TheSignificance of Christian Baptism

The Great Commission of our Lord recorded in Matthew 28:18-20 is amandate not only to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples, but also to baptisethem. The apostles clearly understood this threefold emphasis when they begancarrying out the commission shortly after Pentecost, for after Peter preachedhis inaugural sermon, he urged the people to "repent, and bebaptized" (Acts 2:38). But why is baptism so important that a rightadministration of it is regarded,—as we have seen,—by the Reformed church asbeing a mark of the true church? The answer, I believe may be found in firstunderstanding what the significance of baptism is.

One of the most comprehensive and biblically accurate answers tothis question is found in the WestminsterLarger Catechism, question 165 which answers: "Baptism is a sacramentof the New Testament, wherein Christ hath ordained the washing with water inthe name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matt. 28:19), tobe a sign and seal of ingrafting into himself (Gal 3:27), of remission of sinsby his blood (Mk 1:4; Rev 1:5), and regeneration by his Spirit (Tit 3:5; Eph5:26); of adoption (Gal 3:26–27), and resurrection unto everlasting life (1Cor15:29; Rom 6:5); and whereby the parties baptized are solemnly admitted intothe visible church (1 Cor. 12:13), and enter into an open and professedengagement to be wholly and only the Lord’s (Rom. 6:4)." A full expositionof this magnificent statement is clearly not possible in this short article,but a few helpful points must be highlighted.

Firstly, we note that baptism is instituted by Christ as asymbolic ritual which points to several spiritual realities in a new convert.Following, Romans 4:11, the catechism uses the words ‘sign’ and ‘seal’ todescribe the relationship between what is ritual and what is real. It is a‘sign’ because it outwardly, visibly and tangibly portrays what is inward andspiritual and so invisible. It is a ‘seal’ because when a person is baptised,the ritual symbolically ratifies God’s pledge to bestow grace upon faith andobedience, while at the same time, the person being baptised, if he is anadult, testifies publicly his resolve to bind himself to Christ and to activelyengage in all that is required of him in the new covenant relationship withGod. It must be noted that this does not at all mean that every person who isbaptised is therefore recipients of the grace which baptism symbolises. SimonMagus was said to believe (Act 8:13) and was baptised by Philip, but later whenPeter arrived, Simon sought to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit and soproved himself to be yet in unbelief (Acts 8:18-23). Thus, if a qualifier is tobe attached to adult baptism, it should be professors’ baptism, rather thanbeliever’s baptism which Baptists insist. Thoughministers of the Word have the responsibility to screen baptismal candidates,there is no guarantee that all who are baptised are genuine. Indeed, it shouldbe carefully noted that baptism is not a sign and seal of faith, but of inwardgrace or in the words of Paul, "the righteousness of faith" (Rom4:11). This is why ministers may baptise anyone base on credibleprofession,—since it is impossible for ministers to know for certain if inwardgrace has begun. This is also one of the reasons why infants of believingparents may be baptised though they are incapable of believing. Infants incovenant families are covenantally holy (1 Cor 7:14). While we must not presumethat they are all regenerate before they are able to understand the Gospel, wemust also not swing to the other extreme to say that God must regenerate themonly after they come to rational faith. In fact, the Scripture suggests that …Cont. p. 3 John the Baptiser was regeneratedwhile he was in his mother’s womb (Lk 1:15, 44).

Secondly, we see that baptism symbolises cleansing or washing fromsin. This is clearly seen in Ananias’ instruction to Paul: "Arise, and bebaptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts22:16). Ananias, of course, must not be understood as telling Paul atheological fact that his sins are washed away when he is baptised, but that heshould be baptised to symbolise the washing away of his sins. Washing from sin,or justifica-tion, is after all entirely by grace through faith (Rom 3:24).Now, since the symbolism of was-hing lends itself to the idea of renewing whatis old, Paul speaks also of "washing of regenera-tion" (Tit 3:5) andthat we who are baptised "should walk in newness of life" even as"Christ was raised up from the dead" (Rom 6:4).

Thirdly, baptism not only symbolises washing but ouridentification and union with Christ. Paul was alluding to this aspect ofbaptism when he says that the Jews who passed through the Red Sea "were all baptized unto Moses" (1Cor 10:2), meaningthey were identified with Moses. In the same way when a believer is baptised,he is identified with Christ. But unlike the Jews’ identification with Moseswhich is representative and external, the believer’s identification signifies ourvital, mystical, spiritual union with Christ. This is hinted by John theBaptizer when he said, "I indeed have baptized you with water: but Heshall baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mk 1:8). Since our baptism withthe Spirit unites us to Christ (cf. 1Cor 12:13), our sacramental baptism pointsto that union. Thus Paul says, "For as many of you as have been baptizedinto Christ have put on Christ" (Gal 3:27). It is on the account of thisunion that Paul says that believers are baptized into Christ’s death (Rom 6:3).Christ represented us covenantally and spiritually in His death. (Note thatPaul is not saying that baptism symbolises Christ’s death, as Baptists whoinsists on immersion would have us believe. Christ’s death is symbolised byanother sacrament, namely the Lord’s Supper. Baptism represents our union ofChrist, and immersion is no better than sprinkling or pouring as a symbol forit). Moreover, the Westminsterdivines astutely observes that it is also because of this union with Christ,that believers may participate in resurrection and everlasting life (see WSC37; 1Cor 15:29; Rom 6:5).

Fourthly, it must not be forgotten that baptism is also thedivinely instituted rite to admit a credible professor of faith into the visiblecovenant community, namelythe church (Acts 2:41; 1 Cor 12:13). Note that this is the only non-symbolicpurpose of the ordinance of baptism. But it may be asked: What if the personwho is baptised is not born-again? Would he still be a member of the church? Myanswer is: Yes, unless and until his unregeneracy becomes so obvious that thechurch excommunicates him. But how can a church be called "the people ofGod" (see 2 Cor 6:16) or "the body of Christ" (see 1 Cor 12) ifthere are are unregenerate people within? The answer is to be found in the factthat God views his people covenantally and organically. This is why Israel ofold was called God’s people though a great majority of the people wereunbelievers and unregenerate. And this is why Christ said: "I am the vine,ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringethforth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me,he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and castthem into the fire, and they are burned" (Jn 15:5-6). How can a branchthat is in Christ (v. 2) ever be cast away when Christ said "they shallnever perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (Jn 10:28)?The answer lies in the fact that Christ is referring to His external covenantpeople rather the redeemed or those who are mystically united to Him. Thefourth function of baptism is to incorporate a person into the covenantcommunity in this sense. Once he is baptised into the body, he seen as beingpart of the external covenant community by God, and he is to be viewed by therest in the church as a believer, unless his testimony testifies against him,in which case the church must excommunicate him before regarding him as anunbeliever. The situation is the same in the case of infants who are baptisedinto the church. For all intends and purpose, they are to be treated asbelievers, apart from participation in the ordinance that requiresself-examination, namely the Lord’s Supper. Thus, young covenant children,being treated as believers, are taught the catechism, how to pray and allowedto sing the songs of Zion. This does not mean that covenant infants must bepresumed to be regenerate. No, they must still be exhorted to repent andbelieve and warned that if they disbelieve and live in sin that they willperish in their sin.

CHRISTIANBAPTISM… We shall have occasion to examine the doctrine of infant baptismin greater details at a later stage, but for now the significance of thebaptism gives us the reason why the proper administration of baptism is a markof a true church. Firstly, since baptism is a sign and seal of inward grace, achurch which does not practice baptism deprives itself of the only divinelyappointed means to outwardly distinguish believers from unbelievers. Secondly,since baptism is the means to admit members to the covenant community, a churchwhich administer baptism careless may eventually be filled with unbelievers,which may lead to the situation of the Church of Sardis.Thirdly, a failure to understand that baptism signifies the union betweenChrist and his children gives rise to the possibility of the members in thechurch viewing the church as a social club with baptism as merely an initiatoryrite. What this happens, the church would be no more a church of Christ.Let us therefore take heed to have a proper understanding of baptism, so thatit can be administered truly and meaningfully in our church.