More Than Just Water: Delving Deeper into the Presbyterian View of Baptism

Last week we began to explore the significance of what baptism is in our lives as Christians. We had viewed this from a Reformed Presbyterian perspective which is something that is important for us to recognise because it should help us to understand why we baptise the way that we do. Hopefully we saw last week that baptism is more than just a ritual, that it is deeply rooted in theology which our forebears had wrestled with for centuries, and that it represents a profound spiritual reality of what God has done in our lives.

This week, we will delve deeper into some of the fundamental ideas that shape our Reformed Presbyterian view of baptism. One of the principles for Reformed Presbyterians is the concept of Salvation by Grace. This reminds us that God in His infinite mercy, had extended a free offer of salvation to all of humanity. And this emphasises the idea that we cannot earn or achieve salvation through our own efforts, or any amount of ‘good’ deeds on our part, but rather this is a gift from God that we might receive through faith in Jesus Christ.

It is this principle understanding that shapes our view of baptism. While the Roman Catholic church might view the act of baptism itself as having some power unto salvation, we as Reformed Presbyterians understand baptism to be a symbol, or an outward and visible sign of the inward transformation that has already taken place through the work of the Holy Spirit.

We covered how Baptism is a sacrament, which in simple terms means that it is an outward sign that points to, and signifies, an inward, spiritual reality. For Reformed Presbyterians, we administer just two sacraments: baptism and communion, the main reasons being that these are the only two which were instituted by Jesus Christ and that were explicitly commanded in scripture.

Baptism serves several key purposes:

• It signifies our union with Christ and marks the beginning of our new life in Him.

• It signifies God’s covenant with His people, past, present, and future.

• It is a public declaration of faith and a symbol of our inclusion into the covenant community.

• It serves as a reminder of our new identity in Christ.

Importantly then, we as Reformed Presbyterians believe that the true transforming event is actually the baptism of the Holy Spirit (what God has done in our hearts), not the physical act, or ritual of water baptism.

This week our lectionary reading takes us to Isaiah 62:1-5. It’s a wonderful passage about the relationship between God and His people. Take a moment to prayerfully read this and may God bless you with open hearts to His Spirit. Next week, we will probably have a look at one of the most debated aspects of baptism: infant baptism, and why Presbyterians, as do a few other mainline denominations, baptise children.

Blessings

Josh