Baptism: Washing of rebirth, Washing away of sins

The Heidelberg Catechism on baptism:

Q. Does this outward washing with water itself wash away sins?

A. No, only Jesus Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit cleanse us from all sins.

Q. Why then does the Holy Spirit call baptism the washing of rebirth and the washing away of sins?

A. God has good reason for these words. To begin with, God wants to teach us that the blood and Spirit of Christ take away our sins just as water removes dirt from the body.

But more important, God wants to assure us, by this divine pledge and sign, that we are as truly washed of our sins spiritually as our bodies are washed with water physically.

Q. Should infants also be baptized?

A. Yes, Infants as well as adults are included in God’s covenant and people, and they, no less than adults, are promised deliverance from sin through Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit who produces faith.

Therefore, by baptism, the sign of the covenant, they too should be incorporated into the Christian church and distinguished from the children of unbelievers. This was done in the Old Testament by circumcision, which was replaced in the New Testament by baptism.*

The Heidelberg Catechism: Questions 72-74.

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*I must say here that I disagree with the Heidelberg Catechism on its Reformed view of baptism.

As a Reformed Baptist, I do not believe infants should be baptized. Rather, only those who have professed faith and repentance in Christ should be immersed. Thus, I hold to a believers’ baptism:

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.

Article VII, Baptist Faith and Message, 2000 edition.

For an explanation of this, see my article, Baptism as a Symbol of Christ’s Saving Work.