A Scriptural Understanding Of Baptism Week 2

Let's begin with prayer. Father. Thank you for our time now make this profitable help us to understand and again Lord help us to remember that so many of our brothers and sisters believe this and We have fellowship with them and love them.

But help us to be as biblical as we possibly can and we'll thank you in Jesus name. Amen, take your Bibles and turn to Genesis chapter 17. Genesis 17 you follow as I read. When Abram when Abram was 99 years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him I am God.

Almighty walk before me and be blameless. That I may make my covenant between me and you and may multiply you greatly. Then Abram fell on his face and God said to him behold my covenant is with you. And you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.

No longer shall your name be called Abram. But your name shall be Abraham for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful and I'll make you into nations and kings shall come from you and I will establish My covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant.

To be God to you and to your offspring after you and I will give to you and to your offspring. After you the land of your sojournings all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. And I will be their God and God said to Abraham as for you.

You shall keep my covenant you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep between me and you and your offspring after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised.

You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner.

Who is now who is not of your offspring? Both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh and everlasting covenant any uncircumcised male who is not Circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people.

He has broken my covenant.

A Presbyterian Infant Baptism Ceremony and the Westminster Catechism

Now.

Let's use our imaginations for a moment. You're sitting in the front pew of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church to witness the baptism of your cousin's baby girl. He and his wife have invited you to this wonderful event.

The ceremony seems kind of long and complicated not nearly as simple as ours. Because it involves an explanation of baptism the reciting of the Apostles Creed vows made by the parents and vows made by the congregation and All of its mute moving and beautiful.

And then comes the moment you've been waiting for. When the baby is baptized the pastor says to the parents what is the name of this child and they respond Madeline and. The pastor then takes Madeline into his arms and says to her Madeline for you Jesus Christ came into the world for you.

He died and for you. He conquered death. All this he did for you little one though, you know, nothing of it as yet. We love because God first loved us. He then takes her to the baptismal fountain or he's standing there at the baptismal fountain and he baptized her.

He takes a scoop of water and he pours it overhead and says I baptize you in the name of the Father. And of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Pastor then places his head his hand on the baby's head and says Madeline child of the covenant in baptism.

You are sealed by the Holy Spirit and Marked as Christ's own forever. Amen. Then he addresses the congregation with these words in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ The only King and head of the church.

This child is now received into the visible membership of the Holy Catholic Church. That's small see. Okay, you got that Holy Universal Church Engaged to confess the faith of Christ and to be God's faithful servant until life's end.

And then the pastor closes with a closing prayer now they're not all going to look like that the Presbyterians are not going to look like that, but that's that's a Presbyterian Church of America PCA Baptism.

Now that kind of baptism is supported by the church's doctrinal statements such as the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which by the way is a great catechism. But it's a little weak in the area of baptism in question 94.

It's asked What is baptism and the answer is? Baptism is a sacrament wherein the washing with water in the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Ghost does signify and seal our engrafting into Christ and Partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace and our engagement to be the Lord's.

Question number 95 to whom is baptism to be administered? Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church Till they profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him so they do have believers baptism if you're converted later.

Then you're baptized.

In.

The same way as that baby, by the way. Not not dunking like us. All right. I don't know if you knew this but Sharon Green and I when she first came here went around and around and around about that because she came from a Presbyterian Church.

But she was converted when she was 12 and she was baptized and she said to me over and over. But I have had believers baptism. So anyway, let me read the answer again. The first part says No one outside the church can be baptized until they profess faith in Christ, but then it goes on.

Baptism is no baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church. Till they profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him. But the infants of such as our members of the visible church are to be baptized.

So if you're if you are a baptized member of the church, then you bring your children to be baptized. Now you say wait a minute. I don't see how you can read the New Testament and see any of that to which our Presbyterian friends will make an admission.

Here's Brian. I don't know if it's Brian Chapel. I think it's Brian Chapel says this we who believe in infant baptism must confess that the lack of any Specific example of infant baptism in the New Testament is a strong counterweight to our position.

Okay. So he makes that admission. Charles Hodge a great Presbyterian theologian and I have a systematic theology. Hodges is a good guy. I mean he really right he's he's got some good stuff. Here's what he says in his systematic theology at this point in every case on record of the Apostles administration of the rite of baptism.

It was on condition of a profession of faith on the part of the recipient here what he says. He says in every instance where it's recorded that someone was baptized. It was always a believer. Okay, so you say wait a minute with all that in mind.

How is it then that you practice infant baptism? Did you just say well? We're just gonna ignore scripture at scripture at this point what the Bible says doesn't make any difference to us and the answer that is.

No, that's not what they think. Okay, they and I again, please I want to be careful. I don't want to get into a day and us kind of a thing. It is they and us when it comes to baptism, but it's not they and us when it comes to our common faith in the Lord.

Anyway, they're gonna respond that in an absence of an example of a particular infants baptism. You got to see how strong the other evidence is now they'll do what we all do when we build our theologies and.

And that is we say we will believe anything that is either expressly set down in scripture or by good and necessary consequence. May be deduced from scripture now. We can't disagree with that. That is entirely legitimate.

We all operate that way for example example the doctrine of the Trinity the very core of our faith is.

Not.

Expressly stated you can't find anywhere in the Bible where it says God is three persons in one co equal in essence difference in function. You're not going to find that but when you read the scriptures and you put it all together you by good and necessary Consequence deduce that the Trinity truly is a truth.

Okay. So I would say this in my view the entire edifice of infant baptism is built Not on what's expressly stated but on good on good and necessary Consequences and it's they believe it's deduced from scripture.

So no, you're not going to find an Example a clearly stated example of an infant being baptized But they're going to argue that if you take the whole Bible and you take what the Bible says You will end up in infant baptism.

You will draw the necessary Deduction that it is true. And so I think the main question is is baptism The proper deduction from scripture so Brian Chapel asserts we baptize Infants because we believe that the Bible teaches us to do so All right.

So let's keep this in mind. They're not They're not saying oh, we don't care what the Bible says. They're saying we believe this is what the Bible teaches and we believe it because by good and necessary Consequences we have deduced that this is what the scriptures teach so now we want to look at the basis of Infant baptism.

I want to make a case for infant baptism now, please You can read tons and tons and tons and tons of stuff and there's all kinds of reasons I'm going to give you the bare-bones Explanation so it may cause some questions to arise out what I want to do is to give you the heart of it and I want to be as Accurate as I possibly can with this.

I don't want to build a straw man That we can easily knock down. I want to I want you to really understand How they build their case and I want to be fair and I want to be accurate so, you know, hopefully Although I can't claim divine inspiration.

I hope the Holy Spirit has supervised me enough so that I'm fair and accurate All right.

The Sign and Seal of Circumcision

So.

One of the things we have to understand is this whole idea of sign and seal. Which by the way, let me start out and say we believe in sign and seal, too. Okay, but we have to understand what this means.

If you're going to understand why our brothers baptize their children you have to understand this concept of signs and Seals, this is important if we're going to understand this, okay. What's a sign, okay, let's talk about signs.

What is a sign. Signs. Signify something they stand for or represent some reality. Okay, so a sign represents something.

Okay.

What does a Kroger sign mean when you see a Kroger sign? What do you think?

Food.

Okay.

What?

Pharmacy so you see a Kroger sign you think of a Kroger store. Right, that's what you're in. That's what's supposed to happen. You see a sign. It's supposed to drive you. It's supposed to tell you something.

Okay The United our flag is a sign. It represents our country when you see when you see the stars and stripes somewhere. You're supposed to think USA, all right, it's a sign it represents something. So look at Genesis 1711 someone read Genesis 1711 real quick.

Keep your Bibles open to Genesis 17, by the way, what's just Genesis 1711 say? All right, you shall be.

Circumcised and.

It shall be a sign of what? Was it say of the covenant that I've made with you? This is a sign of the covenant. Okay, it represents the covenant that I have with you Abraham.

Okay.

But it's also a seal. Now, let me just tell you right now when you see this idea of seal don't think of licking an envelope.

And.

I think that's what a lot of us do when we read in the scriptures. The Holy Spirit is a seal of Our salvation. Too often what we think is okay. Wait a minute. How does that work? Right like I sealed the envelope.

That's not we're talking about the seal. Is this idea of a visible Pledge that the contents of the document are authentic. Think of the wax affixed to a proclamation or a letter. So you remember you and some of you when you were young and you got the little kits.

You just did that all day long. You'd make the little you'd light the wick on that Thing of wet wax and drip it on the paper and make a stamp on it. Well, you know that that when a for example that wax was affixed to a letter or a document and then the king takes his signet ring and Presses it into the wax so that whenever the recipient got that letter. He saw that the king had what?

Sealed it his seal his seal was there on the document. Pam Thomas does this all the time you go to her and say I got to buy a car will you notarize this for me. And she takes that little thing and and.

And she seals the document. You see what I'm saying? She puts the seal on the document. She seals that document.

So.

The seal is a visible pledge that the contents of the document are authentic and. And also that the author would honor the promises he had made in that document or to honor what he had Covenanted to do so when it was sealed it meant This is authentic and I promise to keep the conditions that are laid out in this document.

So if you'd seal it that meant you right. We again we do this as well you sign. Now not not in terms of a sign that means something but when you sign something that's like a seal. When you sign that document you're sealing it you're saying Whatever's in this document I agree to.

Okay, if it requires something of you you've agreed to it it requires something of me. I've agreed to it. So it's it's to say I'm going to keep my promises when you look at the rainbow. You're looking at one of God's visible pledges, so it's a pledge that says I'll keep my word.

It's a pledge that says This this is authentic. It's a it's a way of It's a visible pledge now when you look after a rain shower and you look up in the sky and you see a rainbow that is a Seal if you will it's God's visible pledge to what?

What is God visit pledge, what does he said he what? He'll never destroy the world with a flood. How do I know that because there's a visible pledge right there in the sky. It's a visible pledge from God.

So with Abraham and his descendants. The circumcision was God's visible pledge. That he would keep the promises of the covenant that he had made with Abraham. I know that's missing that is That that he would add this Keep the promises of the covenant that he had made with Abraham.

It's going to keep the promises that he made in that covenant. So circumcision Was a sign and seal of the covenant that God had made with Abraham. It's a sign it represents it. It's a seal it guarantees it.

Okay.

Represent and guarantee. Signifier and visible pledge. Now if you're going to understand the good and consequent deductions from the scripture for the Paedo-baptists You have to understand the centrality of the Abrahamic Covenant.

It it is it is that which controls everything that they Say and do when it comes to infant baptism God made a covenant with Abraham. Now you see it in three places in Genesis. Genesis 12 1 through 3 he promises.

I'm gonna make a great nation of you. I'm gonna make your name great. You are going to be a blessing. I will curse anyone who dishonors you. I will bless all who honor you. I'm gonna give you a land and you are going to be the channel of blessing to all the nation.

So that was the initial Promises that God made when you come to chapter 15 verses 1 through 20. You see the Covenant now again repeated and that it's the promise of an heir and descendants Descendants like the stars and in this covenant they hacked up the animals.

Remember when you make a covenant you killed something as a pledge that says may it be to me as it was to this animal if I don't keep my if I don't meet the conditions of the agreement we've come to right and so you see this really weird thing of their hack and a bunch of animals and they lay them on either side and when you made a covenant that the covenant errs would walk through between those bloodied pieces of animal as a guarantee.

That we're going to keep this promise, but in Genesis 15 God alone walks through which says I'm Taking upon myself entirely the fulfillment of the agreement that we have in this covenant. And it is here in Genesis chapter 15 verse 6 that we read.

That.

Abraham was counted as righteous because he believed the promise of God. Because he believed the promise of God. Now we come to chapter 17 verses 1 through 14. He talks about nations coming from him Kings coming from him Kings honoring his offspring land again.

And this time he says that God would be the God of Abraham and his descendants.

I'm.

Covenanting with you to be your God and the God of your descendants and it is here in Genesis 17 that he gives him the sign of circumcision this is the sign and the seal of the covenant into which we are entering and So God provided a sign in a seal of that covenant now, let's look at it again.

So it's firmly in our minds. Genesis 17 9 through 14. Again, I've said this a million times what happens to someone who's in a public speaking place with the Bible? What happens to the books of the Bible when you're speaking?

Yeah, they juggle around. I know that's how bad it is. Laura. That's really how bad it is. Where is that? Wait a minute. Deuteronomy. That's not right. Verse 9 and God said Abraham as for you. You shall keep my covenant you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.

This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your offspring after you every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.

He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised every male throughout your generations. Whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. Both he who was born in your house and he was bought with your money shall surely be circumcised.

So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant any Uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of the foreskin shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant. So There it is.

Boy, that should not be that small. That's what happens when you're working at 11 o 'clock at night.

All right.

Abraham’s Household, Covenant Membership, and the Sign for Children

So.

The sign. The sign of the sign of circumcision Was what was given that the sign of circumcision was given. We see that here this represents the covenant. Okay, and as you read through the rest of New Testament, for example, Deuteronomy 10 16.

It represents the removal of spiritual uncleanness in the Old Testament as you start reading through the Old Testament. It starts God starts talking about I don't want you just Circumcised in your body.

I want your heart to be circumcised with the idea then that spiritual uncleanness Needs to be removed. I just don't want you having this outward sign. I want you to have a circumcised heart so it appears already in the Old Testament that circumcision is a sign Pointing towards Spiritual uncleanness.

Or the removal of spiritual uncleanness. It also marked out God's people as being separated and consecrated to him this set them apart as The people that belong to the only true and living God. All right.

This was a sign that God had made a covenant with Abraham and all his descendants. We are in covenant with the one true God. No one else is we're different than all the other nations. Okay. We're different than all the other nations.

We've been marked out. It's also the seal of Circumcision is also a seal. It's a visible pledge by God that he will fulfill his part. When the conditions of the covenant are met when you fulfill your part of the covenant I'll fulfill mine.

I promise I make a visible pledge that I'll keep my part of the covenant. It was God's pledge to provide all the blessings of his covenant when the condition of faith is met. When the condition of faith is met I'll fulfill all of what I promised in this covenant now.

Are you with me so far? You see what place this occupies. But notice that the covenant did not just embrace Abraham, but his entire household and his descendants. Okay. Now what's a household? I'm really sorry.

That's so small. I thought I'd change that. What's a household? Genesis 17 gives you a clue. Who did he describe as members of Abraham's household? Okay. Yeah. Your your family your children your slaves and your servants anybody who's a part?

That's your household. They all must be circumcised. Okay, they all have to be circumcised. All right. So the covenant made with Abraham Stands on what we call what they would call a representative principle.

Which is the biblical perspective that the head of the household represents the family to God and Commits his household to the worship of God. All right so by taking on this sign you're entering into covenant and As the head of the household you're having everybody in your household circumcised.

Which is saying to God? We're part of this covenant and I have committed my entire household To serving the one true and living God. I'm going to lead them in that now so because God's promise extended to Abraham's household.

He was to then to devote all that he had To the Lord and to show it By the use of this covenant sign I'm devoting my whole household to you God. How do I how did how did I show that by being? Circumcised and by having all the men all the males in my household circumcised.

Okay, so that meant that all who?

Nope.

Get the wrong thing here. That meant that all who were part of Abraham's household was devoted to God by this sign. He says I'm devoting my entire household to you. Now, what does that mean that explains?

Why Abraham devoted his entire household to God even though some of its members? Could not yet have expressed their faith or even known what the covenant was all about. And although and I'm going out on a limb here, although I've not seen this written, of course I haven't read every book on this.

I have not seen this written. But it also means that people who might not believe or care anything about the covenant.

Slaves.

Foreign slaves are circumcised. Right. I'm devoting this entire household to God. I will lead it to worship God. All right. So then the covenant does not require faith before you administer that sign.

Right. It's an infant and they want to say God's saying if you act in faith, I'll fulfill the conditions of the covenant. But you don't have to believe in order to be circumcised. Okay. The represent your representative is making this agreement with God and you don't have to believe.

I Mean what I'm saying is you don't have to believe in order to get the sign. Okay. You don't have to believe in order to get the sign. Now it's not only Abraham's household, but it's also his descendants.

So as you keep reading, especially when you get You know into Exodus and everything I mean you still see it in Genesis, but it goes from generation to generation. So the parents as members of God's covenant people would bring their sons to be circumcised on the eighth day.

Right, that's what God said my covenant with you. The sign of that covenant is with you and I'm making a covenant with you and all your descendants my covenant. It was with you and all your descendants.

So then Everyone who's a descendant of Abraham then must Circumcise their children. So the parents who are covenant members they were circumcised to or he was circumcised to bring the child to be circumcised on the eighth day and Generation after generation of covenant members would have had their son circumcised.

Okay. What is this saying. God made the covenant with Abraham's descendants and said This is my covenant. This is the sign in the seal all your descendants belong to this. They too must submit to the sign and the seal you get it.

They too are under this covenant where they have to submit to circumcision. Are you with me? Ten generations down they're still circumcising those children and they're brought by the parents who are part of the covenant people and They must according to what God says to Abraham.

They must have that child circumcised or what's the penalty? Remember what it said in Genesis 17 verse 14. They're cut off from their people. You're cut off. You're not part of the people then so you must be circumcised to show that you're part of the covenant community.

And you must have your children Thus circumcised so to be in covenant with God through Abraham's covenant you must be circumcised and your children and your household the rest of your household and. So because of the Abraham covenant covenant, you got to baptize your children.

You say wow, how do you make that leap? Well, let's see it what it is. God designed this covenant to continue. You notice in Genesis 17 God calls it an everlasting covenant. I'm not sure. Now I'm not even going to go there.

He's calls it an everlasting covenant and when you go to Acts chapter 2 Peter's preaching at that wonderful Pentecost. See acts is before Romans. All right acts to Peter's preaching and He says this verses 38 and 39.

Okay, verse 37 now when they heard this this is the conclusion now when they heard this they were cut to the heart and Said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles brothers What shall we do and Peter said repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.

For the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off. Everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself so they say to us see God continues to relate to us as individuals you must repent and Be and be baptized for the forgiveness of sin you and your children.

You see you and your children see God still operating this way. He's still operating with the household you and your children. Okay. Now, let's look at Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3. All right, so He's made the point.

Oh Foolish verse 1. Oh foolish Galatians who has bewitched you it was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this. Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by or by hearing with faith?

Are you so foolish? Haven't begun by the Spirit. Are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the spare to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law or by hearing with faith?

Just as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. You're not saved by faith because look at Abraham didn't do anything. He believed God and it was counted him for righteousness now.

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. You're the sons of Abraham. Therefore what? What did God tell Abraham to do with all his descendants. They and Their descendants must be circumcised.

Okay verse. Let's Let's keep going. And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith preach the gospel beforehand to Abraham. Saying in you shall all nations be blessed. So then those who are of faith are Blessed along with Abraham the man of faith.

For all who rely on works of the law under curse for it is written curse be everyone who does not abide by all things Written in the book of the law and do them now. It is evident that no one is justified before God by the law for the righteous shall live by faith.

But the law is not of faith rather the one who does them shall live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us for it is written. Cursed is everyone who's hanged on a tree so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promised spirit through faith.

To give a human example brothers even with a man-made covenant. No one annuls that are adds to it once it has been ratified. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say and to offsprings referring to many but referring to one and to your offspring who is Christ.

This is what I mean the law which came 430 years afterward does not annul a covenant. Previously ratified by God so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law it no longer comes by promise.

But God gave it to Abraham by a promise. So he says see the Abrahamic covenant covenant is still ours. And what does it say your offsprings? To your offspring. All right. Jump down to verse 25. But now that faith has come we are no longer under a guardian for in Christ Jesus.

You are all sons of God Through faith for as many as of you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There's neither slave nor free. There is no male and female for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring heirs according to the promise. There it is. You are heirs of Abraham and therefore as covenant members. You must do what Abraham did as members of the covenant community.

You must devote your household to the worship of God if you're the head of your household you see because he says Right, doesn't he say here your descendants of Abraham and Abraham was told.

All.

Your descendants you your household and all your descendants must have the covenant sign. Them and their children must have the covenant sign. So he says look see we're Abraham's offspring then. So we have to do that with our children too.

Just like he did. So do we. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament Affirm God's continuing covenant promise to Abraham to bless people by grace through faith. Now what has changed you say. But no one.

The Presbyterians don't circumcise their babies. No, they don't. What do they do? They say the covenant sign has changed. It's changed the covenant is still there, but the sign has changed. Okay, are you with me?

Are you following with me here?

Okay.

God made this covenant with Abraham said you your you your household and all your descendants. Which again your household and your children in your household, right? So I made this covenant with you. It's you and your household and all your descendants have to do their household.

We're in Christ. We are the descendants of Abraham. Therefore we too must apply the covenant sign to our Infants. Can you see that now? Can you see that connection that they're making? The Abrahamic Covenant is still in force.

Therefore we must Include the children in the covenant community. We do that not with circumcision but with baptism. So what's changed is the Covenant sign the bloody sign of Circumcision prefigured the shedding of Christ's blood that removes our sin.

It was a picture. It was pointing forward. It was pointing forward to Christ. Now. Look we don't have. You're gonna have to look up those those References later because I'm trying my best not to keep you here too long.

All right.

Hokey smokey I've already gone too long. You want to quit? Okay. No one said no. By the way, they're gonna tell us that no one says no. Later we'll get to that. All right. Therefore New Testament believers receive a sign that indicates what Christ has accomplished for them.

1115 all right.

So baptism with water is the sign of washing away our sin. Right got Jesus accomplished that water is the sign of washing away our sin. Baptism is now the sign for all those who desire to obey Christ and express their faith granted, but It also involves our children.

Someone look at Colossians 2 11 and 12. Colossians 2 11 and 12. Someone read that and read it loud and clear. Oh, yeah, I put the wrong word in there, didn't I? Okay, here's what it is. The washing away of our sin.

I'm talking about that now the washing away of our sin. And it's a sign. Yeah the removal the removal of our sin. The washing away of our sin the removal of our sin. Okay. Is that what you're asking be what Christ has accomplished for them.

Accomplished. The washing away of our sin the removal of uncleanness. Yeah, just get rid of accomplished. Guys I don't know why that's there. I have no idea how that word got in that blank and if I was thinking of one word at that point I don't remember what it was.

Okay.

You know, it's funny Andrew and I and some of the guys were talking I said, man I'm really wrestling with her out of good of this match or not because I'm not ready for tomorrow and I talked to Beck and She said you really need to go because in our view.