Credo Baptist

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Introduction

Acts 8:35–39 ESV
Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
Colossians 2:11–14 ESV
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. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
When we planted this church, going on 8 years ago now, we discussed, at the time, what we would call it. While the trend for many churches over the past few decades has been to re-brand themselves with less distinctive names, whether to seem hip or inclusive, we made the decision to be upfront with some of our doctrinal distinctives, hence the name Unalaska Reformed Church. In a world that wants to blur the lines and remove distinctions, I wanted a name that didn’t shy away from the church’s convictions. While most churches are actively watering down their confessions and statements of faith, I wanted to bolster ours.
I have far greater respect for churches that have and teach their biblical convictions, even if I don’t agree with all of them. I’d much rather be a member of a church that stands for its biblical convictions, than one that’s pandering to everyone, and can’t find a copy of their statement of faith.
In fact, if I could add one more distinction to our church’s name it would be baptist, Unalaska Reformed Baptist Church. Indicating that, while we’re a connect to the Reformed Tradition coming out of the Protestant Reformation, that we’re also baptists, that we hold certain biblical convictions as it relates to baptism. This is why, on our church website, it says, a “reformed baptist church affiliated with the southern baptist convention”. This doesn’t mean we consider other churches who reach different conclusions necessarily as heretics, but that we do believe the doctrine is important. In fact, we specifically crafted our member’s affirmation of faith to accommodate Christians who may view baptism differently.
So, today, I want to take some time to look at this particular doctrinal distinctive. What is a baptist? And I want to answer that by looking at what the Bible teaches about baptism.
First, I think most of us are somewhat familiar with the practice of baptism, that it’s a religious practice or ordinance taught and commanded in the NT. John the Baptist may immediately come to mind when you think of baptism, since his name reflects what he was most known for, baptizing people in or near the Jordan river.

Baptism not a novel idea

But I want to point out that the idea of baptism wasn’t a novel idea that began in the NT. When John the Baptist came preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” it wasn’t altogether strange that people from Jerusalem and all over the region of Judea were going to him, confessing their sins, and being baptized in the Jordan river.
The use of water for ritual cleansing would have been a familiar association in the mind of those living in the ancient world, for both Jews and Gentiles. For example, when you read through the books of Exodus and Leviticus the Israelites were often instructed to use water for the purpose of ceremonial cleansing, whether by washing their clothes or bathing themselves.
There was even a bronze basin described in Exodus 30 that was for Aaron and his sons, the Levitical priests, to wash their hands and feet when entering the tabernacle, or when they came near the altar to burn offerings to the LORD, lest they die. Then, later, when Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, the bronze basin became known as the bronze sea or the molten sea, and it was orders of magnitude larger. More than seven feet deep, fifteen feet in diameter, and holding more than ten thousand gallons of water.
The reason these washings were so important was because they pointed to the seriousness of sin, and the holiness of God. That only those who were morally pure could approach God and minister at the Temple. While these washings didn’t make the Levitical priests morally pure, the cleansing, again, was intended to communicate the seriousness of sin, and the holiness of God, and our need to be be made morally clean in order to approach God.

John’s baptism

Furthermore, in the years leading up to Christ, baptism was employed whenever Gentiles were converted to Judaism. However, when John the Baptist arrived he began baptising Jews. John came preaching repentance, and we’re told that people from Jerusalem and all over the region of Judea were going to him, confessing their sins, and being baptized in the Jordan river for repentance. This is why the Pharisees thought John’s baptism was offensive, because they thought they were already clean by virtue of their ethnicity, by virtue of their circumcision. They thought that it was enough to merely be outwardly Jewish.
Like the other ritual cleansings, John’s baptism was a cleansing or a washing related to moral purity. This is why we’re told that those who were going to him were confessing their sins and being baptized for repentance. Their baptism represented their desire to be cleansed from their sin, to have their sins forgiven, and to be made morally clean. John’s baptism uniquely set apart those who weren’t merely circumcised of the flesh, but who were also circumcised of the heart.

Christian baptism

But John’s baptism was only a precursor to Jesus’ ministry, it was preparatory. When Jesus came John directed the people to him. We read in John 1:29-34,
John 1:29–34 ESV
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
As a result of the ministry of Jesus, the scope of baptism, which began with John, was expanded and fulfilled in Christ's ministry. Baptism was no longer just a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, but baptism became a mark of our identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ which guaranteed it. John’s baptism was intended to prepare the people to place their faith in Jesus, the Lamb of God who would take away their sin.

New covenant sign

This is why baptism is the new covenant sign, it’s intended to dramatize and signify our salvation. It doesn’t cause our salvation, the water doesn’t literally cleanse us from our sin, it signifies that Christ has done so. But, unfortunately, this is where many have gotten off track. For instance, Roman Catholicism teaches that baptism is the instrumental cause of salvation, and that it cleanses a person from original sin. Similarly, there are certain Protestant denominations, such as Lutherans, that teach what’s called baptismal regeneration; that baptism is the instrumental cause of regeneration.

Not saved by baptism

But we are not saved by works of the law any more than the Pharisees were by their circumcision of the flesh, we are saved by faith in the Son of God. It’s Christ who takes away the sin of the world, not baptism or any other work; faith is the instrumental cause of our salvation. However, genuine faith is always accompanied by obedience, because obedience is the fruit of genuine faith, but we must be careful never to confuse the two.
When we read texts like Mark 16:16 where Jesus says,
Mark 16:16 (ESV)
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved…
we’re not meant to conclude that baptism is instrumental to salvation, otherwise what are we to make of the thief on the cross who had no opportunity for baptism, yet Jesus told him, “today you will be with me in paradise.”
Baptism isn’t the instrumental cause of salvation, but it is what many have called a Christian’s first act of obedience. This is why at the end of Peter’s famous sermon in Acts 2 when the people were cut to the heart they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 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.” What should a Christian’s immediate response be after repentance and faith? Baptism.

Identified with Christ and his people

Let’s consider again what baptism signifies, or what baptism communicates. Broadly speaking it signifies our salvation, but more specifically it dramatizes key aspects of our salvation. First, baptism signifies your membership within the new covenant community, it identifies you with Christ and his people. In Matthew 28 when Jesus commanded the twelve to make disciples of all nations, he also told them to baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, baptism identifies us with the triune God of Scripture, we bear his name on our foreheads.
Back in Acts chapter 2, after Peter told the crowd to repent and be baptized, verse 41 says,

41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

They were added to what? Well, they were added to the church. And verses 42 goes on to say,

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

When we repent and believe the Gospel, we’re not only saved from sin and death, but we’re added to the church. We become members of the household of God, like living stones being built into a spiritual house, into a holy temple, a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
This is why the Bible has no category for a Christian living apart from the local church. While there may be seasons and circumstances that isolate a Christian from the local church, the assumption within Scripture is always that Christians devote themselves to the local church, where they are able to devote themselves to the apostle’s teaching, the fellowship, the Lord’s Supper, and corporate prayer. This is why elders should always take seriously members who forsake gathering together on the Lord’s day, because it’s likely an indication that something is seriously wrong. This is also why baptism and church membership go hand in hand, those who are baptized should make it their business to join a local church.
Our identification with Christ in baptism also means that we will be put at odds with the world. The world is fundamentally hostile to Christ and his kingdom and therefore will be hostile to his disciples. So, expect hostility from the world. Jesus famously told his disciples in John 15:18-20,

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

Baptism signifies your membership within the new covenant community, and it identifies you with Christ and his people.

Forgiveness of sin

Second, baptism signifies that your sins have been washed away, that your sins have been forgiven. As we saw earlier the idea of ritual cleansing is prominent throughout the OT. In fact, the prophets often used the imagery of water cleansing us from our uncleanness repeatedly, especially when they spoke of Christ. The prophet Ezekiel wrote in Ezekiel 36:25,
Ezekiel 36:25 ESV
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.
and then again, speaking of Christ, in Zechariah 13:1, the text that Albert preached on last week, Zechariah wrote,

13 “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.

All of this foreshadowed a time when cleanse us from our sins, when Christ would come, and take away our sin, and make us clean. Therefore, the waters of baptism dramatizes this cleansing from our sin. In fact, in Acts 22:16, the Apostle Paul recounts when Ananias had told him immediately after his conversion,

16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

Again, baptism signifies that your sins have been washed away.

Union with Christ

Third, baptism signifies your union with Christ. That you’ve been buried with Him in his death, and raised up with Him to spiritual life through faith. When we are submerged under the water it signifies that we have been buried with Christ, that we have died to sin, that we are therefore no longer slaves to sin. Then when we are brought up out of the water it signifies that we have been raised to spiritual life, born again, regenerated, in order that we might walk in newness of life.
So, turn with me to Romans chapter 6, beginning in verse 1, and we’ll read through verse 14. The Apostle Paul describes this reality in some detail. He employs the imagery of baptism to teach the church that grace doesn’t give us the license to sin, but rather, because we’ve been united to Christ in his death and his resurrection, that we’re now dead to sin and have been made alive that we might walk in newness of life.

6 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.

5 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. 6 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. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Again, baptism signifies your union with Christ, that you’ve been buried with him in baptism, and raised with him to spiritual life. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17)

Faith in Christ

Fourth, baptism signifies your faith in Christ. Listen to what Paul says in Colossians 2:12,
Colossians 2:12 ESV
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.
Baptism signifies that you have been raised with Christ through faith. That it’s an outward sign of an inward reality, of spiritual resurrection through faith in Christ. Baptism signifies that you have been made alive through faith.

Who should be baptized?

Which is a good segue to answer the question, “Who should be baptized?” Colossians 2:12 indicates here that baptism signifies and expresses our “faith in the powerful working of God, who raised [Jesus] from the dead.” Which is one of the primary reasons we don’t baptize infants like our Paedo-baptist brothers, rather we baptize disciples, who exhibit faith. We’re credo-baptists; the word credo in Latin meaning “I believe”, therefore credo-baptists are those who believe the Scriptures teach that baptism, the new covenant sign, is only appropriate for believers, or those who exhibit faith in Christ, those who are able to repent and believe.
Which is why we don’t find any instances of infants being baptized in the NT. While we do see whole households being baptized throughout the Book of Acts, we have no reason to think those family members didn’t exhibit saving faith. For instance, when the Philippian jailer was converted in Acts 16 the text indicates that everyone in his household heard the Gospel before they were baptized. Listen to Acts 16:30-33,
Acts 16:30–33 ESV
Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 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.
Notice how the text explicitly mentions that “they spoke the word of the Lord to [the Philippian jailer] and to all who were in his house,” before he and all is his family were baptized.

Not a mixed covenant

The other reason we don’t baptize infants, is because the new covenant is not a mixed covenant. What I mean is that the new covenant does not include both believers and unbelievers. And infants, even of believing households, cannot yet exhibit faith and therefore shouldn’t be included yet as new covenant members. There’s no category in the NT for unbelieving new covenant members that do not share in the benefits of the covenant, there’s no category for unbelieving members in the new covenant who don’t have their sins forgiven. While there are certainly those who give false professions of faith, these are imposters rather than genuine new covenant members.
Whereas, the old covenant, the covenant of circumcision and the Mosaic covenant, given through Abraham and Moses, was a mixed covenant. All of the male covenant members bore the mark of circumcision, but that didn’t guarantee whether or not they were circumcised of the heart. They were all Jews outwardly, but not necessarily Jews inwardly. This was why John the Baptist encountered such hostility from the Pharisees and Sadducees. They claimed to be children of Abraham, but they did not share the faith of Abraham, they were hypocrites. Whereas, those coming to John to be baptized exhibited the faith of Abraham.
The new covenant is a better covenant enacted on better promises, and it’s substantively different than the old covenant. Which is one of the reasons the new covenant is not a mixed covenant, because it saves all of its members. In fact, the prophet Jeremiah anticipated this, that all of its members would know the Lord. Listen to Jeremiah 31:34,
Jeremiah 31:34 ESV
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 I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
In the new covenant, membership is not based upon your ethnic or biological descent, or the faith of your parents, it’s not based upon natural birth, rather new covenant membership is based upon spiritual birth, whether or not you’re born again. Spiritual infants are the only kind of infants that we should baptize. We are commanded to baptize disciples, those who repent and believe the Gospel.

Ordinance of baptism

And because baptism is the new covenant sign that marks its members it’s one of two ordinances within the church. It’s ordained by God and commanded by him for the church to practice. And as we’ve seen, baptism is a visible word. Like the Lord’s Supper, it communicates the Gospel when it’s practiced. It dramatizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and the washing away of our sin.
It’s an ordinance that the elders of a church typically perform in the presence of the whole congregation, because it’s a public demonstration of one’s faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Jesus from the dead. The Greek word baptizmos means to immerse or to dip, therefore it’s an ordinance that should be performed by immersion, going under the water, corresponding to what baptism is meant to signify. Which is why we see John baptizing in the Jordan river, and Jesus going down into the water, and coming back up out of the water. It’s not merely a sprinkling on one’s head, but a reenactment of our own death and resurrection with Christ.

Conclusion

Now, as we wrap up, let’s summarize some of our major points. At the outset we should recognize that the use of water for for ritual cleansing was not a novel idea when John the Baptist came baptizing in the Jordan river for the repentance of sin. Ritual cleansing and the use of water was intended to communicate the seriousness of sin, and of our need to be cleansed before entering the presence of a holy God. Similarly, John’s baptism was for the repentance of sin, and to prepare the hearts of the people for Christ. When John saw Jesus, he told the people that this was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And as a result of Jesus’ ministry, his death, burial, and resurrection, Christian baptism took on new meaning. It not only signified repentance and forgiveness, the washing away of sin, but the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. That those who participated in baptism were those who had been buried with Christ in his death, and had been made alive with him through faith. That they have become dead to sin, and walk in newness of life.

Prayer

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