In
affirming the significance of baptism, we recognise that for two millennia the prevalent
baptismal practice has been that of infant baptism. In the light of this, why
would the practice of believer’s baptism by immersion in water be so important
to us, that it punctuates the second part of our Declaration of Principle? Two
reasons stand out, arising from the first part of our Declaration of Principle.
The
first is the recognition that, ‘the Lord Jesus Christ our God and Saviour is
the sole and absolute Authority in all matters pertaining to faith and practice’.
The practice of believer’s baptism is a hallmark of our nonconformity,
distinguishing Baptist churches from those that seek recognition or
legitimisation from the political establishment within their culture and
context. The second is that believer’s baptism, as ‘revealed in the Holy
Scriptures’, is mandated by our Lord
Jesus Christ. Our starting point is
neither a philosophical nor a theological construction of baptism. It is the
recognition of baptism as a practice that is an act of submission to the authority
of Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. Perhaps the best way to
start, therefore, is not to discuss what connections there may or may not be
between the practices of believer’s baptism and the baptism of infants; whether
baptism is a sacrament or an ordinance; whether there is an impartation of
grace or not: these questions are not our concern here. We begin at quite a
different place: a reflection on what occurs, in terms of human experience,
when people are baptised by immersion in water.
In
coming to immersion in water, some preparation will normally take place before
people are admitted to baptism. It may be very simple: having made a profession
of faith, they are accepted for baptism. More commonly, there will be
interviews with the candidate, prior to baptism, to clarify that they have come
to understand what it means to confess, according to the first part of our
Declaration of Principle, ‘Jesus Christ as God and Saviour’. Additionally,
there may be special classes held, to prepare the candidate for baptism. The
decision to admit people to baptism is usually entrusted to the appointed
leadership of the local church.
In
most of our churches, baptism will take place during a worship service on a
Sunday, in either a pool that is built into the fabric of the church building or
in a mobile baptistry, kept or borrowed for the occasion. Some churches favour
baptisms in a river or, on occasions where they are nearby, a loch or the sea.
The baptismal party normally comprises two ministering persons who, together
with the candidate, enter the water. The candidate may be asked questions,
prior to the moment of baptism: some of these questions go back to the earliest
baptismal practices of the church. Among the more common are, ‘Do you confess
Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord?’ and, ‘Do you renounce Satan and all his
ways?’
Once
the questions are over and the candidate has answered them in the affirmative,
the candidate for baptism takes up position in the water, the others standing
one on either side. The water will probably be of a depth of between three feet
and waist height. The candidate is firmly held and then supported as they drop
back into the water, until they are fully immersed.
Imagine
the sensation. Above the waters, the anticipation and noise of music, or the
chatter of the assembled witnesses. Then, being laid back down under the water.
Silence there. Then, suddenly, lifted in strong arms upwards out of the depth
of water and back onto your feet, embraced and supported by your helpers. You
are baptised! Following this, a hand and possibly anointing oil placed on your
head, prayer called out and a blessing declared. Then you step up and out of
the waters.
For
those who are baptised in such a manner, this is a powerful experience, full of
rich imagery. When it has been explained to a candidate that this act of
baptism represents our being united with Jesus Christ, in His death and also
raised up with Him into His resurrection life, the reality of what Jesus Christ
has done for us and now does for us begins to saturate our senses. This was how
the Apostle Paul represented the practice of believer’s baptism to the early
Roman church (Romans 6.1-4).
Now,
why this approach to discussing baptism? Where we seek to live our lives as
disciples of Jesus Christ, actively submitting to Christ in both ‘faith and
practice’, as the first part of our Declaration of Principle declares, we are
addressing experienced reality. The experienced truth of Jesus Christ as God
and Saviour, knowing that we are united with Him in His death and raised with
Him in His resurrection, energises and motivates our Christian living.
Experiencing this truth matters. The church, especially in her Protestant traditions,
has placed immense emphasis on the importance of cerebral understanding: of
proposition and argumentation in presenting truth. Certainly, understanding of
truth matters; but being embraced and captivated by the experience of truth
matters even more: especially when that truth is found in and through the
person of Jesus Christ. To know and to have met the living Saviour, in the
presence and power of the Holy Spirit. To have confessed Him as Lord. To enter
into the waters of baptism, acknowledging the wonder of His death and His
resurrection: this anchors our experience in pursuing a path that would take us
in the footsteps of our Saviour, to the glory of our Heavenly Father.
What
relationship should exist, if any, between baptism and membership of a local
church? The answer to that question will vary from church to church, depending
on how people view the distinction between members and those non-members who
are involved in the services and ministries of the congregation. What should
not be in doubt, however, is that baptism is the enactment of a covenant
relationship with a Christian believer, a relationship that has been initiated
and realised by their God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In baptism, we
demonstrably and freely recognise that His death was for us. Through baptism,
we tangibly respond to God’s initiative and the new relationship that God has
drawn us into, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The
pressing question, for many of our churches, will not be concerning baptism and
membership. The more fundamental question will be, ‘how can we better bring the
gift of new life in Christ to people, drawing them into a life of Christian
discipleship’? One practice, that invites further investigation, is that of
covenanting together. There is a strong precedent for this both in Scottish,
Reformed churchmanship and in historic, Baptist practice. Covenant also
features large in an understanding of the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22.20). Approaching both baptism and the Lord’s Supper as
practices, that enriches the expression of covenantal commitment within a local
Christian community, could well be revisited and further explored. The
experience and symbolism of believer’s baptism by immersion could serve as a
significant part of this process.
Questions
for reflection:
·
What part has believer’s baptism played for
you, in your path of discipleship?
·
In your path of discipleship, how big a
place has experience, as distinct from understanding, had for you?
·
What significance has membership played in
your experience of church?
