RamistThomist
Puritanboard Clerk
This was originally published at the Heidelblog. I wanted to post it here because the book was so good. The last Heidelblog review, unfortunately, got off topic and I wanted to wait for a while.
Review
One often hears the refrain, “Doctrine is not practical,” and many Reformed folk might protest, but of all the doctrines, we can agree that baptism is the most practical. When my own daughter was born, I knew I needed to have a clear understanding of the various positions and formulate my own opinions. Baptism became a very real and practical issue in the life of my family. Although I was already convinced of infant baptism in theory, I was missing some of its underlying principles—namely, covenantal theology—which make more sense of the praxis. A slim volume on the subject of covenantal infant baptism would have been a welcome aid, and Guy Richard has written just such a book: Baptism: Answers To Common Questions.
Guy M. Richard, a noted Samuel Rutherford scholar and President and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Atlanta, has given the layman a short, yet cogent presentation of Reformed, covenantal baptism. This small volume joins several other books written on infant baptism by pastor-scholars. He structures the book around eleven questions, and these chapters reflect the standard questions that surround infant baptism. Richard’s thesis is that we should approach questions about baptism in terms of both the explicit and implicit teaching of Scripture. He points out that Jesus had rebuked the Sadducees for not knowing the implicit and deduced meaning of Scripture (Matt 22:32). Richard’s reason for structuring the discussion about baptism around this point is obvious: Scripture is not as explicitly clear on all the questions as we might wish. Both sides, paedobaptist and credobaptist, make deductions from implied premises.
There are several areas concerning baptism where Scripture is not as explicit as one might hope. The two most obvious are the mode of baptism and the recipients. Should baptism be done by pouring or immersion? Should it be given only to believers, or can it also be given to the children of believers? Scripture gives types and patterns but no detailed instructions. It commands baptism in the Triune Name, but it assumes its hearers and readers know the rest. That is why Richard argues that one must go to the implicit arguments in Scripture in order to understand what Scripture says about baptism.
What is baptism? At its most basic level, baptism is a washing with water. In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), the verb “wash” is used interchangeably with “baptize.” The New Testament links this idea to the Old Covenant ceremonies and calls those ceremonies “baptisms.” This segues into the mode of baptism. Does baptizo mean immersion or pouring? Richard points out that it can mean either full or partial washings. The New Testament does not explicitly say. On the other hand, Richard points out that the most important baptismal event, although not using the cognate terms, in the New Testament, the day of Pentecost, was a pouring of the Spirit or tongues of fire. The tongues of fire rested upon the apostles. The apostles were not immersed in fire. Of course, the pouring of fire at Pentecost does not prove that New Testament baptisms should be done by pouring, not immersion. What it does establish, though, is that baptismal acts cannot be reduced to meaning immersion and immersion only.
Richard identifies four key elements in Christian baptism: washing from sin, Spirit baptism, union with Christ, and union with other believers. That baptism with water points to a cleansing from sin is obvious enough. How does water baptism relate to Spirit baptism? Should one wait for a secondary baptism of the Spirit? No. Water baptism points to Spirit baptism.As Richard notes, “When we receive the Spirit, we are washed of all our sins.” Water baptism points to the promise of the Spirit. A similar promise and pointing occurs in our union with Christ. Baptism of itself does not unite us to Christ. Paul says those who are baptized into Christ Jesus are baptized into his death (Rom 6:3-5).
As is to be expected... (article continued at Heidelblog)
Review
One often hears the refrain, “Doctrine is not practical,” and many Reformed folk might protest, but of all the doctrines, we can agree that baptism is the most practical. When my own daughter was born, I knew I needed to have a clear understanding of the various positions and formulate my own opinions. Baptism became a very real and practical issue in the life of my family. Although I was already convinced of infant baptism in theory, I was missing some of its underlying principles—namely, covenantal theology—which make more sense of the praxis. A slim volume on the subject of covenantal infant baptism would have been a welcome aid, and Guy Richard has written just such a book: Baptism: Answers To Common Questions.
Guy M. Richard, a noted Samuel Rutherford scholar and President and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Atlanta, has given the layman a short, yet cogent presentation of Reformed, covenantal baptism. This small volume joins several other books written on infant baptism by pastor-scholars. He structures the book around eleven questions, and these chapters reflect the standard questions that surround infant baptism. Richard’s thesis is that we should approach questions about baptism in terms of both the explicit and implicit teaching of Scripture. He points out that Jesus had rebuked the Sadducees for not knowing the implicit and deduced meaning of Scripture (Matt 22:32). Richard’s reason for structuring the discussion about baptism around this point is obvious: Scripture is not as explicitly clear on all the questions as we might wish. Both sides, paedobaptist and credobaptist, make deductions from implied premises.
There are several areas concerning baptism where Scripture is not as explicit as one might hope. The two most obvious are the mode of baptism and the recipients. Should baptism be done by pouring or immersion? Should it be given only to believers, or can it also be given to the children of believers? Scripture gives types and patterns but no detailed instructions. It commands baptism in the Triune Name, but it assumes its hearers and readers know the rest. That is why Richard argues that one must go to the implicit arguments in Scripture in order to understand what Scripture says about baptism.
What is baptism? At its most basic level, baptism is a washing with water. In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), the verb “wash” is used interchangeably with “baptize.” The New Testament links this idea to the Old Covenant ceremonies and calls those ceremonies “baptisms.” This segues into the mode of baptism. Does baptizo mean immersion or pouring? Richard points out that it can mean either full or partial washings. The New Testament does not explicitly say. On the other hand, Richard points out that the most important baptismal event, although not using the cognate terms, in the New Testament, the day of Pentecost, was a pouring of the Spirit or tongues of fire. The tongues of fire rested upon the apostles. The apostles were not immersed in fire. Of course, the pouring of fire at Pentecost does not prove that New Testament baptisms should be done by pouring, not immersion. What it does establish, though, is that baptismal acts cannot be reduced to meaning immersion and immersion only.
Richard identifies four key elements in Christian baptism: washing from sin, Spirit baptism, union with Christ, and union with other believers. That baptism with water points to a cleansing from sin is obvious enough. How does water baptism relate to Spirit baptism? Should one wait for a secondary baptism of the Spirit? No. Water baptism points to Spirit baptism.As Richard notes, “When we receive the Spirit, we are washed of all our sins.” Water baptism points to the promise of the Spirit. A similar promise and pointing occurs in our union with Christ. Baptism of itself does not unite us to Christ. Paul says those who are baptized into Christ Jesus are baptized into his death (Rom 6:3-5).
As is to be expected... (article continued at Heidelblog)