084 Ordinances of the Church: Baptism Part Two

“Baptism is meant to be an outward testimony of an inward change in the life of a believer, and Christian baptism is an act of obedience to the Lord after salvation.” -  Pastor Jeff Cranston

Hello Kitchen Table Theology Family!  In this episode, Pastor Jeff and Jen Denton are continuing their discussion on baptism in our new series on the ordinances of the church.

[00:01] Introduction

• Pastor Jeff gives us a summary of what was discussed last episode
• Different modes of baptism

[03:31] The Biblical Argument for Baptism by Sprinkling

• Why some people believe that sprinkling is the acceptable form of baptism
  • Certain Old Testament rituals of cleansing involve sprinkling
  • Sprinkling best pictures the cleansing of the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:25)
  • Βαπτίζω (the Greek word for baptize)  has differing interpretations of translation to support sprinkling
  • Immersion is claimed to be improbable or impossible in certain instances in the New Testament  (Acts 2:41, Acts 8:38, Acts 16:33)
  • The greater majority of the visible church practices nonimmersion baptism 

[06:25] The Biblical Argument for Baptism by Affusion

• Pouring water may best picture the ministry of the Holy Spirit coming on, and into the life of a believer
• In John 1:29-34, there are differing interpretations of translation  

[10:24] The Practice of Baptizing Infants

• The arguments for Paedobaptism
  • Paedobaptism is linked to circumcision in the OT, and infant baptism in the NT (Col 2:11-12)
  • The early church practiced infant baptism and early church fathers supported it in their writings  
• The arguments against Paedobaptism
  • Baptism always follows belief in the NT
  • Baptism is the initiatory rite into a believing community, not a covenant

[17:54] A Summary of Today’s Episode

• Baptism is meant to be an outward testimony of an inward change in the life of a believer
• We read a review from a listener! 
• This episode is brought to you by Your Greatest Adventure: Taking the Next Steps in Your Faith by Pastor Jeff Cranston 
• Connect with us! 

Key Quotes

“Another argument for believers’ baptism is that baptism is the initiatory rite, not into a covenant, but into a believing community, which we call The Church. Therefore, baptism should only be practiced among believers. ” - Pastor Jeff Cranston   

Resources Mentioned

• Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth by Charles Caldwell Ryrie 

Join the Conversation

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Visit my website https://www.jeffcranston.com and subscribe to my newsletter. Join me on Sunday mornings at LowCountry Community Church. 

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Remember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!