David, I am reading a book,'Great Doctrines of the Bible', by Martyn LLoyd Jones and I just happened to finish his remarks on baptism,and they are, to me anyway, remarkably Biblical and not conflicting at all. Though they don't agree with what you are saying. I don't see how baptism, especially baby baptism has anything to do with regeneration, even more so now with what I have just read. Check out LLoyd-jones book when you get a chance, he was a very gifted preacher.
Bob | 05.10.04 - 3:44 pm | #

"My understanding of original sin is not that it is Adam’s sin in our debit column"

I thought orthodox calvinism taught exactly this - that Adams sin is imputed to us in the same way that Christ's righteousness is.
Craig | Homepage | 05.10.04 - 6:57 pm | #

Craig is correct about the calvinistic doctrine of original sin, although as a reformed Baptist, I even find issue with those samantics. We inherrited a sin nature from Adam, sin is in our genes. But if were judged based on what we have DONE, as scriptures hold, than it is when we sin that we're condemned..otherwise we would have to believe unrepentant infants who die go to hell. What do you think David?
Michael Gallaugher | Homepage | 05.10.04 - 9:09 pm | #

A few comments:

1. Baptism is always God's work, not ours.

2. There are a number of Reformed understandings of imputation. I would understand original sin more in terms of the position in which Adam places the human race by his sin. By Adam's sin the world is under the dominion of Sin and Death. Adam's sin creates the realm in which we dwell. Sinning in the realm created by Adam is as natural as speaking French in France.

Christ was born into the realm created by Adam's sin and the realm created by the transgressions committed under the Torah. Christ came to where Sin and Death had their greatest power and there He detroyed them, creating a new realm within Himself, where sin and death are totally unthinkable.

As Paul argues in Romans 6, by Baptism we are translated into the new realm in Christ. In this sense we might helpful think of original sin more in terms of a realm created by Adam's sin (our very natures are products of this realm) rather than as something merely put to our debit account (although such an analogy is certainly not without truth).

3. Our understanding of what the Church is is crucial for our understanding of what Baptism is. Baptism does at least one thing ex opere operato, by making us part of the visible Church. Now if the visible Church is the temple of God that He indwells by His Spirit, if the visible Church is the New Israel and the new renewed humanity, then being made a member of it can never be a merely 'external' thing with 'no real spiritual ramifications.'

Whether we are faithful members of the Church or not, we cannot deny that we have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit by being brought within it. We have tasted of the powers of the age to come and been enlightened.

4. What is 'salvation'? If we understand salvation relationally, as being brought back into proper relationships with each other and God, then this takes place in the Church. Even the hypocrite tastes of this to some degree. He is permitted by Baptism to eat at God's very table and to be a priest within His Temple. To be made part of the Church is to know salvation, even if we later fall away.

5. After Pentecost the Church is entrusted with the ministry of the Spirit. When, by the authority and the power of the Spirit, the Church baptizes men, women and infants, it can never be a mere washing with water.
Al | Homepage | 05.11.04 - 4:43 am | #

Doesn't 1 Peter 3:21 argue directly for the idea that the baptism by immersion/sprinkling is a symbol of the spiritual baptism that God's grace brings?
Matt | 05.11.04 - 3:26 pm | #

Matt,

You could look at it that way, or that the water (alone) is a symbol (the elements do not change) but the baptism itself "does something", (baptism that now saves you)
David Heddle | Homepage | 05.11.04 - 4:22 pm | #