“THUS SAITH THE LORD!”

Isaiah 8:20

Historically, that which has distinguished Baptists from both papists and protestants is the fact that we believe and preach only that which is plainly revealed in Holy Scripture. We are glad to know that our doctrine and practices are supported by history, but we believe nothing and practice nothing simply because others have done so in history. We are delighted with the knowledge that our doctrine and ordinances are logical and reasonable, but we do not base any doctrine or practice upon human logic. We base our faith and our practices as the church of Christ upon the Word of God alone. Our doctrine is neither more nor less than the written Word of God (Isa. 8:20; II Tim. 3:16). Our only creed, our only confession of faith is “Thus saith the Lord!”

We believe the doctrine of the TRINITY because John stated it exactly (I John 5:7). We rejoice in the FORGIVENESS OF SIN because it is written out plainly in the Word of God (I John 1:9). We declare every believer’s total FREEDOM FROM THE LAW because it is written, “We are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:15). We insist upon BELIEVER’S BAPTISM (IMMERSION) because it was commanded by our Lord (Matt. 28:19), exemplified by him (Matt. 3:16), and constantly practiced in the New Testament (Acts 8:37). There is no other mode of baptism. No one was ever baptized in the New Testament except those who personally professed faith in Christ. We observe THE LORD’S TABLE with wine and unleavened bread, leaving it open to all believers, because that is the way it was done in the New Testament (I Cor. 11:23-26; Acts 20:1-7). We believe in the TOTAL DEPRAVITY of man (Rom. 5:12), the UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION of some to salvation (II Thess. 2:13), PARTICULAR, EFFECTUAL REDEMPTION (Isa. 53:8; Heb. 9:12), the EFFECTUAL CALL of the Spirit (Rom. 9:16), and the INFALLIBLE PRESERVATION of all God’s elect in grace (John 10:28), because these things are plainly written out in unmistakable language in the Word of God.

Our faith stands neither in the wisdom of men, nor in the words of men, no matter how wise, no matter how great, no matter how many they may be. Our faith stands in the Word of God alone. I am prepared, if need be, to stand alone in that faith.

“CAN ANY FORBID WATER THAT THESE SHOULD NOT BE BAPTIZED?”

Acts 10:47

Recently I received an anonymous letter from someone who vehemently objected to our insistence upon baptism for believers only and by immersion only. Enclosed with the letter was an article defending infant baptism. I do not know who the author is, so I cannot call him by name or cite his references. But what he says in defense of infant baptism are the very reasons for our objections to the practice.

He writes, “The children of those who believe are included in the covenant, and church of God, unless they exclude themselves. They are, therefore, also the disciples of Christ, because they are born in the church.” Then he challenges with Peter’s words regarding Cornellius and the believers of his household, “Can any forbid water that these should not be baptized?”, offering the following reasons why the infant children of believing parents should be baptized: (1) They “belong to the covenant and church of God.” (2) The benefits of grace, “Redemption from sin, the remission of sins, and regeneration belongs” to them. (3) “They are holy; the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (4) “Baptism occupies the place of circumcision in the New Testament and has the same use...putting off the body of the sins of the flesh.” The author concludes, “It is clear that the denial of infant baptism is no trifling error, but a grievous heresy, in direct opposition to the word of God, and the comfort of the church. Wherefore this and similar follies of the sect of the Anabaptists should be carefully avoided, since they have, without doubt, been hatched by the devil, and are detestable heresies which they have fabricated from various errors and blasphemies.”

Should any ask why we forbid the waters of baptism for infants, no greater reasons can be given than the implications of the statements above: that the infants of believers are born holy, regenerate, and forgiven; that the blessings of God’s covenant are inherited by natural generation; and that by baptism “the body of the sins of the flesh” can be put away. Not only do the Scriptures clearly forbid the practice of infant baptism, requiring faith before baptism (Acts 8:37), the practice implies that there is some saving merit and efficacy in sprinkling water in a baby’s face!

WHY DO WE PRACTICE BAPTISM BY IMMERSION ONLY?

Romans 6:4

Were it not for the insistence of both papists and protestants that infants be “baptized”, there would be no question about the mode of baptism. The only reason for perverting the ordinance of Christ into the sprinkling or pouring of water is to accommodate the practice of infant “baptism”. Our practice of immersing believers is not a Baptist peculiarity. It is a biblical necessity for the following reasons.

1. THE MEANING OF THE WORD BAPTIZE - The word “baptize” means “to dip, plunge, or immerse.” The word never means, and can never with honesty be translated “sprinkle” or “pour”. Immersion is not a mode of baptism. Immersion is baptism. Without immersion, baptism has not taken place.

2. THE METHOD OF BAPTISM IN THE NEW TESTAMENT - How was baptism practiced in the New Testament? That really should settle the issue for all who wish to honor and obey the Word of God. Wherever John the Baptist baptized men he required “much water” (John 3:23), because he could not baptize anyone with a teacup. When the Lord Jesus was baptized he went into the river Jordan. The water was not brought from the river to him. He was immersed in the water. Otherwise, he could not have come “up straightway out of the water” (Matt. 3:16). When Philip baptized the Ethiopian “they went down both into the water” and then came “up out of the water” (Acts 8:38-39). That would hardly have been necessary if only a few drops of water had been needed to do the work! In the New Testament baptism is always spoken of as a burial (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12). When you bury a corpse in the earth, you do not throw a few grains of sand in his face. You put him beneath the ground. And a person cannot be buried with Christ in baptism except by immersion.

3. THE MESSAGE OF THIS GOSPEL ORDINANCE - Baptism is not a picture of regeneration and spiritual renewal. It is a picture of substitutionary redemption and spiritual resurrection (Rom. 6:36). In baptism we confess our faith in Christ’s death as our Substitute, our resurrection with him by the power of his Spirit, and our hope of the resurrection to come. The only way the picture can be given is by immersion.

Donald S. Fortner, Pastor

Grace Baptist Church of Danville

2734 Old Stanford Road - Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438