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 2:3838Then Peter said unto them, 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. (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 4:55One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (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 20:2727For 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