Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, the
“Canon II: If any one saith, that true and natural water is not of necessity for baptism, and, on that account, wrests, to some sort of metaphor, those words of our Lord Jesus Christ: Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost: let him be anathema.
Canon V: If any one saith, that baptism is free, that is, not necessary unto salvation: let him be anathema.”
-Council of
According to the Roman Catholic Church, water baptism is the cause of spiritual regeneration:
“What is baptism?
Baptism is the sacrament of spiritual rebirth. Though the symbolic action of washing with water and the use of appropriate ritual words, the baptized person is cleansed of all his sins and incorporated into Christ. It was foretold in Ezekiel, “I shall pour clean water over you and you will be cleansed; I shall cleanse you of all your defilement and all your idols. I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you” (Ezekiel 36:25-26).
What are the effects of baptism?
The effects of baptism are the removal of the guilt of sin and all punishment due to sin, conferral of the grace of regeneration and the infused virtues, incorporation into Christ and his Church, receiving baptismal character and the right to heaven.”
-John Hardon, The Question and Answer Catholic Catechism (Garden City: Image, 1901), Questions #1140 and 1151.
According to the Reformed sect of the Protestant Reformation, however, belief in water baptismal regeneration is tantamount to works-salvation. The Westminster Catechism explains the majority Protestant view:
“I. Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church, but also to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, or his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life: which sacrament is, by Christ's own appointment, to be continued in his Churchy until the end of the world.
V. Although it be a great sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance, yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it as that no person can be regenerated or saved without it, or that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated.”
-Westminster Catechism, Chapter 28,
So, which of the two views are right (if any)? This article will deal with the biblical evidence against it and the refutation of all of the arguments for it.
Biblical Proof Against Baptismal Regeneration
All quotes NASB (emphasis mine):
A. In the Old Covenant, spiritual regeneration was never caused by physical circumcision by the priest.
Deuteronomy 10:16, 30:6
“So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer…Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”
Jeremiah 4:4, 9:25-26
“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD and remove the foreskins of your heart…‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised-Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.’”
Romans 2:28-29
“For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”
Romans 3:20
“…because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.”
If the outward physical act that made one part of the Old Covenant was not the ‘laver of regeneration’, then why should the outward physical act that makes one part of the New Covenant be the ‘laver of regeneration’. Thus, let us follow the analogy and replace Jew with Christian and circumcision with baptism in Romans 2:28-29:
“For he is not a Christian who is one outwardly, nor is baptism that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Christian who is one inwardly; and baptism is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”
B. When the Scriptures refer to baptism, it doesn’t necessarily refer to water baptism.
Matthew
“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 fir to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Mark
“But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
Luke 12:50
“But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”
Acts 1:5, 2:1-4
“‘…for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now’…When the day of Pentecost had come they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.”
1 Corinthians 10:1-2
“For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea…”
1 Corinthians 12:13
“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”
Since there are clear references to baptism that do not refer to water baptism, then all verses that speak of baptism without any indication that water is involved (Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:11-14, etc.) must not necessarily be taken as water baptism.
C. In the Old Testament, water and washing symbolized the purification of the soul.
Psalm 51:2, 7
“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin…wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”
Isaiah 1:16
“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.”
Jeremiah 4:14
“Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts lodge within you?”
Jeremiah 17:13
“…because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD.”
Jeremiah 33:8
“I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me…”
Ezekiel 36:25
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and all your idols.”
Zechariah 13:1
“In that day a fountain will be opened for the
house of David and for the inhabitants of
D. In the New Testament, there are clear usages of washing and water symbolizing the purification of the soul.
John 4:13
“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Everyone drinks of this water will thirst again…but the water that I will give him will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.’”
John 7:38
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
John 13:8
“Peter said to Him, ‘Never shall You wash my feet!’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.’”
Revelation 7:17
“…for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation 21:6
“Then He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.’”
Revelation 22:17
“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”
Thus, since water and washing in the Old Testament and many times in the New Testament often symbolizes the purification of the soul, the normal assumption that should be made when one sees a reference to water or washing in the context of salvation (John 3:5, Titus 3:5) would be to take it symbolically and not physically.
Baptismal
Regeneration and the
Scriptures
(Part 1)