Baptism as an Initiation Rite Into the Visible Church
Are baptism and visible church membership connected? Scripture and church history say yes.
PSA: This is a paper I wrote for my Doctoral Studies Colloquium at MBTS. It’s an academic paper, so forgive me in advance for the dry tone!
My doctoral studies are focused on the ordinances in the life of the visible church. This paper serves as a “lay of the land” for how Christians have approached baptism throughout church history. I begin with the New Testament church and work up to the modern-day church.
Introduction
What is the significance of Christian baptism? Jesus commanded his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”[1] In light of that, what were the tangible consequences of that command? Does baptism function as more than an individual’s proclamation of faith? I am convinced that baptism not only functions as one’s public proclamation of faith in the risen Lord Jesus, but it also signifies one’s union to Christ’s body, the church. To state it simply, I believe that since the early church, baptism has served as an initiatory rite that brings someone into the membership of the visible church.
The Nature of the Problem
In all four gospels, we read that the Lord Jesus was himself baptized. After his resurrection and just prior to his ascension, Jesus commanded baptism (Matt 28:19-20). Baptism is not just something we think about, it is something our Lord calls us to do. He calls us to be baptized and to baptize others. Therefore, our understanding of baptism impacts the way individuals and churches pursue faithfulness to our King. The nature of these implications makes this kind of research “applied” rather than “pure.”
If, for instance, an individual is convinced that their baptism says nothing about their connection to a visible church, then in most cases, that individual will be less likely to consider the visible church when baptized. They will be more concerned about what their individual baptism says about them rather than what also considering what it says about the bride of Christ.
Additionally, suppose a church understands there to be no connection between baptism and church membership. In that case, it runs the risk of baptizing individuals without fulfilling their responsibility to teach those baptized all that Jesus commanded (Matt 28:19-20). In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded his followers to make disciples and baptize those disciples. Therefore, the way one understands this topic leads to significant philosophy of ministry decisions. In fact, one could argue that faithfulness to the Great Gommission is impacted by the way one understands this topic.
In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus gives Peter and the disciples “the keys of the kingdom of heaven,” and says to them, “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” The keys were not given until a correct profession was made about who they believed Jesus to be. The authority to “bind” and “loose” was only given to those who made a correct profession about the identity of Jesus. Bobby Jamieson correctly notes, “Jesus then gives to Peter and the apostles the ‘keys of the kingdom of heaven’ (Matt 16:19). This grants them the authority to act as God’s authorized representatives on earth for affirming those who, like Peter, truly confess that Jesus is the Messiah.”[2]
In Matthew 18:15-20, the authority to “bind” and “loose” is then given to the church. After laying out the process for addressing a brother or sister who sins against them, Jesus gives the final court of opinion to the visible church, saying “if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matt 18:17-20). Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt 28:18), gave the authority to bind and loose to those who gather together under the right proclamation of his true identity.
The terms “bind” and “loose” in relation to “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” are pivotal to rightly understanding this topic. Jamieson says, “to ‘bind’ someone is to affirm that person’s profession and hence add them to the church. And to ‘loose,’ as we’ll see, is the opposite: it is to reject the credibility of their confession and hence remove them from the church.”[3] John Calvin argues the opposite, claiming that “The doctrine of the Gospel is, therefore, declared to be appointed for loosing our bonds, that, being loosed on earth by the voice and testimony of men, we may be actually loosed in heaven.”[4] Despite differences in the particulars, both views agree that the act of binding and loosing is the authoritative act of recognizing an individual as a Christian or a non-Christian. “The authority of the keys” as Jonathan Leeman writes, “is the authority to assess a person’s gospel words and deeds and to render a judgment.”[5]
The way that churches publicly proclaim these official judgments is through the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is established by Jesus in Matthew 26 where only his disciples partake in the meal. Furthermore, when Jesus commands baptism in Matthew 28, he commands only disciples to be baptized. Therefore, we can confidently conclude that the only correct participants of these ordinances are disciples. Furthermore, when these disciples gather to proclaim the gospel, they affirm one another’s profession by admitting them to participate in these ordinances. Likewise, those whom they are unable to affirm are not to participate in baptism or the Lord’s Supper. This is how the church “binds” and “looses.”
By collectively welcoming someone to the waters of baptism, the church is agreeing that this individual’s profession of faith appears to be valid and is now welcome to participate in the activities of the community of faith, the church (Acts 2:41-47). However, Christian baptism is a one-time event, not expected to take place multiple times in the life of a believer. Instead of being baptized again and again to affirm one’s profession, the church welcomes baptized believers to “break bread” with them (Acts 2:42) by participating in the Lord’s Supper on an ongoing basis. Permission to participate in these two ordinances, baptism initially and the Lord’s Supper in an ongoing fashion, is the way that churches make the official heavenly judgment that one is united to Christ.
By collectively withholding these ordinances, the church is saying they are unable, at this time, to confidently declare someone to be a Christian. This could be for a variety of reasons. First, the person in question simply may not be a Christian. Second, it could be because the church needs more time to see the fruit of one’s conversion before making a public declaration. Third, it may be that the person in question has made a profession of faith and has been participating in the ordinances, but now, due to unrepentant sin, their life no longer matches their profession. In a case like this, the person is removed from ongoing participation in the Lord’s Supper until repentance has taken place and their life is consistent with their profession of faith (Matt 3:8; 1 Cor 5; 2 Cor 2:5-11).
Lest there be a misunderstanding, the ordinances serve a broader function than simply identifying Christians, but certainly not less than that. For instance, baptism also symbolizes the washing away of sin (Acts 22:16), the death of the old man, and the new life that comes through Christ (Rom 6:3-4). It also provides a visual representation of an invisible reality. Namely, that just as this person is united to Christ spiritually by faith alone, they are also united to Christ physically through participation in his body, the visible church. Likewise, the Lord’s Supper also serves as a reminder of what Christ has done by offering up his body as a living sacrifice for the sins of his people (1 Cor 11:23-25). Like baptism, it too provides a visual representation of an invisible reality. Namely, that the individual participating in the Supper is presently trusting Christ’s work on the cross as sufficient for their sin being forgiven, their union to God being secure, and their hope of a future day feasting with the Lord himself being sure (Matt 26:1 Cor 11:26). Therefore, although the ordinances serve as instruments of the visible church to render public judgments, it can be concluded that is not all that they do.
After establishing that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the means by which the church makes heavenly judgments, it would be helpful to now focus in on baptism. In the book of Acts we see no less than nine baptisms. We see the first baptisms take place in Acts 2, following Peter’s sermon where many responded in faith. Upon their profession, they are baptized and then added to the number of those who were considered part of the Jerusalem church (Acts 1:15; 2:41). Interestingly, there are no additional baptisms mentioned until after the church in Jerusalem is dispersed due to persecution in Acts 8:1. This context would make it seem that every baptism after Acts 2 is in some form of missionary context, where a visible church is not yet established.
If that is the case, and if today we are considering our practice of baptism in a place and context where a visible church does exist, it would seem prudent to model our practice off Acts 2:37-47. If we are considering the baptismal practice of those in a missionary context, where a church does not yet exist, it would seem consistent to consider the baptisms after Acts 8:1. For the sake of this research, the focus will be largely concerned with contexts where a visible church already exists, similar to what we see in Acts 2.
Regrettably, most churches today do not unite baptism with membership in a visible church. Oftentimes, baptism candidates are baptized and then left to find a church on their own, with no one taking responsibility to teach them all that Jesus has commanded, as Matthew 28:19-20 indicates should be done. In some cases, this leads to a serious gap between conversion and meaningful discipleship. In other cases, it leads to a sense of false assurance for the one who was baptized. After all, they have been given the sign that they are a Christian and that their sins have been washed away, yet they never unite themselves to the visible body of Christ and continue neglecting the assembly (cf. Heb 10:24-25). This research is designed to be one step in helping address that problem.
Relevant Historical Sources
The first New Testament church is found in Jerusalem, where we see one hundred twenty persons gathered in the name of Christ after his resurrection (Acts 1:15). Shortly after that, while “they were all together in one place,” (Acts 2:1) we see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2). Following this outpouring, Peter preached to the crowd that had gathered, and upon hearing his preaching, many in the crowd were “cut to the heart” and asked, “‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘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’” (Acts 2:37-38). Many believed, and “those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41).
The order of events here is of particular importance. First, there is an existing assembly of believers (Acts 1:15). Second, there is the proclamation of the gospel (Acts 2:14-36), which is the chosen method by which God ordinarily brings a person to faith (Rom 10:14-17). Third, following a genuine profession of faith there is the call to be baptized (Acts 2:38). Fourth, those baptized are “added” to the existing community of believers (Acts 2:41). And fifth, after being added to the fellowship of believers, those who were baptized also began participating in the activities of their newfound fellowship, namely, by devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, the prayers, caring for the needy among them, and attending the temple together (Acts 2:42-47). These activities were descriptive of the church in Jerusalem, and they were reserved only for those who believed “that God has made [Jesus] both Lord and Christ,” and in turn demonstrated that belief through baptism (Acts 2:36-38). According to Acts 2, baptism can be described as the initiation rite into the church in Jerusalem. This should be seen as the regular practice of Christians wherever there is a visible church present.
As the early church grew, we begin to see the connection between baptism and initiation into the visible church confirmed with greater detail. The Didache instructed that no one be welcomed to the Eucharist (Lord’s Supper) unless they have first been baptized. “But let no one eat or drink of your Thanksgiving (Eucharist), but they who have been baptized into the name of the Lord.”[6] This practice is consistent with what is seen in Acts 2:42, namely, that only those who are baptized Christians are welcome to participate in “the breaking of bread.”
In keeping with the Didache’s teaching, the Apostle Matthew in the Constitutions of the Holy Apostles writes “do not receive them to communion until they have received the seal of baptism.”[7] This practice of not receiving someone to the Lord’s Supper without having been brought into the visible church is consistent with Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, where he equates participation in the bread as participation in the visible church, “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor 10:17). If the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance given for the church to participate in, then naturally one would not participate until he has been welcomed into the visible church community.
Gregg Allison provides more information on this in his book Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church. He points out that the Apostles would allow non-Christians to attend the assembly to hear the word, but they would not count them as one of their own until they were welcomed to the communion table, which never took place prior to the individual being baptized.
He points out, “Moreover, only baptized believers who were in proper relationship to Jesus Christ and his church were allowed to participate.”[8] Not only were only baptized believers welcome to the table, but they also had to be in proper standing with his church (i.e. not under church discipline).
To provide a first-century example of this, Everett Ferguson captures the baptism account of Clement’s mother, Mattidia:
When she [Mattidia] learned that baptism was necessary for table fellowship with her family who had become Christians, she begged for baptism immediately, asking, “What hinders my being baptized today?” and declaring her rejection of idolatry and her chaste life. Peter replied:
“She must fast at least one day first, and so be baptized; and this because I have heard from her a certain declaration, by which her faith has been made manifest to me, and which has given evidence of her belief; otherwise she must have been instructed and taught many days before she could have been baptized.”[9]
Not only was Clement’s mother prohibited from the Lord’s Supper until she was baptized, but Peter refused to baptize her until she “[had] given evidence of her belief.”
Participation in the ongoing ordinance of the Supper was not permitted to anyone who had not yet been brought into the visible church. Those who were converted were brought into the visible church through the initiatory ordinance of baptism.
Continuing with first-century evidence, Justin Martyr confirms this practice when he writes in his First Apology, “But we, after we have thus washed him who has been convinced and has assented to our teaching, bring him to the place where those who are called brethren are assembled.”[10] The individual was baptized after embracing the teaching of the gospel, and was only brought to the place where other gospel believers assembled after he had been baptized.
As we move into the third century, we see Tertullian encouraging Christians to delay the baptism of children until they are able to understand the gospel, embrace their need for salvation, and request salvation. In his work, On Baptism, he writes, “And so, according to the circumstances and disposition, and even age, of each individual, the delay of baptism is preferable; principally, however, in the case of little children.”[11] Once again, we see a delay in baptism until sufficient evidence is provided. Christians are right to strive for a pure church, and the way they do that is by working to ensure that they exercise the keys of the kingdom faithfully through the binding and loosing authority granted to them by Jesus. This is done by extending the ordinances to only those who give credible evidence of being a Christian.
Ferguson describes how this took place in many churches. “After drying off, the newly baptized dressed and entered the church … In the church the newly baptized now joined the faithful in prayer and the exchange of the kiss of peace (21.25–26).”[12] Notice, the one baptized visibly enacted what had taken place invisibly. Namely, that he had died to his sin and been raised to new life in Christ Jesus, and that he was united to Christ invisibly (through faith) and visibly (through participation in the visible body of Christ, the local church). He did not enter the church and participate in the practices of the church until after he was baptized.
After hearing his testimony, the church concluded that he was indeed a Christian, and, in turn, they proclaimed his conversion through the means that Jesus had provided them: baptism. Upon being baptized, he was brought into the church to participate in the regular activities of the church.
In the fourth and fifth centuries, Augustine continued to make the connection between binding and loosing through the ordinances. In his work regarding infant baptism, he states that baptism is an act “in which we are buried with Christ, in order to be incorporated into Him as His members.”[13] He goes on to explain what he means when he says that those baptized are incorporated into Christ. Namely, that the baptized are “washed by the sacrament and charity of the faithful, and thereby incorporated into the body of Christ, which is the Church.”[14] Baptism incorporates one into the body of Christ, and as Augustine confirms, the body of Christ is the church.
Furthermore, in his book On Baptism, he writes, “it follows that the peace of the church looses sins[15] … therefore, the baptism of the Church may exist outside, but the gift of the life of happiness is found alone within the Church, which has been founded on a rock, which has received the keys of binding and loosing.”[16] Although not ordinary, he acknowledges that baptism may take place outside of the church. However, he reaffirms that when the church extends the ordinances to a person and collectively proclaims him as loosed from his sin, there is a joy that no place outside of the church can match.
Based on the evidence of the first five centuries, it can be said that the early church understood baptism to be an initiatory rite that simultaneously proclaimed the baptized to be united to Christ invisibly (through faith) and visibly (through participation in the visible body of Christ, the visible church).
Moving into the Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas continues to affirm that baptism brings one into the membership of the body of Christ. When describing the effects of baptism in his Summa Theologica, Aquinas writes, “As Augustine says in his book on Infant Baptism (De Pecc. Merit. et Remiss. i.), ‘the effect of Baptism is to make those, who are baptized, to be incorporated in Christ as His members.’”[17]
Although we would have several notable disagreements today, the Roman Catholic Church would also affirm that baptism is an initiatory rite to bring the one baptized into the church. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read that baptism is “the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission.”[18] As shown earlier, baptism bringing one into the membership of the church and being a necessary prerequisite to participation in the Lord’s Supper is consistent with historic Christianity.
From the Reformation onward, Christians continued to affirm baptism as an initiation rite into the visible church. In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin writes that “Baptism is the sign of the initiation by which we are received into the society of the church, in order that, engrafted in Christ, we may be reckoned among God’s children.” [19]
In 1553, the Anglicans articulated this view in their Thirty-Nine Articles. In article twenty-seven, they announce “they that receive baptism rightly are grafted into the church.”[20]
In 1580, Lutherans confirmed their view of baptism and the church in their Book of Concord, where they write, “But, in the first place, we take up Baptism, by which we are first received into the Christian Church.” Article sixty-four in the same section makes a similar claim, “Lastly, we must also know what Baptism signifies, and why God has ordained just such external sign and ceremony for the Sacrament by which we are first received into the Christian Church.”[21] Like the Anglicans before them, Lutherans agree that baptism admits an individual into the church.
The Canons of Dort make a similar claim in Article Twenty-Six, which reads, “They that are baptized are grafted into the visible Church.”[22]
In 1646, the Presbyterians put their own views to paper with the Westminster Confession of Faith. It was there where they described baptism as a sacrament used “for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church.”[23] They elaborated further on this statement with Question 165 of the Westminster Larger Catechism. After asking “What is baptism?” the catechism answers in part by saying that baptism is a sacrament that Christ ordained “to be a sign and seal of ingrafting into himself … whereby the parties baptized are solemnly admitted into the visible church.”[24]
Following the same confessional format as the Westminster Divines, both the Particular Baptists of London[25] and the Congregationalists[26] agree that baptism is a sign of being “ingrafted into [Christ].” Baptists in America affirmed this as well in the Philadelphia Confession of 1743,[27] which was eventually adopted by the Charleston Association in 1813. Like the Presbyterians, the Baptists elaborate on this further in their catechism, stating in Question 101 that “It is the duty of such who are rightly baptized to give up themselves to some particular and orderly church of Jesus Christ, that they may walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless (Acts 2:41, 42; 5:13, 14; 9:26; 1 Pet. 2:5; Lk. 1:6).”[28] The New Hampshire Confession of 1833 proclaims a similar understanding when it says that baptism “is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation; and to the Lord’s Supper.”[29]
Keeping the keys of the kingdom in mind, Christ gave baptism and the Lord’s Supper to the church as a means of affirming one’s profession and good relation with him and his body. Jamieson comments that “baptism designates and draws a line around the people of the gospel.”[30] In addition to the Supper, baptism was given to the church to affirm one’s initial profession and ingraft them into the visible church. Therefore, baptism was a prerequisite to participation in the church and the Supper. Therefore, it was the normative pattern among Christians to bring those who are baptized into the membership of the visible church so that they too may participate in the Supper. To baptize someone and not bring them into the visible membership would have been extremely irregular. The Belgic Confession (Article 37) and the Heidelberg Catechism (Question 74) confirm this view well. [31]
Moving to the present day, confessional Baptists have continued to affirm the connection between baptism and visible church membership. Many point to the London Confession of Faith, the New Hampshire Confession, or the Philadelphia Confession. However, even as recent as the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, we see Baptists confirming that “Being a church ordinance, [baptism] is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.”[32]
Although modern theologians such as Louis Berkhof,[33] Stephen Wellum[34], Wayne Grudem[35], Mark Dever, Thomas Schreiner,[36] Thomas Kidd,[37] and John Hammett[38] affirm the historical precedent of baptism being an initiation right into the church, the current consensus among most baptistic churches is to reject this practice. My hope is to contribute to this discussion by identifying the reasons why modern baptistic churches are hesitant to view baptism as an initiation rite into the visible church.
I have an inclination that the reason has much to do with rising individualism within Western society in the last hundred years. If we can identify the cause of modern baptistic churches departing from this practice, I believe we can aid in bringing greater health to churches as well as individual believers. After all, if part of the great commission is for disciples to teach those they baptize all that Christ commanded (Mt 28:19-20), it stands to reason that the healthiest setting for that teaching to take place is within the visible church. The visible church is where followers of Jesus commit to one another and walk together for the mutual edification and upbuilding of their souls. When a new believer is baptized, those doing the baptizing should take responsibility for the discipleship of this new Christian. They do this by embracing that person into their fellowship and walking alongside them as they continue to grow in Christ together.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Allison, Gregg R. Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church. Edited by John S. Feinberg. Foundations of Evangelical Theology Series. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012. Logos Bible Software.
Augustine of Hippo. “A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants.” In Saint Augustin: Anti-Pelagian Writings, edited by Philip Schaff, translated by Peter Holmes. Vol. 5. A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series. New York: Christian Literature Company, 1887. Logos Bible Software.
Augustine of Hippo. “On Baptism, against the Donatists.” In St. Augustin: The Writings against the Manichaeans and against the Donatists, edited by Philip Schaff, translated by J. R. King. Vol. 4. A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1887. Logos Bible Software.
Calvin, John, and William Pringle. Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010. Logos Bible Software.
Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion & 2. Edited by John T. McNeill. Translated by Ford Lewis Battles. Vol. 1. The Library of Christian Classics. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011. Logos Bible Software.
“Catechism of the Catholic Church: The Sacrament of Baptism.” The Holy See. 1993. https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P3G.HTM.
Dever, Mark, “Baptism in the Context of the Local Church.” In Believers Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ, edited by Thomas R. Schreiner and Shawn Wright, 329-339. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2006. Logos Bible Software.
Ferguson, Everett. Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009. Logos Bible Software.
Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004.
Hammett, John S. 40 Questions About Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. 40 Questions Series. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2015.
Historic Creeds and Confessions. Electronic ed. Oak Harbor: Lexham Press, 1997. Logos Bible Software.
“Holy Baptism.” The Book of Concord Online. 1998. https://bookofconcord.org/large-catechism/holy-baptism/.
Jamieson, Bobby. Going Public: Why Baptism Is Required for Church Membership. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2015.
Jamieson, Bobby. Understanding Baptism. Church Basics. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2016.
Justin Martyr. “The First Apology of Justin.” In The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. Vol. 1. The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885. Logos Bible Software.
Kidd, Thomas S., Paul D. Miller, and Andrew T. Walker. Baptist Political Theology. Brentwood, TN: B&H Academic, 2023.
Leeman, Jonathan. Church Membership. Building Healthy Churches. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012.
M’Clintock, John, and James Strong. “Articles (The Thirty-Nine).” CyclopÊdia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1880. Logos Bible Software.
McGlothlin, W. J. Baptist Confessions of Faith. Philadelphia; Boston; Chicago; St. Louis; Toronto: American Baptist Publication Society, 1911. Logos Bible Software.
Roberts, Alexander, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, eds. “Constitutions of the Holy Apostles.” In Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, Homily, and Liturgies, translated by James Donaldson. Vol. 7. The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1886. Logos Bible Software.
“Savoy Declaration of Faith: 29. Of Baptism.” Reformed Standards. 1658. https://reformedstandards.com/british/savoy.html.
Schaff, Philip. The Creeds of Christendom, with a History and Critical Notes: The Evangelical Protestant Creeds, with Translations. Vol. 3. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1882. Logos Bible Software.
Tertullian. “On Baptism.” In Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian, edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, translated by S. Thelwall. Vol. 3. The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885. Logos Bible Software.
“The Baptist Catechism.” Founders Ministries. https://founders.org/library/the-baptist-catechism/.
“The London Baptist Confession.” In Creeds, Confessions, & Catechisms, edited by Chad Van Dixhoorn, 239-288. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2022.
The Westminster Confession of Faith. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996. Logos Bible Software.
Thomas Aquinas. Summa Theologica. Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province. London: Burns Oates & Washbourne, n.d.
“VII: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.” Baptist Faith and Message. Southern Baptist Convention. 2000. https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/#vii.
Wellum, Stephen J. Systematic Theology: From Canon to Concept. Vol. 1. Systematic Theology. Brentwood, TN: B&H Academic, 2024.
Westminster Assembly. The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition. Philadelphia: William S. Young, 1851. Logos Bible Software.
[1] Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references in this paper are to the English Standard Version (ESV) (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016).
[2] Bobby Jamieson, Going Public: Why Baptism Is Required for Church Membership (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2015), 87.
[3] Jamieson, Going Public, 87.
[4] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 293, Logos Bible Software.
[5] Jonathan Leeman, Church Membership, Building Healthy Churches (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 59
[6] Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, eds., “The Lord’s Teaching through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations,” in Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, Homily, and Liturgies, vol. 7, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1886), 380, Logos Bible Software.
[7] Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, eds., “Constitutions of the Holy Apostles,” in Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, Homily, and Liturgies, trans. James Donaldson, vol. 7, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1886), 414.
[8] Gregg R. Allison, Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church, Foundations of Evangelical Theology 5 (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 367.
[9] Everett Ferguson, Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 252-253, Logos Bible Software.
[10] Justin Martyr, “The First Apology of Justin,” in The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, ed. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, vol. 1, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885), 185.
[11] Tertullian, “On Baptism,” in Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian, ed. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, trans. S. Thelwall, vol. 3, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885), 678, Logos Bible Software.
[12] Everett Ferguson, Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 332-333, Logos Bible Software.
[13] Augustine of Hippo, “A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants,” in Saint Augustin: Anti-Pelagian Writings, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. Peter Holmes, vol. 5, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1887), 30, Logos Bible Software.
[14] Augustine of Hippo, “A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants,” in Saint Augustin: Anti-Pelagian Writings, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. Peter Holmes, vol. 5, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1887), 30, Logos Bible Software.
[15] Augustine of Hippo, “On Baptism, against the Donatists,” in St. Augustin: The Writings against the Manichaeans and against the Donatists, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. J. R. King, vol. 4, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1887), 443, Logos Bible Software.
[16] Ibid., 447.
[17] Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, trans. Fathers of the English Dominican Province, vol. 9 (London: Burns Oates & Washbourne, n.d.), 569, Logos Bible Software.
[18] “Catechism of the Catholic Church: The Sacrament of Baptism,” The Holy See, 1993, https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P3G.HTM.
[19] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion & 2, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, vol. 1, The Library of Christian Classics (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 1303, Logos Bible Software.
[20] John M’Clintock and James Strong, “Articles (The Thirty-Nine),” Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1880), 446, Logos Bible Software.
[21] “Holy Baptism,” The Book of Concord Online, 1998, https://bookofconcord.org/large-catechism/holy-baptism/
[22] Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom, with a History and Critical Notes: The Evangelical Protestant Creeds, with Translations, vol. 3 (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1882), 823, Logos Bible Software.
[23] The Westminster Confession of Faith (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996), Logos Bible Software.
[24] Westminster Assembly, The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition (Philadelphia: William S. Young, 1851), 347, Logos Bible Software.
[25] “The London Baptist Confession,” in Creeds, Confessions, & Catechisms, ed. Chad Van Dixhoorn (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2022), 284.
[26] “Savoy Declaration of Faith: 29. Of Baptism,” Reformed Standards, 1658, https://reformedstandards.com/british/savoy.html.
[27] W. J. McGlothlin, Baptist Confessions of Faith (Philadelphia; Boston; Chicago; St. Louis; Toronto: American Baptist Publication Society, 1911), 297, Logos Bible Software.
[28] “The Baptist Catechism,” Founders Ministries, https://founders.org/library/the-baptist-catechism/.
[29] McGlothlin, 306.
[30] Bobby Jamieson, Understanding Baptism, Church Basics (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2016), 71.
[31] Historic Creeds and Confessions, electronic ed. (Oak Harbor: Lexham Press, 1997), Logos Bible Software.
[32] “VII: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper,” Baptist Faith and Message, Southern Baptist Convention, 2000, https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/#vii.
[33] L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co., 1938), 626, Logos Bible Software.
[34] Stephen J. Wellum, Systematic Theology: From Canon to Concept, vol. 1, Systematic Theology (Brentwood, TN: B&H Academic, 2024), 516.
[35] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 1207.
[36] Mark Dever, “Baptism in the Context of the Local Church,” in Believers Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ, eds. Thomas R. Schreiner and Shawn Wright (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2006), 336, Logos Bible Software.
[37] Thomas S. Kidd, Paul D. Miller, and Andrew T. Walker, Baptist Political Theology, (Brentwood, TN: B&H Academic, 2023), 9.
[38] John S. Hammett, 40 Questions About Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, 40 Questions Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2015), 119.