Baptist Catechism 97-101

Q. 96. How do Baptism and the Lord’s Supper become effectual means of salvation?

A. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them or in him that doth administer them, but only by the blessing of Christ and the working of the Spirit in those that by faith receive them. (1 Peter 3:21; 1 Cor. 3:6,7; 1 Cor. 12:13)

Q. 97. What is Baptism?

A. Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament instituted by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party baptized a sign of his fellowship with Him, in His death, burial, and resurrection; of his being engrafted into Him; of remissions of sins; and of his giving up himself unto God through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life. (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:12; Gal. 3:27)

Q. 98. To whom is baptism to be administered?

A. Baptism is to be administered to all those who actually profess repentance towards God, faith in and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, and to none other. 

(Acts 2:38; Matt. 3:6; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12,36; Acts 10:47,48)

Q. 99. Are the infants of such as are professing believers to be baptized?

A. The infants of such as are professing believers are not to be baptized; because there is neither command nor example in the Holy Scriptures, or certain consequence from them, to baptize such. 

(Proverbs 30:6; Luke 3:7,8)

Q. 100. How is baptism rightly administered?

A. Baptism is rightly administered by immersion, or dipping the whole body of the party in water, into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, according to Christ’s institution, and the practice of the apostles, and not by sprinkling or pouring of water, or dipping some part of the body, after the tradition of man. (Matt. 3:16; John 3:23; Acts 8:38,39)

Q. 101. What is the duty of such who are rightly baptized?

A. It is the duty of those who are rightly baptized to give up themselves to some particular and orderly church of Jesus Christ, that they may walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. (Acts 2:46,47; Acts 9:26; 1 Peter 2:5; Heb. 10:25; Rom. 16:5)

Baptism Upon Credible Profession Of Faith

Question 98 of the Baptist Catechism asks, “To whom is baptism to be administered?” The answer is very important: “Baptism is to be administered to all those who actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ; and to none other.”

The purpose of this booklet is not to argue for the baptism of those who profess faith in Christ alone, or against the baptism of infants. That is an important argument, and many others have made the argument well. The purpose of this booklet is to address the question, How do we know if a profession of faith is credible? This is an important question for ministers to answer, given their responsibility to administer the sacrament of baptism. But really, all Christians should know. Members of the church should be concerned about seeing baptism administered correctly. Parents will, at some point, need to ask the question, Is my child ready for baptism? And all who desire baptism should have the matter settled before receiving the holy ordinance. So, the question before us is, what is a credible profession of faith?

Discerning A Credible Profession Of Faith

Let us consider the phrase, “credible profession of faith”, word by word, so we are clear about what it means. 

Credible

The word credible means convincing or believable. We must ask, has the person who desires baptism (young or old) professed faith in Christ, and is it believable? Stated negatively, is there anything about the person’s profession of faith—be it their beliefs or way of life—that causes us to question if their profession of faith is true?

Already, you can see that this is a complicated issue. Other questions immediately come to mind. For example, what is the standard by which a profession of faith is to be judged? How much does the person need to know? And how pure does their way of life need to be for their profession of faith to be deemed credible? We will return to these questions in just a moment. But for now, let us acknowledge the complexity.  

The word credible reminds us that we are looking for a profession of faith that is believable. But it also reminds us that certainty is not the standard. When considering who should receive baptism, we say, those who have made a credible profession of faith. We do not say, those who have made an absolutely certain and undeniably true profession of faith.

I hope you recognize that there is a ditch on both sides of the road here. As we consider this issue, we must not slip into the ditch of applying the sacrament of baptism to those who do not believe. And neither can we slip into the ditch of withholding baptism from those who do believe because we, as parents or pastors, wish to be certain that their faith is true.

Who knows for certain if a person’s faith is true? God does. Yes, we confess that a believer may have a true sense of assurance concerning their salvation (see chapter 18 of the Second London Baptist Confession). And yes, we believe that Christians may have confidence that their brothers and sisters in Christ are true Christians. I am not denying that! I am saying that if we make absolute certainty our standard for baptism, then we will never reach that standard, for only God knows what is in the heart and mind of man. So, we must be willing to apply baptism to those who have made a credible profession of faith.

Profession

The word “profession” is also important. In this context, it means a declaration of belief. A careful consideration of Scripture reveals that the ordinance of baptism is to be given to those who declare that Jesus is Lord. It is to be applied only to those who have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and have responded in faith (see Acts 8:12 and 18:8, for example). Baptism must not be applied to those who have not professed faith in Christ. 

This is not the place for a full critique of the paedobaptist belief that the infants of Christians ought to receive baptism. If you wish to study that topic, you will need to go elsewhere. Here I am content to say that our children (and others) must profess faith before they are given the sacrament of baptism, for baptism is a sign of our union with Christ and of the cleansing and new life that accompany it. These blessings are received through faith in Christ alone. Those baptized must say that Jesus is Lord. They must trust in him.  They must choose to turn away from their sins and to Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Indeed, they will say all of this through the symbolism of baptism. But they must also verbally profess this before baptism is applied.  

It should be clear that our children (and others) must be old enough and mature enough to speak for themselves concerning their belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pastors and parents may help their children (and others) along, but they must not speak for them. Also, the rote memorization of prepared questions and answers (as helpful as this is) should not be the standard. Rather, those who profess faith should be able to do so sincerely from their mind and heart before the sacrament of baptism is applied.

Of Faith 

Let us now consider the words “of faith”. We are looking for a credible profession of faith. So, what is faith? 

I have heard it said that true saving faith is like a three-legged stool. If one leg of the stool is missing, the stool will not stand. And so it is with faith. The three legs of the stool of true saving faith are knowledge, assent (agreement), and trust. If any of these is lacking, faith is not true or saving.

Knowledge

To have true faith in Christ, a person must know things. Even that little phrase, “faith in Christ”, presupposes knowledge. Who is Christ? Why should anyone trust in him? And for what?  You have to know something about what the Bible teaches to answer these most basic questions. So, to have true faith, one must know things. 

How much does a person need to know? Must they master Christian doctrine before they are baptized? Certainly not. But they do need to know some things. We will return to this subject in a moment. For now, I will say that throughout the history of the church, Christians have used creeds and catechisms to help clarify and teach the doctrines that a person must know before receiving the sacrament of baptism. 

Assent 

The second leg of the stool of faith is assent (or agreement). It is one thing to know what the Bible teaches about God, man, sin, and salvation in Christ, etc. It is another thing to assent to that teaching. When we give our assent to the teaching of Holy Scripture, we say, I know this is what the Bible teaches… and I agree that it is true! The first part of this statement is about knowledge; the second part is about assent.  

The distinction between knowledge and assent might sound strange to you, but consider this: many non-believers know what the Bible teaches. They may even have a very solid understanding of Christian doctrine, but they do not agree with it. They may say, I know that the Scriptures teach that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation (John 14:6)… but I do not agree. This is knowledge, but it is not faith, for assent is lacking. 

Trust

The third leg of the stool of faith is trust. For faith to be true and saving, a person must know certain doctrines, agree that those doctrines are true, and trust in Jesus. 

To trust in Jesus is to rely on him. To trust in Jesus is to depend on him. To trust in Jesus is to say, left to myself, I am hopelessly lost and condemned, but through faith in Christ, I know that I am saved. And this we must say, not from the head only, but also from the heart. In other words, to trust in Jesus is to heartily run to him for refuge (see Psalm 2:12; 36:7).

One author has put it this way: “The crucial, most vital element of saving faith in the biblical sense, is that of personal trust… by which I put my life in the lap of Jesus. I trust him and him alone for my salvation. That is the crucial element, and it includes the intellectual and the mental. But it goes beyond it to the heart and to the will so that the whole person is caught up in this experience we call faith” (R.C. Sproul, What Does It Mean to Believe?). 

I think you would agree with me that personal trust is the most difficult aspect of faith to discern in others. Someone may study Christian doctrine, learn it, and say they assent to it, but do they trust in Jesus from the heart, or do they trust in their own righteousness? Only God knows. One thing that we can do for our children (and others) as we seek to discern the credibility of their profession is to talk with them about the difference between the law and the gospel. This conversation will help us better discern where their trust is placed, and, if it is not placed in Jesus, to encourage them to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ for the very first time.

Law And Gospel

In the Scriptures, we find God’s law, and we also find the gospel. Law and gospel are found in the Old Testament and the New Testament. To put the matter very succinctly, the law says, Do this and you shall live, while the gospel says, Live because of what has been done for you. The law says, Work to be saved, whereas the gospel says, Trust in the work that Christ has accomplished for your salvation. 

Historically, these have been the only paths by which men and women could hope to obtain eternal life. Originally, Adam was to enter eternal rest and glory by keeping God’s law. He did not. Instead, he rebelled against his Maker, first in the mind and heart, and then by eating from the forbidden tree. Never did Adam eat from the tree of life, therefore. Ever since Adam’s rebellion, the way to eternal life through obedience to God’s law has been closed (Genesis 3:24). But shortly after Adam’s fall into sin (and humanities fall into sin in him – Romans 5:12ff), God promised to provide a Savior who would come from the offspring of the woman, Eve (Genesis 3:15). This was the first promise of the gospel. And from that moment onward, all who have ever been saved from their sins have been saved, not through law-keeping, but through faith in the promised Messiah. Jesus kept God’s law perfectly on behalf of others. He also atoned for the sins of all who were given to him by the Father in eternity (see John 10 & John 17). Men and women are saved by the grace of God alone through faith in Christ alone. Salvation cannot be obtained by doing good works or by keeping God’s law, for we have all sinned in Adam. More than this, we have all violated God’s law in thought, word, and deed, and stand guilty before him.  

Now, this does not mean there is no law for those who believe. But it does mean that the law must be used correctly by the faithful (1 Timothy 1:8). It cannot be used as a way to salvation. That way was closed off long ago. After Adam’s fall into sin, the law must be used as a mirror for the soul and as a light for the feet. In other words, we are to look intently into God’s law so we might see our sin, turn from it, and run to Christ for refuge and strength. We are also to study God’s law to know how it is that we should walk in this world. But even then, we must be careful to obey God’s law, not in a legal way, but with love in our hearts (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37) out of gratitude for the Savior that God has provided for us.

This distinction between law and gospel is something we must teach our children (and others). Really, it is not a difficult concept. To illustrate, you may ask your child, Why do you think I love you? Do I love you because you obey me? Or do I love you because you are my child? I hope they say, You love me because I am your child. If they don’t, then you may take the opportunity to tell them of your unconditional love for them! But if they do, you may say, it is the same with God for all who are in Christ Jesus. He loves us because he has graciously adopted us as his own. He has determined to set his love upon us. He has forgiven us by his grace, etc. And we seek to obey him now, not to earn his love, but because he first loved us, and now we love him (1 John 4:10ff). 

As I have said, we must find ways to teach people the difference between the law and the gospel. One way to see if a person is trusting in Christ (and not in their works-righteousness) is to ask them the question, Why do you think God loves you? Or, Why do you think you are right with God? Or, Why do you think you will go to heaven? If the answer is, Because I obey God and serve him, or, Because I am a good person, then there is reason for concern. But if the answer is, Because God has set his love on me in Christ Jesus, or, Because God has been gracious to me in Christ Jesus, or, Because I am trusting in Jesus, then there is reason to believe that the person understands the gospel and does, in fact, believe it.   

Repentance, Obedience, And Good Works

To review, true saving faith involves knowledge, assent, and trust. When someone trusts in Jesus, they no longer trust in their own obedience and good works but in the work of redemption that Christ has accomplished for them. I would be remiss if I did not also say that saving faith will always be accompanied by repentance from sin, obedience, and good works. In other words, true faith will produce good fruit in the life of the true believer. 

This is what Jesus meant when he said, “you will recognize them by their fruits” (see Matthew 7:15-23). And this is why Jesus said in another place, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). The Apostle John taught this very thing in his epistle, saying, “Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:7–8). The point is this: A good tree will produce good fruit, but a bad tree will produce bad fruit (see Matthew 7:17ff and Luke 6:43ff).

When discerning the credibility of a profession of faith, we must look for the fruits of repentance from sin, obedience to God’s law, and good works. Stated negatively, if there is no sorrow for sin, turning from sin, or obedience offered up to God, the profession of faith should not be considered credible. And no, this does not mean that perfection is to be expected. If perfection were the standard, then who would ever be baptized? But we should see within others a true sorrow for sin and a true desire to keep Christ’s commandments if their faith is true.

To give an example, if your child tells you a lie after professing faith in Christ and expressing a desire to be baptized, their faith should not necessarily be questioned, nor baptism withheld. But if there is no remorse for the sin, no repentance, or if the lying is habitual, then baptism should be withheld until the fruit of a true and lively faith is more evident. 

On the one hand, parents and pastors must remember that true faith involves repentance and produces fruit. But on the other hand, we must never forget that sanctification (growing in holiness) is a lifelong process. Consider the way that you have struggled against sin in the Christian life! And even consider the way that Christ’s own disciples struggled against sin. Remember the ditch on both sides of the road! We must be careful not to give the sacrament to non-believers, but we also must be careful to avoid confusion regarding the law and the gospel. Remember, we are all sinners saved by the grace of God. Corruption remains within us. Sanctification is a lifelong process (see Second London Baptist Confession chapters 9 & 13). Yes, the one who has true faith will bear good fruit. But let us not give the impression that salvation is obtained through obedience by imposing overly stringent legal standards upon our children (and others) before baptism is applied. 

A Conversion Experience?

I would like to address one more question regarding a credible profession of faith before moving on. Should we expect our children to have a conversion experience to consider their profession of faith to be true? By conversion experience, I mean an emotional experience wherein they feel a deep conviction of sin and a strong inward call to place their faith in Christ. 

I want to be very careful here. To place one’s faith in Christ one must come to the realization of the guilt of sin (Acts 2:37). And yes, it is also true that God does draw (or call) his elect to faith in Christ by the ministry of the Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 6:44). And yes, when someone is converted in their older years we should expect that they will be able to testify to this experience. But I think it is possible that our children, having been raised in the church, and having heard the gospel from a young age, might say, I can’t remember a time when I did not believe in Jesus. 

This does not mean that God did not regenerate them at some point. They were surely born children of Adam and under the broken Covenant of Works. They “were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:3), and “dead in their sins” (Ephesians 2:1). And if they are now in Christ and partakers of the Covenant of Grace ratified in his blood, it is only because God has made them spiritually alive (Ephesians 2:4). All are born into Adam. And all must be reborn into Christ (John 3). This is true of the children of Christians also. I am simply saying that for children who were raised in the faith (2 Timothy 3:15; 1 Corinthians 7:14ff), it may be more difficult for them to point to a moment in time when God convicted them of sin, opened their blind eyes, and unstopped their deaf ears, making them willing and able to believe upon Christ for the forgiveness of sins. For them, it may seem as if they grew into their faith. I do believe we should be open to this possibility. 

Preparing For Baptism

Having now answered the question, When is a person ready for baptism?, with the answer, When they have made a credible profession of faith, I wish to briefly address another question, and that is, How can we help a person prepare for baptism?

Pray

The first thing we must do is diligently pray for the conversion of others and their spiritual growth. 

Returning now to the three aspects of faith that were presented earlier —knowledge, assent, and trust—it must be acknowledged that the last two of these are entirely outside of our control. Yes, we may teach others the Christian faith (as a body of doctrine). And yes, we may encourage them to believe the Scriptures and trust Christ. But faith (assent and trust) is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). If a person is to believe what the Scriptures say and personally trust in Jesus Christ, God must open their spiritual eyes, unstop their spiritual ears, and make them spiritually alive (John 6:44, Ephesians 2:1-5). That is God’s work, not ours.

This is why I say the first thing we must do is pray. God has determined to work through the prayers of his people. And although it is a mystery to us as to how he works through prayer, we know that he does. And so we must pray that God would draw others to faith in Christ. The second petition of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, “thy kingdom come”, should prompt us to do this daily on behalf of others (see Baptist Catechism 109). 

Proclaim The Gospel 

Secondly, we must regularly proclaim the law and the gospel to others and urge them to turn from sin and to Christ.

Hopefully, our children will hear the gospel from their pastors when they gather for worship each Lord’s Day. But parents should also testify to the grace of God and the glory of the gospel from day to day. Parents should regularly talk with their children about God, creation, man, sin, and salvation in Christ Jesus. They ought to tell the story of God’s plan of redemption and the accomplishment of it by Christ in his life, death, and resurrection. And they should explain how God applies this redemption to his elect throughout the world and in every generation through his Word and Spirit. Parents may use their own testimony to share the gospel with their children. They should speak of Christ often and in a variety of situations. The gospel may even be shared in the context of discipline. What better opportunity to speak of God’s love and grace than in those moments when we are lovingly disciplining our children for some sin they committed? In brief, parents should aim to have the gospel of Jesus Christ ever-present in the home, and they should encourage their children to believe it. 

When I say proclaim, I don’t mean preach. And neither do I envision formal conversations (though there is nothing wrong with that). Instead, I would encourage parents to take the approach described in Deuteronomy 6:6-9: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:6–9, ESV). The Christian faith in general, and the gospel of Jesus Christ in particular, should be the air we breathe in the home. 

I’ve addressed the need for Christian parents to proclaim the gospel to their children, and of course, Christians must look for opportunities to proclaim the gospel to those living outside of the Christian community as well. As our culture grows less familiar with the basic teachings of the Holy Scriptures, we must be prepared to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, not in a minimalistic way, but robustly. The less people in culture know about God, creation, man, sin, and salvation in Christ, the less they will be able to make sense of brief and minimal gospel presentations. The church has her work cut out for her when it comes to evangelism, but God will strengthen us.     

Instruct

Thirdly, we must instruct our children (and others) in the doctrines of the Christian faith.

Just as with gospel proclamation, instruction in the doctrines of the Christian faith may be delivered spontaneously and casually. Parents would be wise to look for teachable moments wherein they may demonstrate to their children why this or that doctrine matters, practically speaking. But when it comes to instruction in Christian doctrine, some formality and intentionality is appropriate.

Historically, Christians have created and used catechisms to instruct their children (and others) in the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. In catechisms, we find questions and answers that are brief enough to be memorized. We use the Baptist Catechism at Emmaus (which is similar to the Westminster Shorter Catechism). We lead our congregation through this catechism once every two years, and we encourage families to follow the same pace within the home. In this way, a child who is raised in the church will have gone through the catechism three or four times before the age of ten. The questions and answers of the Baptist Catechism will need to be greatly simplified for a three or four-year-old. But with each passing year, the child will grow in their comprehension of and appreciation for Christian doctrine (at least that is our prayer!).

At our church, we introduce the catechism question(s) for the week in the morning worship service. A brief sermon is delivered that expounds upon the doctrine being covered in the catechism question(s). We encourage families to discuss the question(s) during the week. And then finally, the Sunday school lesson for the children on the following Sunday will review what was introduced a week earlier. Intermixed with all of this are Scripture readings that undergird the doctrinal principles being taught in the catechism. After all, the Word of God is our authority for truth, and not the catechism, properly speaking. The catechism is a summary of the teachings of Holy Scripture on these major doctrinal themes. 

To help with instruction, I’ve created a course entitled,  An Introduction To The Christian Faith. It is a 24-lesson course that walks participants through the 114 questions and answers of the Baptist Catechism. The objective of this course is to clearly and succinctly teach the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith. This course may be used to prepare for baptism, church membership, or simply for the edification of believers, young and old. Parents are encouraged to use this course in cooperation with a pastor to prepare their children for baptism. Class outlines, video lessons, and a workbook are available at AnIntroductionToTheChristianFaith.org (or intro2cf.org).

I have one last thing to say regarding instruction before moving on to the topic of assessment. Let us never forget, when we are instructing others in the doctrines of the Christian faith, we are only giving them the knowledge they need to believe. In other words, while we are giving them the faith as a body of doctrine, we must remember that we are not giving them faith (assent and trust). We cannot give them that. Therefore, as we teach others these truths we must also proclaim the gospel, urging them to turn from their sins and to trust in Christ for forgiveness. We must never forget to pray!

Assess

Lastly, we need to assess the understanding that our children (and others) have of Christian doctrine. This should be done continuously by parents as the child matures, but pastors must also assess doctrinal comprehension before applying the sacrament of baptism to anyone.

How should we assess a person’s understanding of the Christian faith? While memorizing the questions and answers of a catechism is beneficial, I would suggest to you that it may not be the best way to assess a person’s understanding of Christian doctrine. One, it is possible for a child who struggles with memorization to possess a solid grasp of Christian doctrine. Two, a child may be very gifted at memorization and yet fail to comprehend Christian doctrine. Our assessment should not focus on memorization but on comprehension. 

My suggestion is that parents use the Baptist Catechism to teach Christian doctrine, that memorization be encouraged, and that comprehension be assessed, not by the recitation of catechism questions and answers, but by asking questions that are more broad and generic – questions that will require the young person to speak for themselves from their mind and heart. 

I mentioned the Introduction To The Christian Faith class above. One of the resources included in the class material is a workbook (it is available online as a PDF at AnIntroductionToTheChristianFaith.org, or in print form at the rear of the church sanctuary). The workbook is simple. It contains the 114 questions and answers of the Baptist Catechism, but with fill-in-the-blanks. In the workbook, you will also find a set of discussion questions—one set of questions for each lesson. I would ask all who are preparing for baptism at Emmaus to work their way through the Introduction to the Christian Faith course, to fill in the blanks in the catechism sections, to jot down some notes in the discussion questions sections, and then have a series of conversations with me (or another pastor) about these essential Christian doctrines.

In the case of a young person preparing for baptism at home under the guidance of parents, these conversations with a pastor can be had before or after worship on the Lord’s Day, before or after our Youth Study, or by special appointment. The purpose is not only for a pastor to have an opportunity to assess the young person’s grasp of the faith, but to teach and to help establish a pastor/congregant relationship with the young person. I know from experience that young people might feel intimidated to speak with a pastor about these things, but we must work through these nervous feelings. The elders of Emmaus are resolved to be warm, personable, kind, and patient with the young people (we desire to have many brief and casual conversations over a 3-4 month period of time). We count it a high privilege and great joy to have the opportunity to speak with them about these precious truths. 

Conclusion

I hope this has helped bring more clarity to your mind concerning the question, What is a credible profession of faith? We must answer this question correctly. After all, it is those who make a credible profession of faith who are to be baptized, received into the church, and invited to the Lord’s Table. The future health of the church is at stake. My prayer is that we would be blessed to baptize many in the years to come in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching these to observe all that Christ has commanded. We take encouragement and comfort from the fact that all authority in heaven and earth has been given unto Christ, our crucified, risen, and ascended Lord, and that he is with us always even to the end of the age (see Matthew 28:18-20). May Christ be exalted in our midst. May sinners be drawn to repentance and faith. And in all things, may God receive the glory, honor, and praise.