THE ORDINANCE OF BAPTISM
An ‘ordinance’ is a
visible sign - a symbol - of the saving truth of the Gospel, confirming them
to the believer and providing means to indicate the participation of the
believer in the Gospel.
Baptists, as part of
the Reformed Protestant faith, believe in two ordinances, - Baptism and the
Lord’s Table. 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, Ch. 28, paras 1,2,
“Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances which have been explicitly and
sovereignty instituted by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver, who has
appointed that they are to be continued in His church to the end of the
world. These holy ordinances are to be administered by those alone who are
qualified and called to do so, according to the commission of Christ”.
BAPTISM
What is the
Meaning of Baptism?
Baptism is not an
optional extra; it is a clear command of Jesus Christ Himself, Mt. 28:19.
To be baptized is to act in obedience to Christ’s command, and to follow His
example. The New Testament clearly teaches that the believer must be
baptized. However, baptism does not bring salvation!
Baptism is an
outward sign that something inside has taken place. It is an act of both
confession and profession. It also looks forward to the believer’s
resurrection of the body from the grave.
As the candidate for
baptism goes down into the water this symbolizes dying to one’s self, and
the water becomes as a grave. As the candidate goes under the water a
‘burial’ takes place. As the candidate comes up out of the water he is being
‘raised’ with Christ. By its symbolic nature the act of baptism proclaims
the Gospel of saving grace, Christ’s atoning death.
In closed membership
churches baptism is an act of initiation, it is the door of entrance into
the local visible church. It therefore follows conversion and is prior to
church membership, hence church membership is only for believers.
What is the
Scriptural Mode of Baptism?
The emphasis of the
New Testament word, baptizo, is to dip, immerse, wash, plunge, sink,
drench, overwhelm. Total immersion is the clear Scriptural understanding of
this word.
Who should be
baptized?
1689 Baptist
Confession of Faith, Ch. 29, para. 2, “The only persons who can rightly
submit themselves to this ordinance are those who actually profess
repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, being willing to
yield obedience to Him”. Baptism is a public confession of faith, a ‘badge
of discipleship’. The New Testament suggests that it should be one of the
first acts of the believer after the exercise of saving faith.
The Four Challenges
of a Baptismal Service
Firstly, to the
unbeliever, - to turn to Christ as the Gospel is preached in Word and
through the ordinance. Secondly, to the unbaptized believer, - to obey the
Lord’s command. Thirdly, to the backslider, - to return to the Lord.
Fourthly, to the baptized believer, - to reconsecration as he/she remembers
the vows he/she made on the occasion of his/her own baptism.
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