A Restorationist Understanding Of Baptism

Churches of the so-called Restoration Movement are often marked by their theological view of baptism, as well as the emphasis they place upon it. The Restoration Movement's theological position on baptism can be summarized in one sentence: adults are immersed for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Compared to most of the major theologies of Christendom, the combination of the Restoration Movement's emphasis on adult immersion and its view of the necessity of baptism is unique.

The Restoration Movement referred to here is the Campbell/Stone movement of the nineteenth century. The emphasis of the movement was to restore primitive New Testament Christianity and to promote unity based on the Bible without the addition of human creeds or other tests of fellowship. The movement has grown to more than four million members since that beginning. Ironically, through the course of time the movement has also divided, with three major divisions being most prominent: the liberal Disciples of Christ (Christian Church), the conservative Churches of Christ (noninstrumental), and the centrist churches, generally calling themselves Christian (independent) or Churches of Christ (instrumental). The centrists are also conservative. Baptism and Repentance The Scripture most centrally used by Restoration Movement thinkers on the subject of baptism is Acts 2:38. Here Peter commands the convicted crowd to "?Change your hearts and each one of you must be immersed by the authority of Jesus the Messiah, so that your sins may be forgiven. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.?" (All citations are from the noninstrumentalist Simple English Bible, American Edition.) There are two things that Peter says for them to do to be saved: repent and be baptized. Their need for repentance seems clear in light of the fact that they are cut to the heart with remorse and indicate a desire to make things right with God. They must repent. But Peter also says they must be baptized. The only mode of baptism found in the New Testament is considered by Restorationists to be immersion. Therefore, sprinkling, pouring, or any other mode is not acceptable among most Restorationists. (The major exception to this rule is the Disciples branch, which began practicing "?open membership?" some years ago. Disciples churches will still immerse adult converts but will also accept those baptized in other ways who wish to join formally the local congregation.) The twofold command also holds a twofold promise: your sins will be forgiven and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism and the Forgiveness of Sin The first promise related to repentance and baptism is the forgiveness of sin. Faith and repentance are essential, but baptism is the God-intended vehicle in which sins are forgiven. If baptism without repentance is powerless to save, so is repentance without baptism. Alexander Campbell articulated this position in his Christian System:

Without previous faith in the blood of Christ, and deep and unfeigned repentance before God, neither immersion in water, nor any other action, can secure to us the blessings of peace and pardon. It can merit nothing. Still to the believing penitent it is the means of receiving a formal, distinct, and specific absolution, or release from guilt .… To such only as are truly penitent, dare we say, "?arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling upon the name of the Lord,?" and to such only can we say with assurance, "?You are washed, you are justified, you are sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God.?" (Alexander Campbell, The Christian System in Reference to the Union of Christians, and a Restoration of Primitive Christianity, as Plead in the Current Reformation [Nashville: Gospel Advocate, 1974], 16:6.)

Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Spirit The second promise of Acts 2:38 is the gift of the Holy Spirit. The correlation of repentance, baptism, and the Holy Spirit is not unique to the book of Acts. John the Baptist performed a baptism of repentance. In Matthew 3:11 he says "?Whenever you change your hearts, I immerse you in water. But there is one coming later who is more important than I am .… He will immerse you in the Holy Spirit and in fire!?" Somehow it seems that the main difference between John's baptism of repentance and the Christian baptism would involve the Holy Spirit (compare Acts 19:1–4). The Holy Spirit certainly has the sovereignty to come when the Spirit wants. Both on the day of Pentecost when the disciples were all together (Acts 2:1–4) and at Cornelius's house (Acts 10:44–46), the Spirit came in power prior to water baptism. The general Restoration view is that these times seem to be for a purpose other than salvation, i.e., to equip the recipients with miraculous powers having evidential value. But even if these were saving events, they are clearly exceptions to the general rule, since water baptism would not have been offered without the Holy Spirit's prior intervention. And in Cornelius' case, Peter responds to the work of the Spirit by saying, "?Can we refuse to allow these people to be immersed in water? They have received the Holy Spirit the same as we did!?" (Acts 10:47). So water baptism is still associated with the gift of the Spirit, even in the exceptional cases. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit occasionally was imparted by the laying on of the apostles' hands; however, again the purpose seems to have been to convey miraculous powers. But even in such cases, as in Acts 19, water baptism is again related to the Holy Spirit. Jesus in John 3:5–8 speaks of water and Spirit. Hebrews 6:1–2 mentions baptisms in the plural; yet, Ephesians 4:4 states there is only one baptism. So to which baptism—water baptism or spiritual baptism—is Paul referring in Ephesians? The answer seems to be both. The one baptism which Paul refers to is the Spirit/water baptism of Acts 2:38. In conclusion, the biblical norm seems to be that the act of water baptism is also the act of Spirit baptism. Baptism and the New Birth Water baptism also is related to the new birth in several passages, most notably Romans 6. There, Paul says, "?You know that all of us were immersed into Christ Jesus. Don't you know that we were immersed into his death? So, through immersion, we were buried with him into death. Christ was raised from death through the glory of the Father. In the same way, we will live a new life?" (Rom. 6:3–4). Jesus also relates water and being born again in John 3:5. The very picture of burial in water is a symbolic enactment of the spiritual death and resurrection that takes place. Paul underscores this relationship between baptism and the new birth in Colossians 2:12–13. Here, he writes, "?You were buried with Christ through immersion [in which] you were also raised with Christ through believing in the power of God who raised Christ from death.?" Does Scripture intend the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the new birth to be associated with water baptism? See Titus 3:5, where Paul writes, "?He saved us by a washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit.?" Again, it seems the Bible considers the initiation and the new birth to be one moment in God's intention. Water baptism is, therefore, more than merely a symbolic act representing spiritual baptism; it is the very occasion of being born again. The story is told that when Ronald Reagan was running for the presidency against Jimmy Carter, he was asked if he was born again. Since he grew up in a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), his reply was something to the order that yes, when he was immersed in his youth, he was born again. Baptism Is Not a Response to Salvation The Restoration Movement's view of baptism differs from those groups who baptize adults merely as an act of obedience that follows saving faith and the reception of salvation. In other words, many groups see salvation as being by faith alone and baptism as an external work symbolizing a spiritual baptism already effected. Restorationists point to Peter's statement, "?Immersion saves us through the raising of Jesus Christ from death?" (1 Pet. 3:21). They do not in any way discount faith as essential, but rather point to the importance of baptism as an essential part of the saving moment. Baptism Does Not Precede Salvation The Restoration Movement's view also differs from those groups who hold a high view of the significance of baptism, but who also baptize infants. Restorationists immerse adult believers only, for Restoration Movement scholars find that any infant baptism in the New Testament must be inferred—and that inference is not very easy. In truth, the Scriptures provide no clear examples of second-generation conversions. All of the New Testament passages about baptism refer to adult conversions. Also, Restorationists find no mention of original sin or any such doctrine. Hence, Restorationists will not advocate infant baptism, but will allow a child to grow to the point when he or she can have his or her own faith and repentance. According to Restorationists, children are born innocent, and Jesus said the kingdom of God belonged to those who are like them. Yet the promise is that "?the person who believes and is immersed will be saved, but the person who doesn't believe it will be condemned?" (Mark 16:16). Infants can be sprinkled. However, since they cannot be penitent believers, saving baptism cannot occur. In short, the Restoration Movement tends to see belief, repentance, confession, and baptism all to be essential elements of conversion, with baptism as the normal moment of the gift of the Holy Spirit. They, therefore, do not baptize infants, for that would place baptism long before the other elements of salvation. And they do not see baptism as a post-salvation act of obedience or another good work, for that would place baptism after salvation. Summary and Conclusion What this article describes is the basics of how churches of the Restoration Movement understand Scriptures regarding baptism. Some members of the movement, especially the Disciples branch, will not agree with the statements contained here. The Disciples tend not to emphasize baptism as much as the rest of the movement. And several churches in the centrist group are inclined to accept the Zwinglian or Anabaptist doctrine, which views baptism as an act of obedience following saving faith. Furthermore, many of the more conservative members of the movement will speculate that the "?pious unimmersed?" are not and cannot be saved without completing their obedience in baptism. All in all, however, most of the churches in the Restoration Movement would agree that the biblical norm regarding baptism is adult immersion for the forgiveness of sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit.