For the first 1500 years of the church\u2019s existence, the answer would have been a unanimous \u201cyes\u201d to this question. However, since the Reformation, especially in the contemporary evangelical church, baptism is viewed primarily of a symbol, rather than a sacramental act of God.<\/p>\n
There are, broadly speaking, two different views of what the Sacraments are. For many in the evangelical church, grace comes apart from the Sacraments\u00a0to the individual, and the individual who recieved grace then demonstrates his faith through the acts of Baptism, and recieving Holy Communion. For the other view, the sacramental position, Baptism and the Lord\u2019s Supper are means by which grace comes to the individual. They are not works of man to demonstrate his faith, but works of God which bring forgiveness of sins, and grant and strengthen faith. And so the question is: which view does Scripture teach? Is Baptism a symbol of one\u2019s profession of faith? Or is it a means that God uses to save?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a look, briefly, at some of the texts in the New Testament that speak of Baptism. First, observe 1 Peter 3:20-22, which directly uses the phrase \u201cBaptism now saves you\u201d:<\/p>\n
\u201cwhen God\u2019s patience waited in the days of Noah,\u00a0while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is,\u00a0eight persons, were brought safely through water.\u00a0Baptism, which corresponds to this,\u00a0now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but\u00a0as an appeal to God for a good conscience,\u00a0through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,\u00a0who has gone into heaven and\u00a0is at the right hand of God,\u00a0with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this text, Peter makes a parallel between what happened during the days of the flood, and what happens to the Christian through Baptism. Noah and his family were saved through water; you, as Christians, are now also saved through water. It\u2019s clear that the parallel he makes uses the reality of water in both instances, so thus it is clear that this is not talking about some \u201cSpirit baptism\u201d which is separate from water. According to Peter, Baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience. This means that one\u2019s conscience is cleansed through the waters of Baptism, as sins are forgiven. If Peter believed that Baptism was a symbol of one\u2019s faith, would he have used this language? Would his parallel between the flood and Baptism make any sense? I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n
Paul speaks about Baptism an aweful lot in his epistles. Let\u2019s look at a few of those instances.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you not know that all of us\u00a0who have been baptized\u00a0into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?\u00a0We were\u00a0buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as\u00a0Christ was raised from the dead by\u00a0the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.\u201d (Romans 6:3-4)<\/p>\n
According to Paul, Baptism unites us to Christ\u2019s death, and gives us the ability to walk in newness of life. There is no language of Baptism as a symbol or an act of obedience here.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor as many of you as\u00a0were baptized\u00a0into Christ have\u00a0put on Christ.\u201d (Galatians 3:27)<\/p>\n
When one is baptized, they are baptized\u00a0into<\/em>\u00a0Christ, and a special relationship between Christ and the believer is born wherein one \u201cputs on Christ.\u201d Again, no talk of symbolism.<\/p>\n \u201cIn him also\u00a0you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,\u00a0having been buried with him in baptism, in which\u00a0you were also raised with him through faith in\u00a0the powerful working of God,\u00a0who raised him from the dead.\u00a0And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God\u00a0made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,\u00a0by\u00a0canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.\u00a0He disarmed the rulers and authorities\u00a0and\u00a0put them to open shame, by\u00a0triumphing over them in him.\u201d (Colossians 2:11-15)<\/p>\n Like in Romans 6, Paul speaks of Baptism as an act of death and resurrection. We are buried with Christ in Baptism, and are then raised with him. Note that Paul speaks of both salvation through Baptism, and salvation through faith. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive, but rather, Baptism is a means by which faith is given, and is the giving of God\u2019s Gospel promise which faith clings to. This act of Baptism, which is a spiritual circumcision according to the Paul, causes us to be made alive with Christ and forgiven through Christ\u2019s death.<\/p>\n There are many other passages in Paul we could look at (Tit. 3:4-7, Eph. 4:4-6, 1 Cor. 6:11), but for the sake of brevity, let\u2019s take a quick look at the book of Acts. The clearest testimony to the effect of Baptism comes from Peter\u2019s sermon in chapter 2:<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that\u00a0God has made him\u00a0both Lord and Christ, this Jesus\u00a0whom you crucified.\u2019\u00a0Now when\u00a0they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, \u2018Brothers,\u00a0what shall we do?\u2019\u00a0And Peter said to them, \u2018Repent and\u00a0be baptized every one of you\u00a0in the name of Jesus Christ\u00a0for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive\u00a0the gift of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0For\u00a0the promise is for you and\u00a0for your children and for all\u00a0who are far off, everyonewhom the Lord our God calls to himself.\u2019\u201d (Acts 2:36-39)<\/p>\n Here is an instance where this group of Jews become convincedof their guilt for rejecting and crucifying the messiah. After being \u201ccut to the heart\u201d (meaning that they felt the guilt of their sin), they ask, \u201cbrothers what shall we do?\u201d Remember, the problem they are facing is their guilt for rejecting the messiah. The people are asking: what do we do about the guilt for the horrible crime we committed against the Son of God? And Peter gives them a very direct answer: \u201cRepent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will recieve the gift of the Holy Spirit.\u201d Through Baptism, these Jews could be forgiven, and their consciences cleansed. They also would recieve the Holy Spirit. Note that the text does not say: \u201crepent and believe, and then be Baptized to profess your faith,\u201d or \u201cbe Baptized symbolizing the forgiveness of sins,\u201d but \u201cbe baptized for the forgiveness of sins!\u201d<\/p>\n The story of Ananias has a similar message about Baptism:<\/p>\n \u201cAnd\u00a0one Ananias, a devout man\u00a0according to the law,\u00a0well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,\u00a0came to me, and standing by me said to me, \u2018Brother Saul, receive your sight.\u2019 And\u00a0at that very hour I received my sight and saw him.\u00a0And he said,\u00a0\u2018The God of our fathers\u00a0appointed you to know his will,\u00a0to see\u00a0the Righteous One and\u00a0to hear a voice from his mouth;\u00a0for\u00a0you will be a witness for him to everyone of what\u00a0you have seen and heard.\u00a0And now why do you wait?\u00a0Rise and be baptized and\u00a0wash away your sins,\u00a0calling on his name.\u2019\u201d (Acts 22:12-16)<\/p>\n Paul says that Ananias\u2019 Baptism would wash away his sins, not symbolize the washing away of sins which would happen apart from Baptism.<\/p>\n These passages could be multiplied, especially as one looks at certain texts in the Gospels which there isn\u2019t space for here. The topic of Baptism arises frequently in the New Testament (as well as the Old Testament; look at the prophecy of Ezekiel 36 for example), and every time it is mentioned it is said to actually\u00a0do<\/em>something. It is never said to be a mere symbol. It unites to Christ\u2019s death and resurrection, brings the forgiveness of sins, grants the Holy Spirit, and ultimately, as Peter puts it: \u201cnow saves you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For the first 1500 years of the church\u2019s existence, the answer would have been a unanimous \u201cyes\u201d to this question. However, since the Reformation, especially in the contemporary evangelical church, baptism is viewed primarily of a symbol, rather than a sacramental act of God. There are, broadly speaking, two different views of what the Sacraments […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2176,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[55,216],"class_list":["post-417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faqs","tag-baptism","tag-sacraments"],"yoast_head":"\n