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Position of the Providence Church Elders:
Baptism
The Lord Jesus Christ has
ordained two rituals to be perpetually observed by His church: baptism
and the Lord’s Supper. These rites are sometimes called “sacraments” by
the Western church, a word that has a neutral etymology (from the Latin
meaning “a holy rite”) and points to their nature as means of grace.
Through baptism and the Lord’s Supper, God ministers grace to His
people, as His people receive and believe His Word.
While the Lord’s Supper is the ongoing rite of remembrance for the
Christian faith, baptism is the initiatory rite of entry into the
Christian faith. We affirm water baptism in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit as a God-glorifying ordinance in the
local church (Matthew 28:19).
The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) makes seven statements about
the sacrament of baptism (we provide pertinent commentary beneath each
statement):
I.
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 him a sign and seal of the covenant
of grace, or his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission
of sins, and of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk
in newness of life: which sacrament is, by Christ's own appointment, to
be continued in his Church until the end of the world.
Baptism is
“a sign and seal of the covenant of grace.” In baptism God speaks and
gives a sign of participation in His saving covenant. Sovereignly
initiated like the covenant, baptism signifies God’s claim on us.
Baptism is a message from God to the one baptized signifying (or
symbolizing) and sealing (or confirming) the blessings of the covenant
of grace.
The mark of baptism signifies the inward realities by which one comes
into enjoyment of the fullness of the covenant of grace – “…
regeneration … remission of sins … giving up unto God through Jesus
Christ, to walk in newness of life” – in short, God’s work of grace in
the human heart. This inner reality of dying to sin and rising to new
life (see Romans 6:4ff.; takes place at conversion) is variously called
regeneration (Titus 3:5 calls this reality “the washing of regeneration
and the renewal of the Holy Spirit”), the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1
Cor. 12:13), and being baptized into Christ. Galatians 3:26-29 says
that being baptized into Christ means becoming Abraham’s seed. To be
baptized into Christ means to enter new life and to possess the faith
of Abraham and therefore to be in union with God, which has been the
goal of the covenant from the very beginning. Water baptism signifies
this reality. It is God’s sign and seal to the one baptized that for
the one who believes in Christ, these promises are true. Like
circumcision, water baptism testifies to Christ. He is the objective
basis for regeneration and renewal and forgiveness. He is our
righteousness and our redemption. The difference is this: circumcision
testified to the Christ who was to come, whereas baptism testifies to
the finished work of Christ who has come and completed redemption.
Baptism is the sign of a vastly broadened, extended, and improved
covenant that did away with many of the distinctives of the old
Levitical administration.
II.
The outward element to be used in the sacrament is water, wherewith the
party is to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost, by a minister of the gospel, lawfully called
thereunto.
A “minister
of the gospel, lawfully called thereunto” is an ordained pastor or
elder in the local church. The minister who baptizes may be an ordained
pastor or elder in another congregation but who baptizes under the
oversight of the elders at Providence.
III.
Dipping of the person into the water is not necessary; but baptism is
rightly administered by pouring or sprinkling water upon the person.
Dipping into water is not
essential for true baptism (that is, immersion is not required in order
for baptism to be baptism). However, baptism is rightly administered by
means of immersion, which, in addition to pouring and sprinkling, is a
biblical mode of baptism.
The elders
of Providence Church will gladly administer baptism by immersion when
requested by credobaptist members or by baptismal candidates.
IV.
Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto
Christ, but also the infants of one or both believing parents are to be
baptized.
The meaning
of both the signs of circumcision and baptism is essentially the same
(that is, they are theologically equivalent). If God commanded infants
to be circumcised as a sign of their inclusion in the old covenant,
then it follows that unless God expressly forbids infant inclusion in
the new covenant, infants should be baptized as a sign of their
inclusion in the covenant. The children of believing parents are to be
baptized as an act of obedience by those parents.
Qualified men who hold to either view of baptism – whether paedobaptist
or credobaptist – may become elders, deacons, and teachers at
Providence. However, all men who fulfill these ministries must agree to
support and preach and teach our confession of faith.
V.
Although it be a great sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance, yet
grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it as that no
person can be regenerated or saved without it, or that all that are
baptized are undoubtedly regenerated.
We want to
make it clear that we do not believe that credobaptist members are
“contemn[ing] or neglect[ing]” this ordinance by taking exception to
infant baptism or by waiting for a profession of faith in their
children before having them baptized. Instead, we encourage
credobaptist members to be true to their biblical convictions, while we
as elders seek to lead the congregation in championing the truth and
also in promoting unity in the church.
VI.
The efficacy of baptism is not tied to that moment of time wherein it
is administered; yet, notwithstanding, by the right use of this
ordinance the grace promised is not only offered, but really exhibited
and conferred by the Holy Ghost, to such (whether of age or infants) as
that grace belongeth unto, according to the counsel of God's own will,
in his appointed time.
There is no
intrinsic efficacy in the act of baptism that immediately confers the
benefits of salvation (in other words, we deny that the efficacy of the
sacrament is ex opere operato). Instead, baptism is a sign of the truth
of the gospel and a seal of the promise of God to redeem the one being
baptized who repents of his sins and places his faith in Christ, who
does so only by God’s sovereign grace and appointment. The efficacy of
baptism does not reside in the merit, faithfulness, or virtue of the
minister administering the baptism. True baptism is not tied to the
worthiness of the one baptizing, but baptism is true baptism when water
is sprinkled or poured on a sinner or when a sinner is immersed in
water in the name of the Triune God.
VII. The sacrament of Baptism is but once to be administered to any person.
Accordingly,
when an individual or a family joins the church, re-baptism is not
required when there has previously been a baptism with water in the
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The view of baptism articulated above is covenant baptism. Believer’s
or disciple’s baptism (also called credobaptism) is a view that is
prevalent in the contemporary church. Credobaptism differs from
covenant baptism in the following ways: (1) credobaptism views baptism
as the subjective testimony of the one being baptized of the possession
of faith and the experience of union with Christ; (2) credobaptism sees
the only proper recipients of baptism as those who have professed faith
in Christ and repentance of sin; (3) credobaptism sees immersion as the
only valid mode of baptism (immersion is of the essence of baptism).
This is the view that the pastors of Providence formerly had, and many
in the church still hold this view. Apart from God granting further
unity on this issue, we foresee the church continuing to be diverse on
the issue of baptism. Providence Community Church is a family of
families who hold to both covenant baptism and believer’s baptism. We
choose not to separate over baptism but instead to work together toward
the unity of the faith. We believe that we can live together in peace
even as we believe differently about baptism, not being complacent
about these matters but instead, out of deep love for the truth and
suspicion of our own weaknesses, being active in working toward unity
in Christ – even sacramental unity.
Providence Church’s membership is composed by household. The head of
the household participates in the government of the church and
represents the family in decision-making. In this way, baptized
children are represented in the membership of the church. A child must
be baptized and must profess faith in Christ before coming to the
Lord’s Supper. Therefore, the elders will work with parents of baptized
children to prepare them to come to the Lord’s table, while unbaptized
children of credobaptist families will come to the Lord’s Table only
after being baptized as a believer.
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