Puritan Sailor
Puritan Board Doctor
I'm trying to understand the Reformed Baptist position better in contrast to Presbyterianism.
LBC 28.1 says that Baptism is to be continued "in the church" to the end of the world.
But LBC 29.1 does not say baptism is a covenant sign of initiation into the visible church, but that it is a sign of fellowship with Christ in his death and resurrection. In fact there is no mention at all of a relationship between baptism and visible church membership at all in that chapter. It seems baptism is merely a sign of your personal experience of faith in Christ.
John Gill stated that baptism was not a church ordinance meaning "it is not an ordinance administered in the church, but out of it, in order to admission into it, and communion with it; it is preparatory to it, and a qualification for it, it does not make a person a member of a church, or admit him into a visible church; persons must first be baptized, and then added to the church, as the three thousand converts were; a church has nothing to do with the baptism of any, but to be satisfied they are baptized before they are admitted into communion with it." He later says a person wanting to join the church must "first apply to an administrator; and, upon giving him satisfaction, be baptized by him; and then should propose to the church for communion, when he would be able to answer all proper questions." (Gill, Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity, pg. 869).
So am I right in understanding that baptism does not initiate one into the visible church in the Reformed Baptist scheme? And if so, then what does initiate him into the visible church? Is "visible church" even a proper category for Baptists? I noticed the LBC doesn't use that term but "visible saints" and "particular congregations". And what is the status of those who are baptized but not yet members of a congregation? Do you consider them Christians yet, or do you wait until they join a church to consider them Christians?
This seems complicated from the perspective of a Presbyterian because baptism admits you into visible church membership.
Thanks!
LBC 28.1 says that Baptism is to be continued "in the church" to the end of the world.
But LBC 29.1 does not say baptism is a covenant sign of initiation into the visible church, but that it is a sign of fellowship with Christ in his death and resurrection. In fact there is no mention at all of a relationship between baptism and visible church membership at all in that chapter. It seems baptism is merely a sign of your personal experience of faith in Christ.
John Gill stated that baptism was not a church ordinance meaning "it is not an ordinance administered in the church, but out of it, in order to admission into it, and communion with it; it is preparatory to it, and a qualification for it, it does not make a person a member of a church, or admit him into a visible church; persons must first be baptized, and then added to the church, as the three thousand converts were; a church has nothing to do with the baptism of any, but to be satisfied they are baptized before they are admitted into communion with it." He later says a person wanting to join the church must "first apply to an administrator; and, upon giving him satisfaction, be baptized by him; and then should propose to the church for communion, when he would be able to answer all proper questions." (Gill, Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity, pg. 869).
So am I right in understanding that baptism does not initiate one into the visible church in the Reformed Baptist scheme? And if so, then what does initiate him into the visible church? Is "visible church" even a proper category for Baptists? I noticed the LBC doesn't use that term but "visible saints" and "particular congregations". And what is the status of those who are baptized but not yet members of a congregation? Do you consider them Christians yet, or do you wait until they join a church to consider them Christians?
This seems complicated from the perspective of a Presbyterian because baptism admits you into visible church membership.
Thanks!