WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.980 Please join me in your copy of God's Word in Romans chapter 6. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:11.759 ! As previously mentioned, we're going to talk about the ordinance of baptism this morning. 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:19.120 ! This is good if you are unfamiliar with the doctrine, 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:22.640 and it's good if you're familiar with the doctrine. 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:29.839 It's important that we remind ourselves of why it is that we do baptism the way that we 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:37.280 do baptism. This is a thing about our fellowship that distinguishes us from other fellowships. 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:45.200 This is a thing that distinguishes our denomination from other denominations, that we are credo-baptists. 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:54.320 We believe in baptism of believers and only believers. Now, many, and for good reason, 00:00:54.320 --> 00:01:02.079 grieve the formation of denominations. It seems like such a fracturing thing, and in a lot of 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:09.280 cases it is. But on the positive, it also means that we have convictions and that we follow those 00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:15.280 convictions and that we desire to unite with those who also follow those convictions. So I think 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:26.320 baptism is a particular one that both divides, but in many ways unites. We can gladly link arms with other 00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:33.840 fellowships that don't believe in believers' baptism on the gospel. But how it is that we carry that out as a 00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:43.040 church together may differ, and therefore it can be good and valuable that we gather as a church and believe the same thing about this doctrine. 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:56.160 Now, we are a confessional people, and that means that we gather together those things we believe to be true about the Bible and have been pinned throughout the ages in confessions. 00:01:56.160 --> 00:02:08.240 And we take those confessions up and we carefully examine them by the scriptures, and we place a confidence not above the scripture in them, but as a way to understand the scripture. 00:02:08.240 --> 00:02:18.960 Our church has a statement of faith that upon becoming a member of our church, you agree that you'll hold these truths together. 00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:28.240 And a statement of faith is a confession. Our statement of faith is based on the New Hampshire Confession of 1833. 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:34.240 And you can see those points outlined in the packet that's out in the hallway. 00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:38.240 There are many good confessions of faith. 00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:56.240 This morning, as an outline for the sermon, I'm going to use the chapter on baptism from the 1689 London Baptist Confession, also known as the Second London Baptist Confession, or some people would just say the 1689 Confession. 00:02:56.240 --> 00:03:03.240 The 1689 Confession, as it is a wonderful confession of the Baptist faith. 00:03:03.240 --> 00:03:10.240 The 1689 Confession is possibly the finest of all the Baptist confessions. 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:23.240 It has been widely adhered to, in fact, all of the founders of the Southern Baptist Convention, which we are a part of, either personally expressed agreement with the 1689 Confession. 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:36.240 In their writing, we can look and search through the annals of history and find that they either personally agreed with the 1689 Confession, or that they pastored churches that did so. 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:43.240 So, there was an evidence again there that they were a pastor of a church that held the 1689 Confession. 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:53.240 So, we want to be careful, as I've said, that we don't elevate confessions to a place that they don't belong. 00:03:53.240 --> 00:03:58.240 But they do have a helpful place in the life of the church. 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:10.240 There's an organization called Founder Ministries, and they have a publishing house, and they've recently put out a 1689 Confession in Modern Language. 00:04:10.240 --> 00:04:13.240 In the introduction, they write this, 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:17.240 A confession is a tried and true teaching tool. 00:04:17.240 --> 00:04:24.240 It lays out the faith in a clear, systematic way and shows the connections among doctrines. 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:29.240 It also serves as a standard by which the teaching in the church can be measured. 00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:34.240 So, we've agreed together on the New Hampshire Confession of 1833. 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:37.240 It gives us some standard for our thinking together. 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:42.240 An overseer must be able to give instruction in sound doctrine, 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:49.240 and a deacon must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 00:04:49.240 --> 00:05:00.240 Hearing an officer merely quote the Bible does not tell us whether or not he understands the overall teaching of Scripture on a subject. 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:07.240 A confession gives us a tool for evaluating his understanding and teaching in summary form. 00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:14.240 A confession is a restatement of the word for a particular purpose. 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:19.240 In this case, to summarize the overall teaching of that word on various topics. 00:05:19.240 --> 00:05:23.240 So, in our case, for this morning, baptism. 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:28.240 To the degree that it expresses the doctrines of Scripture accurately, 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:36.240 it is an expression of the word just as accurate preaching is said to be an expression of the word. 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:42.240 So, confessions, right, help us collect the teaching of the Scripture together, 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:50.240 and think rightly about what the Bible says on any given topic contained within said confession. 00:05:50.240 --> 00:05:57.240 So, the 1689 confession has a wonderful chapter, chapter 29 on baptism. 00:05:57.240 --> 00:06:02.240 And it has four points to help us rightly understand baptism biblically. 00:06:02.240 --> 00:06:05.240 And so, we're going to display those points up on the screen, I think, for you. 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:06.240 Here we go. 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:10.240 Just so you can see it, and I'll talk about it, and Susanna, I'll give you. 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:13.240 And here we go to the second one, and you can change it at that point. 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:18.240 So, first, and I think most importantly, this phrase, and there's some Scripture proofing, 00:06:18.240 --> 00:06:20.240 and I'm going to read some of those Scripture proofs, 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:25.240 which is what those large numbers are in the midst of the text. 00:06:25.240 --> 00:06:28.240 So, the first one reads this way. 00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:33.240 Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament ordained by Jesus Christ. 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:38.240 To those baptized, it is a sign of their fellowship with Him in His death and resurrection, 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:44.240 of their being grafted into Him of remission of sins, 00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:51.240 and of submitting themselves to God through Jesus Christ to live and walk in newness of life. 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:58.240 So, the very first sentence, writers of this confession say baptism is an ordinance. 00:06:58.240 --> 00:07:03.240 It's a right given to the church to be administered. 00:07:03.240 --> 00:07:09.240 And there are only two biblical ordinances, that of the Lord's Supper and baptism. 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:14.240 Some teach that there are more, but we understand scripturally there are two. 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:18.240 And it's an ordinance given to the church. 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:20.240 So, the church baptizes. 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:27.240 The gathered people of God, under His authority, are the ones who administer baptism. 00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:31.240 And it's an ordinance of the New Testament. 00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:37.240 We don't find baptism as an ordinance of God's people in the Old Testament. 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:40.240 And in this way, there's much continuity between the Old and the New Testament. 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:44.240 This is one of those discontinuous parts. 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:50.240 This is a new command given that those who place faith in Christ should be baptized. 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:59.240 And, it's an ordinance that was ordained, given to us, by Jesus Christ Himself. 00:07:59.240 --> 00:08:05.240 In Mark chapter 1 and verse 9, we can read of Jesus going to John the Baptist and being baptized. 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:09.240 Setting for us this great example. 00:08:09.240 --> 00:08:15.240 Fulfilling all righteousness in He Himself being baptized. 00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:18.240 To those baptized, it is a sign. 00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:20.240 It's meant to picture something for us. 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:21.240 Right? 00:08:21.240 --> 00:08:26.240 We get to preach and hear and sing and pray the gospel. 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:30.240 We also get to see it displayed for us in the ordinances. 00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:33.240 In the Lord's Supper and in baptism. 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:44.240 It is a sign of a believer's fellowship with Christ in His death and in His resurrection. 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:49.240 Of their being grafted, or you could think, united with Him. 00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:51.240 So, look at our text in brief. 00:08:51.240 --> 00:08:53.240 And, we're going to bounce around to other texts. 00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:58.240 And, I would encourage you to turn to those places or write notes and look at them later. 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:02.240 Romans chapter 6 verses 3 through 5. 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:03.240 Paul writes, 00:09:03.240 --> 00:09:12.240 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:19.240 Paul here is speaking figuratively of our faith placed in Christ. 00:09:19.240 --> 00:09:25.240 We were buried, therefore, with Him by baptism into death in order that, 00:09:25.240 --> 00:09:29.240 just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, 00:09:29.240 --> 00:09:33.240 we too might walk in newness of life. 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:38.240 For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, 00:09:38.240 --> 00:09:44.240 we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:46.240 By placing believing faith in Jesus Christ, 00:09:46.240 --> 00:09:50.240 those who were once dead in their trespasses and sin, 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:52.240 had no spiritual life, 00:09:52.240 --> 00:09:57.240 and their eternal destination was death and destruction forever. 00:09:57.240 --> 00:10:00.240 By placing faith in Jesus, we are baptized into His death. 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:02.240 This is what baptism pictures for us. 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:05.240 And, we are given new life. 00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:07.240 This is the doctrine of regeneration. 00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:10.240 Dead people made alive once again. 00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:11.240 Old self passing away. 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:13.240 New self now existing. 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:16.240 Not differing in degree, but in kind. 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:19.240 I was once apart from Christ. 00:10:19.240 --> 00:10:22.240 Now, I am in Christ. 00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:24.240 I am clothed in Him. 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:25.240 We are united. 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:33.240 There is a great solidarity between me and Jesus by faith in Christ. 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:37.240 And, baptism pictures this for us. 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:44.240 It helps us to understand what has happened in the heart of a man or woman when they are baptized. 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:49.240 It shows forth something that has already taken place in them. 00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:51.240 So, it pictures this. 00:10:51.240 --> 00:10:56.240 It is a sign of us being grafted into or united with Christ. 00:10:56.240 --> 00:11:00.240 It is also a sign of the remission of sins. 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:04.240 Again, picturing a thing that has happened. 00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:07.240 Mark chapter 1 and verse 4. 00:11:07.240 --> 00:11:17.240 John appeared baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 00:11:17.240 --> 00:11:22.240 John was already going about the work of baptizing before Jesus' ministry began. 00:11:22.240 --> 00:11:23.240 Right? 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:26.240 And the preaching he was doing was to say, repent. 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:27.240 Right? 00:11:27.240 --> 00:11:29.240 Turn from your sin and turn to God. 00:11:29.240 --> 00:11:31.240 People didn't know exactly in whom yet. 00:11:31.240 --> 00:11:34.240 We would find that it would be Christ. 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:38.240 But for a picture of your repentance. 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:42.240 So, the baptism itself does not remove sin. 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:47.240 But our faith that God would forgive sin removes sin. 00:11:47.240 --> 00:11:50.240 And baptism represents that. 00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:51.240 Another place. 00:11:51.240 --> 00:11:54.240 Acts chapter 22 and verse 16. 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:58.240 Paul is here speaking in Jerusalem. 00:11:58.240 --> 00:11:59.240 And he says, 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:00.240 And now why do you wait? 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:05.240 Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins. 00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:07.240 Calling on his name. 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:10.240 On the name of Christ. 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:12.240 So, it pictures this for us. 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:14.240 It is a sign of this. 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:15.240 Our unity in Christ. 00:12:15.240 --> 00:12:17.240 The forgiveness of our sins. 00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:25.240 And of us submitting ourselves to God through Jesus Christ to live and walk in newness of life. 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:32.240 It is a declaration on the part of the person being baptized that I am a new creation. 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:37.240 The person being baptized is saying, I have died to myself. 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:39.240 By faith in Christ, I am raised. 00:12:39.240 --> 00:12:40.240 I am a new person. 00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:45.240 And therefore, I want to walk and follow him. 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:49.240 It is very important that we understand that baptism is an ordinance of the church. 00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:52.240 And it is part of church membership. 00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:58.240 Because you are declaring to a group of God's people that this is true of you. 00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:01.240 And God's people are the ones that are baptizing you. 00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:04.240 I think we baptize people. 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:09.240 I have noted that in my baptisms, I have always said, I baptize you. 00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:11.240 And I think we should correct that. 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:13.240 Now, I might do the dunking. 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:17.240 But it would be good for me to say, we baptize you. 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:21.240 Because as a church, we are recognizing that you have made this profession of faith in Christ. 00:13:21.240 --> 00:13:27.240 And as a church, we are committing to help you walk in this newness of life. 00:13:27.240 --> 00:13:33.240 Now, for us, our membership processes can be a bit complex. 00:13:33.240 --> 00:13:38.240 Because in the place we live, if somebody says, I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, I think it's right. 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:41.240 I think it's fair for us to say, what does that mean? 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:42.240 What does that mean? 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:46.240 It can mean a lot of things in the place in which we live. 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:50.240 But there are contexts where I think it's much simpler. 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:58.240 If someone were to say to you, I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, they could likely lose their family, their education, their job, their very life. 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:03.240 But people don't just go around saying that kind of thing in places like Iran. 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:08.240 And so if I were a pastor of a church in Iran, I wouldn't live very long. 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:14.240 But if somebody came and said, I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, I would say, come, be baptized. 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:15.240 And guess what? 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:16.240 You're a member of our fellowship, right? 00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:20.240 This is the sign of entry into this covenant community. 00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:22.240 These people saved by God. 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:27.240 You're professing to follow Jesus when you're baptized. 00:14:27.240 --> 00:14:31.240 So this is a sign of all of these things. 00:14:31.240 --> 00:14:34.240 And it's a precious sign of that. 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:38.240 Let me remind you again of Romans chapter 6 and verse 4. 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:45.240 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:49.240 that we too might walk in newness of life. 00:14:49.240 --> 00:14:56.240 This is the ordinance of baptism and what it's meant to picture for the church, 00:14:56.240 --> 00:15:01.240 the way that the church is meant to see the gospel. 00:15:01.240 --> 00:15:13.240 Secondly, those who personally profess repentance toward God and faith in and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:18.240 are the only proper subjects of this ordinance. 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:21.240 Now, I have already said some things about that. 00:15:21.240 --> 00:15:32.240 But specifically, what the writers of the 1689 confession are saying is that we ought not baptize infants. 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:36.240 And we shouldn't baptize people who just say, I'd like to be baptized. 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:39.240 They must profess faith in Christ, right? 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:46.240 Baptism itself does not carry some special magical power over an individual's life. 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:53.240 But it's a picture of, it's a sign of something that has taken place. 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:57.240 I said before, we are credo-baptists. 00:15:57.240 --> 00:16:00.240 And that's from the Latin, I believe. 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:03.240 So we are, I believe, Baptists. 00:16:03.240 --> 00:16:12.240 And this is to be juxtaposed against paedo-baptists, also derived from another language, in this case Greek, for child. 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:21.240 So, child baptizers and I believe baptizers is the distinction that's so commonly made. 00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:27.240 Paedo-baptists include Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians. 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:33.240 And this is not intended to be a sermon against any particular denomination. 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:45.240 But rather, in showing you why we are for credo-baptism, it's sometimes helpful to show you the counterpoint to why we believe what we believe. 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:57.240 And so, I think, and in brief, I want you to understand that we are credo-baptists because it is so clearly taught in the Scripture. 00:16:57.240 --> 00:17:08.240 In fact, no paedo-baptists disagree that someone who becomes a Christian and was not baptized as a child shouldn't, therefore, be baptized. 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:19.240 So, everyone agrees on believer's baptism, just that many want to also include the ordinance of child baptism or infant baptism. 00:17:19.240 --> 00:17:33.240 So, we find that the teaching confuses the text, it confuses the nature of the church, and it confuses the very meaning of believer's baptism. 00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:39.240 So, first, paedo-baptism confuses the sufficiency of Scripture. 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:46.240 We believe that God's Word is sufficient for our rule and practice, right? 00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:53.240 It tells us everything that we need to know, and it tells it to us on the most important matters with a great deal of clarity. 00:17:53.240 --> 00:17:54.240 Right? 00:17:54.240 --> 00:18:00.240 The great cry of the Reformers was sola scriptura, the Bible alone. 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:10.240 They put in place in the forming of their churches, any of these brand new infant churches that were coming out of the Catholic Church during the Protestant Reformation, 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:14.240 something they called the regulative principle of worship. 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:19.240 And it was defined by John Calvin, a paedo-baptist, as follows. 00:18:19.240 --> 00:18:27.240 God disapproves of all modes of worship not expressly sanctioned by His Word. 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:30.240 Not expressly sanctioned. 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:42.240 Now, to be honest with the text, we have to look at clear commands or examples given to us in the Scripture, 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:55.240 and we have to deduce by good and necessary consequence through plain reason and logic what the Scripture teaches us about some matters. 00:18:55.240 --> 00:19:02.240 But it is very difficult to find infant baptism in the text. 00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:07.240 In many ways, it's assumed rather than clearly taught. 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:12.240 Now, I love particularly many of our Presbyterian brothers. 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:14.240 I learn much from them. 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:22.240 In our study of Hebrews right now, of the six commentaries I have, I think four of them are written by Presbyterians. 00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:24.240 They are helpful to us. 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:26.240 They are instructive to us. 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:31.240 I wish we didn't have to go outside of our denomination for biblical brilliance. 00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:36.240 But we do, and we do very often have to do so. 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:43.240 I have read widely the paedo-baptist argument and have yet to be convinced with any plain reason or logic. 00:19:43.240 --> 00:19:51.240 I feel like I have to become a textual critic and earn three PhDs to even understand some of the arguments that are being made for it. 00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:57.240 And so, I think the paedo-baptism confuses the sufficiency of Scripture. 00:19:57.240 --> 00:20:07.240 We have, and have had in our fellowship, many people who come from many different denominational backgrounds. 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:10.240 And this has been a big work of our church, right? 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:14.240 Teaching people about credo-baptism and why. 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:15.240 Why it's important. 00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:16.240 Why it matters. 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:23.240 And I hope that you see it's not a primary doctrine, but it is at least a secondary. 00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:25.240 We ought to understand it. 00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:27.240 We ought to agree upon it. 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:29.240 We certainly ought to practice it. 00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:34.240 Because to not do so would confuse the sufficiency of Scripture. 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:39.240 Secondly, paedo-baptism confuses the nature of the church. 00:20:39.240 --> 00:20:43.240 We believe in a believer's church. 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:47.240 Ephesians chapter 5, the last half of verse 25, Paul writes, 00:20:47.240 --> 00:20:54.240 Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. 00:20:54.240 --> 00:21:01.240 Those who are in Christ, who have expressed faith in him and obedience and following him, 00:21:01.240 --> 00:21:04.240 are the ones that are in the church. 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:10.240 And therefore, baptized as a sign of being in the church. 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:12.240 Believer's baptism draws a very clear line. 00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:16.240 We're saying church and not church. 00:21:16.240 --> 00:21:20.240 We're trying to understand who is and who isn't a Christian. 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:24.240 Who do we hold to Christian standards and who do we share the gospel with? 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:28.240 We want to be clear about what the church is. 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:30.240 Who belongs to the church. 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:35.240 And then welcome everyone who is not in the church. 00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:44.240 Every New Testament reference concerning the universal church or the local church is always speaking of those in the faith. 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:47.240 Whether past, present, or future. 00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:50.240 It's never unclear about that, the Bible. 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:52.240 Who is church? 00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:54.240 Those assembled for the praise of Christ. 00:21:54.240 --> 00:21:58.240 It's those who have placed faith in Christ. 00:21:58.240 --> 00:22:09.240 So it gets very confusing when we begin to speak about baptism as a sign for those who have yet to place faith in Jesus Christ. 00:22:09.240 --> 00:22:13.240 This from the Westminster Confession. 00:22:13.240 --> 00:22:17.240 A wonderful confession in so many ways. 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:26.240 In fact, the 1689 confession is largely based off of the Westminster Confession with some, I think, wonderful baptism changes to it. 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:28.240 So this is from the Westminster Confession. 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:41.240 Baptism is a sacrament, or you could read ordinance there, of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible church, 00:22:41.240 --> 00:22:53.240 but also to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace or his, in grafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and his giving up unto God through Jesus. 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:56.240 Sounds familiar, doesn't it? 00:22:56.240 --> 00:23:03.240 There's a lot said in there that's very consistent to the 1689 confession, but here's the phrase I hope popped in your brain. 00:23:03.240 --> 00:23:12.240 They say, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible church. 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:14.240 What are they saying? 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:18.240 A person baptized is part of the church. 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:19.240 That's clear. 00:23:19.240 --> 00:23:20.240 That's clear. 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:24.240 And the further sections develop that idea a bit more. 00:23:24.240 --> 00:23:27.240 Isn't that dangerous? 00:23:27.240 --> 00:23:36.240 To now think that an infant is a part of the church, having not yet professed faith in Jesus Christ? 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:39.240 It confuses the nature of the church. 00:23:39.240 --> 00:23:42.240 What is the church? 00:23:42.240 --> 00:23:47.240 And the scripture does not speak of the church in those terms ever. 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:52.240 Lastly, paedo-baptism confuses the meaning of believer's baptism. 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:58.240 And again, all paedo-baptists agree that once you have placed faith in Christ, if you've never been baptized, that you should be baptized. 00:23:58.240 --> 00:24:00.240 But then why? 00:24:00.240 --> 00:24:02.240 What does it mean? 00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:07.240 Because they've confused it on the front end, they confuse it on the back end. 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:11.240 It's a sign of something that has happened. 00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:16.240 It's picturing for people what Christ has done on your behalf. 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:18.240 I was dead. 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:24.240 I was dead at the bottom of the sea, and he raised me up to newness of life. 00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:27.240 And it is a beautiful expression of this. 00:24:27.240 --> 00:24:30.240 And we don't want it to be confusing. 00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:33.240 So this statement, right? 00:24:33.240 --> 00:24:43.240 Those who personally profess repentance towards God in faith, in an obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance. 00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:45.240 Mark chapter 16 and verse 16. 00:24:45.240 --> 00:24:52.240 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 00:24:52.240 --> 00:24:54.240 Who does the condemnation fall on? 00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:56.240 Those who don't believe. 00:24:56.240 --> 00:24:59.240 But we see that those who believe are what? 00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:00.240 Baptized. 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:03.240 Acts chapter 8, verse 36 and 37. 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:06.240 This is Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch. 00:25:06.240 --> 00:25:07.240 Right? 00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:10.240 And Philip has just shared the gospel with this eunuch. 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:15.240 And the eunuch says, now remember, as I said, this is an ordinance of the church. 00:25:15.240 --> 00:25:18.240 The eunuch is going back to Ethiopia as the sole Christian. 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:20.240 He's the only one, right? 00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:22.240 He's the missionary sent out. 00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:26.240 And so, in a sense, Philip and the eunuch are the church. 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:27.240 Right? 00:25:27.240 --> 00:25:28.240 Philip is with him. 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:29.240 He has shared the gospel with him. 00:25:29.240 --> 00:25:30.240 He believes. 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:32.240 And the eunuch says, see, here is water. 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:35.240 What prevents me from being baptized? 00:25:35.240 --> 00:25:39.240 And he's baptized and sent back to Ethiopia. 00:25:39.240 --> 00:25:42.240 Acts chapter 2 and verse 41. 00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:45.240 So those who received his word were baptized. 00:25:45.240 --> 00:25:50.240 And there were added that day about 3,000 souls. 00:25:50.240 --> 00:25:52.240 Acts chapter 8 and verse 12. 00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:53.240 Again with Philip. 00:25:53.240 --> 00:25:58.240 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, 00:25:58.240 --> 00:26:00.240 they were baptized. 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:02.240 Both men and women. 00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:05.240 And then Acts chapter 18 and verse 8. 00:26:05.240 --> 00:26:12.240 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue that's done to the ministry of Paul, believed in the Lord together with his entire household. 00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:18.240 And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:24.240 So, it's a sign for those who have professed faith in Christ. 00:26:24.240 --> 00:26:29.240 And if you're new to our fellowship, we love our children. 00:26:29.240 --> 00:26:35.240 And we fervently preach the gospel to our children that they would believe and be baptized. 00:26:35.240 --> 00:26:37.240 So, please know. 00:26:37.240 --> 00:26:40.240 That's a great desire of our hearts. 00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:43.240 Okay, third from the 1689 confession. 00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:46.240 It gets a little simpler towards the end. 00:26:46.240 --> 00:26:51.240 The outward element to be used in this ordinance is water. 00:26:51.240 --> 00:26:54.240 It's good that they're clear on that. 00:26:54.240 --> 00:27:01.240 In which the individual is to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 00:27:01.240 --> 00:27:05.240 Now, when the scripture speaks of the name of, right? 00:27:05.240 --> 00:27:07.240 To pray in the name of Jesus. 00:27:07.240 --> 00:27:10.240 To baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:13.240 They're not suggesting some magical incantation. 00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:19.240 Jesus doesn't say this in Matthew chapter 28 that we would speak some magic words over the baptism. 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:24.240 But what it's saying is, in consistency with the character of God. 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:26.240 The triune God. 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:27.240 We're meant to do it. 00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:29.240 Now, we do say that. 00:27:29.240 --> 00:27:31.240 That typically is the thing that we say when we're doing it. 00:27:31.240 --> 00:27:35.240 Because we're recognizing this is what we're doing in baptism, right? 00:27:35.240 --> 00:27:41.240 We're uniting a person with us as he or she is united in Christ. 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:46.240 So, Jesus says in Matthew chapter 28, verse 19 and 20. 00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:49.240 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. 00:27:49.240 --> 00:27:53.240 Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 00:27:53.240 --> 00:27:56.240 Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. 00:27:56.240 --> 00:27:59.240 And behold, I'm with you always to the end of the age. 00:27:59.240 --> 00:28:00.240 Right? 00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:03.240 You're welcoming them into a discipleship relationship. 00:28:03.240 --> 00:28:04.240 Right? 00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:11.240 So, God intends as the good Father to lead us in the way of truth. 00:28:11.240 --> 00:28:17.240 We see the story again of the Ethiopian eunuch, Acts chapter 8 and verse 38. 00:28:17.240 --> 00:28:21.240 And he, the eunuch, commanded the chariot to stop. 00:28:21.240 --> 00:28:30.240 And they, Philip and the eunuch, both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:36.240 So, this is the element used in the baptizing of believers. 00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:37.240 Fourth. 00:28:37.240 --> 00:28:49.240 Immersion, or dipping of the person in water, is necessary for this ordinance to be administered properly. 00:28:49.240 --> 00:28:50.240 Immersion. 00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:51.240 Baptism by immersion. 00:28:51.240 --> 00:28:54.240 That means pushing someone underwater. 00:28:54.240 --> 00:29:01.240 The Greek word, very often in extra-biblical language, is used to mean dunk repeatedly. 00:29:01.240 --> 00:29:04.240 Well, we don't dunk repeatedly. 00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:05.240 We only dunk once. 00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:10.240 But, this we believe is what the scripture examples for us. 00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:14.240 Now, to me this is a finer point of it all. 00:29:14.240 --> 00:29:21.240 If we lived in a place where water was extremely scarce, I might be able to make a case for doing it differently. 00:29:21.240 --> 00:29:22.240 But we don't. 00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:24.240 We have abundant water. 00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:28.240 And you know what was going on in Jerusalem in those days, and still does? 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:36.240 They're in the scarcity of water, and they seem to be going into water, and baptizing underwater people. 00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:38.240 And so, we think this is the right thing to do. 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:41.240 It pictures most clearly what we're trying to picture. 00:29:41.240 --> 00:29:42.240 Right? 00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:45.240 Someone was dead, and is raised to life. 00:29:45.240 --> 00:29:49.240 How do we most often deal with dead people? 00:29:49.240 --> 00:29:51.240 They go underground. 00:29:51.240 --> 00:29:52.240 They're closed up. 00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:53.240 They're put away. 00:29:53.240 --> 00:29:56.240 And for them to come to life, they'd have to come out of that. 00:29:56.240 --> 00:30:01.240 So, baptism by immersion pictures this most clearly. 00:30:01.240 --> 00:30:04.240 Matthew 3, verse 16. 00:30:04.240 --> 00:30:09.240 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water. 00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:11.240 So, here we see the water, and he's coming up. 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:16.240 He went down in, and he then comes up out of the water. 00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:21.240 And behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, 00:30:21.240 --> 00:30:24.240 and coming to rest on him. 00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:35.240 It doesn't make sense that being baptized in the Jordan River, that he would have gone down to, stood ankle deep in, and been sprinkled. 00:30:35.240 --> 00:30:37.240 He went down into the water. 00:30:37.240 --> 00:30:44.240 He came up from the water, and was considered baptized and pleased the Father in so doing. 00:30:44.240 --> 00:30:49.240 In John chapter 3, in verse 23, we see this ministry of John the baptizer. 00:30:49.240 --> 00:30:53.240 And he's baptizing at Anon near Salem because, why? 00:30:53.240 --> 00:30:56.240 Water was plentiful there. 00:30:56.240 --> 00:31:06.240 There was all kinds of water for us to immerse people in, rather than, he didn't walk around the desert carrying a pot of water. 00:31:06.240 --> 00:31:10.240 He went to a place where there was lots of water so that people could be baptized. 00:31:10.240 --> 00:31:15.240 And people were coming and being baptized. 00:31:15.240 --> 00:31:25.240 So, this is why we are Credo Baptists, because we want to be abundantly clear about the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:31:25.240 --> 00:31:33.240 That those of us who were once dead in our trespasses and sins, right, offending a most holy God, cut off from him, 00:31:33.240 --> 00:31:41.240 declaring ourselves enemies of his with all of our life, right, have been made new in Christ. 00:31:41.240 --> 00:31:42.240 We were dead. 00:31:42.240 --> 00:31:44.240 He made us alive. 00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:47.240 He granted to us his righteousness. 00:31:47.240 --> 00:31:54.240 And now he's given us a spirit that we might walk in obedience toward him with the church. 00:31:54.240 --> 00:31:58.240 That's why this is so important that we get right. 00:31:58.240 --> 00:32:04.240 We gather together and we walk together in newness of life. 00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:15.240 So, we baptize by immersion because we want those within and those outside the church to see a clear picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:32:15.240 --> 00:32:20.240 We believe that the scripture teaches this and does so reasonably. 00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:31.240 I hope that you will join with us this morning in celebrating the ordinance of baptism as Chris Biggers will come in a few moments and is baptized by our church this morning. 00:32:31.240 --> 00:32:36.240 But before we welcome him, let's spend a few moments together in prayer.