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QUESTION: What does Grace believe about baptism?

We believe that Jesus instituted special ceremonies for the church that replace the Old Testament rites of male circumcision and animal sacrifice. These older practices were replaced by bloodless ceremonies called sacraments. We recognize the two sacraments that Christ began for the church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper or communion.

These two ceremonies point to the work of Christ for us, to our response in faith and to our being a part of God’s covenant people, the church. Both sacraments are physical representations of God’s promises in the Word. And just as God’s Word only becomes effective in us when we believe, we also believe that these sacraments are meaningful and effective only when they are connected to faith. There is nothing powerful or magical about the ceremony apart from us taking hold of God and his promises to us in Christ by faith.

Though baptism shows that we are part of God’s people of faith, and the Lord’s Supper shows that we are continuing to walk in faith together, both of these sacraments point beyond the local congregation. Baptism unites us to a local church, but it also shows we are one with believers everywhere. And as a way to show our unity with other believing churches we recognize baptisms done by other fellowships, even when they do things differently than we would.

So we recognize earlier baptisms by immersion, pouring or sprinkling when believers join this congregation. Another way to say this is that we don’t re-baptize believers, but accept other’s practices rather than impose our own. As we read Scripture we would believe that sprinkling (aspersion) is the method the Bible teaches, but we don’t believe that the way you were baptized is so important or central to the meaning of baptism that if you were immersed or had water poured over you it makes your baptism invalid. We think it counts even if it wasn’t perfectly according to our understanding about the right way or formula of words.

We also practice infant baptism. So when a child has one or two believing parents in the church, we would baptize that child. That means that we baptize two kinds of people: believers and children of believers. But we are pretty careful to explain exactly what we see Scripture teach about infant baptism. When an infant is baptized we are looking forward in faith to God working in this child’s heart to draw her or him to faith. No one is saved or regenerated apart from faith. So, the baptism does not save or regenerate the child. It looks forward to their faith and encourages the parents and the church to be faithful in preaching and teaching the Word to the child.

So baptism signifies the faith of a responding adult who has already trusted the grace of God that we hear in the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we baptize an infant the baptism looks forward to their faith and also recognizes that God has extended his grace to them in a special way by placing them in a believing home and church. For us this isn’t just a tradition, but obedience to what we understand scripture to teach.

In the Old Testament both new believers and their children were circumcised. We believe that pattern continues in the New Testament. (That is why we prefer to talk about a Bible view of baptism, not just a New Testament view.) Circumcision was originally given as a sign of faith. Romans 4 tells us that Abraham was justified by faith, he ‘believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ The chapter goes on to say that God gave him ‘the sign of circumcision, [as] a seal of the righeousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.’ So originally, God gave circumcision as a sign of faith to a believing adult.

In Romans 2 Paul also tells us that simply being circumcised didn’t make a person part of God’s people (2:28f); he believed it took a new heart that responded in faith to God and his promise. So why were children circumcised? If circumcision was a sign of faith and if only those who had hearts changed were really God’s people, why were infants circumcised? Paul answers that question directly in Romans 3:1-2.

What value is there in circumcision? Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God…

Just as with circumcision in the older covenant, we believe that in the New Testament baptism of children continued. Infant baptism shows that God himself has placed the child in a family and in a church where the word is taught, where the child will be entrusted with the very words of God. Of course, every child must respond in faith. Their faith will make the Word effective and powerful in their lives. Each child must come to trust Christ alone for salvation. But God has already started moving toward them in a special way by giving them family and friends who will influence, encourage, and teach them the gospel.

And in hope and expectation, we believe that God’s reasons for giving them a Christian family is to bless the child and call him or her to faith, and so we baptize them as Scripture teaches. Part of what you will notice in our view is that we don’t think that Scripture teaches that the meaning and power of baptism is tied to the moment of time when it was done. What gives baptism meaning and power is not the time it is done, way it is administered or the particular words said, but rather the grace of God received by faith as he gives new birth.

At Grace Community our teaching pastors and elders are required to share our understanding of baptism. But even though we see our view as Biblical, we also recognize that some believers disagree with us on this subject. And since we don’t see those differences as striking to the heart of faith, though we take Baptism seriously, we do not require that every member hold our view. We do require that they not make their differing view on baptism a point of argument or contention in the fellowship. But there are different opinions in the congregation and even in some of the staff of the Church.

If you would like some more information on our views and on what the Bible teaches about baptism, you might want to read:

The Case for Covenantal Infant Baptism – ed: Strawbridge
The Meaning and Mode of Baptism – J. Adams
Baptism – Francis A. Shaeffer

Answered by Pastor Josiah Bancroft