Article 21

Of Christian baptism we confess: that it is a divine, evangelical transaction, practice and ordinance, which was first begun by the man of God, John the Baptist, by the counsel and will of God, and was received by the worthy Son of God, Christ Jesus, who humbled Himself as a true example, and to whom the aforesaid John led and pointed with his doctrine and baptism, as being the true Baptizer with the Holy Ghost and with fire. He proceeded and came from God with full power in heaven and earth, and sent out His apostles, commanding them to preach the Gospel to all nations, and to baptize all true hearers and believers of it, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and to teach them, before and after baptism, to observe all things which He had commanded them.

This the apostles of Christ, as obedient ministers of God, practiced in this manner, beginning at Jerusalem, and preaching the Gospel in every country. And all who heard, believed and gladly received this heavenly doctrine were made disciples and followers, and were baptized with water, in the name of the triune God, and so entered into covenant with Christ, to observe whatever He had commanded them.

And since the doctrines and commandments of Christ are not instituted for a certain time, but are commanded to be kept until the appearing of Jesus Christ from heaven; and since He will remain with His Spirit among His followers to the end of the world; therefore all believers and followers of Christ are bound in no way to alter or reject, according to human opinions, these doctrines and commandments which God has commanded; but to practice and observe them constantly according to the form and institution of Christ, and the practice of His highly enlightened apostles; to preach the Gospel to the people; and all who believe it, show repentance from sin and amendment of life, and submit to the will of God, shall, by a blameless minister ordained for this purpose, be baptized once with water, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

This outward baptism with water does not properly constitute the entrance to the kingdom of God, nor does the visible element of the water contain any power or holiness; neither is it able to give any grace and salvation; but, as the waters of Jordan and Siloam did not, properly speaking, heal leprosy and blindness, but only the power of God, to which they were subject and obedient in this, so also the water in baptism has no power to forgive our sins and to cleanse the filthiness of our flesh, but is simply a token and proof of the grace and blood of Christ in the washing away of sin, which man, through faith and regeneration, by grace, has received in the heart, before baptism, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, which is proclaimed in baptism; and without this inward baptism with the Holy Ghost and with fire, the outward, visible water baptism is as useless and empty as the seal on an empty letter.

Since, then, Christian baptism is of such a nature that it was ordained and commanded by Christ only upon faith, repentance, and reformation, and was practiced and taught by His high apostles in this way and in no other; therefore we here reject, with good reason, the baptism of unintelligent, speechless infants, which we regard as a human institution, and so on,* which ought justly to be rooted out and rejected. [n546-2] The principal originators of it found this infant baptism of theirs upon the fall of Adam, saying that by it all men are born and placed into the world in an unsaved and condemned state, and that by the power of water baptism they are transferred and changed from this unsaved and condemned state into a saved and God-pleasing condition; thus binding not only the salvation and condemnation of infants, but also the saving grace, death and atonement of Christ, to the willingness or unwillingness of man, and to the weak element of water; so that when an infant is baptized it is instantly saved, and when this is neglected, it dies condemned. [n546-1]

Who that fears God can in any way accept with a good conscience this human infant baptism in place of the ordinance of God, since in the whole New Testament not the least thing is commanded or written concerning it, either by Christ or by His apostles?

The pedobaptists themselves plainly confess that in the sending forth of the apostles into the whole world by Christ, to teach and baptize, infant baptism is not commanded, nor contained in these passages; neither is any advocate of it able to point out in the Word of God the author and first foundation of infant baptism (though every divine ordinance has its beginning where it was first commanded by God). How then shall this structure of infant baptism, of which no foundation can be found, stand in the sight of God?

Infant baptism is in fact nothing less than a despising and trampling under foot of the true baptism of Christ, and it works against it in many respects; since Christ has attached to baptism the doctrine of the Gospel, faith and repentance, as a seal and token of the same.

And as infant baptism does not agree with the baptism of Christ, but works against it, just so it does not agree with the circumcision of the Jews, which was not commanded to children but to adults, namely, that on the eighth day every male child among them should be circumcised, on pain of being cut off. But it is not so with the baptism of Christ, concerning which no command is given to the parents, much less to anyone else, to baptize their children, or to have them baptized. But baptism is an ordinance of Christ, similar in part to the Supper, which no one is commanded to have administered to another, but which Christian ordinance each must desire and receive by his own faith, for which reason it in no way applies to newborn infants.

And as unqualified as infants are to observe the Supper (in which every reasonable person will agree with us), just so unfit are they also to receive Christian baptism. And as infant baptism, for want of testimony from the divine Scriptures, is demonstrated only by arguments and uncertain conclusions, so also, by such and similar conclusions, the Supper may be given to infants, as was formerly done in the Roman church. And as we may by no means, on such human conclusions, admit infants to the Supper, just as little may we on these conclusions admit them to baptism; but in all this, all of us who do not wish to be seduced and deceived must necessarily hold to the doctrine of Christ and His apostles. But as the Jews held unchangeably to circumcision on the eighth day, without in any way following their own opinion, just so should all Christians still much more hold unalterably to the doctrine of Christ, and administer baptism only upon faith and repentance, as Christ has ordained.

But all Christians are commanded and bound in duty to walk before their children with a good example, and to bring them up in the fear of the Lord, by good teaching and instruction, without using on them baptism, the Supper, or any other ceremonies; since it is known that it is impossible for anyone to unite another to the Lord without his will and knowledge.

But as soon as men grow up and arrive at the years of discretion, it is found that through their innate sinful nature they live after the flesh, and thereby fall from the grace to which they had been bought by the blood of Christ. [n546-3] Their souls then need the hearing of the Word of God, from which come faith and regeneration, and, as a consequence of these, Christian baptism; which Christ has joined to faith and regeneration, and which may never be separated from them; and which is represented as a grave in which men are to bury their own actual sins which they have put off, and so to rise with Christ to newness of life, and walk after the Spirit.

And as no bath to wash off the filth of the body can be used on an unborn child, but the child must first be born; so Christian baptism, which is compared to the washing of newborn infants, can, according to the will of God, be given to none but those who are regenerated by faith, dead to sin, desire the same, rise from the death of sin, and walk in newness of life, observing whatever Christ has commanded them.

Hence no one can be recognized as a brother or sister in the church of Christ, with whom any Christian ordinance may be practiced, unless they have previously, according to the Word of God, received upon faith the Christian baptism here spoken of, which is the first ordinance and the reception into the Christian communion, by which we submit and obligate ourselves actually to observe all the commandments and ordinances of God. And as there is but one faith and one God, so there is only one Christian baptism, which, having once been received upon true faith, according to the institution of Christ, may not be repeated or renewed.

Of the baptism of John, and how he, as a messenger and forerunner sent before Christ, preached the baptism of repentance, and pointed to Christ, read: "John baptized in the wilderness, and preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." Mark 1, verse 4; Matthew 3, verses 6 and 11.

"I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose shoes I am not worthy to untie: He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." Luke 3, verse 16; John 1, verse 31.

How Christ Jesus commands His disciples to preach the Gospel, and to baptize only hearers and believers of it, and not unintelligent, ignorant children, read: "All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you: and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world." Matthew 28, verses 18 to 20.

"He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who does not believe shall be damned." Mark 14, verse 16. [n546-4]

How the apostles, following this high injunction, preached the Gospel, and baptized only the hearers, the believers, and those who desired it of themselves, read: "When they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brothers, what shall we do? Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." "Then they who gladly received his word were baptized." Acts 2, verses 37, 38 and 41.

"And the eunuch said, See, here is water; what hinders me from being baptized? And Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him." Acts 8, verses 36 to 38.

How the apostles, according to this foundation, taught and baptized several households, after they had heard the Word of God, had believed, had been filled with the Holy Ghost, ordained to the ministry of the saints, and regarded as believers, read: Acts 10, verse 37; Acts 16, verses 15 and 32; First Corinthians 16, verse 15; Acts 18, verse 8.

How the apostles in their epistles described Christian baptism as a burying of sins into the death of Christ, a rising and walking in newness of life, a putting on of Christ, a washing of regeneration, a being baptized by one Spirit into one body, and the answer of a good conscience toward God, read: Romans 6, verse 3; Colossians 2, verse 12; Galatians 3, verse 27; Titus 3, verse 5; First Corinthians 12, verse 13; First Peter 3, verse 21.