Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Oct/94

Contributor - Mr. John Moerman

Title - Understanding Baptism- a layman's perspective

Topic - Baptism

Why Do We Baptize?

The New Testament teaches that when a person becomes a Christian, something radical has happened within him. This inner reality is actually a spiritual rebirth ... a coming alive ... and it is accomplished by an identification with Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. The Bible calls this reality "baptism". "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too, might walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6:3,4 NIV)

So at the moment of conversion, God sees us as having fully identified with Christ, by seeing us as having died, been buried, and raised with Christ. Because this is such a profound reality, God instituted water baptism as a picture/reminder/ clarifier of what has spiritually happened.

The New Testament often (but not necessarily always) relates water baptism occurrences in the river. This allows for a person to be immersed (buried) and to rise (raised to new life). Acts 8:38,39) Not only does this picture the identification with Christ and the new birth, but also the cleansing that is accomplished inwardly by the blood of Christ. (Acts 22:16; 1 John 1:7) As water cleanses the body on the outside, so the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin on the inside!!

Finally, before Jesus departed into heaven, He gave His disciples what is called the Great Commission. ". . 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..." (Matt. 28:19 NIV) And so we, in obedience to Christ, dutifully baptize because He has so commanded.

Why Baptize Infants and Children of Believers?

The question logically arises then, why do we baptize those who cannot by virtue of their age, comprehend any of the truths surrounding baptism? Are we saying that the outward act of water baptism actually triggers that inner reality we just talked about? By no means!!

Infant water baptism is rooted in the connection the Bible makes between spiritual baptism and spiritual circumcision. In effect, Colossians 2:11,12 teaches us that these spiritual realities are the same. "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."

If then there is a connection between spiritual baptism and circumcision, we would do well to investigate the origins of circumcision. We find this in Genesis 17 where circumcision is instituted as a sign of the covenant God established with Abraham. In the covenant, God promised among other things, "to be your God and the God of descendants after you". Although this covenant was established with Abraham, the sign of circumcision was to be carried out with each male in his household, and to every male descendant at eight days of age. God thereby effectually promised to reveal himself to Abraham and his descendants in a clear way ... far beyond any revelation to any other people. The outward sign of this promise, again, was circumcision. But it too had a spiritual reality in that God desired His people to be "circumcised of heart'. (Dent. 10:15,16; 30:6), that is a genuine discarding of the selfish values and interests of our sinful nature. See again Colossians 2:1 1, where we are told that the outward circumcision pictures a putting off of the sinful nature which is effectively accomplished at conversion.

Why can we take this sign and apply it to our children? For no other reason than that God promises to reveal Himself in a unique way to children of believers (even calling them holy... I Cor. 7:14 b) and promises to accomplish the spiritual reality of baptism for all those who respond by accepting Christ's provision for righteousness demanded by the covenant.

And why can we apply this sign even though we are not Abraham's physical descendants? The Bible tells us the Abraham is. .."the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised". (Rom. 4: 1 lb, 12. See also Gal. 3:26-29.)

New Testament Evidences of Infant Baptism

The New Testament, interestingly enough, does not specifically speak to the issue of the baptism of children. Why not? With the scriptural evidences for its validity, why is there no specific mention? As I read the New Testament, it seems to me that the writers took it somewhat for granted that the readers had a clear understanding of God's covenant dealings with His people ... the Jews first and all believers next. Therefore, the New Testament refers to the covenant promises to all believers and to the baptism of children in incidental ways ...

". . repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are afar off - for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:3 8,3 9)

". ..Then immediately he and all his family were baptized." (Acts 16:33b)

". . .1 also baptized the household of Stephanas." (I Cor. 1: 16)

Obviously when the good news of Jesus Christ was first preached, there would be an abundance of "believer baptisms" just as would be the case today when the gospel is introduced for the first time in a new area. But the New Testament is clear ... when an unbeliever becomes a Christian, his family becomes sanctified and holy (I Cor. 7:14) ..not in a saved sense but in the sense of being set apart for His revelation. Surely it remains a mystery why God would hold the children of Abraham - both physical and spiritual - in such high regard as to set them apart far before they would have any mental knowledge of Him. But it is precisely because we don't understand "why" that we respond in faith and bring our children for water baptism ... trusting Him to reveal Himself to our children through us as a family (note the parental obligation) first of all, and through the church and the preaching of the Word ... and to accomplish the work of regeneration for each who believes.

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