Baptizw: Dec. 20, 2008 Chapter 49: Baptism
Baptizw: Dec. 20, 2008 Chapter 49: Baptism
Baptizw: Dec. 20, 2008 Chapter 49: Baptism
20, 2008
Chapter 49: Baptism
Who should be baptized?
How should it be done?
What does it mean?
Definitions:
1. Ordinance or Sacrament?
2. Major Doctrine?
3. Believer’s (Baptistic) or Infant (Paedobaptist) Position:
My position is Baptistic – namely, that baptism is appropriately administered only to those who give a
believable profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
Louis Berkhof’s Systematic Theology responsibly advocates the paedobaptist position (“infant baptism”)
Objection: The essential thing symbolized in baptism is not death and resurrection with Christ, but purification
and cleaning from sins. (Titus 3:5; Acts 22:16)
Response: To say that washing away of sins is the only thing (or even the most essential thing) pictured in
baptism does not faithfully represent NT teaching. (Col 2:11-12; Rom 6:1-11)
4. Alternative #2: The Protestant Paedobaptist View: (Baptism is rightly administered to all infant children of
believing parents)
a. Infants Were Circumcised in the Old Covenant:
b. Baptism is Parallel to Circumcision (Col. 2:11-12)
c. Household Baptisms (Acts 16:15; 1 Cor. 1:16; Acts 16:33; Acts 2:39)
1
Response to Arguments for Paedobaptism:
(1) Baptism and circumcision, though similar, are also different in some important ways:
(2) The NT does not talk about a “covenant community” made up of believers and their unbelieving
children and relatives and servants.
OT Elements NT Elements
Physical Birth Spiritual Birth (John 3:5-8)
Fed on manna Fed on Christ (John 6:48-51)
Physical water Spiritual water (John 4:10-14)
Physical temple Spiritual temple (1 Peter 2:5)
Physical sacrifices Spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:5)
Physical land A heavenly one (Heb. 11:16)
Abraham’s physical seed Spiritual descendents (Gal. 3:29)
(3) Examples of household baptism: evidence is not decisive for one position or another (Acts 16:32-
34; 1 Corinthians 1:15-16, 16:15; John 4:53; Acts 18:8; Acts 2:39-41)
(4) “What does baptism do?”
(5) Concern about Practical Consequences
F. Remaining Questions:
1. Do Churches Need to be Divided Over Baptism?
2. Who Can Baptize?
All of the class lessons and outlines are posted on the class website www.christianessentialssbc.com.
To order CDs, e-mail Jason Van Haselen jvanhaselen@yahoo.com or JT Collins jcollins@veritycp.com. Jason and JT are
also available in the sound booth before and after the class.