Addendum
Confessional Lutherans interpret many of the foundational passages on baptism more literally than does the following exposition. An excellent introduction to the Lutheran theology of baptism, with comparisons to Reformed theology, is provided by F. Pieper (1950) Christian Dogmatics, Volume III, pp. 253-289, Concordia Publishing House. See also four views on the sacraments, or see the Book of Concord for the official Lutheran doctrine or the Westminster Confession of Faith XXVII-XXIX for the official Presbyterian doctrine, one of many broadly Reformed doctrines.
Christ's benediction of inclusion in his body
Baptism from a Calvinistic perspective
David R. Bickel
March 24, 2005
Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins
What baptism displays
The water of baptism primarily is water of cleansing from sin (Acts 22:16); water baptism pictures baptism with the Holy Spirit, who washes believers by the word of God (Matt. 3:11; Eph. 5:25-27; Titus 3:5). There is also a connection with the flood waters of judgment (1 Pet. 3:18-22) since believers are baptized into the death and burial of Christ (Rom. 6). The images of cleansing and judgment beautifully come together in the water of baptism since the robes of believers were made white by the cleansing blood of the Lamb who suffered God's judgment in their place (Rev. 7:13-14; cf. 1 John 1:7).
Thus, although believers are commanded to be baptized, the water of baptism does not symbolize faith or obedience. Indeed, no one baptizes himself. Christ baptizes his people as he washes them with the Spirit, who baptizes them into Christ's crucified and risen body (Matt. 3:11; 1 Cor. 12:12-14).
What baptism accomplishes
Baptism is the visible part of the benediction spoken: "I baptize you into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." It places the name of the Triune God on the baptized, just as the priests of Israel placed the name of the Lord on the assembly of worshipers (Num. 6:22-27, ESV):
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
'The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.'
"So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them."
As the Lord put his name on his people by pronouncing his benediction on them through the mouth of his representative, he now uses water to put his name on them by baptizing them into the name of Father, Son, and Spirit (Matt. 28:19, ESV or NIV note; Acts 19:3-5; cf. Clowney, pp. 278-284).
Unlike merely verbal benedictions, the visible benediction of baptism has God's promise of forgiveness since it brings about repentance (Matt. 3:11). And yet it does not bring forgiveness automatically or apart from the word of God, but, as the gospel made visible, it elicits saving faith in the gospel by portraying the washing away of sins. With the power by which Jesus called Lazarus to life, he calls many who are dead in sins to eternal life as the words and water of the gospel are heard and seen (John 5:21-25; 11:23-26, 43-44). Agreeably, Peter taught that baptism saves, not by any properties of the water, but by the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 3:21).
Baptism saves even the least in God's kingdom
Jesus still blesses the little children brought to him
Jesus took advantage of an opportunity to forcefully oppose the age discrimination of his disciples with the counter-cultural values of his Father, who humbles the proud and exalts the lowly:
And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
In the context of the passage (Mark 10:13-16), Jesus did not commend the children for their dependence on others or for some "childlike" virtue needed for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Rather, since the disciples reflected their society in considering the children too insignificant to receive his attention, Jesus angrily warned them that the kingdom of heaven only belongs to those who become as unimportant as those children. As France commented on Matt. 18:2-4,
A child was a person of no importance in Jewish society… To turn and become like children is therefore a radical reorientation from the mentality of the rat-race to an acceptance of insignificance… It is, then, the status of the child that is the point, rather than any supposedly characteristic quality of children, such as humility, innocence, receptiveness or trustfulness… Humbles himself does not refer to an arbitrary asceticism or a phony false modesty; it does not describe a character-trait... but the acceptance of an inferior position (as Jesus did, Phil. 2:8, where the same phrase is used).
Jesus blessed the children brought to him since the kingdom of God belonged to those who came to him with the insignificance of little children. He would never have disobeyed the Scripture by blessing those who should not be considered to have the kingdom of God (Ps. 129:5-8). Likewise, his followers cursed those who will persist in hatred for him, but blessed citizens of the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 16:22-23). Since baptism is Jesus' benediction for those who have the kingdom of God, and since, for the purposes of benediction, Jesus regarded children brought to him as having the kingdom, no one should hinder the insignificant ones from coming to him for baptism.
Q & A
Since baptism is a benediction addressed to the baptized, isn't it inappropriate
for those too young to understand it?
Infants in the assembly of Israel were blessed and called by the name of God
as much as those who held them. Following that tradition, Zacharias addressed
this blessing to John in his infancy (Luke 1:67, 76-79):
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
In the same way, Jesus blessed the "insignificant" ones who were brought to him.
If baptism saves through faith, isn't baptism inappropriate for those
too young to have faith?
Believing parents are to teach their children the great things God has done
for them (Ps. 145:4-12), which would include the benediction the children
received as infants. God uses the testimony of the parents to strengthen the
children's faith in the cleansing from sin pictured in their baptism. God
commanded the children of believers to remember and meditate on God's works,
even those they do not remember witnessing first-hand (1 Chron. 16:12-22).
If baptism saves through faith, isn't baptism inappropriate for those
too mentally handicapped to ever have faith?
Since it takes a supernatural act of God to bring any sinner to faith, God
works supernaturally to give faith even to those with more limited mental
capacity, as he did in the case of John even before his birth (Luke 1:41;
cf. Ps. 22:9-10). Since the kingdom of God may only be entered by those who
are like little children in their lowly, insignificant status in society,
the mentally handicapped would surely qualify. While there is every reason
to presume a mentally handicapped child of believers is also a child of God,
parents are not called to try to discern evidences of repentance and faith
in such a child. Rather, they are called to simply bring their child to Jesus
to receive his benediction. May no one anger Jesus by hindering such children
from coming to him.
Since children may be saved without baptism and since most of those baptized
never truly come to salvation, isn't baptism as ineffective as a baby dedication?
One might likewise say that the benediction of Israel was powerless since
some in the assembly showed by their disobedience that they did not have the
blessing of God. Or one might as well ask why parents must teach their children
the gospel when they can hear it and be saved at church without parental instruction.
Just as most of those baptized never come to repentance, most of those who
hear the word of God never believe it. God alone has the power to use his
written or visible word to call the dead to life. But parents have the responsibility
of giving their children that message of life, both heard and seen.
Should infants of believers be baptized if baptism isn't really a benediction?
Even if the above interpretation of baptism as a benediction were not supported
by Scripture, the fact that Jesus taught his disciples to regard children
of believers as having the kingdom of God implies that they should also have
the mark of the kingdom. While no one can see into another's heart to see
whether God really rules there, the church is required to administer the outward
mark of cleansing to those who, by outward appearances, have been truly cleansed
of their sins. Fortunately, this is not left up to the wisdom of men: the
New Testament as well as the Old Testament teaches believers to recognize
as their brothers not only those who credibly profess faith in the gospel,
but also their children. Just as not all who credibly profess faith really
have the kingdom of God, not all of their children have the kingdom of God,
so the outward mark of the kingdom does not always correspond to the inner
reality. The church is to faithfully administer the sacraments in obedience
to Christ without assuming his role as the judge of the heart.
Applications of the baptism benediction
Respond to your baptism
The application is obvious for believing parents and for the ordained representatives of Christ. The question considered here is whether baptism is only effectual at the time it is applied, so that it is of only minor importance to baptized Christians. The Westminster Larger Catechism gives several ways believers must "improve" (make use of) their baptism throughout their lives, including persevering in times of temptation and thanking the Lord for forgiveness. In this, the pastors meeting at Westminster followed the apostles, who often urged Christians to believe the gospel pictured in their baptism and to bear the fruits of repentance consistent with their baptism:
-
A new relationship with God. Since the members of all true churches were baptized into Christ, they are sons of God and heirs of the Abrahamic gospel-covenant through faith, not on the merit of their works, and irrespective of cultural background, socioeconomic status, or gender (Gal. 3:26-29; cf. 1:2; 3:1-18).
-
A new relationship with believers. Since all holy members of the church were baptized into the same name and into the same body, there should be no divisions between Christians (1 Cor. 1:2, 10-13; 12:12-14; Eph. 4:1-6). Where there are denominational divisions, the common baptism demands repentance and reunion.
-
A new relationship with unbelievers. Those who have been baptized must obey civil authorities, withhold slander, live peaceably and considerately, and have humility even toward those who disobey God, remembering that the baptized, too, once disobeyed God and have now been saved by Christ, not because of their righteous works, but through the undeserved washing and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:1-7).
-
A new relationship with culture. Since believers were baptized into the death and burial of the one in whom all the fullness of the Deity lives, they are complete, having no need for the philosophy, rules, wisdom, religion, or virtues of this age (Col. 2:8-23).
-
A new relationship with sin. Those who were baptized into Christ's death and burial should consider themselves dead to sin, freed to live in the realm of Christ's resurrection (Rom. 6).
An apostolic benediction for the body of Christ
Through his representative Paul, God blessed all those truly baptized into Christ (1 Cor 12:12-14; 16:22-23, KJV):
If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema, Maranatha.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Amen.
Bibliography
Clowney, E. P. (1995), The Church, Inter-Varsity Press
France, R. T. (1985) Matthew, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries,
Inter-Varsity Press
More information from DawningRealm.org
The sacraments according to John Calvin
Other interpretations of baptism
