Who Does Baptism Benefit?

[StillGods]

maybe it's not about us benefitting at all.

often after baptism trial comes

like Jesus and what happened after His baptism.

baptism could be seen as.. well you've chosen a side and made that clear through baptism and now you're fair game...

it's not about us .. we are tiny compared to the bigger spiritual battle going on.

 

[Natsumi Lam]

Grace, forgiveness of sin, membership in Christ church, and the promises of the sponsors to raise the child in the faith.

Forgiveness of sins for infants?

 

[Albion]

Forgiveness of sins for infants?

Have you heard of Original Sin? Besides, the churches which deny baptism to infants (while always using the word infants when saying whom they will not baptize) also do not baptize six year olds or eight year olds.

But then, some of them do go ahead and baptize eight or nine or eleven year olds and talk as though these are mature enough to actually make a personal decision for Christ!

 

[bling]

Baptists, Reformed folks, Lutherans, Catholics and EOs all believe that baptism benefits somebody. But who does baptism benefit? For the sake of simplicity I'm going to collapse everything into the Baptist view, the Reformed view, and the Catholic view. EOs and Lutherans will have to forgive me, but you must admit that your view on baptism is very close to Rome, if not identical. Likewise Charismatics, anabaptists, and the like share the Baptist view.

Baptist View - Baptism is mainly for the benefit of the baptized believer. It should only be applied to those who profess faith in Christ. The church witnesses baptism but only like those who are witnesses in a wedding ceremony. They may celebrate with the person being baptized, but the baptism is not about them. The person being baptized is publicly professing their faith in Christ and experiencing a kind of bench mark in their Christian faith.

Catholic View - Baptism is for the benefit of the baptized person, whether they are adults or infants. This is because baptism regenerates the person being baptized, translating them from darkness to light, from death to life, from citizenship in the world to citizenship in heaven. In the ancient church sometimes baptism was not even celebrated in the presence of witnesses because the witnesses are welcome, but not necessary for the event.

Reformed View - Baptism is for the benefit of all believers. The Westminster Confession of faith says that a sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ, wherein, by sensible signs Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to believers. Baptism only benefits believers, but every baptism that a believer witnesses is a benefit to them. Every time the believer sees a baptism, he is seeing a visual representation of the gospel and by faith he grasps Christ and the benefits of salvation. This is why it's essential that baptism is celebrated in public worship where all believers can benefit from it. The Reformed baptize children simply because we are commanded to do so. Adult believers benefit from seeing the baptism of children. The children themselves do not benefit from their baptism until they are old enough to believe the gospel (whenever that may be).

The Reformed view is the most difficult one to grasp, but I believe it is the most biblical and the correct view. I imagine, however, that it will be the minority view on these forums.

I did not like any of the alternatives

New Christians may not tap into everything that is available to them to help them experience the transformation:

I do not know of any Christian group, who believe the water itself saves you, since all believe it is God who saves and God is not limited by water.

Water baptism is not a “requirement” for salvation since God does the saving, but is something Christians get to do in order to help them and others.

I know that I needed everything God could provide to assure me of my conversion, both outwardly and mentally. God wants you to physically feel the experience of what is going on Spiritually.

Christian water baptism as seen in scripture seems to fit the “born again” scenario Christ was talking about since it: Is always adult (there are examples that “might include infants” but nothing definite, all the others are adult believers) water immersion to be a physical outward representation of what had or is happening spiritually in the person being baptized. It is mainly to help the individual being baptized to better grasp what is going on, but it can “witness” to others observing the baptism. It has the elements of going down under the water (burying the old man), placing your dependence in another; the person baptizing you (surrendering your life to God), being washed (having your sins washed away), rising out of the water (rising from the old dead body), and stepping forth out onto the earth (a new person). The person is walking out into the hugs of his new family. It is also a sign of your humility, since it is a humbling act anyone can simple allow someone to do it to them (so not a work) and since humility has been shown in the accept of charity (God’s free gift of undeserving forgiveness) it should just support and add to the memory of that acceptance. To refuse Christian water baptism when it is readily available might mean you are not ready to handle other responsibility like having the indwelling Holy Spirit and you are hurting yourself.

Why not be baptized again (there is no rule against this) to experience all you can from being baptized?