BAPTISM

Baptism is one of two sacraments of the Church, the other being the Lord’s Supper or often called, Holy Communion. “Sacrament” is a word the Church uses to describe an outward sign that conveys an inner grace.  A sacrament uses an “earthly” element like bread, wine, or water along with God’s Word.  Baptism is:

1. Initiation/adoption into the Church (body of Christ), often preceded by instruction.  Baptism is best when performed at a public worship service, but occasionally, private baptisms are held. Baptism is the Church’s response to Christ’s command to make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded us (Matthew 28:19-20).
    

2. A sign of the New Covenant which God has made with His people.  As physical circumcision was a sign of the Old Covenant, baptism is a spiritual circumcision of the heart.  Baptism is a covenant (agreement) between God and his people where God promises to be our God forever, and we promise to be and live as God’s people.  God never violates his end of the agreement.  The covenant can only be broken when those who are baptized or parents/sponsors of the baptized do not follow through on their promises which are intended for daily living.  Baptism, in and of itself, does not save us, but baptism effects salvation when we come to believe and live in the covenant of our baptism.
    

3. Receiving the Holy Spirit and the grace of God in a unique way.  While the work of the Holy Spirit is not limited to our baptism, the biblical witness shows that grace is conveyed in a special way through our baptism.
    

4. Forgiveness of sin.  In the Bible, it is clearly taught that we are born into sin.  Baptism is the spiritual act of washing off our old sinful self… the Adam/Eve in us all.  For more explanation see Titus 3 and Romans 6.
    

5. An act of obedience, to be lived out daily.  Baptism is an ongoing event.  “By God’s grace I commit myself to daily drown my old sinful self, and rise anew in Christ.” Baptism is not just a past event, but also a present reality.  To say “I am baptized” is very much like a spouse saying “I am married.”   To say “I was baptized” is like saying “I was married.”   Baptism for daily living, therefore, simply means to be faithful to God.  It means to be persistent in our obedience to the master, Jesus, every day.  It means that our sinful self, with all its evil deeds and self-serving desires should be put to death; and that each day the new you--the you with Christ--should arise anew every morning. 

    There are many scripture passages which directly or indirectly allude to baptism and its meaning.  Here are a few:

Genesis 17:7, 11  (Old Testament) “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.  …And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.”

Colossians 2:10-12 “You have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Titus 3:5-7 He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Mark 16:16 The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.

Matthew 19:13-15 Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; 14but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ 15 And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.

Romans 6:3-6 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore 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 that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’*

Acts 2:38- 39 (Peter said) "Repent and be baptized everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins....The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off -- for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Acts 8:34-38 The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?’ He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

Acts 16:14-15  "One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation ...."

Acts 16:30-33 "Then he (the jailer) brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And they (Paul & Silas) said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.' So they spoke the Word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. He took them in at that hour of the night (midnight, v. 25) and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once."

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ON THE QUESTION OF BAPTIZING INFANTS 

    Is there evidence of infants being baptized in the New Testament?  The only evidence is the discussion of entire households being baptized on fairly short notice (households usually being servants and other extended family members), and the talk of baptism being a sign of the New Covenant, as circumcision on the eight day (or as an adult) was the sign of the Old Covenant.  If one only studied the few biblical passages dealing directly with the style and age of baptism, it would be possible to conclude that “adult believer’s” baptism was the only practice of the early evangelistic church, but when other sources are considered in light of scripture, the practice of infant baptism becomes clear.  It is appropriate to include historical writings to gain a bigger picture of baptism by the first generations to practice Christianity, often having direct ties to the apostles.  Historical writings do not supersede the biblical witness, but they can be helpful in understanding the thinking of the early church leaders, the very ones who codified the New Testament.

-- (c. 156 AD) Polycarp: a student of the Apostle John and associate of the Apostle Philip.

'Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me injury. How can I blaspheme my King and Savior?" (Polycarp, Martyrdom of Polycarp 9 c. AD 156)

While Polycarp’s quote does not mention baptism, notice how he mentions that he had served the Lord since his infancy.  Polycarp was 86 years old at the time of his martyrdom.

-- (c. 150 AD) Justin Martyr: a student of Polycarp

"And both men and women, who have been Christ's disciples since infancy, remain pure, and at the age of sixty or seventy years..." (oi ek paideuwn emaqhteuqhsav tw cristw) (Justin Martyr, First Apology,15:6 -- AD 110-165) Martyr also wrote around 150 AD in his “Dialog with Trypho, the Jew,” that baptism is the circumcision of the New Testament.

-- (c. 180 AD) Irenaus of Lyon: a student of of Polycarp.

"For He came to save all through Himself --all, I say, who through Him are born again to God; infants, and children, and boys, and youths, and old men."  In Irenaus’ writings “born again to God” is frequently used and clearly refers to baptism. (Irenaeus, Against the Heresies 2:22:4 -- c. AD 180)

-- (c. 200 AD) Tertullian (was for delaying baptism until later/late in life)

"And so, according to the circumstances and disposition, and even age, of each individual, the delay of baptism is preferable; principally, however, in the case of little children."

(Tertullian,On Baptism,18 (A.D. 200/206),in ANF,III:678) Tertullian, the one early dissenting voice of infant baptism, was not opposed to infant baptism based on the argument that infant baptism was not practiced nor that it was not from the apostles. He reasoned that baptisms primary purpose was to wash away all past sins, thus it is better for a person to be baptized just prior to death or later in life so as to have the bulk of one’s sins washed away. In this regard, he not only advised against infant baptism, but also against the baptism of anyone who was not yet married and even against those who were recently widowed. Also, it is well to remember that Tertullian had many other unorthodox Christian beliefs!

-- (c. 215 AD) Hippolytus

"And they shall baptize the little children first. And if they can answer for themselves, let them answer. But if they cannot, let their parents answer or someone from their family." (Hippolytus of Rome, Apostolic Tradition,21(c. A.D. 215), in AT,33)

-- (233 AD) Origen

"[T]herefore children are also baptized."

(Origen, Homily on Luke,XIV(A.D. 233),in JER, 65)

-- (244 AD) Origen

"For this reason, moreover, the Church received from the apostles the tradition of baptizing infants too. -- Baptism is given for the remission of sins; and according to the usage of the Church, baptism is given even to infants. And indeed if there were nothing in infants which required a remission of sins and nothing in them pertinent to forgiveness, the grace of baptism would seem superfluous." (Origen, Homily on Romans, V:9(A.D. 244),in JER,65  and Homily on Leviticus,8:3(post A.D. 244),in JUR,I:208)

-- (253 AD) Cyprian and the Council of Carthage along with 65 other bishops

"But in respect of the case of the infants, which you say ought not to be baptized within the second or third day after their birth, because the law of ancient circumcision should be regarded, so that you think one who is just born should not be baptized and sanctified until the eighth day...And therefore, dearest brother, this was our opinion in council, that by us no one ought to be hindered from baptism...we think it is to be even more observed in respect of infants and newly-born persons.." (Cyprian,To Fidus, Epistle 58(64):2,6(A.D. 251),in ANF,5:353-354)

-- (c. 400 AD) Augustine on infant baptism, even though he himself was not baptized as a child:

"This the Church always had, always held; this she received from the faith of our ancestors; this she perseveringly guards even to the end." (Serm. xi, De Verb Apost.)

    The following italic print is from several sources.  The plain type denotes my comments:

A fourth century predicament in the postponement of baptism among Christians of the time (which, coincidently, began after the Roman Empire under Constantine converted to Christianity) became a significant threat to the church's established tradition of infant baptism.  Infant baptism was not the sole potential victim of this threat; rather, the tendency arose within the post-Constantinian church  to delay one's repentance and baptism, at times, even until one's deathbed  (baptism seen as a one time “pardon” of previous sin).  Increasingly adult converts would not be baptized, and even baptized parents themselves might put off their children's baptisms, always aware that it was easier to deal with pre-baptismal sins than with post-baptismal sins—eager to get their children safely through the temptations of youth before they should be submitted to the moral demands of the church.

     Often it would take the threat of illness and death to convince Christian parents to baptize a child—such was almost the case with Augustine (born but not baptized in 354), though he recovered and his mother, Monica, failed to follow through with the rite.  Similarly, others during this period also failed to receive baptism as infants:  Basil (born 330 but baptized at age 27); Ambrose (born 333 or 339 but baptized in 374 in his 30’s); John Chrysostom (born around 344 but baptized in 368/72, mid to late 20’s); Jerome (born in the 340s, but baptized in 366, mid 20’s); and Rufinus (born 345, but baptized at age twenty-five).  All were raised with at least one Christian parent and waited to be baptized well into adulthood.  The earliest record of the child of Christian parents not being baptized in infancy is that of Gregory of Nazianzus in the year 329.  Before that date, there is no evidence of postponed baptism among Christian children except for Tertullian’s encouragement to hold off on baptism until well into adulthood, especially for single, sexually tempted adults, young and old.  And in addition to emergency baptisms that continued to be common for sick or dying children during this period, the survival of infant baptism throughout this fourth century crisis is evidenced by Church Orders, decisions such as that of the Spanish Synod of Elvira (306/12), tombstone inscriptions, and other mid-fourth century texts which impress on parents the duty of having their children baptized.  Indeed, the Arians, Donatists, and Jewish-Christian Symmachians all continued to baptize infants throughout the fourth century, just as did the orthodox Christians.  Neither Augustine (grace oriented) nor Pelagius (works oriented) had ever heard of a heretic who had denounced the baptism of infantes or parvuli.

    While not all Christian leaders and sects have indorsed infant baptism, the clear and prevalent consensus for baptizing infants has been, is, and will be the norm in the Christian Church.  There was a period in the Constantinian era when baptism was delayed so as not to waste the perceived one time forgiveness of sins gained through baptism.  Constantine, himself, while converting to Christianity at middle age, waited until his death bed to be baptized for the very previously mentioned argument.  Not until the 1500’s is there a strong movement to withhold baptism from infants.  While some Christians who scorn infant baptism claim to be more faithful to the practice of the early church, I believe that for the most part, disregarding infant baptism is really a symptom/problem of modernity: 

1)  Because of the rampant corruption and abuses of the Roman Catholic Church, beginning in the 1500’s almost all traditional teachings were up for debate.  The traditional Reformers like Luther and Calvin kept the ancient practice of infant baptism while a few like Meno Simons and Thomas Helwys dropped infant baptism thinking it was a corrupt practice introduced by the “institutionalized” church of the fourth century, not having access to many of the historical and original  scriptures and documents that we now have.    

2)  The “Enlightenment” period beginning in the 1700’s propagated a more modern philosophical, rational, and individualistic world view.  (An example of this is found from the Southern Baptist Convention of 1925: Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The act is a symbol of our faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior.  It is a prerequisite to the privileges of church relation…). Nothing mystical here!  No mention of the other biblical understandings of baptism, especially that of Holy Spirit and New Covenant. 

3)  The debate over whether, or to what degree, salvation is earned (works) or salvation is a gift given (grace) has been going back and forth since the beginning of the Church.  This debate continues today and has an impact on the understanding of what Baptism is and does.  If God is the primary actor, then one would lean toward infant baptism (a gift given); if man is the primary actor/responder, then adult baptism as only an act of obedience (works).   

4)  While good scholarship is not a prerequisite to a godly and effective ministry, many denominations do not emphasis scholarship and historical studies outside their teachings.  This can lead to a discounting of comprehensive scholarship and a lack of awareness of orthodox and apostolic teachings.  One clear example of poor scholarship is the regular argument told by “non-infant baptizers” that infant baptism was an invention of the later church.  This is obviously not true.

5)  The preponderance of “adult believers” baptism in the southern portion of our country leads many Christians in these areas to believe that their beliefs are held by most “true”Christians, while more than ninety percent of Christians in the world are, in actuality, from the infant baptism tradition.     

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ON THE QUESTION OF FULL SUBMERSION

-(c. 50-150 AD) Didache: Teachings of the 12 Apostles

The Didache is probably the oldest surviving piece of non-biblical literature. It is a handbook for new Christian converts.  The Didache could have been written as early as the first Apostolic Council, c.50 AD (Acts 15:28) or as late as c.200.  The general scholarly consensus is that it was written in the late 1^st century, possibly by the school of Matthew. -  The ancient historian, Eusebius, does not question its authenticity. 

“But concerning baptism, thus baptize: having first recited all these precepts, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in running water; but if you do not have running water, baptize in some other water, and if you cannot baptize in cold, in warm water; but if you have neither, pour water three times on the head, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Notice that the Didache confirms the validity of “sprinkling” even though submersion is preferable.  The Greek word baptiso means to clean, submerse, or immerse.  While “dunking” is a great way to clean, it is not the only way.  The power of baptism does not come from water alone, but God’s Word with the water.  Those who insist that the only valid way to baptize is to totally submerse and that the water be moving “living” water, seem to miss the real point of baptism.

   The following is taken from Baptism in Scripture and History: A Fresh Study of the Meaning and Mode of Baptism by Rowlnad S. Ward. The archaeological evidence does suggest that the domestic bath was not uncommonly employed for baptism. The bath - in those houses that had one - was normally recessed into the floor of a separate room, and water was either poured by an attendant or discharged from a jet or fountain above and to one side - something like a modern shower.  If the candidate was baptized indoors in a building designed for Christian use, the baptism took place in a separate room called the baptistry. ... The early fonts are too small in depth (and sometimes in width) to allow for total immersion. Rather, the candidate’s head was dipped in a basin or laver as he stood in shallow water, or else the water was poured from the basin.” Nearly 400 examples of ecclesiastical fonts belonging to the period 230-680 A.D. have been located. ... Only a very few of the early fonts could have been used for total immersion even supposing they were filled to capacity. Most depths range from about 35 cm (14 inches) to a little over a meter (40 inches), but typically 60 cm (2 feet), half the depth commonly considered necessary for immersionists today. The fonts discovered show that the general practice was for the candidate to enter the bath by (usually) two steps, and stand or sit in water up to his ankles, knees or loins. His head was then dipped in a basin arrangement called the laver, or else the water was simply poured. Drawings on he walls of the catacombs and elsewhere back into the second century show a similar mode.  

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ON THE QUESTION OF RE-BAPTISM

Sometimes people wonder whether they need to be re-baptized if they were baptized in another Christian tradition.  The answer is no for Lutherans, while some other denominations require you to be re-baptized before joining their denomination or sect.  Lutherans believe that all Christian baptisms made in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are valid.  There is no need to be re-baptized to join our fellowship if you’re sure you have been baptized, but a re-dedication baptism can be performed in a similar manner of baptism for reassurance. 

Pastor David Chancellor (pastor@zionkerrville.org) October 2004