Baptism of infants for salvation  by Barksdale M. Pullen, III

   I Peter 3:20b-21

   I. Introduction

   The passage we have before us is really a crucial one for the
Christian, for in it we have the apostle Peter writing on the very
foundation of the Christian faith, the work and person of Christ. Peter
then goes on in the passage to explain how that work of Christ applies
to us; through Baptism. If you have your Bible please turn with me to I
Peter chapter three, and follow along as I re-read verses twenty and
twenty-one:

   II. Exposition

   Passage: I Peter 3:20-21

   "...in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through
water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a
removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear
conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ..."

   Prayer

   Peter has been writing about the work of Christ and now turns his
attention to Baptism. Baptism is a confusing term used in the Bible,
because it has two meanings; (i) the supernatural work of the Holy
Spirit in the regeneration of a person, and (ii) the physical act of
the sacrament. This morning I would like to look at the meaning of
Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and concentrate on the meaning of the
Sacrament of Baptism, which we both witnessed and participated in this
morning with Maxwell Parrish and his parents. By studying the origin
and meaning of the Sacrament we can more fully understand the
Sacrament, and we will execute our responsibilities more effectively.

   1. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

   Before we can look at the Sacrament, we must first understand the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist says of Christ in Mark
1:7, "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose
sandals I am not worthy to untie. I baptize you with water, but He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit." and Paul says of this work in Titus
3:5, "he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but
because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and
renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through
Jesus Christ our Savior." Baptism by the Holy Spirit is the
supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the regeneration of a person's
heart to believe and accept the work of Christ, and marks us out of
this world as people who belong to God, which is a gift from God,
because of His mercy. (Repeat) It is very important to understand the
difference between Baptism of the Holy Spirit, as opposed to the actual
Sacrament of Baptism. The Sacrament of Baptism is not necessary for
salvation, as we see from the example of the thief on the cross found
in Luke 23:39-43, and Romans 6:4. but the baptism of the Holy Spirit is
necessary for salvation, for the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to
believe and accept the work and person of Christ. This is what is meant
in our passage when it says, "not as a removal of dirt from the body
but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ..." , we are not saved by an act, but rather by true,
real faith in God, and His Son Jesus Christ. We see from an appeal, or
more accurately a pledge, that it is God who gives us the faith, so
therefore it naturally should be God who enables us to drawn near to
Him. We are able to appeal to God, because it is God that has given us
a clear conscience. We do not know when this supernatural act happens
to a person, but when you truly accept Christ as your personal Savior
and Lord, then you have indeed been baptized by the Holy Spirit. As we
are about to see, and have already witnessed this morning, the
Sacrament of Baptism is the representation of the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit.

   2. The Sacrament of Baptism

   We will deal with three parts of the Sacrament of Baptism; 1. the
meaning of the Sacrament, ii. the responsibilities of the Sacrament,
and iii. the administration of the sacrament.

   A. Meaning of Baptism

   Before we deal with the question of infant or adult baptism, let us
explore the meaning of the Sacrament first. In the Presbyterian system
our theology is covenantal. Which means that we believe that God
operates with His people through covenants, or contracts, such as with
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Noah and the promise never to
destroy the world by a flood which was symbolized by the Rainbow,
Abraham and the Covenant of Grace which was signified by the sign
circumcision, and that these contracts are valid and binding, because
we deal with at God who is perfect and does not change. The covenant
that God made with Abraham in found in Gen 17:7, which says, "I will
establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and
your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God
and the God of your descendants after you." and in Gen 22:18, which
says, "...and through your seed all nations on earth will be blessed,
because you have obeyed me." Behind this simple statement is a great
deal. To be a people of God meant that you obeyed the commands of God,
as set down in the Ten Commandments; it meant you worshiped God as He
prescribed through His messengers the prophets, it meant you offered
sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins, or violation of the Law, you
committed against God. This promise also points ahead to Christ, the
one through whom all the nations are blessed through His resurrection.

   The sign of this covenant is found in verses nine through fourteen
where God speaks to Abraham, "Then God said to Abraham, 'As for you,
you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the
generations to come. This is my covenant, the covenant you are to keep:
Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo
circumcision and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and
you....Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the
flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.'"
The act of circumcision represented at least three things; i. That
those who were circumcised were the people of God, ii. those who were
circumcised had a faith in God, or their parents had such faith, and
iii. those who were circumcised had a belief in the coming of the
Messiah, or their parents had such a belief. This same covenant that
God made with Abraham has not been revoked, but rather it has been
fulfilled in Christ, which enables Paul to write in Gal 3:29, "If you
belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to
the promise." and leads Peter to say in Acts 2:31-39, "Seeing what was
ahead.....-for whom the Lord our God will call." The covenant is the
same, the form has changed, but the essence remains the same.

   The meaning of the Sacrament of Baptism is this: it is the sign and
seal of the symbolic expression of the descent of the Holy Spirit, i.
calling this person to be part of the people of God, ii. to have a
faith in God, and iii. to believe in the reality of the Messiah, who is
Jesus.[Repeat]

   Let us now turn our attention to the question of adult and infant
baptism, which we witnessed and participated in this morning with
Maxwell Parrish. For the adult who is baptized, they themselves mark
themselves out to be a member of the people of God, confess to believe
in God, and belief in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Parallel
to the adult who underwent circumcision. Whenever an adult was brought
into the people of Israel, he was circumcised, and taught the faith.

   Infant baptism also corresponds to circumcision as well, and this is
not a new doctrine. Irenaeus, an early church father from around 100
A.D., mentions infant baptism. The case of infant baptism is not
explicit, but rather implied, and there is nothing wrong with this type
of argument. For example, the Doctrine of the Trinity is no where
explicitly explained, but rather when we look at all the data from
Scripture we formulate the Doctrine of the Trinity; it is implied. And
also with the Lord's Supper. At the Lord's Supper only men were present
in the room. Are we to assume that women are not to partake of the
supper, of course not. It is implied that all believers are to partake
of the Lord's Supper. So is the case with infant Baptism. It is an
implied doctrine, not explicit. I believe that it has been shown that
the rite of baptism corresponds with the rite of circumcision. When we
baptize an infant, we baptize that infant with practically the same
understanding of circumcision. The infant is a child of God, by virtue
of his/her believing parents, or parent, as we see from the Old
Testament in Abraham and Issac in Genesis 21:1-4, and from the New
Testament in Acts 16:15, where entire households were baptized when the
parents accepted Christ.

   The parents promise to bring their child up in the belief of the
Triune God, and the parents promise to teach the child to believe in
the reality of Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. We pray that
one day when the child reaches an age of accountability he/she will
profess for themselves a true belief in Christ Jesus as their personal
Lord and Savior. So that they can say as Luther said, "At least I have
been Baptized". The covenant is fulfilled, the form has changed, but
the essence remains the same.

   B. Responsibilities of Baptism

   But what are our responsibilities associated with this promise; the
responsibilities of the parents, and of the church.

   The first thing we need to remember is that we took a oath before
God the Almighty, and we will be held accountable for this oath. More
specifically, what are the responsibilities of the parent? First the
parents or parent must profess their belief in the Triune God we serve,
and then they must make a decision to have their child baptized (Eph
6). The decision must not occur by pressure or tradition, but by prayer
and study by the parents. The parents then promise to bring their child
up in the 'instruction and discipline(or admonition) of the Lord'. Just
as the parents have the responsibility to provide clothing, food, and
shelter for the child, they also have a responsibility to provide for
the spiritual well-being of their child, the instruction of the Lord.

   The parents have a responsibly to teach their child the knowledge of
the Lord. Many resources are available. There are children's Bibles,
and story and devotional books; there is the church Sunday School,
which begins here at six months; there are retreat centers and church
camps, and now there are home videos of Biblical stories, to name a few
of the resources available. But it must be remembered that it is first
the parent's responsibility, not the church's or anyone else's! Let us
remember the warning of Hosea in Hosea 4:6, where the prophet warned
the people, "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge, Because
you have rejected knowledge, I also will will reject you from being my
priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also
forget your children." Turning to the second part of the promise, what
does it mean when you promise to bring your child up in the discipline
of the Lord. The Book of Proverbs should be read by every parent
regularly. For in this Book we have the wisdom of the Lord applying to
many different situations, including discipline.

   Discipline can take many forms, and the parents will ultimately have
to decide how best to handle discipline. There are several ways that
are stressed in the Book of Proverbs, from 'the rod', to words of
encouragement and rebuke. There are also many resources available in
this area as well- members who children you admire, especially our
elders if they have children, for this is a requirement of their
office; there are also books and tapes by Dr. Dobsen, and others help
to explain ways of discipline for your child. Perhaps the most
effective way of instruction and discipline of the Lord for your child,
is your own example to your children as parents and Christians.

   What are the responsibilities of the church? You too were asked a
question, to promise to help in the spiritual nurture of this child. It
is our responsibility to help guide the child, by providing the
opportunities in the church for the child to become involved. We need
Sunday School teachers, Youth Group Advisors, Chairpersons for Seasonal
pageants, and adults who will listen. We also have a responsibility to
offer advice to the parents. We must be careful not to interfere in the
parents primary responsibility of rearing this child, but we must be
sensitive to when it is appropriate to lend some advice in a Christian
manner.

   We also need to realize as a church, that our responsibility to
nurture the children does not end at such and such an age. Paul
exhorted the church of Corinth to build up one another, and to bear one
another's burdens continually. For the single or the adults who do not
have any children, here is your obligation to the Covenant, to help and
encourage one another. We continue to be infants in the Word, no matter
of our age. We need to remember our responsibilities to one another as
well.

   C. Administration of the Sacrament of Baptism

   Let us look briefly at the administration of the Sacrament of
Baptism. First as we see from the Great Commission in Matt 28, the
Sacrament must be administered by an elder, and in the name of God the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We see from passages such as Acts
10:47, Ezek 36:25, and Ps 51:2, that water must be the element used in
the Sacrament. But as to the question of the mode of baptism, there is
some disagreement. We, as Presbyterians, will accept sprinkling,
pouring, or immersion as valid modes of baptism, but we feel that there
is strong Biblical evidence for sprinkling, and pouring. First from
Biblical passages such as from Ezek 36:25, where God says to Israel, "I
will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse
you from all your iniquities and from all your idols." Second we also
believe that the sacrament should represent the reality it symbolizes.
We see from passages such as Matt 3:16; Mk 1:10, that the Spirit
descended upon Jesus, and from Acts 2:18 the Spirit descended upon the
people at Pentecost. Therefore we believe that pouring, or sprinkling
more accurately represents what has happened, the Spirit descending
down upon the His people.

   III. Conclusion/Application

   In Baptism, our children are publicly identified with the Triune God
we serve, based on the faith of the parents, and you and the church
together have accepted the responsibility to provide for the spiritual
nourishment, discipline and instruction of our children in the Lord,
and to enable our children one day to make their own confession of
faith before God, marking their membership in the Kingdom of God, and
His Covenant of Grace. This is a beautiful occasion, and a wonderful
sign of God's everlasting love and grace. May the Lord God Almighty
make your child's Baptism a wonderful and memorable event for you, your
family, your loved ones, and our church.

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