Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - June/73

Contributor - Will Kroon

Title - What is the real issue: RE-BAPTISM or The search for the certainty of SALVATION?

Topic - Rebaptism

In the last few issues of Pioneer, Rev. John Opmeer has shared with us a series of articles on re-baptism. Out of pastoral concern for some seeking believers he reopened the discussion on re-baptism in order to bring some clarity on the matter. These articles have been clear and provoking at least they have caused me to respond to his invitation to think along with him. In this article I would like to contribute to the discussion. The emphasis will be on three points: the reasons for an upsurge in re-baptism, what the Reformed tradition means with baptism, and some suggestions that might be helpful in dealing with the issue.

A renewed interest in re-baptism

Re-baptism has been a topic for discussion in the Church almost from the very beginning, and for various reasons. It has been a lively topic for discussion in Baptist circles since Reformation times, for this denomination has re-baptized its converts from other denominations who were already baptized.

The issue of re-baptism has also been a stumbling block in ecumenical discussions on the mission fields when groups of believers from various religious backgrounds would like to form one denomination. -It seems that the Church of South India has done some pioneering work in dealing with the matter. It will take me too far in pointing out what they have done. All what I would like to say is that the issue has been with us long before we had heard of any charismatic movement.

In recent years we have become aware of another upsurge in the desire for re-baptism. Why is this so? Why does it happen during this generation and not before World War II? One of the reasons for a renewed interest in rebaptism s the effective outreach of the non-sacramental denominations. The Baptists, Pentecostal and Gospel Churches, to name only the best known ones, have spread their influence through TV, radio, Sun-day School materials, revivals and through Gospel hymns. I don't believe that rebaptism is per se a by product of the charismatic movement. There have been too many charismatic movements in the past that did not lead to an upsurge in re-baptism. Furthermore, the dynamic charismatic movement within the Roman-Catholic Church does not lead to re-baptism either. Only the charismatic movement in the non-sacramental churches encourages re.-baptism.

Another reason for the upsurge in re-baptism is the change in the religious climate of our time. Let us not forget that, the spiritual climate of today is quite different from that of ten to twenty years ago. The "God is dead" theologians of ten years ago have died themselves - symbolically speaking. Another characteristic of our religious climate is the disrespect for authority. What is now being said to parents, to the police, to government leaders, to the queen and to the Pope would have been unthinkable thirty years ago. People no longer accept a truth on authority alone. They only accept it if it is meaningful to them; if it agrees with their experiences.

What is not experienced is of lite or no value to them. This change in authority is also reflected in the interpretation of baptism. In the Reformed tradition we put the stress on the authoritative Word of God and on his promises to us. But in our time there is a tendency to go along the trend of the time and put the emphasis on the experience of the believers

There is yet another reason why re-baptism is so appealing in our time. It is so appealing for thousands of Christians who are wrestling with a growing spiritual uncertainty. The upheavals in the Church, the uncertain sounds of many theologians, the unrest that is caused by sectarian movements and the change in religious climate of today have seriously undermined the certainty of many a person's salvation. Looking at the above it is very understandable that there is renewed, desire for certainty, for a mystical experience. People even turn to witchcraft, spiritism, Satanisrn, astrology, black magic and to the religions of the Far East to find some kind of meaning and direction, and certainty in life. After looking at the -above mentioned points again I am inclined to say that the main interest of the real "seekers" is not in re-baptism per se, but in the real certainty of their salvation. They ask for rebaptism hoping that this will give them that certainty.

Don't confuse Sacramental Baptism with Non-Sacramental Baptism

We will never find a way to overcome, the confusion about baptism unless we see that there is a difference between the baptism of the sacramental churches (Roman, Catholic, Orthodox and the majority of Protestant denominations) and the baptism administered by the non-sacramental denominations (Baptist, Pentecostal and Gospel churches).

What is the difference? What is a sacrament? Well, we believe that God has given His Church sacraments in order to give the people more certainty about His Word and especially His promises toward the faithful. For instance, after Noah came out of the Ark, God promised him never to destroy the world by a universal flood anymore. In order to remind him of that promise, God gave him the rainbow as a sign. In, other words, every time Noah saw the rainbow in the sky his faith in God was strengthened. We also believe that baptism is a sacrament. We believe that through the sacrament of baptism God re-affirms His promises to the Church and to the parents of the infant to be baptized. What I mean to say is that the sacramental churches put the emphasis on God's promise to us. In our Reformed tradition we stress the fact that God comes to us, that His covenant to the faithful is also for the children presented for baptism. We stress the fact that God says: Bring them to Me, they are Mine, I have cleansed them by my blood, I accept them as sheep of my flock, I accept them before they can accept Me.

In the non-sacramental churches on the other hand, the emphasis is not put on God coming to men, but on men coming to God. For them baptism is not a sacrament but a response on the part of men. That is why Karl Barth put baptism under Christian ethics, rather than under the acts of God.

Summarizing the above, I would like to say that the confusion about baptism is caused by the fact that many Christians bring in the emphasis of the non-sacramental churches and apply them to sacramental baptism. That is like playing football while adhering to the rules that apply only to soccer.

Possible Ways to Overcome the Confusion

Most Christians are convinced that re-baptism is not in harmony with the teachings of the Bible. They agree that it leads to confusion, misunderstanding and ill-feelings among the fellowship of believers. Therefore, it will be a blessing if the churches could come to terms on this issue.

But where do we begin?

First of all I believe that the churches ought to begin by putting a renewed emphasis on the importance of baptism. Consistories ought to take the time to discover together why we put the emphasis on the promises of God rather than on the response of men, - although they ought not to overlook the importance of the latter. either. The importance and meaning of baptism ought to be spelled out by the Church and not just by separate individuals. I feel that we put far too much emphasis on the individual conscience. Our conscience is not as trustworthy as many persons assume. Let us not overlook the fact that our conscience is formed by outside influences, both good and bad. If it would only be formed by the Truth from the Word of God and guided by the Spirit of God, our conscience would be an infallible guide. However, in most cases our conscience is formed by that kind of information that kindles our interest and our imagination. Therefore, Let us search. the Word rather than our conscience when trying to find a solution to our problem.

Secondly, our consistories ought to be open to any problem facing the members of the congregation - including the problem of those who desire re-baptism. It is the consistory which should listen to the requests of the candidate and discuss with him what baptism really means. It is unfortunate that some consistories are not open to such a discussion or that some people seek re-baptism without consulting their own leaders.

I believe that many persons who seek re-baptism do not seek a baptism as we understand it. They don't desire to hear the sacramental promise of God; they only want to re-affirm their faith and give utterance to a new victory over sin. Their re-baptism has much more in common with our public confession of our faith than with baptism. Their re-baptism is basically not a baptism but a confession of faith and so there is no reason to ask them to leave the fellowship of the local church.

However, there may be cases that the candidate can show real reason why he believes that he never received a "valid" baptism. For instance it can happen that a child has been baptized by a nurse in a Roman Catholic hospital without the knowledge or the approval of the parents. Is such a baptism valid?

When a consistory is confronted with questionable situations or when it is in doubt as to what needs to be done, it may want to take a close look at what is being done in the Roman Catholic Church. When said denomination is confronted with an uncertain situation it generally baptizes the candidate again with the understanding that it is only a valid baptism if no other valid baptism has ever been administered. In other words, it makes it perfectly clear that it does not believe in re-baptisms.

Conclusion

As I mentioned earlier I believe that most people who seek re-baptism do not seek it as an end in itself. What they are really seeking is the certainty of salvation. Consciously or unconsciously they seek certainty; they long for feelings, an experience, a vision or some outward manifestation of the Spirit. That is why I feel that our emphasis ought to be directed to the question: How do we get the certainty that we are a child of God? And if so many Christians have a real longing for a real encounter with God and each other why not help them by trying to meet, their needs? We all need our mountaintop experiences in order to serve our Lord in the valleys of life. I am rather allergic to putting on a show in order to draw the attention to ourselves, but I am all for giving room in our services for beauty, awe, joy. spontaneity and freedom. It can be so good to be in the house of God and to share in the communion of the saints. Why not making our services of baptism a joyful occasion and our service of public confession an unforgettable event? And let us not overlook the fact that the sacrament of Holy Communion has all the potential in experiencing a real communion with each other and in getting a mystical experience with our God.

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