Introduction
Over the last two Wednesdays, we’ve been thinking about what the Creed says about the church. The church, we confess, is one, holy, catholic and apostolic.
The church is one because the Holy Spirit has united every member of the church through faith to one and the same Saviour, Jesus Christ.
The church is holy because the Holy Spirit has set us apart to belong to God; and because God regards the members of the church as holy in his sight because of Christ; and because the Holy Spirit is working in us to make us holy.
The church is catholic or universal because it’s not confined to one country or place or to one people or to one time, but it comprises all of God’s people in every place and in every generation and it includes the saints on earth as well as the saints in glory. And the church is also catholic or universal with respect to truth, because the members of the church throughout the world and throughout time have always believed the same things about God.
And the church is apostolic because the church is built upon the teaching of the apostles about God and our salvation.
And so, the church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic. Last week we also thought about the marks of a true church. How can we know that people who gather together and call themselves a church really are part of this one, holy, catholic and apostolic church which we confess in the Creed? And we saw that the Reformers identified three marks of a true church. Where you have the pure preaching of God’s word, the proper administration of the sacraments and church discipline, there you have a true church. And God uses these things — the preaching of his word, the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper and discipline — to enable us to grow as believers and to persevere in the faith.
Today we come to the next line of the Creed, where we say, ‘We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.’
Biblical witness
In the gospels, we read that John the Baptist baptised people in the River Jordan. In John’s gospel, we read that the Lord’s disciples also baptised people at that time. At the end of Matthew’s gospel, the Lord commanded the apostles to go and make disciples of all nations by baptising and teaching them. And in Acts 2, we read about Peter preaching to the crowd in Jerusalem. He said to them that they put the Lord Jesus to death, but God raised him from the dead and exalted him to heaven. And the people were cut to the heart and said to the apostles: ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.’ And throughout the book of Acts we read about people coming to faith and being baptised. Paul also refers to baptism in his New Testament letters and there’s one reference to baptism in 1 Peter. So, the New Testament refers to baptism in many places.
The Creed refers to one baptism. This is from Ephesians 4:5, where Paul says: ‘There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.’
And the Creed links baptism and forgiveness. This too is from the New Testament, because in Luke 3:3 we read that John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And I’ve already quoted from Acts 2:38 where Peter tells the people to repent and be baptised for the forgiveness of their sins. And in Acts 22:16, Paul recounts how, after the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus, Ananias came to see him. Ananias explained that God had chosen Paul to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. And Paul will be his witness to all men of what he has seen and heard. And then Ananias said: ‘And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptised and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’
And so, when the Creed says that there’s one baptism for the forgiveness of our sins, it’s getting those words from the Scriptures.
Explanation
There’s only one baptism, because there’s only one church. It’s not that there’s one baptism for one kind of Christian and another kind of baptism for another kind of Christian. There’s not one baptism for Jews and another for Gentiles. Or one for men and another for women. Or one for the rich and another for the poor. No, there’s only one baptism, because there’s only one church: one church throughout the world and throughout time, made up of all those who have been united with Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Yes, different churches administer baptism in different ways: by sprinkling or pouring water on the person or by immersing the person under water. However, while we might administer baptism in different ways, nevertheless it’s the same thing, because we’re all baptised with water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of our sins.
And one of the writers (DeYoung) suggests that we confess one baptism because we should only be baptised one time. I remember someone asking me when I worked in the Republic whether I would baptise him, because he had recently come to faith in the Lord Jesus. We talked about it and I discovered his parents were Roman Catholics and he was baptised as an infant in a Catholic Church. His attitude was that that baptism didn’t count because of where it took place. And he now wanted to be baptised in our church. But I explained to him that Presbyterians believe that so long as baptism is administered in the name of our Triune God using water, then it’s a true baptism. And since it was a true baptism, then there’s no need for him to be baptised again, because we should only be baptised once. And I pointed out to him that on the day he was baptised, God was promising to wash away his sins the moment he believed. And now that he has believed, God has done what his baptism signified: God has washed his sins away.
But what does the Creed mean when it refers to one baptism for the forgiveness of sins? And what did the Apostle Peter mean when he told the crowd in Jerusalem to repent and be baptised for the forgiveness of their sins? Do they mean that we are forgiven the moment we’re baptised? Are you saved from God’s wrath by baptism?
The Creed and the Apostle Peter can’t mean that, because throughout the New Testament it’s clear that we’re justified — forgiven and accepted by God — by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. We’re not justified or saved by baptism, but by believing in the Saviour.
So, the Creed and Peter can’t mean that we’re forgiven the moment we’re baptised. So, what do they mean? When the Creed says that we confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and when the Apostle Peter says ‘be baptised … for the forgiveness of your sins’, the word translated ‘for’ also means ‘to’. It’s not so much baptism for forgiveness, but baptism to forgiveness. Baptism points to forgiveness.
So, we believe that baptism is a sign. And a sign always points to something beyond it. And baptism points in a visible way to God’s promise in the gospel to forgive the sins of everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. Just as water washes away dirt from our body, so in the gospel God promises to wash away the guilt of our sins the moment we believe in the Saviour. And the sacrament of baptism is a visible sign of God’s promise.
And so, we’re not cleansed by the water of baptism, but by the death of Christ on the cross and by the Holy Spirit who unites us to Christ through faith.
Conclusion
When we say the Creed, we’re confessing and proclaiming that there’s only one baptism. And baptism points us to God’s promise to wash away our sins because of Christ who died for us. And, as I say whenever we have a baptism, all of us who have already been baptised and who now trust in the Lord Jesus Christ may look at this sign and be reminded and re-assured that, because of Jesus Christ, God has washed away all of your sins and he has pardoned you completely for all that is wrong in your life.
And so, in this life, we can rejoice because, though we sin and fall short continually, God has washed our sins away and he promises to remember them no more. And since he has promised to remember them no more, then he won’t remind us of our faults on the day of judgment and we’ll appear before him as those who have been washed and cleansed by Christ.
Sermons and Stuff 