One Only Baptism
Acts 2: 29-41; Belgic Confession Article 34 (Part II)
Preached by Rev. Keith Davis at Lynwood URC on 4-15, 2012 (Songs: 222, 417, 414, 418)
Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the writings which we refer to as the confessions
of the Reformed Faith are a summary of the teachings of Scripture. Those teachings are
arranged in a clear and logical pattern, in order that we may come to a better understanding of
who our God is, and of who we are in relation to God, and of the salvation that is ours in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
But what makes the Reformed Confessions especially unique and particularly helpful to us is that
they not only teach us what we believe, but they also clearly spell out the things which are not to
be believed. In other words, our confessions warn us against heresy. They warn us against the
very types of teaching that can lead us astray and cause us to stumble.
The Heidelberg Catechism, for example warns us against the unbiblical practices of praying to
saints, and partaking in the Mass, and worshipping images. And in the Canons of Dordt, after
each head of doctrine, there is an entire section called the rejection (refutation) of errors.
Within the thirty-seven articles of the Belgic Confession we find several articles in which the
author named particular errors and heresies that are to be detested and condemned by the faithful
in the Church of Jesus Christ.
We came across one such example of this last week in our consideration of Article 34 -- the
Bible’s teaching regarding baptism. There we read of how we detest the error of the Anabaptists,
who are not content with the one only baptism they have once received, and moreover condemn
the baptism of the infants of believers.
This morning, I want to take up this matter with you, for the simple reason that many of us have
friends or relatives who are Baptists, who are either life-long members of the Baptist church, or
they have joined later in life and have been re-baptized, or maybe they are attending a Baptist
church, and thinking about being re-baptized s they can join as members.
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And let’s be honest, when we talk to them about our differences, or tell them that we disagree
with their view of baptism, we don’t always know what to say to them; or how to explain our
beliefs. To put it simply we don’t really know what it is that we are supposed to detest.
And this is perhaps all the more reason for us to look more closely at this portion of Article 34,
so that not only for our own understanding, but also for the sake of our convincing others, we can
be sure that we know what we believe and why we believe it.
So let’s consider God’s Word together under this theme: Christ Calls His Church to Detest the
Error of those who Reject our One Only Baptism.
1) What is this Error?
2) What is the Truth about Baptism?
1) What is this Error
People of God, the first thing we need to discern is the nature of the error that we are called to
detest. If I could quickly interject here, this article does not call us (require us) to detest Baptist
believers; or to condemn Baptists as heretics or treat them as unbelievers. No. We called to
detest the error they perpetuate. We are called to recognize this error so that we and our children
do not repeat it; so that we do not follow after them into this error.
Due to the theological differences over this issue, we may not be a member of a Baptist church,
and they may not be a member of our church; yet these differences are not of a sort that would
keep us from seeing each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.
But having said that, I in no way want to downplay or minimize the seriousness of this error
which we are called to detest. The practice of re-baptizing is a practice which God condemns
and which we (as followers of Christ) are called to condemn and detest as well.
So let’s take a closer look at this error. First, let’s begin with the history of the Anabaptists. The
name itself means re-baptizers, or again-baptizers. The Anabaptist movement began in the early
days of the Protestant Reformation; that was when groups of far right wing Reformers began to
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form: the Brethren of Common life, the Waldensians, the Hussites to name a few. These groups
were especially known by their defiance of civil authority as well. These men came to
eventually came to be known as radical reformers; they took the Reformation to extreme
measures that they went beyond what Scriptures taught in many areas.
Such radical Reformers were present in the Netherlands, as Dutch leader Menno Simons came to
be identified as an Anabaptists. As you may also know, this wing of radical reformers found
their way into the United States and gave rise to the Amish communities, and to the Mennonites
and the Hutterites, and the Bruderhof Communities, to name a few.
And of course, one of the beliefs, one of the practices that set these radical reformers apart from
the Roman Catholic Church as well as the Lutheran and Protestant church was their divergence
from the church’s long standing practice of baptizing the infants of believers.
The Anabaptists rejected infant baptism, and they began to practice (what they called) a right or
true baptism: the exclusive baptism of adult believers. In fact, I think it’s important for us to
understand this point, because the people we refer to as Ana-baptist actually resent that name.
They resent the term Anabaptist much like we take offense at the notion of Roman Catholics
calling Martin Luther or John Calvin (the rest of the Reformers) a band of disgruntled and
misguided rebels, a band of schismatics!
The Anabaptist believed that they were following the teachings of Christ himself, that they were
administering baptism the way the Bible taught. They were following the example of the church
and the apostles in the book of Acts -- where baptism followed belief and repentance.
In fact, we just read the words of Peter in Acts 2. After he preached the Gospel on Pentecost
morning, what happened? By the power of the Holy Spirit, the people were cut to the heart. In
their sorrow, they cried out to Peter and the other Apostles, Brothers, what shall we do?
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And what was Peter’s answer? He replied Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name
of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins! That instruction followed the command of Christ
Himself. In Mark 16:16, before Jesus ascended he instructed His disciples to go into all the
world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.
And so the Anabaptists are of the mind that this is the right baptism, that this is the baptism of
Jesus. What’s more, the practice we refer to as infant baptism (the practice of baptizing the
infant children of believing adults) THEY CALL a robbery of the right baptism of Christ.
And this is why they argue that all those who were baptized as an infant, and now desire to join a
Baptist church NEED NOT be re-baptized, but they actually need to be baptized for the first
time. Again, in their view, the baptism given to the children of believers is not a baptism at all;
and it is most certainly NOT the baptism commanded by Jesus where faith and repentance are
prerequisite to the saving waters of baptism.
So in their eyes, they are not Re-baptizing anyone. Rather, they are merely applying the real
baptism that every believer needs. And let’s understand something else about this position. As
Reformed believers, we do not reject or detest the practice of believer baptism.
In fact, we practice believer baptism as well. When someone comes to us from outside the
church of Jesus Christ, who has not been raised in a Christian home, and who has never before
been baptized, then upon hearing the testimony of that individual, upon hearing of that person’s
love for God, of their sorrow for sin, and of their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of sins, we would administer to them the sacrament of baptism.
We’ll be doing exactly that by the way on the morning of May 27. We’ll be administering the
sacrament of baptism to an adult who has never been baptized before, who by the power and
grace of God has been converted and has come to saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ!
So we do practice ‘believer baptism.’ But the difference is that we who are truly Reformed, we
believe that the promises and blessings which God gives to us in baptism come to us in the
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context of the covenant. In other words, the promises and blessings God makes to us (which are
signed and sealed in baptism) extend not only to us, but as Peter says in his sermon (in verse 39
of Acts 2) extend to our children as well -- just as the promises God made to Abraham (by nature
of the covenant) extended to Abraham’s sons Isaac and Jacob.
But there’s something more to this error as well. One of the irregularities that arose out of the
Anabaptist tradition was the re-baptizing of believers who experienced what they might describe
as a rededication or a re-commitment to Jesus Christ. Granted, this is something that Reformed
Baptists would probably condemn themselves, yet, it’s part of the wider Baptist tradition.
Let’s say a baptized adult member goes through a pro-longed period of falling away and then
comes back to Christ, that re-dedication, that re-commitment to Christ is often accompanied by
that person’s re-baptism. As it is explained by some, it is perfectly appropriate to do this because
they see baptism is a means of publicly reaffirming their faith.
And maybe some of us hear that and we think – that makes perfect sense. Why not? What’s
wrong with that? What a wonderful way to show our commitment to Christ. In fact, I happened
upon a chat group which was discussing this very topic, and one of the contributors described her
experience of being re-baptized.
She was baptized first at age 9, but after 25 years of marriage, her husband was unfaithful and
she got a divorce. Then she lived for 14 years in rebellion against God; but her trials eventually
led her back to Christ, where she now understood that this was all part of His plan. And as a
result of her being found again and (what she describes as being reborn again) she was rebaptized. I think that is a common perception in many Baptists churches.
They view baptism not only as God’s sign and seal to us, but they view it as our sign to God, a
sign of our love and commitment to God. We would argue that is not how Christ intended the
sacrament of baptism to be used, and yet this is precisely what happens when people are ignorant
of the truth.
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2) What is the Truth about Baptism
That is why, people of God, we have to learn to combat error with truth. And that is what we
will consider next: what is the truth about baptism? First, we need to know what the Bible says
about baptism. The Bible clearly reveals that baptism is a sign and seal of God’s promises to us
in Christ Jesus our Savior.
God promises that for all who believe, the forgiveness of sins and the renewal of the Holy Spirit
is promised through the sprinkling with water, which represents the precious blood of Jesus
Christ poured out for sinners on Calvary’s cross.
And in sending His Apostles into the world to preach the gospel, Christ commanded that they
were to baptize believers as a sign and seal of their being incorporated into the body of Christ, as
a sign and seal that they were now dead to sin, and reborn into Life in Christ, as a means of
marking God’s people as His very own.
So just that much alone, tells us a very important truth about baptism. Baptism is God’s sign to
us; it’s not designed to be our sign to God. It’s all about what God is doing with us and saying
about us as His covenant children; it’s not about what we’re saying or doing unto God. (And no
where is this more powerfully and beautifully demonstrated than when believing parents present
their children for baptism – these children do nothing but receive the sign of the promise).
And the fact is, once God says that we are His child; once we have been given the sign and seal
of the covenant of grace, that sign stays with us for our entire life. That sign and seal remains on
us even if we are one day excommunicated from the church of Jesus Christ. The fact remains
that we were given the sign and seal of baptism; we were promised the blessings of the
forgiveness of sins and the fellowship of the communion of the saints, and that is a mark that no
one can erase, that no one can take away! It is impossible.
And incidentally, that is why, when a member of the church, a child of the covenant forsakes
Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, and thus rejects Christ’s precious promises, their punishment is
made all the more severe on the Day of Judgment. But getting back to what we were saying, it
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is precisely because baptism is Christ’s mark upon us -- a mark that is made only once, that we
can never remove, and that never needs to be repeated, is why we reject as heresy anyone, or any
church that would say otherwise.
And as far as the Anabaptist claim that the practice of baptizing the infants of believers is
unbiblical and not a right baptism, I think the confession does a great job of showing from
Scripture how it is that children of believers in the Old Testament and New were always included
in the covenant, and we’re always recipients of the grace of God and heirs to the promise.
The Confession cites the example of circumcision in the Old Testament (the covenant sign which
God gave to Abram in Genesis 17) that was administered to the sons of the covenant who were
only 8 days old. As we explained last week from Colossians 2, the bloody sign of circumcision
gave way to the sign of water in the New Covenant, and now the sign is given to all the children
of believers.
Likewise, the Confession explains that Christ shed his blood no less for the cleansing of the
children of God’s faithful, than for adult believers, as was demonstrated when Jesus Himself
declared that His kingdom belonged to the little children, and as Christ Himself embraced the
children and received them in His love and grace; and as God declared in the Psalms – He has
ordained praise fom the mouths of babes and sucklings!
Another Biblical ground that is mentioned in our Confession (in support of the practice of infant
baptism) is the fact that in God’s law, the parents of a new born child were required (after the
period of purification was over) to bring to the Tent of meeting, a year old lamb so that the lamb
could be offered up as a burnt offering. So even there, provision was made for the children of
believers – a Lamb was offered, which as the confession correctly points to Christ – and it proves
that the children of believers (shortly after their birth) were made partakers of the sacrament of
Christ’s suffering and death – which baptism itself signifies.
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We could also point to the Passover, where the Lord saved the children of believers as well as
their adult parents; God showed His grace and favor all those who lived in home; they were all
covered by blood of the Lamb, and were marked by God Himself for life.
So this is a summary of the defense which Article 34 gives in terms of the baptism of the
children of believers. And now, I know that most Reformed Baptists have their own arguments
from the Bible about why they only practice adult/believer baptism, and we should politely hear
them out; but what is lacking in their arguments is any answer for the arguments provided here.
They are missing the theology of the covenant, and what it means that God in His grace comes to
us and He makes his covenant with us and with our seed, with our children! They are missing
the Scriptural truths that we should hold so dear, that we should never take for granted – as our
own form for baptism explains. Our children should never be denied the sacrament of baptism
simply because of their inability to understand its meaning.
For, without their knowledge our children not only share in Adam’s condemnation, but they are
also received into God’s favor in Christ. In other words, children of believers do not have to
first understand who God is, and accept him as a Savior. For long before a child can ever wrap
his or her mind around the concept of total depravity, or vicarious atonement, or a Triune God,
they are already received by God as members of the household of faith!
In that way, baptism is the birth-right of all children of believers, because by nature of the
covenant, they already belong to God. Baptism merely grants to our children the sign and seal of
their membership in the body of Christ, and the assurance of the washing away of their sins,
which already belongs to them by virtue of God’s promises.
And so now you ask, what’s wrong with a Reformed Baptist requiring that a Reformed believer
be baptized again in order to join their church? Well think about this. How would you feel if a
reformed Baptist accused you of being unconverted, of being an unbeliever, of having no part of
Christ and of having no place in His Kingdom?
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Because that is exactly what they are telling us when they require us to be re-baptized. You’re
not really saved yet, you’re not a member of Christ, because you never received Christ’s
baptism. So, what do you say? Do we still insist that it’s not that big of a deal? Do we still have
a cavalier and arrogant attitude that a little extra washing, a little extra water never hurt anyone?
Maybe you take the same approach as one couple did who told me about their two adult
daughters who were re-baptized. They described it as being something they had to do, but didn’t
want to do. But when they thought it through, they reasoned that it was alright to go ahead –
simply because the church required it, but not because they believed they needed it again.
So for them, they treated the sacrament of baptism not as a sign of their regeneration, but as little
more than a procedural matter, a rubber stamp, a membership requirement, nothing more. How
sad, beloved. How sad when we see our own members willing to denounce the truths that we
hold so dear, that are so precious to us, that comes as such an immense comfort to us – especially
when our covenant children die in the womb, or at birth, or before their profession of faith.
We don’t doubt their salvation – rather we praise our God that He calls us and claims us from
eternity; that God knows who His children already within the womb, and from the very moment
of our birth we are His. And yet, how can we explain it, that more and more Reformed believers
are content to throw that all away, so treat these precious promises of God as if they are empty
and meaningless and vain.
The point is, in the church of Jesus Christ we confess that there is one only baptism. We heard
Dr. Hegeman refer to that in Ephesians 4 last week Sunday night. There is one body and one
Spirit – just as you were called to one hope…one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
Father of all.
So for one of us to go to a church that requires us to be baptized again, when we believe and
know with all our heart and mind that we have already received the one only baptism we need
for the remission of our sins, it is to do more than what God’s Word requires, and that by
definition is to participate in heresy and to dishonor Christ Himself!
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In fact, I think a case could be made that because we know better, because we have been taught
this truth from the days of our youth, that to agree to be re-baptized is a form of blasphemy; it’s
far worse than the error of someone who is raised in a Baptist church and denies infant baptism.
Because at least for them, they are being consistent. Instead, when we are told that we have to
deny our baptism, we should admonish them, and in all seriousness, we should call them to put
an end to this heresy and to repent of the sin of asking Christians to go against conscience, and to
deny the truth of Scriptures in order to be a member of their church.
So, I hope you see why, as some of you asked me last week, this is no small matter. This is
something that should concern us, and grieve us, and something we should be much in prayer
about. And if we have family members who have already been re-baptized, we should be careful
not to offend them unnecessarily, but we should also freely and lovingly explain to them our
reason for not agreeing with their practice; and then we must live in peace with them – knowing
that we cannot undo what they have done, but trying nonetheless to help them see the truth of
God’s Word. Beloved, this is something the Church cannot afford to overlook, or ignore, or
downplay. We are called to detest this error, and not to repeat it, and now we know why. Amen.
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