INTRODUCTION
This is the first in a series of five post evaluating the statements on baptism in the Heidelberg Catechism (HC) and probing the logic and coherence of those statements and their scriptural support as cited in the HC reference notes. Some statements appear inconsistent with other statements in the HC, or they cite scriptures out of context, or they lack scriptural support, or they appear problematic on other grounds. These posts do not address paedobaptist vs credobaptist arguments, but look only at the internal consistency and coherence of the arguments made in the HC. Questions as to what a sacrament is or how it functions are not addressed.
A slightly modified version of all five posts combined into one paper is available at the following link: The (In)Coherence of the Heidelberg Catechism on Baptism_bv
The teaching on baptism in the HC are contained in Question and Answer 69 through 74, in Lord’s Days 26 and 27. Each post in this series will cover one or more Question and Answer (Q&A) sets. The text of the HC Question and Answer are quoted and discussed, and the HC’s scripture citations are also quoted, using the NASB. Citations are expanded at times to provide context. The text of the HC quoted here are taken from the current Canadian Reformed Church online version.
The critiques on this blog of statements and claims in the Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism are NOT directed primarily at the original authors of those documents. I believe that the original authors did their best to summarize the main Christian doctrines, based on their concerns and priorities, the extent of their knowledge, and the theological assumptions and paradigms of their time and place. What I am critiquing is the apparent failure of today’s Reformed community to review, update, revise and reform these documents to reflect the current state of knowledge in the relevant fields of Biblical Studies (see also the ABOUT ASKING QUESTIONS page).
Question and Answer 69
69. Question. How does holy baptism signify and seal to you that the one sacrifice of Christ on the cross benefits you?
Answer. In this way: Christ instituted this outward washing 1 and with it gave the promise that, as surely as water washes away the dirt from the body, so certainly his blood and Spirit wash away the impurity of my soul, that is, all my sins.2
1 Mt 28:19. 2 Mt 3:11; Mk 16:16; Jn 1:33; Acts 2:38; Rom 6:3-4; 1 Pet 3:21.
Note 1 Scripture Citation
Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 28:19 clearly constitutes the institution of baptism. However this text has no accompanying “promise” using words like those of HC Answer 69.
Note 2 Scripture Citations
Matthew 3:11: “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Mark 16:16: “ 16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. 17 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
John 1:33: “ I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit. ”
Acts 2:38: “ Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit….. 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized…”
Romans 6:3 – 4: “ 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
1 Peter 3:21: “Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…”
Discussion
Is Question 69 addressed to infants as well as adults, since according to the HC Answer 74, infants too are to be baptized? How can an infant understand this question posed to them?
Not one of the cited scriptures describes baptism as a “seal” as is claimed in Q 69; this is not surprising because no such Scripture exists.
The Matthew and John citations state that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit; they mention neither water baptism nor forgiveness of sins, nor a “washing” of or by the Spirit; thus these scriptures do not appear relevant to the HC’s Answer 69. These citations however do expose the lack of any presentation or discussion of the baptism in the Holy Spirit in the HC, and how it is related to water baptism.
The Mark citation is from the disputed long ending of Mark which is not found in earlier manuscripts, and which was probably an insertion of the post-NT church. The explicit claim in Mark 16:16 that baptism is a necessary requirement for salvation (“He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved”) has no explicit parallel in the NT scriptures and is a typical teaching of the post-NT church.
Should one wish to claim that the long ending of Mark is valid scripture, then how would verses 17 and 18 be applied? Why do we not observe, after (believers’) baptisms, the accompanying signs of exorcisms, speaking in tongues, handling serpents, drinking poison, and laying on of hands for healing?
Peter in Acts 2 instructs his auditors to (1) repent, (2) be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and (3) receive the Holy Spirit. The three steps are more or less sequential. First must come repentance, then believing that forgiveness of sins is available in the name of Jesus and acting on that faith by being baptized in water, then the Holy Spirit can be received in what the above-cited Matthew and John passages call the baptism in/of/with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not described as washing away sins; the Spirit comes to fill vessels after they have been “washed” and cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
The purpose of the gift of the Spirit is not to cleanse from sin, but to empower believers to be faithful witnesses to the truth of the gospel, to live righteously and to keep God’s commandments. Thus in Acts 1:4-5,8 the risen Messiah ” …commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.….. 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses…..”
Sometimes the Holy Spirit is poured out before baptism, as happened in Cornelius’s house. This was done to demonstrate to Peter and those with him that God had cleansed these Gentiles through faith as they listened and believed in Peter’s preaching: Acts 10:43-48: “ 43……through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. 45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”
The citations from Romans and 1 Peter do not add anything substantially new in terms of scriptural support for HC Answer 69. Actually the 1 Peter citation, by linking baptism to “an appeal to God for a good conscience” would seem to be inapplicable to infants.
The wording of HC Answer 69 “….as surely as water washes away the dirt from the body, so certainly his blood and Spirit wash away the impurity of my soul…..” not only binds the two events of external and internal washings so closely together as to suggest that they are two aspects of a single event, but it actually reverses the scriptural order of these two events, which is that the inner spiritual cleansing from sin comes first, then afterward comes the external sign of “washing” with water in baptism.
There does not appear to be any NT scripture that explicitly uses the analogy of baptismal washing as a basis for affirming the certainty of the washing away of sins by Jesus’ blood. The practice attested in the NT is rather the other way around. First comes repentance and faith in Jesus through which forgiveness of sins is obtained; after that, on the basis of the believer’s testimony to that renewal, baptism is performed – as per Acts 10:43-48 referenced above, and Acts 16:31-34 referenced below. In other words, baptism is not intended to function as evidence or proof that one’s sins are forgiven. It is rather the reverse – it is the reality of repentance, forgiveness and renewal that validates the rite of baptism. Thus the baptism of Simon in Acts 8 proved to be invalid, because his repentance was apparently insincere, as Peter discerns in Acts 8:21-22: “ 21 You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours….”.
The NT does not teach that the primary purpose of baptism is to bolster or strengthen the faith of those baptized. The inner reality of being cleansed of sin and receiving the Holy Spirit, both as internally experienced realities and in the case of the latter as manifested by Spirit-inspired utterances such as tongues, prophecies, praises etc. (e.g. Acts 10:43-48 quoted above), provide a much more reliable and certain basis for strengthening faith than the external rite of baptism. Surely the actual experience of receiving forgiveness and the Holy Spirit testify to the reality of God’s promises in a way that the “sign” analogy of baptism can never match. Thus Paul says in Romans 8:14-16: “ 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God….”. It is the inner witness of the Holy Spirit that provides assurance that we are God’s children – not water baptism.