G1.    Creeds: authority (Question 67)

• Council of Carthage (AD 397): The creeds or the writings of the Church Fathers were never regarded as being on the same level of authority as the Scripture. They must always be kept subordinate to the Scripture. The church honoured both the creeds and summaries of Scripture and the writings of the Fathers only as expositions of Scripture.
• The creeds are evidence that the Bible is perspicuous. The creeds represent the consensus of many, who through creeds testified that they saw the same great truth revealed in the Bible.

• Adventists: U.S. in early 19th century, emphasize the second advent of Christ, particularly the books of Daniel and Revelation, worship on Saturday according to the OT
• Anglican / Episcopal (U.S.) Church: Church of England since 4th century, separated from the Roman Catholic Church by Henry VIII in 16th century, emphasize liturgical worship and sacraments [Thirty-Nine Articles, 1563]
• Baptist Church: 17th century by John Smyth, from Anabaptists (re-baptizers) of the 16th century Reformation, reject infant baptism, emphasize immersion in baptism [Philadelphia Confession, 1688]
• Christian & Missionary Alliance: 1881 by A.B. Simpson, emphasize missionary work
• Evangelical Free Church: early 19th century by H. Bushnell, emphasize Armenianism [Geneva Confession, 1848]
• Friends (Quakers): 17th century by Geroge Fox, emphasize nearness and mystical experience with God [Confession of the Society of Friends, 1675]
• Lutheran Church: 16th century by Martin Luther, follow Luther’s doctrines, emphasize liturgical worship [Augsburg Confession, 1530]
• Mennonite Church: 16th century by Menno Simons, follow Anabaptist tradition [Dordrecht Confession, 1632]
• Methodist / Wesleyan (U.S.) Church: 18th century by John Wesley, emphasize holiness [Methodist Articles of Religion, 1784]
• Pentecostal Church: 20th century, emphasize spiritual gifts and baptism in the Holy Spirit

• Pentecostal churches after pentecostal revival in 1901, such as Assemblies of God
• Charismatic renewal movement in 1960s and 1970s
• Third wave in 1980s, such as Vineyard Fellowship

• Presbyterian Church: 16th century in England and Scotland, follow Calvinism [Westminster Confession, 1646]
• Reformed Church: 16th century in Switzerland, Holland, Germany, follow Calvin and Zwingli [Helvetic Confession, 1562]
• United Church of Canada: 1925, amalgamation of Methodist, Congregational, and Presbyterian churches [Basis of Union, 1925]

	1	2	3
Model	Coetus Electorum (Latin: company of the elected): transcendent	Corpus Christi (Latin: body of Christ): historical-objective	Communio Sanctorum (Latin: communion of the faithful): spiritual-subjective
Historical expression	Evangelical: revivalism, pietism	Liturgical: Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, catholic orthodoxy	Liberal: "mainline" Protestantism, political theology
Focus of common life	Conversion: discipline of the regenerate life, religion of the heart	Sacramental life: unity of apostolic teaching, religion of the book	Social action: relevant service in the world, religion of the people
Key values & achievements	Vatality: inner life	Authority: correct doctrine	Solidarity: social change
Teaching concentration	New birth: the individual, personal regeneration	Authoritative doctrine and catechetics: the eternal, apostolic authority	Reconciling base communities: the social, social action
Church & society correlation	Christ against culture	Christ of or above culture	Christ transforming culture
Heterodox tendency	Gnosticism	Neoplatonic idealism	Pelagian pragmatism
Focus of human predicament	Sin	Heresy	Injustice
Key mark	Holiness	Apostolicity	Unity


 

• It is not a way to make our needs known to God because God knows everything (Mt 6:8).

• Christ instituted baptism after His resurrection (Mt 28:19; Mk 16:16). The Bible does not specify who can administer baptism. However, since baptism marks the acceptance of the person baptized into the church, it is best administered by a minister.

• As water is used everywhere as the basic purifying agent, the obvious symbolism of baptism is cleansing.
• The Bible clearly represents purification as the essential element in the symbolism of baptism (Eze 36:25; Jn 3:25-26; Ac 22:16; Titus 3:5; Heb 10:22; 1Pe 3:21).
• Baptism symbolizes spiritual cleansing through forgiveness and renewal (see Peter preaching on the forgiveness of sins in Ac 2:38) where our hearts are sprinkled clean from an evil conscience (Heb 10:22).
• That is why John the Baptist refused to baptize Jesus because Jesus has no sin (Mt 3:14-15).

• In OT baptisms (Heb 9:19-20), the sprinkling of blood symbolized the identification of the worshipper with the victim offered in sacrifice as his representative; now the use of water in baptism symbolizes the identification of the believer with Christ on the cross (Ro 6:1-7).
• Our baptism express our acceptance of the forgiving power of the death of Christ and our own identification with the death that he suffered for us. ("baptized into His death")
• Baptism expresses symbolically our burial (not Christ’s burial) and being dead to the world and dead to sin (Ro 6:7).
• Baptists believe that baptism also symbolizes resurrection. But a careful reading of the Bible shows that resurrection is not a symbol of baptism.
• In Ro 6:4-5, a believer is "buried with Him through baptism into death" and the consequence is that he "may live a new life" similar to the resurrected life of Christ. The Bible does not say "buried with Him and raised with Him through baptism."
• In Col 2:12, it is clear that a believer has been "buried with Him in baptism" and that the consequence is "raised with Him" not through baptism but "through faith in the power of God".

• This is based on similarity of baptism with OT circumcision and baptism of the Holy Spirit.
• In OT circumcision, a person is admitted to the chosen people of God.
• Through baptism of the Holy Spirit, a person is admitted as member of the invisible church.
• Through water baptism, a person is admitted as member of the visible church. Thus, baptism is also a sign of commitment.

• Conclusion: The mode of baptism is not an essential matter of faith. Any mode is acceptable.

• Adult baptism had to be preceded by a profession of faith (Mk 16:16; Ac 2:41; 16:31-34). This is the only prerequisite.
• A professed believer should not be required to wait for a period of time to prove that his faith is genuine. He can be baptized soon after conversion and public profession of faith.

(1) Support for infant baptism:
 
(a) Infant baptism is visible manifestation of accepting the children of believers into the church and into the new covenant, just like Jewish children are accepted into the OT covenant through circumcision.

(b) The covenant made with Abraham was primarily a spiritual covenant, though it also had a national aspect (Ro 4:16-18; Gal 3:8-9,14). The covenant is still in force and is essentially the same as the new covenant (Ro 4:13-18; Gal 3:15-18; Heb 6:13-18). Children share in the blessings of the covenant, received the sign of circumcision, and were reckoned as part of the congregation of Israel (2Ch 20:13; Joel 2:16).

(c) In the NT, baptism is substituted for circumcision as the sign and seal of entrance into the covenant, (Ac 2:39; Col 2:11-12). The new covenant is represented in Scripture as more gracious than the old (Isa 54:13; Jer 31:34; Heb 8:11), and therefore would hardly exclude children. The inclusion of children is supported by Mt 19:14; Ac 2:39; 1Co 7:14.

(d) In addition, whole households were baptized and it is unlikely that all of them contained no children (Ac 16:15,33; 1Co 1:16).


(2) Objection to infant baptism:
 

(a) Baptism is only for believers (Ac 2:41) but children do not have faith.

(b) There is no command to baptize children in NT.

(c) NT does not record any clear occurrence of infant baptism.
 

(3) Many churches practise infant baptism (such as Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Reformed) and many churches do not (such as Baptist, C&MA, Pentacostal). Both have biblical support. As this is not an essential point of faith, each church should adopt their own practice.

(4) Some churches which oppose infant baptism use the substitute of infant dedication which serves a similar function. This is equivalent to infant baptism without water.

• Baptism effects the washing of regeneration by either awakening or strengthening faith. It does not require prior faith. By the act performed (Latin ex opere operato), baptism eradicates both original sin and venial sins and leads to salvation. Support: Ac 22:16; Titus 3:5 (linking salvation and baptism together). Objection: Eph 2:8-9; Heb 11:6 (salvation is by grace through faith).

• Baptism for those with faith will secure salvation. Support: Ac 2:38; 16:31-34. Objection: Eph 2:8-9.

• Baptism is the initiation of the believer into God’s covenant to receive God’s grace and is a sign of salvation.

• Baptism is a testimony and a symbol of salvation. It has no objective effect on the person baptized.

• Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper during the Last Supper at Passover when he reinterpreted the bread and wine in terms of his body and blood. It is reaffirmed by Paul (1Co 11).

• Jewish prayers in the Passover meal: "may it be recalled the memorial of the Messiah, the memorial of Jerusalem, ...may it be present before your face to obtain for us liberation, prosperity, grace, generosity, mercy, life and peace." The memorial is the recall before God of what he has already done for his people, so that he may grant them today all the benefits.
• Similarly in the Bible: "Aaron will bear the names of the sons of Israel...as a continuing memorial before the Lord." (Ex 28:29) and "The angel answered (Cornelius), ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.’" (Ac 10:4)

• The Lord’s Supper is a means of grace because the sacrament renews our spirit and brings us closer to the presence of Christ.
• Some believe Christ has a mystical "real presence" in the Lord’s Supper (not supported by the Bible).
• The Roman Catholics believe that bread and wine are actually changed into the real body and blood of Christ (transubstantiation).
• The Lutherans believe that bread and wine not chemically changed but the body and blood of Christ are actually in, under, and along with the bread and wine (consubstantiation).
• At the other extreme, some (following Zwingli) believe that the sacrament is merely a symbol with no spiritual effect.

• self-examination needed (1Co 11:28-32): traditionally interpreted to mean examining whether one lives a life worthy of the body and blood of Christ. Yet it is more likely that Paul talks about violations of the "body" or the church by abusing brothers and sisters such as the rich Corinthians (note that Paul refers only to "body" not "body and blood" here).
• No willing participants should be rejected, provided that they understand the meaning of the sacrament. Considering the symbolism of the sacrament, a believer should participate even before baptism.

• Most Protestants support either Calvin’s view or Zwingli’s view.

• Through consecration of the elements (bread and the wine), the bread changes into Christ’s body and wine changes into Christ’s blood in a physical sense (Transubstantiation). The Lord’s Supper is spiritual food for the soul; it strengthens participant and frees from venial sins. Christ is sacrificed at each Mass to atone for the sins of the partaker.

• The elements do not change into the body and blood of Christ but Christ is actually present in, with, and under the elements (Consubstantiation). Recipients has the forgiveness of his sins and the confirmation of his faith. Participation must include faith or the sacrament conveys no benefit.

• Christ is not literally present in the elements. He is present spiritually in the partaking of the elements. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of Christ’s death that bestows grace to seal partakers in the love of Christ. It gives spiritual nourishment and brings one closer to the presence of Christ.

• Christ is not present in the elements either literally or spiritually. The Lord’s Supper is simply a symbol or a memorial of the death of Christ and an act of profession by the believer. The partaker is only reminded of the benefits of salvation.