One Baptism For the Remission of Sins

[Goodcheer68]

What were the authors of the Nicene/Constantinople referring to when they wrote “One baptism for the remission of sins”?

Did it have to do with the sign and the thing signified being so close as to speak of them as the same thing. Ex we see that in Gen 17 circumcision is called the covenant? And/or does it have to do with referring to a spiritual baptism (regeneration)?

 

[timfost]

Perhaps this?

"Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6:3-4)

 

[Contra_Mundum]

The language is easy to explain: it's Scripture.

Ephesians 4:5, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism,"

Mark 1:4, "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."

Acts 2:38, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

The sign is supposed to be connected to the thing signified. The words appear among the third article propositions of the N-C Creed: those matters of our faith which are associated with the Spirit, and his application of the Son's redemption, and the sphere of his operation which is the church.

The design of the statement of faith is to stand fixedly on Scripture. Even if the drafters were attracted to a more instrumental exposition of those words (i.e. the belief that the natural sign did the supernatural thing signified) than is proper to them; yet we should not shun the words simply because they put the wrong emphasis on them. Rather, we confess accurately what Scripture teaches in those very words, and let the false conclusion taken by others fall by the way.

 

[Goodcheer68]

yet we should not shun the words simply because they put the wrong emphasis on them.

I agree I was just given the task to write a brief synopsis of the Creed. Our church is moving closer to a more reformed liturgy and started doing creeds on Sunday. We started with the Apostles’ Creed and now we will be doing the Nicene and they want to read a short summary before the reciting of it.
Thanks for your input.

 

[Dachaser]

The language is easy to explain: it's Scripture.

Ephesians 4:5, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism,"

Mark 1:4, "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."

Acts 2:38, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

The sign is supposed to be connected to the thing signified. The words appear among the third article propositions of the N-C Creed: those matters of our faith which are associated with the Spirit, and his application of the Son's redemption, and the sphere of his operation which is the church.

The design of the statement of faith is to stand fixedly on Scripture. Even if the drafters were attracted to a more instrumental exposition of those words (i.e. the belief that the natural sign did the supernatural thing signified) than is proper to them; yet we should not shun the words simply because they put the wrong emphasis on them. Rather, we confess accurately what Scripture teaches in those very words, and let the false conclusion taken by others fall by the way.

I was taught though that the phrase, as constructed in the Greek text, would be referring to not our sins being remitted in the water baptism itself, but in the person of Christ Himself.