The Initiatory Rite of the Church

This past week in our Systematic Theology class the subject was the church. We studied: the nature of the church; the role of the church; the government and unity of the church; the initiatory rite of the church, Baptism; the continuing rite of the church, the Lord’s Supper. Today I would like to answer three questions regarding baptism: What is the meaning of baptism? Who is the subject? What is the mode?

Believer’s baptism is an outward symbol of what has happened inwardly to the believer. For this reason, Romans 6:4 is often referred to during baptism. Buried in the likeness of Christ death and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life. (Rom.6:4) Baptism is an outward expression or testimony of faith and commitment to Christ. Salvation is in no way dependent on baptism, but baptism completes our faith. Like James said, “But someone may well say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’” (Jam.2:18) The meaning of baptism is a testimony. I believe that Christ death on the cross was my death and Christ resurrection was my resurrection; therefore, the life that I now live I live in Christ.1

Saying believer’s baptism implies the subject in baptism, but this actually comes forth from the meaning. If baptism is a testimony or symbol of faith, then the subject must be a believer. Those who come forth for believer’s baptism have already experienced the new birth, they are born again to walk in newness of life. They come forward at this time to testify what has happened to them before the entire congregation. While some may say that whole households were baptized and use that to come to the conclusion that infants were baptized in Acts. The only persons named were believers. It is of note to say that this does not mean Adult baptism, but believer’s baptism.2

While the mode of baptism is not as important as the subject (the believer) or meaning (a testimony or symbol) the mode is important nonetheless because unless a person is submerged in water then raised up out of the water, the meaning of death and resurrection is not fully expressed. C.H. Dodd said, “Immersion is a sort of burial…emergence a sort of resurrection.”3 During a sprinkling of water ceremony someone could explain the meaning to the congregation, but there is nothing like seeing it with your own eyes.

I believe the meaning of baptism to be a symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of the believer in the likeness of Christ to walk forevermore in newness of life. (Rom.6:4) I believe that the subject must be a believer who has already experienced the new birth and comes forward for baptism as an outward expression of what has already occurred within. There is no incident in scripture where an unbeliever is named in baptism. I believe that full submersion is the best way mode because it best expresses the meaning. Here are a few texts regarding the mode of baptism as full submerging: John the Baptist baptized in Aenon because there was plenty of water (Jn.3:23) Jesus came up out of the water when baptized. (Mk.1:10) The Ethiopian eunuch when baptized by Phillip is said to have come up out of the water. (Acts.8:36-39)4

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1 Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 3^rd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baler Academic, 2013), 1027-1028.

2 Ibid, 1023.

3 Ibid, 1031.

4 Ibid, 1031.

The Study of Salvation

For any who are following me on this journey of going deeper into the Word of God and understand the church, today I write a brief synopsis of this past week in my Systematic Theology class. This past week was a big week, because we studied the doctrine of salvation. We studied varying concepts of salvation that exist among men. We studied the antecedent to salvation which is predestination. 

We studied differing views of predestination: Calvinism, Arminianism and Karl Barth. We studied the beginning of salvation; regeneration and conversion. By conversion I mean the human response to God’s offer of salvation. There is both a negative and positive side to the human response to God’s offer of salvation; repentance is the negative side (abandonment of sin) and faith is the positive side. Regeneration is God’s work alone. Regeneration is the transformation of a human being from within. Christ referred to this as the new birth. We had an interesting class discussion on which comes first in the salvation of a human; conversion or regeneration. The Calvinistic leaning students naturally said that regeneration occurs first, because of the Calvinistic understand of the doctrine of total inability. Arminian leaning students said that Conversion occurs first; that God gives you the Holy Spirit as a result of repenting and believing.

We also studied justification as forensic righteousness and the believer’s union with Christ. We studied the continuation of salvation which is called sanctification and the completion of salvation which is called glorification. We also studied the means and extent of salvation. I found the study on the means of salvation to be very interesting. Two views that I found most interesting where the Sacramentalist view and the Evangelical view.

In the Sacramentalist view the means of a grace are the sacraments. In this view a sacrament either confers grace or augments grace. “In the Catholic understand, three elements are necessary to constitute a sacrament: a visible sign, and invisible grace, and divine institution.” (Erickson, 934) For this reason a true Sacramentalist would say that there is no salvation outside of the Catholic church.

In the Evangelical view the means of grace are the Scriptures. For this reason, the Word of God is indispensable in the matter of salvation. The Word of God is not just the means of salvation to the beginning of the Christian life, but in the growth of the Christian throughout the believer’s life. Whether read or preached the word of God is God’s means of presenting His plan of salvation in Jesus Christ. As you can see from this brief synopsis that past week was packed with a great deal of information.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. 3^rd edition. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

This past week we studied the Holy Spirit. As believers we are never alone, the Holy Spirit is always with us every step from conversion to glorification. It is a wonderful journey that we are all on; I liken it to the wonderful allegory, “The Pilgrim’s Progress” written by John Bunyan. All believers are on a journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. The Word of God and the Holy Spirit are our guides. The Holy Spirit converts/regenerates, sanctifies and glorifies the believer through the Word of God. It is not clear to me the order of conversion/regeneration, but it is clear to me that sanctification follows, and glorification is to come. Therefore, we will consider conversion/regeneration together.

Jesus strongly emphasized in His teaching the work of the Holy Spirit in the beginning of the Christian life. It is conversion that is humanly speaking the beginning of the Christian life and it is regeneration that is Godly speaking the beginning of the Christian life. Conversion is when the believer turns away from sin to God in Jesus Christ; this is both a negative and a positive. Negatively speaking a person is convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit; and therefore, repents forsaking sin. Positively speaking a person puts their faith in the promises of God and the work of Jesus Christ completed at the cross. (Erickson, 795)

Regeneration is the point at which God acts on the individual as prophesied in Ezekiel 36:25-28; God sprinkles clean water on a person making them clean, He gives them a new heart and a new Spirit, He puts His Spirit in the person causing them to keep His commandments. Jesus spoke of this to Nicodemus. (cf. Jn.3:3, 5-6) In order for a person to be convicted of sin, repent and believe he must be regenerated by God. (Erickson, 795) Does regeneration precede conversion or do they occur simultaneously? God can do whatever He wills; therefore, if He wants to convert/regenerate a man He will. What amazes me is that this does not occur outside of the preaching/reading of the Word of God. Jesus said to His disciples, "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning." (Jn.15:26-27)

The work of the Spirit is not a once, over and done with act in a believer’s life; the Holy Spirit is always at work in the believer. My Pastor recently preached through the Revelation of Jesus Christ. One thing that he emphasized in every message was that the Christian life is repenting, believing, persevering and overcoming everyday. (Dancy 2017) Erickson said that the Spirit empowers the believer, illuminates the believer, prays for the believer, and sanctifies the believer. The intention by God is that the believer is led by the Spirit and gives gifts to the believer for the benefit of the church body. The specific offices of the church are listed in Ephesians 4:11; apostles, prophets, evangelist and pastors. The gifts of the Spirit are listed in Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 and 1 Peter 4:11. Note that these gifts are not for the benefit of the individual, but for the benefit of the church. (Erickson, 796-798)