In light of last week’s Sunday School lesson on the covenant of redemption, I wanted to draw out the practical implications of how this covenant shapes our understanding of who should be baptized.
The question regarding who should be baptized is directly related to the nature of the covenant of grace (New Covenant) and church membership. The covenant of grace is the fulfillment of the covenant of redemption in time. The covenant of redemption is the eternal plan of God between Father, Son, and Spirit to redeem the elect (2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2). The Father ordained the Son of God as the mediator of His people. The Father sent the Son on a mission with the help of the Spirit to redeem the elect by fulfilling the terms of the covenant, earning eternal glorified life (Is. 42:1-9; 49:8-9; 50:4-9; 53:1-12; 61:1-2; Jn. 6:37-40; 10:14-18; 12:23-27; 17:1-20).
The covenant of redemption is the foundation of salvation. The benefits of this fulfilled covenant are mediated to the elect through the covenant of grace (New Covenant). This means that New Covenant membership goes no further than the covenant of redemption. Those given by the Father to the Son in eternity past are those the Son accomplished redemption for in the fullness of time. Therefore, only the elect will in time enter the covenant of grace through true repentance and saving faith, having their hearts washed and renewed in regeneration (Jer. 31:31-34; Rom. 6:3-5; Heb. 9:11-15).
If baptism is a sign of the blessings of the covenant of grace and an entrance sign into the covenant community (the local church), then only those who profess true repentance towards God and saving faith in Jesus Christ should be admitted to the waters of baptism. The New Testament teaches credo baptism. Credible professors alone are to be baptized (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:37-38; 8:36-38; 10:46-48; 16:30-34; 1 Cor. 18:8). Those who have professed faith in Christ are to be admitted to the waters of baptism to proclaim their faith to the Lord and to the congregation of the local church they are joining. Disciples of Jesus Christ are those who have professed their faith in Him and are following Him. One of the first ways they declare that they are His disciples is by proclaiming, “I believe” in the waters of baptism.
In Christ
Pastor John Sweat Jr.