What about Baptism?

When it comes to baptism, there are two main positions amongst evangelicals, infant (baby) baptism and believers baptism. Infant baptism is and I quote from the Westminster Larger Catechism Question 166, titled, Unto whom is baptism to be administered A. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, and so strangers from the covenant of promise, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him, but infants descending from parents, either both, or but one of them, professing faith in Christ, and obedience to him, are in that respect within the covenant, and to be baptized.

Believers baptism is and I quote from the Baptist Confession 1689 Chapter 29 Of Baptism, Paragraph 2, Those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance.

When we look at the two above, they are not in agreement when it comes to infant baptism. Those who believe in infant baptism believe that an infant without professing faith in Christ can be baptised, but those who believe in believers baptism believe that only those who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can be baptised. 

Notice what it says in regard to the infant and the New Covenant from the WLC above- I quote, but infants descending from parents, either both, or but one of them, professing faith in Christ, and obedience to him, are in that respect within the covenant- they believe an infant with at least one parent professing faith in Christ, and obedient to Him, automatically places the infant within the New covenant, so they are to be baptised. 

Notice also that in the BCF above that, and I quote, Those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance. An infant (a baby) is not able to profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ (which those who believe in infant baptism would agree) should then not be baptised- for baptism is for believers only. 

I am a reformed Baptist, so my position on baptism is believers baptism, which is clearly taught in the Bible. Nowhere in the New Testament will you ever find an infant being baptised, only those who came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

First, I want to look at the Great Commision found in Matthew 28:19-20. The Bible says, Going, then, disciple all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the completion of the age. Amen. (LITV)

Notice that the Lord Jesus Christ commanded- Going, then, disciple all nations- What this means is to make disciples of all nations, and then Jesus commands, baptizing them (the disciples) into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit- which refers to water baptism. Notice the order, first a disciple, which means a saved person (a believer), and then as a disciple (a saved person), be baptised. Christ is commanding disciples to be baptised- be saved and be baptised. That is believers baptism. 

But there are other verses I would like to bring to your attention, which again clearly shows that the only people within the New Covenant are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The verses are found in Jeremiah 31:33-34. The Bible says, But this shall be the covenant that I will cut with the house of Israel: After those days, declares Jehovah, I will put My law in their inward parts, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall no longer each man teach his neighbor, and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah. For they shall all know Me, from the least of them even to the greatest of them, declares Jehovah. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more. (LITV)

In Jeremiah 31:33-34, it speaks about the New Covenant that will replace the Old Covenant. And in v.34, look at what God says about those who are within the New Covenant, God says, And they shall no longer each man teach his neighbor, and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah (Yahweh), Then God tells us why- For they shall all know me, from the least of them even to the greatest of them, declares Jehovah. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more

Notice God says- For they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest. Those who are within the New Covenant know God, and as God says, And they shall no longer each man teach his neighbor, and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah. (Yahweh) For they shall all know me, from the least of them even to the greatest of them, declares Jehovah. (Yahweh) All who are within the covenant will know God, they have a personal relationship with God, which means that the only ones who are within the covenant are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, for they are the only ones who know God. An infant (a baby) is not able to come to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ- they are not able to understand the gospel message, thus they do not know God, and need to know God to be within the New Covenant, for God says, they shall all know me. 

Infants are to be raised according to the Bible, and teaching them about the true God and His saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ from the Bible, and praying to God that He would save them by His grace through and in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

So, when we come back to baptism, baptism is for them who are within the New Covenant, and not for infants (baby). The only way for them to be within the New Covenant will be for them by the grace of God, come to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and only then, should they be baptized in obedience to the command of Christ. 

A Bondslave of The Lord Jesus Christ

The Bible says in Romans 1:1 LITV, Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, separated to the gospel of God. 

Here we see Paul wrote as a humble servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul here does not exalt his apostleship to the Christians in Rome, but Paul humbled himself. Noticed Paul is first a slave (bond slave) of the Lord Jesus, and second a called apostle. For Paul to be a called apostle, he first needed to be called as a bond-slave. When we (Christians) look at ourselves as a bond-slave, it will humble ourselves before the living God, because we are bond-slaves, and the Lord Jesus is our Master. 

I want to focus on the word, “slave”. The word “slave” is the Greek word, “doulos”, and the basic implication of this word-described one who is bound to another. Paul the apostle was connected to the Lord Jesus Christ. The word “doulos” can be translated, as some translations do, a bond-slave. Paul the apostle was humbled when he said, “a slave of Jesus Christ.”

In the Old Testament, there was a law about being a bond-slave. This is found in the Book of Exodus 21:1-6. The Bible teaches in Exodus 21:5-6 that a bond-slave is a slave who has been set free, but loves his master, refuses to go free, and remains with his master to serve him forever.  The servant, without force, and with joy, serves his master because He loves him. Paul understood this wonderful truth that sets you free. The bond-slave of Jesus Christ is free indeed. Paul understood that true liberty is being a bond-slave of the Lord Jesus, His Master, and our Master. The Lord Jesus had set him free, and that freedom was in the Lord Jesus. Paul loved his Master and he would never want to be separated from his Master, the Lord Jesus, but to remain with His Master, and serve Him forever. 

This is true for every true believer. Anybody who professed to believe in Christ, but walked away from Him, was never saved- for a true bond-slave has been saved by Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and will serve Him forever.  A true bond-slave of the Lord Jesus is saved by grace and kept by grace. All true believers are bond-slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible in 1Corthians 7:22-23 LITV says, For the one called a slave in the Lord is a freed man of the Lord. And likewise, the one called a free man is a slave of Christ. 23, You were redeemed with a price; do not become slaves of men.

Notice what Paul wrote, "For the one called a slave in the Lord is a freed man of the Lord. And likewise, the one called a free man is a slave of Christ", and then he wrote, "You were redeemed with a price."  Paul is referring to a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us with a price, which was Christ laying down His Life for us, and because He did, believers have been set free, and no longer slaves to sin and the devil, but a slave to Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, who treats us and loves us perfectly. Christians have been set free to love Him because He first loved us, and to serve Him, and to rejoice in Him forever more. To be a bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ means to be completely and entirely for the service of our Lord, which means in all that we do. 

There will be times when a true bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ will let their Master down, but when they do, they are displeased, and have no pleasure in what they have done because their desire is to please Him, their Master Jesus, in all things. The Bible says in 1Corinthians 10:31 LITV, Then whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things to the glory of God. 

Never forget brothers and sisters in Christ, we are a bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ, the same as Paul was. We are to be humble as Paul was, like we see here in Romans 1:1, when he began to write this letter. A bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ is to delight in his Master's Word, which is the Bible, to serve Him and obey Him in the way they are to live as Christians according to the Word of God, and to please the One they serve, just like with Paul the apostle. 

What a wonderful thing to know the Lord Jesus, and to be His bond-slave, and to want to serve Him and obey Him and glorify Him, because we love Him, the One who made us His own because He first loved us by His grace. May the Lord help by His grace as we serve Him, our Good Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.