Heidelberg 69-74- Baptism

15And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. 16Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. Mark 16

Thoughts: baptism symbolizes washing away of sin by the Holy Spirit applying Christ's blood to us.

It is a reminder that we are His people. On our call to believe repent and be baptized.
    It is a command to us- "repent and be baptized" (Acts 2:38) or above "believe and be baptized."
      But it is not just an ordinance to be obeyed.  There is something that really happens when we are baptized that should encourage us.  It is called the "water of rebirth" and the "cleansing of sins."  The obedience to the command is tied to the reality of the spiritual baptism.
      Baptism is not something we should ignore, but something we should seek.  Baptism is not done simply as an individual.  There is a person who baptizes and a group that affirms to encourage the person in their faith.  There are 7 instances of whole houses that were baptized in the New Testament.  The Philippian Jailer, when he came to Christ, invited his whole family to come to the water and they did.  Baptism is a family, group, church, fellowship event.  The promise is not just for the adults but "for you children and all those whom the Lord will call."  

Prayer: Lord, help me to remember the importance of baptism and remember my own baptism. 

Q & A 69

Q. How does holy baptism remind and assure you that Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross
benefits you personally? 

A. In this way: Christ instituted this outward washing and with it promised that, as surely as water washes away the dirt from the body, so certainly his blood and his Spirit wash away my soul’s impurity, 

that is, all my sins.2

1 Acts 2:38
2 Matt. 3:11; Rom. 6:3-10; 1 Pet. 3:21

Q & A 70

Q. What does it mean
to be washed with Christ’s blood and Spirit? 

A. To be washed with Christ’s blood means that God, by grace, has forgiven our sins because of Christ’s bloodpoured out for us in his sacrifice on the cross.1

To be washed with Christ’s Spirit means 

that the Holy Spirit has renewed
and sanctified us to be members of Christ, 

so that more and more

we become dead to sin
and live holy and blameless lives.2

1 Zech. 13:1; Eph. 1:7-8; Heb. 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:2; Rev. 1:5
2 Ezek. 36:25-27; John 3:5-8; Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor. 6:11; Col. 2:11-12

Q & A 71 

Q. Where does Christ promise that we are washed with his blood and Spirit As surely as we are washed
with the water of baptism? 

A. In the institution of baptism, where he says: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”1

“The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.”2 This promise is repeated when Scripture calls baptism “the water of rebirth”3 and the washing away of sins.4

1 Matt. 28:19
2 Mark 16:16
3 Tit. 3:5
4 Acts 22:16

Lord’s Day 27 

Q & A 72

Q. Does this outward washing with water
itself wash away sins? 

A. No, only Jesus Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit
cleanse us from all sins.1

1 Matt. 3:11; 1 Pet. 3:21; 1 John 1:7

Q & A 73

Q. Why then does the Holy Spirit call baptism the water of rebirth and
the washing away of sins? 

A. God has good reason for these words. To begin with, God wants to teach us that 

the blood and Spirit of Christ take away our sins
just as water removes dirt from the body.1But more important,  God wants to assure us, by this divine pledge and sign, that we are as truly washed of our sins spiritually as our bodies are washed with water physically.2

1 1 Cor. 6:11; Rev. 1:5; 7:14
2 Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:27

Q & A 74

Q. Should infants also be baptized? 

A. Yes. Infants as well as adults are included in God’s covenant and people,1and they, no less than adults, are promised deliverance from sin through Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit who produces faith.2 Therefore, by baptism, the sign of the covenant, they too should be incorporated into the Christian church and distinguished from the children of unbelievers.3T This was done in the Old Testament by circumcision,4 which was replaced in the New Testament by baptism.5

1 Gen. 17:7; Matt. 19:14
2 Isa. 44:1-3; Acts 2:38-39; 16:31
3 Acts 10:47; 1 Cor. 7:14
4 Gen. 17:9-14
5 Col. 2:11-13

6/18/13 Right Administration of the Sacraments

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:15,16)

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
(1 Corinthians 11:27-30)

Thoughts: Many Reformers spoke of the right administration of the sacraments as a sign or mark of the true church.  The word "sacramentum" means mystery.  The classic definition-given by Augustine of Hippo is "a visible sign of God's invisible grace."  
    There are two extreme beliefs about the sacraments.  One is that the sacraments are magical or miraculous and then the other is that there is nothing special that occurs in or with them at all.  In the latter we would take part in them only as a command.  But there is a balance between the supernatural and the legalistic natural.  The balance is recognizing the spiritual presence of Christ that occurs when he promises to be there- as we remember him and as we go and baptize others.
     In Europe before World War II many abused the sacraments- and it was simply a ritual that everyone did- almost like a magic charm or a social norm.  It meant so little.  Barth pointed out that while Hitler and Stalin were certainly not good professing Christians they both had been baptized. The passage above from 1 Corinthians is a warning to such people who would use the sacraments for their own promotion. But while people can utterly turn from God and His ways, this does not define or limit the means of grace. Someone may abuse the love of a parent or friend- or the gifts of a parent or friend- but this does not mean that the love of that parent or friend was wrong, unreal or unacceptable. So, many abuse God's love and grace- and the signs of that love and grace- His sacraments.
     There is also something missing in our Christian life when we do not take the sacraments seriously.  The ongoing participation in the sacraments shows itself in our witnessing baptisms, remembering our own baptisms, and taking part in the Lord's Supper.  The cyber church cannot have cyber communion.  The feel of fellowship, the taste of the bread and cup are empty and meaningless for those who do not practice the sacraments together.  In a much smaller way, it is like watching a man eat a meal versus actually smelling, tasting and taking in the meal. Sacraments are meant to be done together- with the whole local church.  In some ways sacraments define church.  In fact- baptism by oneself is just a bath.  Communion by oneself is just eating bread and drinking a little fruit of the vine.  Jesus promised where two or three are gathered in His name- there He is in the midst of them.  The sacraments are meant to be done together- ideally in worship and in a place of worship.   

Prayer: Help me, Lord, to savor the mystery of your invisible presence symbolized and elicited by the visible signs of your love.  

1/9/12- Who ought to baptized?

Q. Who ought to be baptized?
A: Those who are not members of the visible church ought not to be baptized, until they state they believe and will follow Him in obedience; But the infant children of church members ought to be baptized.

Thoughts: Baptism is too often seen as an insurance policy.  In a sense it is too easy to just get up and say you believe and say you will obey Christ.  In a world that doesn't value loyalty and commitments- talk is cheap. Some degrade baptism as simply a nominal way to be Christian, and nominalism is a sin.  The Bible does speak of those who honor God with their lips but their hearts are far from Him.  God calls us all to honor Him with our hearts- but we can't honor Him with our hearts without honoring Him with our lips. Baptism is a seal to our profession.
The children of believers are included because
1) The Lord included children in his welcome- "The promise is for you and your children and all those whom the Lord will call- to all who are far off."
2) Baptism is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament family initiation of circumcision (Col. 2:11).
3) There are seven New Testament instances of household baptism- notably the two Philippians- the jailer and Lydia whose households were baptized upon their conversion.

(1637 Westminster Shorter Catechism)
Q. 95- To Whom is Baptism to be administered?
A: Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible Church, till they profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him; but the infants of such as are members of the visible Church are to be baptized.

(1984 Modern Translation)

Q. 95. Who should be baptized?
A. Those who are not members of churches should not be baptized until they have publicly stated
that they believe in Christ and will obey Him, but the infant children of church members should be
baptized.

1/8/12- What is Baptism

Q. 94- What is Baptism?
A: Baptism is a sacrament.  Baptism is a washing with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, signifying and sealing us into Christ.  In it, we receive the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our relationship to be a child of the Lord.

"The promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off even as many as the Lord our God will call."  (Acts 2:39)

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism."  (Ephesians 4:5)

Thoughts: there is a washing, the making of a sign, and the giving of a seal in baptism.  The washing with water symbolizes the cleansing away of our sins by the blood of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.  There are those who do not believe they need cleansing- just as surely as there are those who cannot see their dirt or smell their odor because they have become desensitized to it.
Baptism is full of promise and promises.  There are promises in faith by the participants (or made on their behalf by their guardian).  Promises to believe, to follow for adult believers; or to live a godly example, pray for and teach the faith to their child.  Baptism is a sign that God the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives- that we are not alone-but are claimed and are a part of the family of God.  But the washing with physical water is a symbol that we will be cleansed of our sins in the end.
Baptism is individually done, and we are individually named and called a "child of the covenant."  In baptism we recognize we are brought into relationship with the living God.  There is a sense that once we have had the water on us, it cannot ever be taken off.  It is in this sense that we are sealed.  In this sense baptism is like a brand or a tattoo that is always on us- similar to the number on the forehead described in Revelation (14:1). It is a joining, an "ingrafting" similar to a branch grafted into a tree- with the promise of growth and the hope of nourishment. When we are made part of the one living organism of Christ we are not only "one" with Him, but we are "one" with each other.  It is a major experience in life that is shared only by those who have undertaken it.  There is always a tie to Christ for those who have been baptized.

Prayer: Lord you were baptized giving me an example of its importance.  Help me not to take it for granted.

WSC Q. 94- What is Baptism?
A: Baptism is a sacrament, wherein the washing with water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, doth signify and seal our ingrafting into Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord's.


Q. 94. What is baptism?
A. The sacrament of baptism is a washing with water in the name of the father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, which is a sign and seal that we are joined to Christ, that we receive the benefits of the
covenant of grace, and that we are engaged to be the Lord’s.