Baptism: November 2010
Table of Contents
Baptism
The world, in the government of God, stands under the sentence of judgment for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Each of us once stood before God under that sentence. By being baptized unto Jesus Christ, we, before God, the judge of all, were baptized unto His death and are no longer under that sentence. He died; we died with him. God raised Him from the dead and has given Him all power in heaven and earth. We, by faith in Him, own Him as Lord and walk in newness of life, redeemed by the precious blood of Him who died for us. In God’s government, we now occupy a new place on earth — no longer under the sentence of judgment, but as part of the kingdom of God on earth and having a reserved place in the heavenly kingdom. If some by baptism claim a place in the kingdom but are not real in their faith, they in due time will be exposed and cast out, for such cannot “inherit” the kingdom.
More wonderful still, God has raised and glorified His Son, who now sits at His right hand, and He is calling out a heavenly people to be the body and bride of His Son. After He glorified Him, God formed that body on the day of Pentecost by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We who have now trusted in our Saviour Jesus Christ have been indwelt with that Holy Spirit of promise and added to that body, God’s church.
Baptisms in Scripture
As we examine the Scriptures, we will find that baptism, in a general way, effects a change outwardly or externally as to a new place of privilege, with responsibility in the one who is baptized. The one baptized is connected with that unto which he is baptized, and the identification takes place by the baptism. There are a number of different baptisms in God’s Word, although there is only one Christian baptism (Eph. 4:5). Let us review these baptisms and consider the significance of each.
Baptism Unto Moses
“All were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:2). Regardless of age, sex or even whether they were truly Israelites, all those who left Egypt by the way of the Red Sea shared in all the privileges as baptized unto Moses. Nevertheless, many of them perished and never reached the goal (Canaan). It was a “mixed multitude,” for many were unbelievers (Heb. 3:19). Paul calls attention to them in order to show the Corinthians the foolishness of relying merely on ordinances. Being linked outwardly with a leader by an ordinance is not enough, and this serves as a solemn warning to all who are baptized unto Christ.
John’s Baptism
John’s baptism was “to repentance” (Matt. 3:11) and “for ... remission of sins” (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3). John’s baptism had solemn significance for the guilty Jews. John was the herald of the coming Messiah, and those who were stirred by his preaching came to him to be baptized. This justified God, since it acknowledged the sentence of God against Israel (Luke 7:29). By being baptized, they owned their guilt and, by thus separating themselves from the unrepentant Jewish nation, prepared themselves for the coming One, their Messiah.
In submitting to John’s baptism, the Lord Jesus identified Himself with the repentant remnant that were baptized. John clearly recognized that the Lord Jesus needed neither repentance nor remission of sins, but grace brought our Lord Jesus to where sin had brought others, although sin never was in Him. Others were baptized while confessing their sins, but our Lord was baptized while He was praying.
This was not Christian baptism, as Acts 19:3-5 clearly shows. Those baptized by John’s baptism needed to be baptized unto the name of the Lord Jesus, for only by this could they be received onto the ground of association with a dead and risen Lord Jesus.
Christ Baptizing (by Proxy)
In John 3:22 we read that our Lord baptized, although it was His disciples who actually did the baptizing. This baptism was unto Himself as connected with Jesus as the living Messiah on earth, and those so baptized would be known as His disciples. Again, this was not Christian baptism, which identifies the baptized one with His death.
Christ’s Baptism by Fire
Nothing can compare with the atoning sufferings of our Lord during the three hours of darkness, called “baptism” in Luke 12:50: “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened until it be accomplished.”
Baptized With the Holy Spirit
The baptism with the Holy Spirit is referred to seven times in Scripture — Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, Acts 1:5, Acts 10:44-46, Acts 11:16 and 1 Corinthians 12:13. This incorporated believers into one body and occurred once for all on the day of Pentecost at Jerusalem, with a second installment in chapter 10 when the Gentiles were incorporated into the body of Christ. This is distinct from Christian water baptism, as shown by Acts 10:47: “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost?” Upon believing the gospel, individuals are sealed with the same Holy Spirit that those at Pentecost received and are thus joined to the body formed at Pentecost.
“Baptize ... With Fire”
This expression is found in Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16, and it speaks of future judgment on the enemies of God, such as the Pharisees. Fire may be applied to the dealings of God in judgment and by Christ as the Lamb, carried out on His enemies. It is not connected with the “cloven tongues like as of fire” mentioned in Acts 2:3. This rather refers to the convicting action of God’s Word on the conscience, reminding them of God’s holiness, and bringing them to repentance.
Baptism of All Nations
The disciples were commanded to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matt. 28:19). An integral part of this commission is the promise of Christ to His eleven disciples, “Behold I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age” (Matt. 28:20 JND). It refers to the time, yet future, during which the final result of opposing the truth has matured and judgment is carried out. During this period God will raise up teachers who will “turn many to righteousness” (Dan. 12:3), and their message will be the gospel of the kingdom. The rightful King is coming, and those who preach this gospel will teach the principles of the kingdom and the character of those suitable to it. The sermon on the mount (Matt. 5-7) will have special application in that preaching.
This commission will have special application to the godly Jewish remnant after the rapture of the church takes place. There is, however, an application in connection with the kingdom of heaven in its present mystery form, a kingdom that is the sphere of discipleship now. Thus the formula for baptism today is the one given here, recognizing the knowledge of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Christian Baptism
In Ephesians 4:5, we read of “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” These expressions refer to the circle of privilege where Christ is professedly owned as Lord, where the Christian faith is owned. This circle is entered by baptism, and it is important to see that those entering this sphere of Christian privilege are responsible to live in keeping with those privileges.
This circle of profession includes false as well as true believers, but all are held responsible for their conduct. “Let every one who names the name of the Lord withdraw from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:19 JND). Baptism brings us into this sphere of both privilege and responsibility.
Baptism After the Church Age
Baptism will continue after Christians are called home at the coming of Christ, because others will be baptized then according to the commission of Matthew 28. Baptism is a kingdom ordinance, always connected to a sphere on earth. Thus discipling will continue, in view of the millennial kingdom.
A. C. Brown, adapted
What Is Baptism?
Baptism is an act that puts a person in a new position before God on earth. It separates them from their previous position and introduces them into a new one. Because it is done by man for man — one cannot baptize himself — it is not a vital work before God. It relates to God’s government of the earth and never to the eternal destiny of the soul. God never committed the destiny of a soul into the hands of what one man could do for another. Of course, the Son of Man is an exception, who as man is the one and only Saviour of men.
The children of Israel were slaves in Egypt under Pharaoh, a picture of man as slave in the world under Satan. God delivered them from that position by baptizing them unto Moses when they passed with him through the Red Sea. The Jews, when Jesus came, were not in a fit state to receive Him as king. John was sent ahead to call the people to repent and to baptize those who would then be in a new position before God in separation from those who would not repent. After Jesus was crucified, the nation of Israel stood before God as guilty of His murder. Peter preached to them and charged them with their guilt. Those who accepted the message and were convicted of their guilt asked, What should we do? Peter told them, Repent and be baptized. Through baptism, they were separated before God from the guilty nation and their sins were remitted (Acts 2:28).
God had made the Lord Jesus, whom they had crucified, “both Lord and Christ.” This at once opened up a new position in relation to God and to Jesus Christ as Lord. It was the only way that those Jews could save themselves “from this untoward generation” (Acts 2:40).
The Gentiles
In the case of Cornelius and his company in Acts 10, we find baptism used with the same thought and for the same purpose, namely, receiving onto new ground those who were outside of it. The Gentile stood before God without hope and without any relationship with Him. In addition, he, like the Jew, stood guilty before God of the death of His Son. Like the Jew he needed to be separated from that guilty position. Cornelius and his friends by faith in God had received the Holy Spirit, and it is because Peter sees this that he says, “Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized?” (Acts 10:47). Clearly baptism was connected with privilege in Peter’s mind, and he recognized that, since God had owned those Gentile believers by giving them the Holy Spirit, they, too, should be brought onto right ground before God by baptism.
Unto His Death
Baptism is “unto His death” (Rom. 6:3 JND). Not into His death, but unto it. It is unto a Christ that has died that we are baptized, for it is only by His death that we can have what is presented and enjoyed in Christianity. Therefore, the Apostle goes on in Romans 6 to say, “We are buried with Him by baptism unto death.” Thus baptism is burial to death, not a figure that I have been buried, but “buried by baptism.” Colossians says the same and adds, because here the believer is viewed as risen with Christ, “Also ye are risen with Him ... who ... raised Him from the dead” (Col. 2:12). We have been buried with Him by baptism, and we are also viewed through faith in Him as raised with Him.
The Christ unto whom we are baptized is a Christ who died — died to sin, to the world, to the law — and our baptism declares that we have died with Him. We are dead with Him and buried with Him, for death is the object or end of our baptism. As baptized, we hold ourselves, as to the life of the old man, the man we once were in the flesh, to be dead. That man is placed in death, so that we should not walk as alive in the flesh, but in “newness of life.” We are now in a position where we no longer draw upon our former empty resources in the flesh, but upon a risen Christ. This is newness of life.
Putting on Christ
Baptism is also “putting on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). It is not by faith, but by baptism that Christ is put on. The previous verse puts faith in its proper connection: “Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26). These two verses must not be confused, for they do not convey the same idea. Faith has to do with the state of the soul before God, while baptism is connected with an outward place on earth. The Galatians were going back to law, which was bringing them into bondage. The Holy Spirit therefore presses on them that they are sons, not servants. He then goes on to their baptism and says, as it were, “You have put on Christ by your baptism, and what do you want to put on Moses for?” They were identified with Christ by baptism — had put Him on. They could not go back and be identified with a dispensation of law.
Forgiveness of Sins
According to Acts 22:16, baptism is also connected with the forgiveness of sins. It is not absolute or judicial forgiveness, as through the blood of Christ, but rather the outward or governmental phase of it. Those baptized were outwardly severed from the scene on which God’s judgment is resting and are thus released governmentally from the sins that belong to it. Saul of Tarsus had been a bitter enemy and opponent of Christ, but God had worked repentance in him. Ananias was sent that he might receive his sight and the Holy Spirit, but not as a Jew. He must be brought off that ground and onto the ground where forgiveness was known. He must clear himself of the guilt that was his as a Jew and a persecutor of Christ. He must be brought onto new ground, and this is by baptism.
Until baptized, he was still connected with his sinful past, and in that sense, he was still unwashed and unforgiven. Hence, baptism is that which washes in a governmental way. Judaism and the world are both under judgment, and Paul, in being baptized, was placed in a position outside of both.
Salvation
There is a similar thought in 1 Peter 3:21, only in Peter it is the general thought of salvation, rather than forgiveness. These, however, cannot be separated. The waters of the flood in Noah’s day were a figure of what saves. Baptism is a “like figure.” By the waters of the flood eight persons passed out of the old world into a new world. In the ark, by means of the waters, they were saved from the old world which perished and were landed in a new world. It is a figure of God’s judgment at the cross. The cross leaves man in the flesh, the old creation, under judgment, but it is the salvation of the believer, who has passed through the judgment in Christ, the true Ark. Baptism connects us, as to our outward Christian position, with Christ, who by His death has brought us through death and judgment and landed us in a new world, a new creation, by His “resurrection from the dead.”
Circumcision
We may add that baptism is in a way analogous to circumcision. Circumcision connected its subjects with the name of Jehovah, the covenant name by which God was in relationship with Israel. Baptism connects us with the name of the Lord Jesus, or more definitely, with the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit — the triune name by which He has made Himself known through Jesus — the name by which He is known in Christianity. A circumcised Jew was placed under the government of Jehovah and enjoyed the privileges connected with that position. So also a baptized person is connected with the name of the Lord Jesus and enjoys the privileges connected with His government.
God’s Government
Baptism relates to our position on earth under God’s government. Peter, when speaking of that government, says to those to whom he wrote, “Baptism doth also now save us ... by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” In the same connection, baptism is the washing away of sins on earth, for whatever a person may be by faith in Christ and according to the purpose of God in grace, yet as to God’s government on earth he is neither washed nor saved until baptized. As to his place on earth, he is not in a right position before God or Christ at all. There are two kingdoms, or spheres of government, here on earth — the one connected with Satan and the other connected with the Lord Jesus. Baptism outwardly severs us from the realm where Satan rules and connects us with the rule of Christ.
Adapted from various sources
Baptism: an Act of Separation
Baptism is first brought before our notice by John the Baptist and is introduced in connection with his ministry as if everyone understood what it meant. It was not a novelty which needed to be explained, but a practice so common that, when adopted by John in his ministry, was understood by everyone as to its import. Baptism was simply using water as a symbol to declare dissociation from the position one was in, in order to enter into another order of things. John calls on Israel to repent and, by baptism, to declare separation from all that was contrary to their proper ground. Consequently, when those who were baptized of John heard of Christ, they justified God (Luke 7:29-30).
The Two Sides
There are, however, two sides to baptism: It separates us from something and it identifies us with something. In this regard, baptism necessarily brings in the position from which the recipient was to be freed. He is first freed by baptism, and then the responsibilities began. Those who were baptized of John separated themselves from their present failure, so that when they heard Jesus, they glorified God, having reached that for which they had prepared themselves.
If a Gentile, for example, were baptized in order to become a Jew, he knew that the rite determined his past and his future, and it therefore had a deeper significance to him than if he had only washed after coming from the market in order to eat. The rite was the same in both cases, but the subject of the rite lent a different significance and weight to it in each case. The rite of baptism is dissociation from a present position, but it is the new ground I enter upon which determines the extent of my responsibility on account of it. By baptism I free myself to enter on it, but the character of the new position must necessarily define the extent to which I distance myself from my former position.
A New Thing
Although baptism was a well-known rite, John’s baptism was a new thing among God’s people. Hitherto they had been called on to reform as they stood; now they are called to renounce their failure. So also, after the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead and had all power given to Him in heaven and on earth, He authorizes the apostles to go and disciple all nations (the commission to them being as unlimited as His sway was universal), baptizing them to the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. In a word, man was called to surrender himself to Him who had now entire claim on him. Christ had died for all and therefore all were proved to be dead, and now risen, He had full claim over the dead and was Lord of all. Therefore by His apostles He calls on all men to own His claim and be baptized in the name of God as now revealed in trinity.
Unto His Death
When it is understood that it was the death of Christ which gave Him this claim, it must be seen that everyone who was baptized unto Christ was baptized unto His death. The ground which Christ’s baptism imposed on me was death, because His death proved that all were dead, and therefore when I owned this in baptism, I placed myself in His death. If I would assume His name, I must place myself in His death and must renounce that which would interfere with the profession I am assuming. My entire self as son of Adam must be renounced, and to do this I place myself in His death. If I have faith I rise out of it in newness of life, to walk in the name of the Lord, but whether or not I have faith, such is the ground on which I place myself. I am only saying here what the baptism of Christ entails; I do not say that every baptized person understands it in this full way.
When I come to Romans 6:3, I get the true meaning of baptism looked at from the resurrection side of things. Paul explains it according to the gospel committed unto him, giving its true significance to the church. Paul says, “As many as have been baptized unto Christ Jesus, have been baptized unto His death” (Rom. 6:3 JND). Notice that it is not said “unto His resurrection,” but simply unto His death. In being baptized unto Christ, I declare myself no longer connected with that which His death placed under judgment — my old man. How could I be baptized unto Christ and continue to stand in that which was judged in the death of Christ? How could I take His name and still admit the existence of that for which He died? By baptism I am declared apart from it, but this does not imply resurrection. Faith in the baptized one connects the soul with the risen Jesus and makes good the profession assumed in baptism, but that is going beyond baptism, for it is not unto His resurrection we are baptized, but unto His death. It may be said that the passage in Colossians 2:12 connects the idea of resurrection with baptism, but I think if the words be carefully weighed, a different conclusion will be arrived at. The Apostle had said that they were circumcised in the circumcision of Christ, and if circumcised with Him, I am also raised up with Him, baptism having expressed the fact that I was buried with Him. It is in Him, not in baptism, that I have the resurrection.
I trust the Lord will lead His people to study the subject, in order that they may put it in its right place and know in their souls its full moral bearing unto the praise of His grace who has “begotten us again to a lively hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from among the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Amen.
Adapted from Girdle of Truth
Baptism: Where Does It Put You?
The first thing necessary for a clear understanding of baptism is realizing the place where baptism puts the baptized person. The commission to baptize given by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20 is significant as to its time and place. The commission falls between the time when the Lord rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. Baptism, in the same way, has its significance for us during the time we are on earth. It has nothing to do with our heavenly privileges. The Lord Jesus, having all power here on earth and in heaven, gave the commission to identify souls with Himself by teaching and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This act introduced them into a new sphere of identification here on earth — a position, heretofore, non-existent. The act of baptism identifies the subjects of baptism, in an external way, with the Lord who died and rose from the dead. The act of baptizing is done in the name of the three persons of the Godhead, as our knowledge and relationship with the trinity is characteristic of Christianity. This is the correct formula for baptism.
Baptism on the Day of Pentecost
In Acts 2:37-41 we have the first occasion when the apostles taught and practiced baptism after the church was formed. Those who heard Peter’s preaching were convicted of their guilt of crucifying the Lord Jesus, and then Peter taught them how to dissociate themselves from the guilty nation by being baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ.” The judgment of God was pending upon them and could well fall at any moment. Baptism was the way of being saved from that judgment. Thus, Peter testified and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation” (vs. 40). This salvation refers to the present salvation on earth from the governmental judgment of God. In preaching the gospel, these verses are often applied to the salvation of the soul and we do not object to this application, but this was not the intent of Peter’s words.
Along with the salvation from God’s governmental judgment, Peter preaches, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (vs. 38). This expression also refers to governmental forgiveness from the pending judgment over the guilty nation of Israel. The way to escape that judgment was to identify with the Lord Jesus by baptism. It was very important for them not to be associated with the guilty nation. Baptism was an external change of position. This external change of position in no way conflicts with or alters the need for the inward work of faith in Christ and His shed blood. Peter follows with the promise, “Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost,” which is a proof of the completion of the salvation of the soul. These two truths go together when there is a real work of God in the soul. God alone sees this work in the soul, which is the only way of forgiveness before Him judicially. The teaching of this truth comes out later in the Acts and the epistles (Acts 2:38; Heb. 10:14).
The External Position
Is Important
The following true story illustrates the importance of our external position. During the Second World War, while the Axis forces led by Germany were occupying much of Europe, the Jews were herded together in ghettos along with gypsies and other unwanted citizens. While this was going on, one perceptive Jewish mother realized she would not be able to save her family from the awful genocide as long as it was connected with her people. In her plight, she chose the son that least resembled a Jew and took him to the door of an orphanage. She told him he must not reveal his identity as a Jew and left him there, cutting off all contact with him. Poor young Henry went into the orphanage and never saw his family again. Throughout the war he kept his identity a secret. It cost him much suffering to have no documentation. God honored the faith of that mother and preserved him until the war was over. Afterward he immigrated to Israel and became a devout Christian.
The story illustrates the significance of the outward position. Henry had to dissociate himself from his identity as a Jew. By becoming associated with the orphanage, he was saved from pending death. For the early Jewish Christians, this external change of position was necessary because of the national rejection of the Messiah. Christ, the very One they had crucified, was presented to them as a means of salvation. Their salvation from the pending judgment came through baptism. The outward position was very important. We who live in sheltered, so-called “Christian countries” do not see the apparent need of the outward change of position by baptism like those who live in non-Christian lands. Baptism is a big step in non-Christian countries. For Gentiles, the apparent need for baptism was not as important, but the privilege of being identified outwardly with the Lord Jesus is just as great. And let us not forget there is an impending judgment hanging over the world, and that baptism has its place in evangelized lands.
Faith, Salvation and Baptism
In the commission of the Lord to His disciples in Mark’s Gospel, we find these words: “He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16). Many have had difficulty with this last verse and thought it meant to say, “He that believes and is saved should be baptized.” But when we understand that baptism is an outward change of position, not a judicial confirmation of the soul’s salvation before God, we can accept the verse as it reads. Salvation, as it is presented in this verse, follows faith and baptism. When we see that the salvation in these verses refers to the present, outward position, then this verse is easily understood. If this is not understood, then the verse would appear to teach baptismal regeneration (new birth through baptism), which is totally foreign to Scripture. We must remember that the eternal salvation of the soul with a view to dwelling with Christ in glory could not be announced until Christ had gone there Himself. For those of us living today, the knowledge of the eternal salvation of our souls and the hope of eternity with Christ in glory may cause us to overlook the view of salvation as it is connected with baptism.
The Name of Christ
“Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27). These two verses speak of both the inward salvation of the soul (life in Christ) and the outward putting on of Christ (clothed with Christ). By faith in Christ Jesus, we are born anew and become children of God, and through baptism we are identified in this world with Christ — we put on Christ. The thought in putting on Christ is being clothed with His identity. In some translations this word is used. For an example of “being clothed,” consider how we are accustomed to know a policeman by his uniform. His clothes make him known. Baptism makes us known as “Christian”; it puts His name upon us. It is important for a policeman to be easily recognizable, and so with the Christian. But mere clothing is not the only thing necessary to make a person a policeman. So faith in Christ is necessary to belong to God’s family. Both the internal faith and the external change of identity by baptism have their place of importance in their distinctive ways.
The Lord’s name was put upon the children of Israel in a similar way in Number 6:27. “They shall put My name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.” There was great blessing in having the name of Jehovah put upon them. Baptism, likewise, puts the Lord’s name upon His subjects, which is a great privilege that brings its corresponding responsibility.
Unto His Death and Burial
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3-4). Baptism is a figure of our identification with the death and burial of Christ. The baptized person is identified with Him in the waters of death. This is the act of the baptizer, but it should remind the baptized person to walk in newness of life by recognizing himself dead and buried with Him. This teaching, as all those dealing with baptism, has its application to us while here on earth as to our outward position and is the only way of freedom from sin in our practical walk. It is our present way of deliverance from sin in the flesh — salvation from the power of sin in this world.
Much more could be written regarding who should be baptized, but we purposely are not attempting to cover the whole subject. Our desire is to take up the subject in a concise way to fill a lack of ministry that has resulted from brethren not wanting to be controversial. We trust that taking it up in this way will not provoke controversy. “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. ... For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. ... For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Cor. 14:29-33).
D. C. Buchanan
One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism
The church, as baptized into one body by the Holy Spirit, really has no commission to baptize, as was given to the eleven disciples in Matthew 28. While it is still in order to follow the commission, it is not the predominant part of our ministry. Rather, the ministry of the assembly is to seek to bring believers into the consciousness of their position as members of the ascended and glorified Christ. Paul was given the responsibility of testifying of the union of Christ and His church. This was also His body, and the house of God — the habitation of God by the Spirit. Paul, like those Peter preached to in Acts 2:38, was baptized, but he was not sent to baptize. Paul’s commission did not set aside baptism, so that he did baptize on occasion, when needful. He made no more of it than was necessary, but owned its importance in the place that God had given it. It formed no part of His commission, and it is in this spirit that we should view it now.
Two Views
One of the major difficulties concerning baptism has been the question of baptism on confession of faith and Christian household baptism. Some hold that, since there is no direct command in Scripture to baptize young children in Christian households, believers should refrain from doing so and should rather wait until their children are older and have clearly confessed Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Others feel that, while there is no direct command, Scripture encourages Christian parents to exercise faith by baptizing their young children, and thus to put them under the Lordship of Christ, the ground of “one Lord, one faith.”
It is not our purpose here to go into the various scriptures and considerations that support these two positions. Not only would space not permit this, but we also have no wish to introduce controversy or seek to persuade anyone of a particular view. Rather, we would like to point out the truth of what we read in Ephesians 4:5: “[There is] one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” We notice that the previous verse talks about the truth Paul was given, namely, “one body, and one Spirit.” This is assembly truth — the truth properly committed to Paul to give out. No doubt it was this truth connected with the assembly that Paul referred to when he said, “I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). But then a second and wider circle of blessing is mentioned in verse 5. This includes all who name the name of Christ, who publicly profess and recognize Christ as Lord, even if only as professors. It is into this position that baptism brings us.
One Baptism
In view of this, the expression “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” takes on significance for us. We may enter this sphere of profession at different times, and even in different ways, yet it remains that there is only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. There is only one house of God, even if it has now become a “great house” with vessels both to honor and to dishonor in it (2 Tim. 2:20). Everyone that “names the name of the Lord” (2 Tim. 2:19 JND) is, by profession, part of this house. It is there that the Lordship of Christ is owned, and it is there that the Christian faith is honored, even if there is much that is contrary to God’s Word and many who are not real. If we have been baptized to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and His name has been placed upon us, we are in that position. There are not two such positions.
Let us not, then, make baptism a subject of controversy, nor force its importance beyond what the Scripture gives it. Let us recognize the different exercises that exist as to Christian household baptism and baptism on confession of faith, and go on together. It is a privilege to name the name of Christ in this world and to suffer reproach for Him.
W. J. Prost
Baptizing in the Name of the Lord
Baptism identifies the one baptized with a new person or position. For this reason, almost all the Scripture references to baptism use the word “unto” to show with whom or with what they are identified. One exception to this is Acts 10:46-48. Confusion over this verse has resulted in wrong teaching, which states that the apostles baptized in (unto) the name of the Lord rather than “in [unto] the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” We do not believe this is according to the teaching of the Word. The verses say, “Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” This last expression “in the name of the Lord” has been used to replace the commission of the Lord in Matthew, but it really confirms using the formula of the trinity. It emphasizes the command of the Lord to baptize, rather than stating unto whose name they baptized. It refers to the commission the Lord gave to baptize. The word “in” used in this verse is different than “unto” or “to” which is used in almost all cases regarding baptism. Where the Scriptures refer to the new position (or person), the word “unto” is used, but when Peter spoke, he was extending the command to baptize as the Lord had given it. So he says, “In the name of the Lord.”
D. C. Buchanan
Baptized for the Dead
“Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?” (1 Cor. 15:29).
It should be carefully noted that this verse is connected with verse 19, the verses between (vss. 20-28) being a parenthesis. “If in this life only,” says the Apostle, “we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable,” that is, if there be no resurrection of the dead. He further goes on to say, “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?” It would be folly to take the place of danger and liability to death through persecution (see vss. 30-32) if there be no prospect of resurrection. It is this which gives the key to the difficult expression “baptized for the dead.” Through the perils incident to the confession of Christ in those early days, martyrdom was of frequent occurrence. The ranks of Christians were thus continually thinned, but through the grace of God converts were constantly added, and in this scripture they are regarded as filling up the vacant places of those who had departed to be with Christ, and thus, when they were baptized unto Christ, as being baptized for or “over” (see note to JND translation).
E. Dennett
Common Misunderstandings About Baptism
Scripture is clear on the subject of baptism, and we would like to take up a few common misconceptions about baptism, pointing out what Scripture has to say to us. Let us seek God’s mind as revealed in His Word.
Is baptism obedience to a command?
Baptism is not the obedience of the Christian to a command, for there is no such command in the Word of God. In every case, the command is rather to the baptizer, not to the one being baptized. To refer to baptism as a command brings the idea of ordinances into Christianity as a means of blessing, which is entirely opposed to the spirit of Christianity. Of course, the one needing baptism must, of necessity, submit to it, as it was never forced on anyone, but the responsibility is always placed on the baptizer, not on the one being baptized. Baptism is viewed as a privilege for the baptized person, and there is a corresponding responsibility to that privilege. See Acts 8:36. This is very different from obedience to a command.
Is baptism a sign or public confession that we are already dead with Christ?
The idea that baptism is a confession of, or witness to, a state in which the one baptized is already is never found in Scripture. (Of course, that state may be there all the while, through real faith.) It is rather done in view of salvation — salvation in this world from the power of sin. Our Lord said in Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,” while we read in Acts 2:28, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Baptism is in view of blessing, not on account of its being present already, although it may be present. Many others scriptures attest to the same truth.
Is baptism connected with the assembly and the body of Christ?
No, baptism is not directly connected with either the assembly or the body of Christ. Baptism is limited to the sphere of profession on earth, while the church or assembly is a heavenly body. Baptism is a kingdom ordinance, confined to this earth, and the truth concerning it is not part of the truth of the church.
Scripture never contemplates a believer who goes on as a member of the body of Christ, taking part in the remembrance of the Lord, and enjoying the privileges of the assembly without being baptized. Until he is baptized, he cannot be looked upon as being part of Christian profession here on earth. However, to mix kingdom truth with assembly truth is to confuse things that differ.
Is baptism a collective responsibility?
No, Scripture presents baptism as an individual responsibility, not a collective one. In every case in the Word of God, the baptizer brought before the non-baptized the privilege and responsibility of being baptized, and the subject submitted to it. At no time was it ever done as a collective responsibility.
Is baptism properly done in a public place, where others can look on?
Scripture never says anything about its being a public act, or whether others should witness it. It may be done in this way and other believers who are present may rejoice, while unbelievers can be convicted by it, but it need not be a public event. The significance of baptism rests with the name placed upon us, not whether others have witnessed it.
Should there be a “waiting period” before a new believer is baptized, in order to be sure that his faith is real?
When individuals confessed Christ in the early days of the church, in every case they were told about the privileges and responsibilities of baptism and were baptized right away. To be sure, it might be possible that one whose faith was not real would be baptized, and this happened with Simon Magus (Acts 8:13-23), who was afterward proved to be false and not really saved. However, when one confesses Jesus Christ as Lord, he by baptism should be admitted right away to the place where the Lordship of Christ is owned and where all the privileges of Christianity are enjoyed.
Is Christian household baptism the same as infant baptism?
No, they are quite different. Infant baptism is connected with the serious error that teaches that baptism confers new life, and it goes back as far as the second century A.D. It confuses administrative forgiveness with judicial forgiveness. Thus small children are baptized in some Christian groups with the thought that this actually saves them judicially in the sight of God and that by this rite they become part of the body of Christ, the church. Again, this is a serious error that has no basis in Scripture.
Christian household baptism is often done by Christian parents who, wanting to bring their children up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord,” put their children under the Lordship of Christ by baptism.
Does baptism impart new life in Christ?
No, baptism is never connected with the salvation of the soul. The expression “born of water and of the Spirit” (John 3:5) refers to the action of the Spirit of God, using the Word of God (the water), to impart new life to a lost soul. This is entirely a work of God, and no action of man has any part in it. Baptism is connected with salvation from the power of sin, not from the penalty of sin.
Should one who has not been baptized by immersion (for example, by sprinkling) be re-baptized?
The importance of baptism rests with the name that is placed upon the individual, not with the mode by which it is done. While Scripture is clear that immersion is what is intended, as giving expression to the real meaning of the act, yet a faulty mode of baptism does not invalidate it. The one in question has been brought into the house of God and initiated into the sphere of discipleship. It is not made more valid by repeating the act in the proper way.
These questions have been raised at various times in the history of the church, and even today they are often wrongly understood. The answers given are brief, but we trust are according to the Word of God.
W. J. Prost
Death and Judgment
Death and judgment are behind us;
Grace and glory are before;
All the billows rolled o’er Jesus;
There they spent their utmost power.
“Firstfruits” of the resurrection,
He is risen from the tomb;
Now we stand in new creation,
Free, because beyond our doom.
Jesus died, and we died with Him;
“Buried” in His grave we lay;
One with Him in resurrection,
Now “in Him” in heaven’s bright day.
Little Flock Hymnbook #254,
Mrs. J. A. Trench
(written
at the time of her baptism)