FPC Baptism

The Sacrament of Baptism

J. Ligon Duncan

Thoughts on the Sacrament of Baptism

Baptism is a covenant sign. That is, it points to and confirms a gracious promise of God to His people. To elaborate: Our Larger Catechism tells us that “Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, in which Christ has commanded the application of water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to be a sign and seal of union with himself, of forgiveness of sins by his blood, regeneration by his Spirit, adoption, and resurrection unto everlasting life; and whereby those who are baptized are solemnly admitted into the visible church, and enter into an open and professed engagement to be wholly and only the Lord’s.” (1) It is commanded by Christ in Matthew 28 (“Go...make disciples...baptizing...and...teaching them”). (2) It is to be applied to believers as we see in Acts 8 (“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?" And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the Eunuch, and he baptized him”). (3) It is to be administered to believers and their children, as can be seen from Genesis 17: (“I will establish My covenant between Me, and you and your descendants”) — which shows that God made the covenant of grace with believers and their children; Matthew 28 (“Go...make disciples...baptizing...and...teaching them”) — which shows that the normal order of discipleship in the church is baptism followed by teaching; Colossians 2 (In Christ “you were also circumcised...having been buried with Him in baptism”) — which shows that NT water baptism replaces OT circumcision as the sign of membership in the church; 1 Corinthians 7 (“your children are...now...holy”) — which confirms the place of children in the new covenant community, the church; and Acts 16 (“Lydia...was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. And...she and her household [were] baptized”) — which shows us the pattern of the earliest church in covenant baptism.

Baptism (and especially “infant baptism” or covenant baptism) beautifully points to the initiative of God’s love. He reached out to us, when we could not reach out to Him. It is thus a perfect picture of sovereign, saving grace. “Every time we baptize an infant we bear witness that salvation is from God, that we cannot do any good thing to secure it, that we all enter the Kingdom of heaven therefore as little children, who do not do, but are done for.” (B.B. Warfield)

Furthermore, it is incumbent upon those who have already received this Gospel ordinance to meditate on it’s blessings frequently and especially every time we see it administered. The Larger Catechism says: “The needful but much neglected duty of improving our Baptism, is to be performed by us all our life long, especially in the time of temptation, and when we are present at the administration of it to others; by serious and thankful consideration of the nature of it, and of the ends for which Christ instituted it, the privileges and benefits conferred and sealed thereby, and our solemn vow made therein; by being humbled for our sinful defilement, our falling short of, and walking contrary to, the grace of baptism, and our engagements; by growing up to assurance of pardon of sin, and of all other blessings sealed to us in that sacrament; by drawing strength from the death and resurrection of Christ, into whom we are baptized, for the mortifying of sin, and quickening of grace; and by endeavoring to live by faith, to have our conversation in holiness and righteousness, as those that have therein given up their names to Christ; and to walk in brotherly love, as being baptized by the same Spirit into one body.”
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The Westminster Confession of Faith
Chapter XXVIII. - Of Baptism.

1. Baptism is a sacrament of the new testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church; but also to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life. Which sacrament is, by Christ's own appointment, to be continued in His Church until the end of the world.

2. The outward element to be used in this sacrament is water, wherewith the party is to be baptized, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, by a minister of the Gospel, lawfully called thereunto.

3. Dipping of the person into the water is not necessary; but Baptism is rightly administered by pouring, or sprinkling water upon the person.

4. Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ, but also the infants of one, or both, believing parents, are to be baptized.

5. Although it be a great sin to condemn or neglect his ordinance, yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it, as that no person can be regenerated, or saved, without it: or, that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated.

6. The efficacy of Baptism is not tied to that moment of time wherein it is administered; yet, notwithstanding, by the right use of this ordinance, the grace promised is not only offered, but really exhibited, and conferred, by the Holy Ghost, to such (whether of age or infants) as that grace belongeth unto, according to the counsel of God's own will, in His appointed time.

7. The sacrament of Baptism is but once to be administered unto any person.
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The Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America
The Administration of Baptism - The Baptism of Infants and Children

56-1. Baptism is not to be unnecessarily delayed; not to be administered, in any case, by any private person; but by a minister of Christ, called to be the steward of the mysteries of God.

56-2. It is not to be privately administered, but in the presence of the congregation under the supervision of the Session.

56-3. After previous notice is given to the minister, the child to be baptized is to be presented, by one or both the parents, or some other responsible person, signifying the desire that the child be baptized.

56-4. Before baptism, the minister is to use some words of instruction, touching the institution, nature, use, and ends of this sacrament, showing:

a. That it is instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ;

b. That it is a seal of the Covenant of Grace, of our ingrafting into Christ, and of our union with Him, of remission of sins, regeneration, adoption, and life eternal;

c. That the water, in baptism, represents and signifies both the blood of Christ, which taketh away all guilt of sin, original and actual; and the sanctifying virtue of the Spirit of Christ against the dominion of sin, and the corruption of our sinful nature;

d. That baptizing, or sprinkling and washing with water, signifies the cleansing from sin by the blood and for the merit of Christ, together with the mortification of sin, and rising from sin to newness of life, by virtue of the death and resurrection of Christ;

e. That the promise is made to believers and their children; and that the children of believers have an interest in the covenant, and right to the seal of it, and to the outward privileges of the Church, under the Gospel, no less than the children of Abraham in the time of the Old Testament; the Covenant of Grace, for substance, being the same; and the grace of God, and the consolation of believers, more plentiful than before;

f. That the Son of God admitted little children into His presence, embracing and blessing them, saying, "For of such is the kingdom of God";

g. That children by Baptism, are solemnly received into the bosom of the Visible Church, distinguished from the world, and them that are without, and united with believers; and that all who are baptized in the name of Christ, do renounce, and by their Baptism are bound to fight against the devil, the world, and the flesh;

h. That they are federally holy before Baptism, and therefore are they baptized;

i. That the inward grace and virtue of Baptism is not tied to that very moment of time wherein it is administered; and that the fruit and power thereof reaches to the whole course of our life; and that outward baptism is not so necessary, that through the want thereof, the infant is in danger of damnation;

j. By virtue of being children of believing parents they are, because of God's covenant ordinance, made members of the Church, but this is not sufficient to make them continue members of the Church. When they have reached the age of discretion, they become subject to obligations of the covenant: faith, repentance and obedience. They then make public confession of their faith in Christ, or become covenant breakers, and subject to the discipline of the Church.

In these or the like instructions, the minister is to use his own liberty and godly wisdom, as the ignorance or errors in the doctrine of Baptism, and the edification of the people, shall require.

He is also to admonish all that are present to look back to their Baptism, to repent of their sins against their covenant with God; to stir up their faith; to improve and make right use of their Baptism, and of the covenant sealed between God and their soul.

He is to exhort the parent to consider the great mercy of God to him and his child; to bring up the child in the knowledge of the grounds of the Christian religion, and in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and to let him know the danger of God's wrath to himself and child, if he be negligent; requiring his solemn promise for the performance of his duty.

The minister is also to exhort the parents to the careful performance of their duty, requiring:

a. That they teach the child to read the Word of God;

b. that they instruct him in the principles of our holy religion, as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, an excellent summary of which we have in the Confession of Faith, and in the Larger and Shorter Catechisms of the Westminster Assembly, which are to be recommended to them as adopted by the Church, for their direction and assistance, in the discharge of this important duty;

c. that they pray with and for him;

d. that they set an example of piety and godliness before him; and endeavor, by all the means of God's appointment, to bring up their child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

56-5. The minister shall then read the covenant promises:

For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. (Acts 2:39; Gen. 17:7; Acts 16:31)

The minister shall then propose the following questions:

1. Do you acknowledge your child's need of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, and the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit?

2. Do you claim God's covenant promises in (his) behalf, and do you look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ for (his) salvation, as you do for your own?

3. Do you now unreservedly dedicate your child to God, and promise, in humble reliance upon divine grace, that you will endeavor to set before (him) a godly example, that you will pray with and for (him), that you will teach (him) the doctrines of our holy religion, and that you will strive, by all the means of God's appointment, to bring (him) up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?

To the congregation (optional):

Do you as a congregation undertake the responsibility of assisting the parents in the Christian nurture of this child?

56-6 Then the minister is to pray for a blessing to attend this ordinance, after which, calling the child by name, he shall say:

I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

As he pronounces these words, he is to baptize the child with water, by pouring or sprinkling it on the head of the child, without adding any other ceremony; and the whole shall be concluded with prayer.
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Practice of Baptism at First Presbyterian Church
At First Presbyterian Church, we follow .........

Example

We are worshiping today in word and sacrament as we apply the sacrament of baptism to five covenant children of this congregation

Baptism is a sign and seal of God's promises to us in the gospel. It is a sign of our union with Christ, forgiveness of sin by His blood, the new life that we have by His Holy Spirit, our adoption into His family, and of the hope of resurrection to eternal life.

The Bible tells us that it is to be applied to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who have never before seen the sign of baptism.

We learned this, for instance, in Acts chapter eight where Phillip shares the gospel with the Ethiopian Eunuch, and after the Ethiopian Eunuch understands the gospel from Isaiah 53, he asks, “What prevents me from being baptized?” And you'll remember that Phillip says, “If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ you may.” And he said, “I do,” and they baptized the Eunuch at that very time

But we also believe that this sign is to believers and their children. We believe this because we believe that the Bible teaches this in Genesis 17 and in Acts 2. It is said both in the Old Testament and the New Testament that the Covenant of Grace is made between believers in God and their children. “The promise is to you and to as many are as far off,” the Apostle Peter says. And of course, in the words of promise to Abraham in Genesis 17, “The promise is to you and to all who dwell in your tents.”

In other words, both Gentiles in the Old Testament who trusted in the God of Israel were to receive the sign of circumcision, so also believers and their children are to receive the sign of baptism, because as Paul explains in Colossians chapter 2, baptism has replaced circumcision as the sign of the covenant for the new covenant believers.

And so we baptize the children of believers out of obedience to Scripture

Today we have the privilege of offering the sacrament of baptism to five children of our congregation,

___ son of Mr. And Mrs.____, _____ son of Mrs. And Mrs.___, ____ daughter of Mr. and Mrs. ______.

Assisting us today as a ruling elder from First Presbyterian Church is ______.

Do you acknowledge your child's need of the cleansing blood of the Jesus Christ and the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit. Do you?

[we do]

Do you claim God's covenant promises in his behalf and do you look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation as you do for your own. Do you?

[we do]

Do you now unreservedly dedicate your child to God and promise in humble reliance upon divine grace that you will endeavor to set before him a godly example, that you will pray with and for him, that you will teach him the doctrines of our holy religion and that you will strive by all the means of God's appointment to bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Do you?

[we do]

To the congregation I would put this question:

As a member of this congregation do you commit this church, The First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Mississippi, to undertake the responsibility of assisting these parents in the Christian nurture of their child. Do you?

[we do]

What is your child's given name?

(_______)

_________________, child of the covenant I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Let us pray. Our Lord and our God, we thank You for this sign of the covenant, the way it sets forth forgiveness of sins. We thank you for this son of the covenant and we pray that there will be a day, that by faith in Christ, he knows what it is that his sins are forgiven. We thank you for the legacy of the covenant for this family. We pray that You would bless his parents as they rear him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And we pray, heavenly Father, that You would be honored in his life. Give them strength help us as a congregation to be a help and an encouragement to them. We ask these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.

What is your child's given name

(_____)

___________, child of the covenant, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen .

Let us pray. Our Lord and our God, we thank You for this sign of the covenant, water baptism given by the Lord Jesus Christ as an emblem of His love, appointed by You in Your word as a sign of your promise to us. We cannot think of a sweeter promise than the promise of union and communion with Christ. We pray that this son of the covenant would know union and communion with Christ from his earliest days, that he would walk with the Lord Jesus always, that You would bless his parents as they set before him a godly example, that You would bless this congregation to be a help to him and to his parents as he endeavors to walk in the ways of the Lord. We thank you for children. We acknowledge O God that as Your word says,”Sons are an inheritance from the Lord.” We thank you for this son and we pray Your blessing upon this family, in Jesus' name. Amen.

What is your child's given name

(________)

____________, child of the covenant I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen .

Let us pray. Our Lord and our God, we thank You for this sign of the covenant. We acknowledge that baptism is a sign not only of the washing of our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ, but of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We thank You for this little one, we thank You for his believing parents, and we pray, O Lord, that they would set before him a godly example and would teach him the religion of the Scriptures, and that they would rear him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We also pray, heavenly Father, that by the mysterious working of Your Holy Spirit, You would draw him to You early, that he would walk with You always, that he would be a testimony to his brethren, and that he would be with You forever and ever. We thank You for this family, and we pray Your blessings upon them, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

What is your child's given name?

(______________)

____________________, child of the covenant, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen .

Let us pray. Our Lord and our God, we thank You for Your faithfulness from generation to generation. We thank You for the love of Christ which resides in the hearts of these believing parents and we thank You for this legacy that will now be passed on to yet another generation. We thank you, heavenly Father, for the promises of Your presence and Your power. And we thank You that in baptism we see set forth before us a sign of the hope to come resurrection to newness of life, and we look for the day when, by the Spirit, You will show this little one the power of Your resurrection and that he would walk in it, that You would bless his parents as they set forth the doctrine of grace, as they speak to this child of the glory of the gospel and of the holy Scriptures. We thank you for the legacy in this family, and we pray that it will be continued in this life, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

What is your child's given name?

(_______)

_____________, child of the covenant, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen .

Let us pray. Our Lord and our God, we thank You for Your blessing of children. We thank You for Your plan of the covenant, whereby in families You extend believers throughout this world. We thank you for this little one in particular, we thank You for Your special providence over him in early difficult days, and we ask now even before this congregation again in intercession, that You would heal him and that You would cause him to be blessed and strong. We thank You for the faith of his parents, we thank you for their trust in God, and we pray O God, that You would increase that trust and that You would bless him through that trust so that he would see their faith and that he would be moved to faith. We thank You that in baptism, O God, we've seen set forth the glorious promises of the gospel of grace. We pray that this little one would know all of those promises realized in his own experience, that he would love the Lord Jesus Christ and walk with Him always. And all these things we ask are earnestly in Jesus' name, Amen.

Receive now the Lord’s benediction:

The Lord bless you and keep you

The Lord make His face to shine upon you to be gracious to you

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace

Amen