Believer's Baptism

Why We Are Baptists: Session 2

Baptist Distinctives:

• Believer's baptism
• Regenerate church membership
• Congregational church governance
• Separation of Church and State

John the Baptist

In the wilderness, on the river Jordan, John baptizes as a fulfillment of the New Exodus promised (see Isaiah 40:3-5; Mal 3:1; Mark 1:2-4)

"The immersion of those baptized probably symbolized the cleansing and removal of their sins because the new exodus (the redemption of Israel) belonged only to those who were purged of their sins." (Schreiner, "Baptism in the Bible," in Baptist Foundations, 92).

John was aware that his baptism pointed forward to a greater baptism that would come: the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:7-8; John 1:33).
Why does John baptize Jesus?

John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." - Matt 3:14-17

Jesus is not baptized to be cleansed of sin, but to demonstrate (1) His identity as the one on whom the Spirit resides, and thereby the One who will baptize with the Spirit, (2) to identify Himself with God's chosen servant, the "beloved Son" in whom God is well pleased (see Isa 42:1; cf. Matt 3:17), and (3) to identify with Israel in her sins. Jesus has not sinned, but His baptism shadows His death as the Servant of the Lord (see Isa 53) for the sins of His people.

John's baptism fades away as Jesus' takes precedent: (John 3:25-30)

The disciples in Ephesus

1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus.

There he found some disciples. And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." 4 And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. – Acts 19:1-6

Notice the connection between baptism and the Holy Spirit-to be baptized into Jesus' baptism cannot be separated from being indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

Believer's Baptism: Why Do We Only Baptize Believers?

1. Baptism, apart from faith, does nothing.
   1. Calvin assumes that for sacraments to be effective in a person's life, there must be (1) preaching, (2) the Spirit, and (3) faith. "If the Spirit be lacking, the sacraments can accomplish nothing more in our minds than the splendor of the sun shining upon blind eyes, or a voice sounding in deaf ears."
      
      
2. There are no commands to baptize infants recorded in Scripture.
   
   
3. There are no instances of an infant being baptized in Scripture.
   1. Every example of a person being baptized in the New Testament demonstrates that they first believe the gospel before being baptized.
   2. But what about household baptisms? (see Acts 16:16, 31-34; cf. Acts 11:14;1 Cor 1:16)
      1. And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. - Acts 16:31-34
      2. "The Greek adverb here meaning with his entire household' could describe either the rejoicing or the believing, but the sense of the sentence probably requires both. The jailer's whole household rejoiced with him because they, like him, had heard the gospel, believed, and been baptized." - Bobby Jameison, Understanding Baptism, 36.
   3. We should interpret the baptism accounts in Acts through the initial baptismal formula given:
      1. Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38 And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. - Acts 2:37-41
      2. The promise of the new covenant is available for young and old-but baptism cannot be separated from repentance or forgiveness of sins or receiving of the Spirit. Notice: those who are baptized were those who "received his word" and were added to the church. Household baptisms may have included children, but only if they too are capable of receiving the word, repenting, and believing.
   4. Consider 1 Cor 7:13-14, 16
      1. Children of believers are "made holy" because they are in the presence of the "holy" by virtue of Christian influence-that is, there is a chance of their salvation-not the sign they need to be baptized regardless of regeneration.
         
         
   5. Baptism is a sign of union with Christ
      1. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2
By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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. - Rom 6:1-4
      2. 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, 12 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. - Col 2:11-12

      3. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. - 1 Pet 3:21
         70. Baptism is only saving if there is an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ...The one receiving baptism also appeals to God for a good conscience, which means that he asks God to cleanse him of his sins on the basis of Christ's death and resurrection. - Schreiner, Baptism in the Epistles," Believer's Baptism, 70.
      4. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. - Tit 3:4-7
         1. Baptism is closely associated here with the work of the Spirit in regenerating and renewing sinners so that they have new life. It is difficult to see how this can be true of infants unless one were to adopt an ex opere operato view of baptism. Such a view, however, is unlikely since justification is also mentioned in v. 7, and both baptism and justification occur at the inception of the Christian life. - Schreiner, Ibid.
            
            
      5. Baptism is a Sign of the New Covenant

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that l have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." - Matt 28:18-20

How do we make disciples? (1) Baptize them into the triune name, and (2) teach them to observe all that Jesus has commanded.

The significance of bearing God's name: to bear God's name is to be in a covenant relationship with Him.

I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God. - Exodus 6:7

I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. - Lev 26:12

Covenant formula: / will be your God, you will be my people

You shall not take (lit. bear) the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. - Ex
20:7

So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them - Num 6:27

See also (Deut 28:9-10; 2 Chron 7:14; Isa 43:6-7; Jer 14:9; Jer 15:16; Dan 9:18-19)

To be baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is a means by which the gathered church is claiming this person is in a covenant relationship with the Lord.

Baptism is a sign of being in covenant.

What is New about the New Covenant?

31 "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD.
For l will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." - Jer
31:31-34


And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. - Ez 36:23-28