Believer’s Baptism by Immersion
As taught in the Baptist tradition
Teaching that baptism is for believers only and is performed by immersion as a symbol of union with Christ.
The question that stands at the very heart of the Baptist tradition—and indeed, the question that historically separated the "Baptists" from the "Pedobaptists" (infant-baptizers) of the Reformation era—is this: To whom did the Lord Jesus Christ intend for the ordinance of baptism to be administered, and in what manner? For the Baptist, the answer is not found in the traditions of the early church fathers, the decrees of medieval councils, or the legislative requirements of a state-church. Instead, the answer is found in the "Regulative Principle of Worship," which asserts that the church is only authorized to do in worship what the New Testament explicitly commands or exemplifies.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the linguistic and historical reasons why the Baptist tradition insists on immersion as the only valid mode of baptism.
- **Distinguish** between the "ordinance" view of baptism held by Baptists and the "sacramental" views held by Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican traditions.
- **Explain** the theological connection between the act of immersion and the believer's spiritual union with Christ in His death and resurrection.
- **Articulate** the biblical requirements for a candidate for baptism, specifically the necessity of a "credible profession of faith."
- **Trace** the development of the doctrine within the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession and the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
- **Defend** the Baptist position against the practice of paedobaptism by appealing to the nature of the New Covenant and the lack of New Testament precedent for infant baptism.
- **Apply** the teaching of baptism to the concept of church membership and the believer’s public witness in the world.
- **Compare** the historical Baptist view of baptism as a "pledge of a good conscience" with contemporary "memorialist" views that may de-emphasize the spiritual significance of the act.
Scripture
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