Could You Defend Your Belief In Believer's Baptism? Part 4

Someone might ask, "Why is this an issue?"  "Surely we can not make waves about such mundane things like baptism?"  The problem is that without a robust doctrine of Believer's Baptism there will be a confused and corrupted Church because of the membership of individuals who are in the Church but not redeemed. Further confusion lies in the failure to differentiate clearly between what it means to be a member of the Covenant, as a baby, and what it means to be a true child of God.

The Credobaptist position that only repentant Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and His merciful work on their behalf CAN BE BAPTIZED – can receive the sign of the Covenant – the only Covenant in force today – the New Covenant, can be supported following this biblical logic:

Summary & Conclusion

A Credobapist will follow the pattern of our Lord and Apostles and interpret the Old Covenant principles, signs, types, and prophecies by the New Covenant. When a clear New Testament understanding of baptism is formulated the Credobaptist will see indicators of it within the Old Testament and affirm that it is pointing to events and realties that find their new and clear definition in the revealing of the Messiah and the accomplishment of His redemption.

Post Script:

The historical evidence suggests, without doubt, that baptism by immersion to believers was practiced in the Church throughout the Apostolic era.  Even in the earliest documents of the post-Apostolic era (e.g. The Didache, 100 A.D.) there is clear evidence that well-taught, maturing believers were baptized[i].   There is no evidence than any infant was baptized prior to Tertullian, Augustine and of course Calvin.

There is a direct inference from history that one of the failures of some of the Reformers was to see that the State was the Church (as did Constantine) thereby making it convenient to baptize infants and thereby increasing the membership of Christians in the so-called christian state.  This had less to do with faithfulness to the Word and more to do with bolstering the sovereign state church.  Of all the good that the Reformers did, this was not one.

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[i] Chapter 7. Concerning Baptism.

"And concerning baptism, baptize this way: Having first said all these things, baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living water. But if you have no living water, baptize into other water; and if you cannot do so in cold water, do so in warm. But if you have neither, pour out water three times upon the head into the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit. But before the baptism let the baptizer fast, and the baptized, and whoever else can; but you shall order the baptized to fast one or two days before."

Could You Defend Your Belief In Believer's Baptism? Part 3

Knowing what you believe and why you believe is important.  Perhaps many of us embrace doctrines of the Christian faith and would struggle to defend them.  This is probably true of baptism.  I asked a church leader, saved, baptized, and in church ministry for many years to explain why he believed in Believer's Baptism.  He couldn't.   The goal of this Blog series is to try to assist you in doing that.  

What is the Basic Credobaptist Argument?

  

A.   In the first Blog I wrote that the Credobaptist position is rooted securely in a consistent, precise hermeneutic, whereby the Old Testament is interpreted ultimately, consistently and eschatologically with the New Testament.  Many Reformers sought to do that.  Unfortunately where they interpreted things like the so-called "ceremonial or civil law" or the Old Testament sacrifices in light of the New Covenant, they failed to consistently apply this in other areas, such as the sign of the Covenant.

B & C.   In the second Blog I wrote that that the Credobaptist position is rooted securely in a New and better Covenant, the New Covenant.  This Covenant is different than the Old, not a continuation of the Old; and it is a Covenant that promises life not death.  I also wrote that based on our start point: the New Testament, the clearest, most concise, most unambiguous treatment of baptism under the New Covenant is found in 1 Peter 3:18-20 wherein the Apostle teaches that baptism is for believers only.  

D.    Moving from 1 Peter 3, the Credobaptist will affirm that this baptism that saves – this baptism that is done in faith on the grounds of Christ's work is based on the spiritual reality of Romans 6:3-4.  We believe that when the Holy Spirit made us part of Christ, by faith in Him, we also become partners with Christ's death, burial and resurrection. So in Believer's Baptism, the action of being immersed in the water symbolizes that event of dying and being buried with Christ. The action of coming out of the water pictures Christ’s resurrection.  An well thought through argument will also take you to Colossians 1:13 teaches us that change of status: from darkness to light, from death to life.

E.     A credobaptist will also affirm the word that the Holy Spirit uses regarding baptism: the Greek word βαπτίζω [baptizō]. You will likely hear them point to a recognized expert such as Gerhard Kittel who was a professor of New Testament and is accepted by scholars as one of the best New Testament scholars of original language. When Kittel unpacks the word for baptism he says this:

a.        βάπτω, “to dip in or under”;

b.        βάμμα, “dyed material”;

c.        βαπτά, “dyed or coloured clothes”;

d.        βαπτίζειν τὸ σκάφος, “to sink the ship” & “to suffer shipwreck,” “to drown,” “to perish”

This information enables us to not only see that the "children" or "offspring" of Abraham are understood to those who have faith in Christ; but that their faith in Christ's death and resurrection is professed within the context of believer's baptism, the act itself portraying the spiritual reality that one who has faith in Christ is brought from death to life.

F.     A Credobaptist will rightly note that while there are no recorded infant baptisms in Scripture, BUT the New Testament is replete with the commands, the examples and the inferences of Believer's Baptism as a profession of faith in Christ.  The weight of Scripture ALONE, supports the notion of Believer's Baptism.  The New Testament command to be baptized is to be conducted by the Church.  Based on Matthew 28:18–20, it is a command that is in force “to the end of the age”. 

I'll wrap things up in the 4th and final edition to this topic, next time ... 

Could You Defend Your Belief In Believer's Baptism? Part 2

You are a "baptist".  You see, hear and have experienced baptism by immersion.  You are a Credobaptist.  You believe repentance and faith precede baptism.  Can you defend that position?  How would you even start?    

What is the Basic Credobaptist Argument?

A.      In the previous Blog on this topic I addressed starting point 'A".  The Credobaptist interprets the Old Covenant types, shadows, principles and prophecies by the New Covenant. 

B.    Secondly, the Credobaptist should make it clear that when they speak of the New Covenant, there are speaking of an all-superior Covenant that decisively and determinatively changed everything. Jeremiah 31:31-32 is clear that it is "not like" the Old.  Hebrews 8:11 affirms that everyone in the New Covenant "knows the Lord".  You will see that this is weighty and substantive.  There are no participants in the New Covenant that are not born of the Spirit, with sins forgiven, God's Law on their hearts and united to God in Christ.  The New Testament makes a clear distinction: Believer's Baptism is the sign of the New Covenant which is different in nature and application that circumcision which is the sign of the Old Covenant.  The Credobaptist obeys the command to be baptized because he or she is under a New Covenant which is essentially different and better. Those that equate circumcision with baptism are seeking to live under the Old Covenant, which has been replaced.

Baptism signifies New Birth, Union with Christ. Circumcision signified death.[1]  Circumcision is a constant reminder that whatever you produce, will be sin and sin demands punishment.  Nowhere and at no time does circumcision signify faith. 

C.     By understanding the Old Testament  but looking for the final, fulfilling, interpretation of that Old, in the New Testament, then the New Testament becomes the interpretative key.  You should hear from a Credobaptist that the plain, coherent, observable text of Scripture that sets the interpretative agenda for Believer's Baptism is 1 Peter 3:18-21.  A Credobaptist will carefully point out that this text gives unequivocal evidence that the one receiving baptism also appeals to God for a good conscience, which means that he asks God to cleanse him of his sins on the basis of Christ's death and resurrection.  This is affirm that the one being baptized is of an age of understanding and is doing so in faith of someone that has previously occurred spiritually.

Paul writing in Colossians 2:12 (ESV) (¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.),  explicitly defined baptism as an act done through faith. 

Summary

So a Credobaptist obeys Christ through Believer's Baptism because their interpretative key is the New Testament; and they understand that they stand under a New and better Covenant that has made the Old obsolete.  The Old Covenant brought death.  The New Covenant signifies Life. Therefore the sign of the New Covenant is death to life.

More to follow .....

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[1] This is often misunderstood.  The act of circumcision, applied to the male organ, signified the fruit of death to all self-effort.  It also signified on another level the death of Christ (Col 2).  Thus Moses taught Israel that life could only come if Israel would circumcise their heart ( Deut 10:16 ). Organic circumcision in the Old reminded Israel of the need for spiritual circumcision.  That spiritual circumcision would come through the Promised Messiah upon the true seed of Israel.  When a paedobaptist applies the sign of the Old Covenant upon their child, they are applying the promise of death. 

Could You Defend Your Belief In Believer's Baptism? Part 1

Credobaptism is the practice of baptizing only those who are able to make a profession of faith.  The word credo comes from the Latin for "creed."  Credobaptism is also called Believer's Baptism.   So, as a Baptist pastor serving a Baptist Church, I wonder if anyone in my congregation could defend Believer's Baptism?

If you were to enter into discussion with someone who disagrees with you, at the outset I would recommend that you see that the essential and fundamental difference between you is not regarding infant versus adult baptism.  The difference is hermeneutics – how we interpret the Bible!   So it is no small matter!

What is the Basic Credobaptist Argument?

A.   Key to understanding the Credobaptist position is to understand that credobaptists affirm and seek to be consistent in this way: we want to interpret the Old Testament (It's types, shadows, prophecies, theology, etc.) by the New Testament.  

      

      In other words, you should hear from a credobaptist, that they see the actual Old Testament meaning in its historical context, but having established that, the interpreter uses the New Testament to understand its fuller, eschatological and Christological meaning.  I have said it before this way: when I interpret the Old Testament in it's context, an orthodox rabbi ought to applaud my understanding.  When I apply the New Testament understanding of the text, he ought to want to hang me!

You should always hear that a credobaptist affirms that the covenant sign is to be given to the children of Abraham. So far we will agree with everyone.   But ... the credobaptist will then ask the next question, "In the fulfillment of God's plan, who are the children of Abraham?"  

You should hear this answer: that Christ is the ultimate Seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16); that God has determined an offspring of Christ (Isaiah 53); and this offspring applies to any who have faith in Christ (Galatians 3:29). 

So when a Christian interprets the Old Testament through the New, they are going to say with a resounding "Yes", that the children of Abraham are to receive the covenant sign. And they are going to be aware that in the New Covenant the children of Abraham mean those who have received Christ in faith.

So let's be clear: The credobaptist will affirm resoundingly that the children of Abraham should receive the sign of the covenant.  The credobaptist will then, through the New Testament, define the children of Abraham as all who have faith in Christ.  Therefore, when the New Covenant lens looks at promises of children (households) being saved in the New Testament, it will always see that this applies to those who have faith – not biological children.  Peter made it very clear in Acts 2:21 that all that call upon the Lord will be saved.  That is the governing principle of the text. He then promised the gift of the Holy Spirit based upon the work of the risen Christ on the Cross.  He then said that this promise applies to all their children and even all Gentiles – all who repent and believe will receive the Spirit. 

Summary

So because the Credobaptist interprets the Old via the New, this means that the term, children of Abraham, takes on a new and richer meaning.  Nowhere are we commanded in the New Covenant to give the sign of the covenant to biological offspring -- only those born from above -- born of the Spirit.

In the next blog I will advance this idea ....

Who Gets To Say, "That's Not The Voice Of The Shepherd?"

The songwriter in Psalm 84 wrote, "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of wickedness."^[1]  The impression might be that a doorkeeper is a lowly and humble vocation.  In 1 Chronicles 9:18–20 (ESV), we read:

"¹⁸ until then they were in the king’s gate on the east side as the gatekeepers of the camps of the Levites. ¹⁹ Shallum the son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, and his kinsmen of his fathers’ house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, keepers of the thresholds of the tent, as their fathers had been in charge of the camp of the Lord, keepers of the entrance. ²⁰ And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the chief officer over them in time past; the Lord was with him."

The keeper of the door, in the Bible, is also known as the "porter".  He was a guard stationed at the entrance in case an unwanted person might enter and harm the sanctuary.  The duties of the gatekeepers are listed in 1 Chronicles 9:17, 21; 15:17–18, 23–24.  It implied in Psalm 84 that it is a humble job.  When Jesus taught on His role as Shepherd in John 10, He said,

““Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (John 10:1–3, ESV)

"The watchman or ‘porter’, probably a hired undershepherd recognizes the shepherd and opens the gate for him."^[2]   The speculation as to who this gatekeeper is abounds through Church literature[3].  Is it a lead angel like Michael?  Is it Mary?  Peter?  Local church pastors and elders?  Is it God, the Father, the Holy Spirit, or even Christ Himself?  A.W. Pink has a compelling take on this.  He comments:

"The 'porter' was the one who vouched for the shepherd and presented him to the sheep. As to the identity of the 'porter' in this proverb there can be no doubt. The direct reference was to John the Baptist who 'prepared the way of the Lord.' He it was who formally introduced the Shepherd to Israel: 'that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing' (John 1:31), was his own confession. But, in the wider application, the 'porter' here represented the Holy Spirit, who officially vouched for the credentials of the Messiah, and who now presents the Savior to each of God’s elect."[4]

I agree with Pink on this matter, except that I would interpret it this way:

·         The immediate historical context supports the notion that John the Baptist is in direct view.

·         Ultimately, the Holy Spirit, in this New Covenant era is the Gatekeeper.

·         Practically, the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God is delegated that responsibility to the Elders of Christ's church. (“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28, ESV))

Interestingly the task of the doorkeeper is to keep unwanted saviors out.  The sheep themselves who belong to Christ through election, recognize the voice of the Shepherd and follow Him.  The assumption of many that the psalmist was communicating a humble and lowly position may not be the best interpretation.  Perhaps what is being taught (as Spurgeon alludes to) is that door-keeping is a difficult task.  Many find fault with doorkeepers. Remuneration is often poor. It "is no easy and pleasing task".[5]

It is easy to follow the way of the wicked.  Rarely do difficult, unpopular decisions have to be made.  The "doorkeeper" – the Elders – of Christ's churches have a very thorny and disliked task. They often have to say, "That is not the voice of the Shepherd."  That is not an easy job!

Pray for your Pastor and Elders!

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^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (Ps 84:10). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

^[2] Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (pp. 382–383). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.

[3] http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/john-10-3.html

[4] Pink, Arthur W., Exposition of the Gospel of John, Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1975, Page 104

[5] https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/spe/psalms-84.html

Important Lessons From the Caterpillar

This morning I drove to Bonnyville to visit a member of our church.  Looking at the hills filled with poplar trees gave me some hope.  About three weeks ago they were nearly bare.  You see this species called the malacosoma disstria has been decimating our trees, crawling through our yards and adjoining themselves to our houses.  The caterpillars feed as a colony until they leave the trees to pupate.   But today I saw a greenish tinge returning to the woods.  The poplar leaves were coming back.  It caused me to think of Joel 2:25 (NIV),

²⁵ “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm— my great army that I sent among you.

"Joel calls all the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem to lament and return to the Lord during a time of national calamity. This crisis is precipitated in the first instance by a locust plague that has destroyed both wine (1:5, 7, 12) and grain (1:10) and therefore threatens the ability of the people of God to present offerings in the temple (1:9, 13, 16)."^[1]   The major thought through this prophecy is the call of God to this nation to repent and return to Him.  "When locusts were understood as an instrument of divine punishment, repentance was the appropriate response (Deut. 28:38; Amos 7:1; Is. 33:4)."^[2]

Those who respond to the Lord in repentance after the chastening judgment of the locusts are promised blessings. "Specifically, four blessings are named: he answers their prayer; he satisfies their desires; he removes their reproach; he destroys their enemies."^[3]  "The promised restoration reverses the economic devastation from the locust invasion."^[4]

As Matthew Henry comments, "Though, in justice, he distrained upon them, and did them no wrong, yet, in compassion, he makes restitution; as the father of the prodigal, upon his return, made up all he had lost by his sin and folly, and took him into his family, as in his former estate."^[5]

What an amazingly merciful and loving response by our heavenly Father is portrayed for us who will repent and return to Him:

““But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate” (Luke 15:22–24, NIV).

With such a welcome, who would not wish to run back home and be restored to our Father, through Christ, by grace.  “Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed” (Joel 2:27, NIV).  "The restored fellowship would be attested by God's renewed designation of them as "my people." They need never again "be humiliated," whether by locusts (1:11) among the heathen (2:17), or before the whole world (cf. Isa 29:22; 49:22-23; 54:4). No, never again! Best of all, his people would know experientially the abiding presence of God himself, dwelling in their midst (cf. 2:17; 3:17, 21; Hos 11:9; cf. also Ezek 48:35)."[6]

As you see the poplars regaining their greenery remember the promise of our God: "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten." ^[7]  Repent and be restored.

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^[1] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1644). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[2] Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Joe 1:4). Nashville: T. Nelson.

^[3] Robertson, O. P. (1995). Prophet of the Coming Day of the Lord: The Message of Joel (p. 61). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.

^[4] Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Joe 2:18–3:21). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

^[5] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 1499). Peabody: Hendrickson.

[6] Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Joel/Exposition of Joel/I. Joel's Present Instructions: Based on the Locust Plague (1:1-2:27)/B. The Instructions: Based on the Locust Plague (1:5-2:27)/2. Warnings in the light of the coming conflict (2:1-27)/b. Joel's plea and prescription (2:12-27)/(2) The call to implore the God of grace (2:15-27)/(b) The response of God (2:18-27), Book Version: 4.0.2

^[7] The New International Version. (2011). (Joe 2:25). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

The Preventable Death of Robert Hall

I've been thinking a lot about the word "rescue" lately. Sparked by the outrageous murder of the Canadian Robert Hall.  Sadly his death has been overshadowed by the Orlando killings and the death of the imitable Gordie Howe.  The former dominating the headlines because LBGT news and ISIS news makes big news; and the latter because he was beloved by every sports fan, Canadian and American, alike.  You be hard pressed to find much on Robert Hall in today's news.

Is Hall's death any worse than the others?  Somewhat!  The Orlando killings were unexpected.  They were awful in their own right, to say the least. Howe's death was natural and expected.  All who die are valuable, no matter who they are. We grieve all deaths.  What makes my heart burn with outrage is that Hall's death was threatened for months and no government took meaningful action to try to resolve it.  Hall lived for months every day wondering if it was his last.  He was on death row with a random date of execution. His friend Canadian, John Ridsdel died similarly.  Hall knew that.

It seems that the best our government can do is voice their dismay.  That's not the biblical role of government.   Our Canadian government has only said what they would not do:  We will not pay ransom; we will not renegotiate.  In the end they implied: we will not take any decisive, determinative action to rescue one of our citizens. Like a disabled, disarmed, impotent force they sit and say, "Let's hope for the best!"  "Let's hope that somewhere in the heart of Abu Sayaf there will be a spark of righteousness emerge!"

Thousands of years ago a man by the name of Lot, the nephew of the infamous Abraham – father of the people of Israel, was taken captive by a consortium of military forces.  “When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan. There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.” (Genesis 14:14–16, NLT).

The notion of "rescue" is integral to Judeo-Christian thought.  The well-known king of Israel, David, considered the same course of action appropriate.  The Amalakites had raided and had taken captives included David's wives.  “David and his men rushed in among them and slaughtered them throughout that night and the entire next day until evening. None of the Amalekites escaped except 400 young men who fled on camels. David got back everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives. Nothing was missing: small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been taken. David brought everything back. He also recovered all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock. “This plunder belongs to David!” they said.” (1 Samuel 30:17–20, NLT).

At the heart of the Gospel is the notion of rescue.   The Christian word is "redemption".   The God of the Bible is a God who redeems. God is called Israel's Redeemer  especially in Isaiah where "redemption" is a key metaphor ( 41:14 ; 43:1 ; 44:6 ; 47:4 ).  The heart of God is to redeem nations, to redeem people and even redeem individuals from distress, sickness and pain.  One would be blind to miss the reality that the central them of the Bible, from the Garden of Eden through to the coming of Christ is to take the initiative to act mercifully on behalf of those who cannot help themselves.  Romans 5:6–8 (NLT), reminds us that:

"⁶ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ⁷ Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. ⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

Our God is a God of Rescue.  He has ordained governments, heads of families, churches – His people to be a people of rescue.  “… He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.” (Isaiah 61:1, NLT).  The Gospel is the Good News that God rescues lost and captive people.