10c_baptism

The main ideas from this information are: - Baptism is a key practice in the Church, but there has been disagreement over its doctrine. - In the early Church, baptism served various purposes, including forgiveness of sins and identification with Christ. - Different practices and beliefs about baptism emerged over time, such as the requirement of catechumens to undergo a period of catechesis before baptism. - The importance of faith in baptism was debated by theologians like Tertullian and Augustine. - The practice of infant baptism was accepted by some, like Origen and Luther, but rejected by others, like Hugh of Amiens and the Anabaptists. - Baptism became a sacrament associated with salvation in the Catholic Church. - During the Middle Ages, the focus on the Lord's Supper increased, and baptism was celebrated throughout the year. - Reformers like Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin had differing views on infant baptism, but all practiced it. - Baptists and Chapter 28, Baptism. Key terms. Sacrament, ordinance, chrismation, ex opera, operatum. Key people. Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Augustine, Hugh of Amiens, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, Holger X. Wingly, John Calvin, John Wesley, Alexander Campbell, Karl Barth. Key points. The Church has historically been obedient to Christ's command to baptize. However, there has been a good deal of disagreement over the doctrine. In the early Church, baptism was believed to have several purposes. The forgiveness of sins, deliverance from death, regeneration, or the new birth. The gift of the Holy Spirit, the renunciation of Satan, and identification with Jesus Christ. Augustine employed his principle ex opera, operatum, literally, by the work performed. Baptism is, thus, effective by the simple fact that it is administered. Hugh of Amiens rejected infant baptism, saying it does not confer anything on little children because infants cannot have faith. Indeed, he believed that their age prevents them from believing. However, the Church rejected Hugh's position. In the city of Zurich, Felix Mons, Conrad Grebel, and George Blauerock, the originators of the Anabaptist movement, rejected infant baptism and instead began baptizing adults, beginning with themselves. With the turn of the third millennium, a number of developments have led to less attention being paid to the historic doctrine of baptism, including cooperative evangelistic efforts, multi-denominational allegiances, ecumenical missionary endeavors, and the unified stance that has been taken against the pundits of the gospel. The doctrine of baptism has thus been relegated to a position of secondary importance by many. Chapter Summary The Church has historically been obedient to Christ's command to baptize. However, there has been a great deal of disagreement over the doctrine. Many have disagreed over what to call baptism in the Lord's Sacrament or in ordinance. Another specific area of disagreement has been the mode of baptism. Further disagreement has come over the issue of proper recipients of baptism. The Early Church Even before Jesus began his ministry, baptism was an important practice in the Judaism of his time. Non-Jews who desired to follow the Jewish religion had to undergo proselyte baptism. Baptism was an important part of the ministry of Jesus's predecessor, John the Baptist. Baptism was likewise part of Jesus's ministry. He would commission disciples to continue the task of baptism. From the New Testament witness it is clear that the Early Church was obedient to Christ's command. Furthermore, from the earliest documents outside of the Bible it is clear that the practice was taking place in the Early Church. Baptism was believed to have several purposes. The forgiveness of sins, deliverance from death, regeneration or the new birth, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the renunciation of Satan, and the identification with Jesus Christ. As the doctrine continued to develop in the third and fourth centuries, various practices were added to the right. One practice required the water to be consecrated or set apart before baptism. A second practice was chrismation or anointing with oil. A third practice required the laying on of hands. A fourth practice was the requirement of catechumens to undergo a period of catechesis prior to baptism. This practice stood in contrast to the New Testament model of hasty baptisms following professions of faith. The reason for delaying baptism was tied to the changing circumstances that the Church found itself in during the fourth century. Because the Church was a legal institution, a period of catechesis was required in order to ensure that those who sought to join the Church were doing so for the right reasons. Furthermore, baptism was postponed due to the belief that sins committed after baptism are not forgiven. Thus, it would be rushed for people to be baptized before they had achieved a certain level of mature holiness. A fifth practice was an elaboration of the renunciation of Satan, which included a profession of faith. After renouncing Satan, the catechumen would profess his faith in the Trinity. A sixth practice was fasting in order to prepare for baptism. Tertullian objected to involving children in baptism. He further objected to the practice of sponsors making promises concerning the faith of the child. Instead, Tertullian advocated baptizing only the believers. Origen, however, supported the practice of infant baptism. While he denied that children need forgiveness, he affirmed that the filth of birth must be removed by the sacrament of baptism. Cyprian linked baptism to original sin. He rejected the idea that infant baptism should be modeled after Old Testament circumcision, which postponed the circumcision to the eighth day after birth. Cyprian objected that this practice delayed baptism too long in light of the terrible situation to which children are born. Augustine cited Cyprian as writing the book on the baptism of infants. Augustine further explained that infant baptism obliterated and forgave the original sin that is common to all infants. Thus, because all infants are born with original sin that must be forgiven, infants must be baptized soon after birth. By the fifth century, this practice became the official rite of the church. Baptism was thought to forgive original sin in infants and actual sin in adults because baptism was considered necessary for salvation, and because salvation in Jesus Christ became linked with the Catholic Church, baptism in the church became necessary for salvation. However, the church would decide that any baptism was a valid baptism as long as it conformed in its administration to Christian baptism, even if it was performed by a church that had broken away from the Catholic Church. Indeed, Augustine believed that some outside the church would be saved and that many inside the church would be damned. Behind this way of thinking was Augustine's principle of ex opera operato. Baptism is thus affected by the simple fact that it is administered. The Middle Ages. A major change that took place during the Middle Ages was the elevation of the Lord to suffer to be the preeminent sacrament. This honor had previously been attributed to baptism. Another change that took place concerning baptism during the Middle Ages was the practice of celebrating baptism at any time throughout the church year, and not only at Easter and Pentecost. The reason behind this change concerned the high death rate among infants. Due to the fact that in most areas where Christianity existed, most of the inhabitants already identified themselves with the church, the practice of adult baptism received little attention. No longer did catechumens have to undergo the rigorous pre-baptism procedures of the early church. Instead, simple and weekly ceremonies became the norm. Hugh of Amiens rejected infant baptism, saying that it does not confer anything on little children because infants cannot have faith. Indeed, he believed that their age prevents them from believing. However, the church rejected Hugh's position. Thomas Aquinas spoke of baptism, saying that it is something real, signified by an outward washing and a sacramental sign of inward justification. I'm going to read that again. Thomas Aquinas spoke of baptism, saying it is something real, signified by an outward washing and a sacramental sign of inward justification. He rejected the necessity of immersion as the only proper mode for baptism, accepting both sprinkling and pouring. He further argued that baptism is essential for salvation in the sense that it must be something that is desired. That is, one is not saved if he does not desire baptism. However, if the person desires baptism but is unable to attain it, he can obtain salvation on account of his desire. I've never heard that before. Through Reformation and post-Reformation, Martin Luther did not oppose the church's practice of infant baptism. Instead, he linked it with the Word of God and faith. Baptism works for goodness of sins, delivers from death the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe, as the Word and promise of God declare. It is not the water itself that saves, but the Word of God, which is with and in the water, and faith, which trusts in the Word of God in the water. Regarding infant baptism, Luther emphasized the faith of the sponsor on behalf of the infant. However, Luther also suggested that the children being baptized actually believe when they are baptized. Nevertheless, Luther eventually denied the importance of faith for the validity of the sacrament, since everything depends on the Word of God and command of God. More of Luther's argument for infant baptism came from the historical support of the practice, rather than from scriptural support. Holder Zwingli affirmed infant baptism before he supported the practice differently. Early in his career, Zwingli considered reserving baptism for believers. This opinion came from his view of the sacraments, that they are external signs by which people respond to what God has done. Against the common view of the relationship between original sin and infant baptism, Zwingli denied the idea that original sin can condemn the infant. Condemnation comes to the child when he acts out of his corruption against the law of God, and one can only do that if he knows the law. However, Zwingli would eventually practice infant baptism after his confrontation with the Anabaptists. In the city of Zurich, Felix Mons, Conrad Grebel, and George Blaurock, the originators of the Anabaptist movement, rejected infant baptism and instead began baptizing adults, beginning with themselves. City leaders in Zurich did not tolerate the Anabaptists, but instead condemned their practices as heresy and sentenced them to death by drowning. John Calvin continued in line with Luther and Zwingli with his practice of infant baptism. According to Calvin, baptism serves both the faith of believers and their public confession of faith before others. Like Zwingli, Calvin justified infant baptism on the analogy between the old covenant sign of circumcision with the new covenant sign of baptism. He believes that infant baptism marks the children of Christians as holy, different from children of unbelievers. Moreover, Calvin did not believe that infant baptism itself was regenerative. Instead, he believed infants to be baptized into future repentance and faith. Baptists followed the trajectory of the Anabaptists with their denial of the need for infant baptism. Instead, they argued for the necessity of believers' baptism by immersion, the modern period. John Wesley believed baptism to be the initiatory sacrament which enters believers into covenant with God. It washes away the guilt of original sin and affects regeneration. He did not equate baptism with the new birth in the case of adults who are baptized, but he did in the case of infant baptism. However, the infant eventually grows up to commit personal sin, rejects the grace of God, and thus loses eternal life given to him in baptism. This situation calls for the infant to be born again as an adult. John Wesley's paragraph probably needs to be better. The Quakers denied that water baptism should be observed. Baptism was instead thought to be a spiritual thing. A baptism of the spirit and fire. Baptist churches required baptism both for membership in the church and for admittance of the Lord's Supper. Alexander Campbell and the disciples of Christ argued for the necessity of baptism for salvation. Karl Barth closely associated the baptism of the Holy Spirit and baptism with water as the foundation for the Christian life. To Barth, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a divine change that transforms a person who, once rebelled against Christ, a spirit baptism takes place. As a spirit baptism takes place, the water baptism accompanies it as the required human response to the divine activity. Barth further rejected the sacramental nature of baptism, suggesting rather that it is man's response to what God has done. While Barth associated himself most closely with Zwingli's baptismal view, he rejected Zwingli's stance on infant baptism. In doing so, he underscored the lack of biblical evidence for the practice. Barth critiqued the Reformers for failing to properly question the legitimacy of the practice. With the turn of the third millennium, a number of developments have led to less attention being paid to the historical doctrine of baptism. Such developments include the cooperative evangelistic efforts, multi-denominational allegiances, ecumenical missionary endeavors, and the United States that has been taken against the punishments of the gospel. The doctrine of baptism has thus been relegated to a position of secondary importance by many.