It's been a while since I've made a post largely because the semester has begun and this doesn't leave a lot of time for me to blog. But I will share a three part series called
Deeper that I wrote over the summer. This post focuses on a deeper, richer understanding of baptism.
:: Introduction
The Deeper series is designed to give biblical depth and historical consideration regarding key topics for your own study. The Deeper series for further study includes: baptism, Communion, and women in ordained ministry. Each study asks a series of relevant questions related to the topic at hand. The purpose of the study is not for you, the reader, to agree or disagree with every theological claim. Rather, the goal is for you to use this study to begin to formulate your own position as well as be able to know more deeply what you believe.
:: What is baptism?
Christian water baptism is a sacrament instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ. Simply put, a sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible grace given by God. What this means is that God has given us a visible sign of his invisible grace so that when we look upon the baptismal waters, we see with our “spiritual eyes” a sign that points to the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ. The word “sacrament” is not used in the New Testament to describe baptism (or the Lord’s Supper). Rather, the sacraments have emerged in the history of the church as it has sought to understand more clearly its own life and practice.
The word “sacrament” comes from the Greek word mysterion which means “mystery” or “secret.” When mysterion was translated in to Latin, the Latin word sacramentum was chosen. Sacramentum most commonly refers to an oath or promise. When thinking about the rituals of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, both definitions have something to offer us in terms of a definition: a sacrament is both a mystery (from mysterion) and a promise. So baptism then is one of the mysteries and promises of God.
There is a third meaning of baptism which comes from Scripture which says that baptism is a kind of “seal.” The word “seal” referred to a wax imprint that marked a document as official and legally binding. In the ancient world, the same word applied to those who had brands or tattoos on their bodies which functioned as a sign of ownership. In this context, baptism is the seal whereby God takes the promises of the gospel and applies it to us. In baptism, we are marked by Christ’s death and resurrection.
Lastly, because the sacraments are a sign of God’s grace to us which point us to Jesus Christ, then participating in the sacraments is not primarily about us. In our culture, there is a tendency to make everything about us – about our needs and wants; about our desires and dreams; about our successes and failures; about our faith and spirituality; and the list goes on and on. But the sacraments force us to reorient ourselves toward God in repentance and faith precisely because God has already given us His promises. So while faith and repentance are essential to receiving the benefits of the sacrament, faith and repentance are secondary to God’s primary promises.
:: What happens in baptism?
At this point in our study, we have given a historical foundation of the evolution of the sacraments in the Christian church. Now it’s time to move on to talking about what happens in baptism – in other words, what are the core meanings of baptism. Scholars have spilled copious amounts of ink in trying to resolve the debate about the mode of baptism by trying to nail down a definition of the Greek word baptizo. The Greek has a wide range of meanings from “dip” or “plunge” to “soak” and “wash.”
One of the earliest Christian sources outside of the New Testament, called The Didache calls for the use of running water, but if that is not available, it suggests pouring water on the head three times. It does not say whether immersion or pouring was recommended when using running water. There are no less than 9 core meanings of baptism as taught by Scripture and the church. The core meanings of baptism include (but are not limited to):
:: Union with Christ
Romans 6:3-8: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”
:: Membership in the body of Christ / Beginning of Christian Journey
1 Corinthians 12:13: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”
Matthew 28:19-20: “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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
:: Giving of the Holy Spirit
Titus 3:5: “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:38: “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
:: Spiritual Washing / Cleansing
Acts 22:16: “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’”
Ephesians 5:25-27: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”
:: Death with Christ / New Life in Christ
Colossians 2:11-12: “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”
1 Corinthians 1:13: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
Romans 6:4: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
As you can tell from the symbolism and depth, baptism is rich in its imagery. Other key references helpful for further study include:
Mark 16:16; John 3:1-6; Acts 8:35-38; Acts 22:16; Galatians 3:27;
Hebrews 10:22; 1 Peter 3:21
Notice that in none of the core meanings of baptism that Scripture gives us is salvation mentioned as a benefit of baptism. Baptism is not the end of the Christian journey, it is only the beginning. As such, the benefits of baptism include washing away the guilt of original sin as well as enter into covenant with God. By baptism we are admitted into the Church and made members of Christ’s body. By baptism, we who were “by nature children of wrath” are made the children of God.
:: Who should be baptized?
Anyone, regardless of age, race, disability, or socio-economic status can be baptized. Any who would be considered for baptism must meet one of the following two conditions: first, if someone has never been baptized before (even in infancy) and responds to the gospel message affirming Jesus Christ as Lord over all creation as well as their lives, then baptism is an appropriate next step.
Second, children born of Christian parents are eligible for baptism. The history of the Christian church affirms that baptism is acceptable for infants and children. One Wesleyan New Testament scholar put it this way, “Water baptism is like enrollment in the school of Jesus Christ. “Just as parents,” says Witherington, “apart from and without the consent of their offspring, enroll their children in school, so is the case of infant baptism. In neither case is it presumed that the child being enrolled already knows and accepts what is going to be taught.” Scriptures related to infant / household baptism include:
Acts 16:31-34; Acts 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:16; Acts 11:13-14; Colossians 2:11-12
:: When should baptism happen?
For an adult, baptism should happen as closely to the time a person makes “a decision” to follow Jesus Christ. For a child or infant of Christian parents, baptism can happen at any time after birth. Because there is no “salvation” in the sacrament of baptism, as we alluded to earlier, technically, a follower of Jesus Christ does not need to be baptized because salvation is received by faith in the once and for all sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for the sins of the entire world.
:: How do we baptize?
John Wesley in his Treatise on Baptism recommends baptism by “washing, dipping, or sprinkling; because it is not determined in Scripture in which of these ways it shall be done…” True to Wesley’s thought, there is great symbolism in the various “ways” in which baptism can be performed which express the various core meanings of baptism.
For example, baptism by immersion visually reminds us that as we go down in to the water we literally die to our “old selves” and as we rise from the water we are raised to new life in Jesus Christ. In baptism by pouring, we are reminded of the outpouring of God’s Spirit in Acts chapter 2. In baptism by sprinkling, we are reminded of the Old Testament priests who sprinkled blood on various holy objects of the Temple.
:: What is the difference between infant baptism and dedication?
This is perhaps one of the more difficult questions to answer. While there are some similarities between infant dedication and baptism, the most obvious difference is that there is an absence of water in a dedication service. Aside from an absence of water, one major difference is that in a dedication service, we are essentially making and affirming the parental vows to raise our children in accordance with Holy Scripture and to teach them about God’s love for them through Jesus Christ. On the other hand, in baptism, we affirm God’s covenant promises are made available to children born in to Christian families even if they are not fully aware of God’s work in their lives at such a young age. Essentially, dedication is something we do whereas baptism is something God does.
:: Questions for Reflection…
:: What questions about baptism do you have that are left unanswered?
:: How has this study deepened or challenged your understanding of baptism?
:: Resources
:: James V. Brownson. The Promise of Baptism: An Introduction to Baptism and the Reformed Tradition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007).
:: Ben Witherington III. Troubled Waters: Rethinking the Theology of Baptism. (Baylor University Press, 2007).
:: John Wesley. “A Treatise on Baptism.” Access at: http://personalpages.tds.net/~amiddlek/Theology/Treatise%20on%20Baptism.htm/
:: John Calvin. The Institutes of the Christian Religion, translated by Ford Lewis Battles. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press), Book 4.
