Colossians 2:12
How Infant Baptism Relates to … Part 1
In this adult Sunday school class, Pastor Albert N. Martin continues his series on infant baptism, focusing on its relationship to the biblical significance of baptism. He first reviews the dual significance of baptism as both a symbolic act (representing applied salvation, remission of sins, regeneration, and union with Christ) and a declaratory act (public confession of repentance and obedience). Martin then demonstrates how leading Paedobaptist confessions and theologians, such as the Westminster Confession and John Calvin, affirm this biblical symbolism of baptism. He argues that this clear biblical teaching is fundamentally incompatible with the practice of infant baptism, presenting an 'insoluble dilemma' for Paedobaptists who must either assert a 'rankest presumption' or redefine baptism's symbolism to be prospective rather than retrospective, a move he critiques as unbiblical and a contradiction of texts like Colossians 2:12.
Primary Texts
Topics
Outline 9 sections · 52 min
- Prayer and Review of Baptism's Biblical Significance 0:00
- The Incompatibility of Infant Baptism with Baptism's Symbolism 5:39
- Paedobaptist Recognition of Baptism's Symbolism: Westminster Confession 8:50
- Paedobaptist Recognition of Baptism's Symbolism: John Calvin 15:15
- Paedobaptist Recognition of Baptism's Symbolism: Pierre Marcel 23:14
- The Insoluble Dilemma for Paedobaptists 30:20
- Paedobaptist Attempts to Resolve the Dilemma: 'Smoke Screens' 36:54
- Paedobaptist Attempts to Resolve the Dilemma: Prospective Symbolism 40:06
- Colossians 2:12 and the Necessity of Faith 47:19
Key Quotes
“Now if this is not a frank, plain, clear statement of the fact that baptism symbolizes that redemption has been applied to the party baptized, then I cannot make head nor tail out of what that says. That is what it says.”
“Now, is there any way that that accurate and biblical definition in the Westminster Confession of the symbolism of baptism can be sanely, biblically, and honestly applied in its thoroughness to the so-called biblical ordinance in quotes of infant baptism?”
“Now, is that the symbolism of infant baptism? Is infant baptism like a sealed document to confirm to that infant that all of its sins are so abolished, remitted, and effaced that they can never come to his sight, be recalled, or charged against him? Yes or no?”
“To claim that that infant has that we are symbolizing that redemption has been applied to that infant as we are symbolizing in the case of believers who come to be baptized to say that is evidently to be guilty of the rankest presumption.”
“Then how can you call it baptism if it doesn't symbolize what baptism symbolizes? What you yourself and what scripture says baptism symbolizes.”
“Either they must be guilty of the rankest presumption and boldly assert that's exactly what it symbolizes or they must say no what we are doing does not symbolize what we teach baptism symbolizes and yet it's still baptism and God's commanded us to do it. In the name of baptism that's a problem.”
“The issue is not what it guarantees the issue is what it symbolizes does it or does it not symbolize the application of redemption to that person yes or no , come right back there I didn't say did it guarantee that the person baptized has been saved but does it symbolize that the person baptized has been saved”
“it's one thing to say that a profession of faith can be false and hypocritical but can a promise of God be false if it's a credible promise of God how can it fail if God has promised your infant will be saved can the infant not be saved”
Applications
All listeners
- Pray for the Holy Spirit's blessing to understand truth clearly and avoid error.
- Reflect upon your own baptism and the great things God has done in applying redemption, exercising faith in Him.
A full transcript is available on the tab. 94 paragraphs, roughly 52 minutes.
Prayer and Review of Baptism's Biblical Significance
This adult Sunday school class was held on September 11, 1983, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey.
Now let's begin by asking the Lord's blessing upon our studies this morning.
Our Father, as we come again to your presence, we come with the awareness, the sense that we cannot rightly grasp the truth, nor understand it clearly or to our own benefit, apart from the presence, the activity, the blessing of the Holy Spirit upon our time together. Lord, we pray that you would pour out of your Spirit upon us, that he would bless us, keep our minds from error, enable us to understand the truth clearly and to present the truth and receive it graciously. For we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
Now last week we began to consider the second major part or unit under our study of infant baptism, and that second unit was what we have entitled the significance of baptism. What is the biblical significance of the ordinance of baptism? And last week we considered...
We considered the teaching of one book, namely the Bible. We went through the biblical passages which describe and explicitly define the significance of the ordinance of baptism. And we saw that baptism has a dual or two-fold significance in the Word of God. First of all, it has its significance...
You could call a symbolic dimension or part. And then also it has a declaratory dimension or part. Now first of all, in its symbolic significance, it symbolizes that salvation has been applied to the person baptized. It symbolizes...
It signifies the washing of sin, the washing away, the purification of a person's sins, that there has been death to sin, and that not only has the pollution of sin been removed, but the guilt of sin has been removed. And it also, not only negatively, has symbolism with reference to sin, growing out of repentance, but it also has symbolism with reference to Christ growing out of the exercise of faith on the part of the person baptized. It signifies union with Christ in all of those blessings which are in Him. Justification, adoption. Justification and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the person who is united to Christ.
So in the broadest sense, baptism symbolizes that the party, the person who is being baptized, has been united to Christ, has had his or her sins forgiven and washed away. But it also, secondly, has this declaratory dimension. And the declaratory dimension is also both negative and positive. In the very ordinance of baptism, the person who is being baptized declares publicly and openly testifies that he or she is penitent for their sins. That they...
have confessed their sin and that they declare that they are putting away their sin. That's negative. And positively, they declare that they are determined to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be identified openly and publicly with Jesus Christ and with His people. So baptism involves not only symbolization, it involves proclamation, it involves declaration on the part of the person who is being baptized.
It symbolizes that that person has been forgiven and has been united to Christ. And the person baptized declares that he is done with his sin and intends to be obedient to Jesus Christ as His disciple and to be identified openly with Him and with His people. Now we saw...
The Incompatibility of Infant Baptism with Baptism's Symbolism
that from the scriptures, I hope clearly last week. Now, having laid out the biblical teaching about the significance of baptism as a symbolic act and as a declaratory act, then what we must do if we are to examine infant baptism in the light of the significance of baptism is we must consider together how infant baptism relates, first of all, to the symbolism inherent in baptism, and secondly, how infant baptism relates to the declaration inherent in baptism. So we need to look at infant baptism with respect to the significance of baptism, and we saw a dual significance of symbolism and then declaration. Symbolism which respects or which has to do with the person baptized and declaration on the part of the person baptized. Now, how are these two dimensions of the significance of baptism
relate to infant baptism? That's the issue. And what we shall do, the Lord willing, this morning, is to consider, first, the relationship of infant baptism to the symbolism inherent through baptism. And then, the Lord willing, next week, to take up the second, the relationship of infant baptism to the declaration which is identified with baptism.
Now, this may sound strange, but both this morning and this week, I will begin by asserting that both with respect to the symbolism of baptism and the declaration of baptism, the paedobaptists both agree with and confess both of those things. So that they both, they would both agree with what we said last week about the symbolism of baptism and they would agree with what has been said about the declaration inherent in baptism. That may sound hard to believe, but it is true. Now, and I want to establish that at the outset and then seek to show that what they can, what they can confess at this point is true, and yet that what they confess is incompatible, completely incompatible with their practice of infant baptism. And I will attempt to analyze some of their arguments, the major ones, by which they seek to put these two things together. So that's where we're going to go, the Lord willing, in the next two weeks. Now, let's take the first one then, the symbolism, baptism and infant baptism.
Paedobaptist Recognition of Baptism's Symbolism: Westminster Confession
Now, my first point is this. It is that the clear biblical teaching about what baptism symbolizes is recognized and asserted by leading, now, of course, that's a matter of judgment on my part, and I'll give you the names, by leading paedobaptist authors and standards. The clear teaching about the symbolism of baptism is recognized, and asserted by leading paedobaptist authors and standards. Let's start with the Westminster Confession.
Would you get your hymn book, please? Page 678. We closed with this last week. Now we begin here again.
Now, I've got the thing turned around. It must be 687. Yes, not 678, 687. Remember, what I'm trying to show is that paedobaptists, the most respected, recognized, leading statements of their faith,
assert what we have said about the symbolism of baptism.
Page 687, the Westminster Confession,
paragraph one on baptism. Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament ordained by Jesus Christ not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible church, but also to be unto, hymn, but also to be unto, hymn. Who's the hymn? If you look back, the antecedent is the party baptized.
The party baptized. But also to be unto hymn, that is, unto the party baptized, a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his engrafting into, of Christ, of regeneration,
of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God through Jesus Christ to walk in newness of life.
And then it simply says, which sacrament is by Christ's own appointment to be continued in his church unto the end of the world. Now if this is not a frank, plain, clear statement of the fact that baptism symbolizes that redemption has been applied to the party baptized, then I cannot make head nor tail out of what that says. That is what it says.
Solemn admission of the party baptized to the visible church, but to be also unto, to hymn, a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his engrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God through Jesus Christ to walk in newness of life. Now the obvious question is, is that the symbolism of infant baptism?
Is that what infant baptism, does infant baptism signify? Does infant baptism signify that that infant, the party baptized, has been solemnly admitted to the visible church? They would say yes. On that part, they would agree.
Amen. Is it unto that infant a sign and seal of the covenant of grace? They would say yes. Amen.
But let's go on. Is it a sign and seal of that infant's engrafting into Christ? At this point, they might begin to waffle a little bit. Say, well, it depends on what you mean by engrafting into Christ.
Okay, let's go on. Of regeneration? Now, either yes or no. Is it a sign and seal of the infant's regeneration?
Yes or no. Is it a sign and seal of remission of sins? You can't waffle on what that means. Is it a sign and seal of the fact that that infant's sins have been remitted?
Yes or no. And it demands a yes or no answer. Now, look at this one. Is it a sign and seal of his giving up unto God through Jesus Christ to walk in newness of life?
Is that what it signifies? Does it symbolize that that infant has repented, has given up unto God to walk in newness of life? Now, is there any way that that accurate and biblical definition in the Westminster Confession of the symbolism of baptism can be sanely, biblically, and honestly applied in its thoroughness to the so-called biblical ordinance in quotes of infant baptism? Is there any way that that definition can be made to stand when it comes to infant baptism?
See, the problem that they face,
that's a very serious difficulty, and hopefully, later on, we'll come to see how they attempt to answer it. Let's take John Calvin in his Institutes.
Paedobaptist Recognition of Baptism's Symbolism: John Calvin
John Calvin. Now, I have the Battles edition, which is on page 1303, because otherwise you would go crazy trying to find this, but in terms of the typical notation of Calvin, this is found in 14, or 15, 1 through 6.
Book 4, chapter 15, sections 1 through 6. And it's here that John Calvin describes the significance of baptism. And here's the title at the beginning. It says, Baptism, a sign of our forgiveness and of our participation in Christ's death and resurrection, and also in his blessings.
1 through 6.
The meaning of baptism.
Baptism is the sign of initiation by which we are received into the society of the church in order that,
engrafted in Christ, we may be reckoned among God's children.
Now, if baptism was given to us by God for these ends, which I have taught to be common to all sacraments, first, to serve our faith before him, the intimate connection of baptism as a means of grace to minister to our faith, second, to serve our confession before men. There's the intimate connection between baptism and our public declaration and confession of our faith, both of the elements are there. We shall treat in order the reason for each aspect, the two aspects, of its institution. Baptism brings three things to our faith, which we must deal with individually.
The first thing the Lord sets out for us is that baptism should be a token and proof of our cleansing.
The better to explain what I mean, it is like a sealed document to confirm to us that all of our sins are so abolished, remitted, and effaced that they can never come to his sight or be recalled or charged against us, for he wills that all who believe to be baptized, for the remission of sins. And what passages does he quote? Acts 2.38, Matthew 28.19.
So the first thing symbolized is that baptism symbolizes our cleansing from sin. It symbolizes the complete remission and pardon of our sins. It is, in his words, like a sealed document to confirm to us that all of our sins are so abolished, remitted, and effaced that they can never come to his sight, be recalled, or charged against us. Now, is that the symbolism of infant baptism?
Is infant baptism like a sealed document to confirm to that infant that all of its sins are so abolished, remitted, and effaced that they can never come to his sight, be recalled, or charged against him? Yes or no?
Second significance.
He has a threefold.
In section five, he says, baptism as a token of mortification and renewal in Christ. Baptism also brings another benefit. For it shows us our mortification in Christ and new life in him. As the apostle says, now he quotes Roman six, we have been baptized into his death, buried with him into death, that we may walk in newness of life.
Now, the question is this. Can we say of that infant that baptism brings him another benefit in that it shows him his mortification in Christ and that it shows him his new life in him? That it shows him that he has been buried with him into death in order that that infant may now walk in the newness of spiritual life? And then his third and final display of the significance of infant baptism is this.
Baptism as token of our union with Christ. Lastly, our faith receives from baptism the advantage of its sure testimony to us that we are not only engrafted in the death and life of Christ, but so united to Christ himself that we become sharers in all his blessings.
Is that what baptism signifies to that infant? Is baptism the sure testimony to that infant that it is not only engrafted into the death of Christ, the death and life of Christ, but also that that infant is so united to Christ himself that that infant has become a sharer in all of his blessings? Is that what it signifies? Yes or no?
You see, Calvin rightly recognizes the biblical significance of baptism. He rightly recognizes baptism. From the very text we looked at last week, he rightly recognizes what baptism symbolizes. But the question is, can that possibly conceivably be what infant baptism symbolizes?
Now, that's the problem faced by those who wish to hold on to the biblical teaching which is so clear and patent regarding the significance of baptism and at the same time apply that ordinance to newborn infants.
Paedobaptist Recognition of Baptism's Symbolism: Pierre Marcel
Well, I'll pass over the teaching of Hodge, which is the same, the teaching of Berkhoff, which is the same, the teaching of the 39 articles of the Church of England in Article 27, which is also exactly the same, and I'll come directly to Marcel.
Marcel, Pierre Marcel in his book The Biblical Doctrine of Infant Baptism, which is often put forward by paedobaptists as one of the most powerful polemics in favor of their position. Marcel very succinctly and very well as a matter of fact goes through the biblical texts like we did last week and lays out what baptism symbolizes. And in so doing he quotes from Calvin the book The Biblical Doctrine of Infant Baptism and in so doing he quotes from Calvin and recognizes that what he is teaching is indeed the summary and digest, an accurate summary and digest of reformed thought. He says the following things.
Of what is baptism the sign and seal? Number one, I'm quoting now from pages 143 and following.
Baptism is in the first place. The sign and seal of the remission of sins and consequently of our justification. Baptism is in the first place the sign and seal of remission of sins and consequently of our justification. He quotes from Mark 1.4 Acts 2.38 the very passage that we looked at last week. Secondly, on page 144,
baptism is the sign and seal of regeneration of the death of the old man and the resurrection of the new man through communion in the death and resurrection of Christ. The central texts on which this affirmation rests are as follows. Romans 6.3-6 Colossians 2.12 Then he has other texts as well which we didn't look at last week because they're really not the key or central text but other texts as well which are second rank soldiers as they've been called in the past. Okay? And he says under this the question here is one of incorporation of implanting or grafting. We become one plant with Christ.
Paul says that we are grafted into the death and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ in order that we may also be partakers of his resurrection and life.
And he goes on to go to the heart of the matter. The death of Christ and our own death which is ultimately accomplished in us are not too distinct and separate deaths. So he goes on to say that all of this is symbolized in baptism. And he says point D it's almost as though he's giving us a transcript of Calvin arranged and summarized deeply.
Being one with Christ we are through the Holy Spirit made partakers of all his blessing. Christ is thus the same. The central content of baptism. The fulfillment of baptism is in Christ who is the proper object of baptism and its end and purpose.
And this is why in the church all baptism ought to be administered in the name of Christ. And he goes on to say thirdly baptism is the sign and seal of the believer's communion not only with Christ himself but also with the church which is his body. The baptized person is removed from a corrupted race and separated from the world.
Baptism is the sign and seal that we are set apart saved from the world. From the midst of this corrupt generation.
B. The baptized person is made a disciple of Jesus Christ. C. The baptized person is incorporated into the visible church.
And here he quotes Acts chapter 2 where we read last week the person baptized is incorporated or added to the visible church. And there were added unto them in that day 3,000 souls.
Now is all of this true of infant baptism?
Is baptism the sign and seal of the remission of the infant's sins and consequently of the infant's justification?
Secondly, is baptism the sign and seal of the infant's regeneration? Of the death of the infant's old man? The resurrection of his new man through communion in the death and resurrection of Christ? Has he become one plant with Christ?
Is that what's being symbolized? Has he put on Christ? Is that what's being symbolized? Is baptism for the infant the sign and seal of his communion not only with Christ himself but also with the church which is his body?
Has the infant been removed from a corrupted race and separated from the world in a situation in which he says there's no middle position? Is that what's being symbolized? Is that what's being symbolized? Is that what's happened to the infant?
Has the infant been made a disciple of Jesus Christ? Has the infant been incorporated into the visible church of Jesus Christ? Is all of that indeed what infant baptism signifies? Yes or no?
The Insoluble Dilemma for Paedobaptists
Now that is the problem. The problem is that godly and evangelical paedobaptists in the Reformed tradition to a man or I should maybe not to a man but I should say to a man but at least in the broad and overarching statements of their faith clearly explicitly teach the biblical doctrine about the symbolism of baptism. Now that's the first point. The second point is this.
It is that this clear teaching is incompatible with infant baptism. The second point and the final point this morning is that this clear teaching which is recognized by baptism and paedobaptists and paedobaptists alike this clear teaching is incompatible clearly incompatible with infant baptism. Now there are only two real possibilities. Only two.
Thankfully it's not that complicated.
Either that as it has been described as it has been derived from the clear exposition of scripture by both the Bible and the Bible by both Baptists and paedobaptists alike either that is the significance of infant baptism or it is not.
What other options are open to you? You have a yes or no question put to you. Is that the significance of what you are doing when you put that water and sprinkle it upon that infant's head? Is that what it signifies?
Yes or no? No. Simple straight plain question and that simple straight plain question demands a simple straight plain answer. However that simple straight plain question very rarely receives a simple straight plain answer for what I think are obvious reasons.
If it's the same significance then as what the Bible teaches baptism signifies and symbolizes everywhere if that's true and if that's what you're doing when you sprinkle that water upon that infant's head then that is an act of presumption of the rankest sort and no one wants and everyone recognizes that and no one wants to be guilty of that. So it's a rare rare person who's prepared to stand up boldly and say yes that is exactly what infant baptism signifies.
Infant baptism is precisely baptism and it contains 100% of all of the symbolism which we've taught in our standards creeds and books about what baptism is and means that is exactly and precisely what infant baptism is and means. It's a rare bird who's prepared to say that. Such are few and far between because to say that it is recognized is to be guilty of presumption of the rankest sort. To claim that that infant has that we are symbolizing that redemption has been applied to that infant as we are symbolizing in the case of believers who come to be baptized to say that is evidently to be guilty of the rankest presumption.
That's what happens if it's the same. What happens if it's different?
To say no. That is not what infant baptism symbolizes. It is not what infant baptism symbolizes. Then how can you call it baptism if it doesn't symbolize what baptism symbolizes?
What you yourself and what scripture says baptism symbolizes. Now if this action which you are going through this symbolic rite and ritual does not symbolize what you teach baptism symbolizes why do you call it baptism?
That's the other side of the coin.
So they face a dilemma which is unpleasant but that's what they face. Because they recognize in careful exegesis the biblical teaching about the symbolism of baptism when they come to apply this to infants they are faced with let's say it frankly an insoluble dilemma.
Either they must be guilty of the rankest presumption and boldly assert that's exactly what it symbolizes or they must say no what we are doing does not symbolize what we teach baptism symbolizes and yet it's still baptism and God's commanded us to do it. In the name of baptism that's a problem. But it's that second route which most paedo-baptists seek to take and I trust you can see that patently and on the very surface of the case that is in error that is in error it is an error and if that if what baptism symbolizes is not what you're doing when you're sprinkling the water on the baby's head then what are you doing? And if you cannot find justification warrant teaching concerning what it signifies under the biblical data respecting baptism where are you going to find it?
Paedobaptist Attempts to Resolve the Dilemma: 'Smoke Screens'
Where will you find it? And of course the answer comes back you find it under the biblical teaching respecting circumcision.
Now when they give their hedged yes no one comes out and boldly says yes this is what it signifies at least few are prepared to do that they come with their hedged yes well is that what baptism symbolizes yes or no well yes and no and then things start to get smoky and cloudy and it's because of that hedging on that simple question that the pedo-baptist authors are so difficult to understand and so often say things where they come right to the verge of something then they turn around and come back the other way because they're hedging on this vital issue and the hedge begins when they tell us first of all now the first thing you have to recognize and the first thing you have to come to grips with in dealing with this question is that what infant baptism symbolizes yes or no the first thing you have to come to grips with is that baptism does not guarantee that the party baptized has been saved and that's where they start that's the foundation they begin by telling us that baptism does not guarantee that the party baptized has been saved so you go to Acts chapter 8 and there you find the case of Simon now did
Simon's baptism guarantee that Simon had been saved no of course not so then the reasoning goes from there is to say well then you see then it's okay to practice infant baptism because if baptism doesn't guarantee that Simon wasn't saved then it doesn't have to guarantee that the infant was saved either so that's where we start oh yes but wait that's smoke smoke smoke smoke does it symbolize that the person baptized has been saved that's the issue the issue is not what it guarantees nobody claims at least no evangelicals claim that baptism guarantees anything we all agree amen the question is not what it guarantees the question is what it symbolizes and to introduce that other issue is to start the thing off by introducing smoke the issue is not what it guarantees the issue is what it symbolizes does it or does it not symbolize the application of redemption to that person yes or no , come right back there I didn't say did it guarantee that the person baptized has been saved but does it symbolize that the person baptized has been saved
Paedobaptist Attempts to Resolve the Dilemma: Prospective Symbolism
and it will not do to introduce that smoke in an effort to evade the issue ah then the second one is this after we start with the fact that baptism does not guarantee that the party baptized has been saved then we move on to this next effort to , get around it and it is this and here's the heart of the argument it symbolizes the application of redemption there's the continuity between infant baptism and what they call adult baptism both symbolize the application of redemption okay now here comes this here comes the switch adult baptism symbolizes that the party baptized has been saved but it doesn't guarantee that they have been saved and infant baptism symbolizes that the party baptized will be saved but it doesn't guarantee that the party baptized will be saved that's how they do it you see that's exactly what they do and they say well it's not so much retrospect
but prospect and in both instances you have the application of redemption and here's the point of baptism and here's the application of redemption now here's the adult what they call or believer baptism looks back and says the person baptized has been but it doesn't guarantee it right only symbolizes it so here here's the continuity it symbolizes the application of redemption but not in retrospect that the infant has been saved but looking to the future that the infant will be saved and of course it doesn't guarantee that the infant will be saved any more than this baptism guarantees that the person baptized has been saved
the very same thing the forgiveness of sins regeneration justification union with Christ a new nature all of the things that we spoke about engrafting into Christ you see with the infant it doesn't symbolize that the infant has been regenerated but that the infant will be regenerated it doesn't symbolize that the infant has been justified but that the infant will be justified now next point this is built upon what upon a confession of faith how do we have any warrant to assert that this person has been saved so that we can then symbolize that they have been saved well that grows out of or is occasioned upon they would not say that the ground of baptism is the profession of faith no the ground of baptism is the covenant of grace in both cases but the occasion for baptism in the case of the adult is their confession of faith ah but they have they say even a more certain occasion not someone's profession of faith not
something that comes from man but something that comes from God they have not a man's profession they do not have a credible confession of faith but they have something better they have a credible promise of God see that that's the system that's how they seek to answer the problem they give up on the idea of saying that it symbolizes that the person has been saved they know that's a no-go situation so it must symbolize then that the infant will be saved not based or not occasioned upon the infant's confession of faith but occasioned upon the credible promise of God that that infant will be saved but you see it doesn't guarantee that the infant will be saved even as it doesn't even as this person's profession of faith does not guarantee that they have been saved and even as the credible profession of faith does not guarantee that the person who makes that confession has been saved so also the credible promise of God that the person will be saved does not guarantee that the person will be saved well let's stop right there wait a minute wait a minute
it's one thing to say that a profession of faith can be false and hypocritical but can a promise of God be false if it's a credible promise of God how can it fail if God has promised your infant will be saved can the infant not be saved it's one thing to say that a person's profession does not guarantee that that person really and in fact has been saved well enough but how can you apply that to God's promise how can you say that God has promised that the person will be saved and yet the person's not saved now dealing with the promise of God is not the same as dealing with men's profession and on the one hand it seems to be God centered and God glorifying and that it doesn't rest the occasion of this baptism upon what man does but upon what God does but wait if God does it why does it fail if God promises it why doesn't it come to pass that's the problem that is attached to that approach and that whole idea that God
Colossians 2:12 and the Necessity of Faith
has promised that our children will be saved that whole idea grows out of this attempt grows out of this attempt to marry infant baptism with the biblical teaching respecting baptism now we only have two minutes left and I can see there are many questions and we're going to give you opportunity next week there's no way we can do it this morning but there's one other thing that I wish to say this morning we turn to one text which hopefully will cut through all of this do we have Colossians chapter 2 do we have in verse 12 one of the texts that is often quoted the text is Colossians 2 12 do we have the warrant to make this adjustment with respect to the relationship of the application of salvation and the person baptized do we have warrant to do this well the answer of this text is no having been buried with him in baptism wherein you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God who
raised him from the dead now what happens here is that this symbolism does not require the exercise of faith on the part of the party baptized in order to be valid which violates the principle of that text the principle of that text is that you were raised with Christ symbolically in the ordinance of baptism which is clearly what the text says through the exercise of faith that the symbolism which God has instituted is intimately bound up with the exercise of personal faith in the very event of baptism on the part of the party baptized when you make this transition from saying that it signifies and symbolizes that the party baptized has been saved to saying that it symbolizes that the party baptized will be saved the exercise of personal faith on the part of the party baptized in the event of baptism is no longer necessary to the conducting of the ordinance and that is a contradiction of what
is taught in Colossians 2.12 it violates the clear precept of that text to make this shift between saying that it symbolizes that the person has been saved and that it symbolizes that the party baptized will be saved now our time is gone and like I can see many hands went up so you can think about this hopefully and then the Lord willing next week will give you an opportunity to ask your questions let's pray our father we give you thanks for your holy word we bless you Lord for what is symbolized and sealed to us in that wonderful ordinance of baptism and we pray oh God that as we reflect upon our baptisms that these great things which you've done for us in applying redemption to us may become the more precious to us as we exercise our own faith in you as the living God who has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ receive our thanks through your beloved son and seal your word to our hearts through the Holy Spirit we ask it in Jesus name Amen
This transcript was generated by automated speech recognition and may contain errors. It is provided for study and reference only; the audio recording is the authoritative source.
Passages Expounded
This passage is expounded to demonstrate that the symbolism of baptism is intimately linked with the exercise of personal faith, directly challenging the Paedobaptist reinterpretation of infant baptism.
Texts Expounded
Also Referenced
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Requirements #5: Discipleship Baptism Part 3
Matthew 28:18-20
layers Living Together in the Father's House
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