues from the parallel between the covenant of Abraham and the New Covenant.
Acts 2:39.
"For the promise is to you and your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God calls to him."
"And your children" implies families are in on this automatically.
Romans 4.
Galatians 3.
Argument: In the Abrahamic covenant all infants in the family were circumcised, bringing them into the covenant. We are now partakers of this covenant, but baptism has replaced circumcision as the sign and seal.
Answers: -
1. This misunderstands the role of Circumcision. The descendants of Abraham were born into the covenant, then were circumcised as a sign of the covenant they already had by birth. Hence the covenant is prior to the sign of it. Failure to take the sign negated the covenant, but simply taking the sign without being born into the right family was useless. For this reason women were part of the covenant even though they could not be circumcised.
2. It also fails to understand what Paul was talking about. His whole point was that natural birth does now no longer make one automatically part of the covenant, in fact it never did (as Esau and Ishmael prove). Nor does taking the sign of the covenant. Rather it is faith that makes the covenant operative.
3. If Baptism were to be equated with circumcision it is amazing that no one says so in the NT. The constant battles Paul had with the Judaisers about circumcision would have been negated if circumcision had been replaced by baptism. Paul, as an apostle, would only have had to say it was so, and it would have been, but he did not!
4. The Phrase "and your children" needs to be evaluated and interpreted in the light of other passages of scripture that planily indicate personal faith is required, not just the faith of parents.
(iv) The Extension of Grace to Family Members.
1 Corinthians 7:14.
“…and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband.Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”
This text is offered as proof that children of believing parents are in the covenant. However "holy" does not necessarily mean "saved", and hence in the context can simply mean its basic meaning of "set apart". When one member of a family is saved God puts his hand on the family in a special way, but how is not defined.
Summary.
There is no evidence of infant or family baptism in the Bible where someone was baptised on the basis of the faith of someone else. Every passage requires the understanding that those who were baptised willingly and knowingly undertook it in response to their own faith.
Those who practice Infant Baptism believe and teach, by direct statement or by implication, that a child can be justified without personal faith in Christ. Such a belief is a denial of the Protestant faith, and the teaching of Paul, that justification is by faith alone.
(b) Who Can Be Baptised?
(i) Candidates must be able to repent.
Acts 2:37,38.
"Peter replied, "Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
(ii) Candidates must believe.
Mark 16:15,16.
Acts 8:36,37
"As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptised?" And Philip replied, “If you believe you may.”"
(iii) Candidates must be teachable.
Matthew 28:19,20.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Baptism is a response to an inward condition of heart ALREADY OBTAINED by faith, so faith is prior to baptism.
1 Peter 3:21 (above).
Summary: - These conditions eliminate infants from being baptised.
Infant baptism is therefore invalid. It is not Christian Baptism. Anything “done without faith is sin” (Romans 14:23), so infant baptism is a sin.
SUMMARY: The 3 “I’s” of Baptism.
Baptism is:
1. An Immersion in water.
2. An Identification with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection.
3. An Initiation rite into Christ.
Note:
If you want to follow through any of the ideas in this study then try to get hold of the following books:
R.E.O.White: The Biblical Doctrine of Initiation.
G.R.Beasley-Murray: Baptism in the New Testament.
A.Gilmore: Christian Baptism.
These three are written by Baptist scholars (my roots are revealed!). The problem is they are probably all out of print now so your best bet is a library.
Also worth reading is the section in:
Derek Prince: Foundations.
A significant amount of the content of this study is drawn from these four books.
HOMEWORK:
1. There is a lot in this study. Go over it 2-3 times over the week and make sure you understand the positions put forward.
2. Don’t forget to do the transformer verse. Read it out every day, pray about it. Do it for two weeks.
3. If you get time this week, read over chapters 12,13,15 as a unit – in one sitting. Look up all the verses.
TRANSFORMER VERSE:
Baptism - a command: Matthew 28:19.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
PRAYER:
Father God, I thank you for the act of baptism. As I come to understand it more make it’s meaning real in my life I pray. Let me live in the knowledge of my sins having been washed away, the fact that I have died and have risen with Christ and the fact that the Holy Spirit has been poured out on me. In Jesus name I ask it, Amen.
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