Anglican theologian Gordon Kuhrt noted the following “benefits” of water baptism in New Testament theology:
The blessing of baptism are:
1. Forgiveness and cleansing—‘Repent and be baptized . . . so that your sins may be forgiven’ (Acts 2.38). ‘Be baptized and wash your sins away’ (Acts 22.16; see also 1 Corinthians 6.11; Ephesians 5.26; Hebrews 10.22; Titus 3.5).
2. Belonging to and being identified with Jesus Christ—Baptism is frequently described as ‘in (into, Greek eis) the name of Jesus Christ’ (Acts 2.38; Romans 6.3).
3. Sharing in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ—‘baptized into his death . . . buried with him through baptism into death . . . united with him in his death . . . united with him in his resurrection’ (Romans 6.3-5; Colossians 2.12).
4. The gift of the Holy Spirit—We have seen that John contrasted his water-baptism with the coming Messiah’s Spirit-baptism (Matthew 3.11), so that one might even expect that after the Messianic baptism with the Spirit at Pentecost water-baptism might be discontinued. But the command of the risen Lord was otherwise, and Peter said ‘Repent and be baptized . . . and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’ implying that water-baptism symbolizes Spirit-baptism. The pouring of the water dramatizes the outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 2.38; 1.5; Titus 3.5). The gift is a sea, a deposit, a guarantee assuring the inheritance of God’s people until the final day of redemption (2 Corinthians 1.21f; Ephesians 4.30; 1.13f). This baptism is the mark both of present experience and a future hope, a realized indwelling and an anticipated consummation.
5. New birth to adoption and sonship—‘he saved us by the washing of rebirth’. ‘Sons of God through faith . . . for all of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ’ (Titus 3.5f; Galatians 3.26f and possibly John 3.5).
6. Membership of the body of Christ—‘We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body’ (1 Corinthians 12.13). This body is God’s covenant community, his church. Baptism marks initiation into the church, the Christian fellowship. (Gordon Kuhrt, Believing in Baptism: Christian Baptism—its theology and practice [Oxford: Mowbray, 1987], 76-77)
Continuing, Kuhrt notes the interchange between “faith” and “baptism” in the New Testament—this is important, as many critics of baptismal regeneration often appeal to texts where “faith” is used in the context of salvation without explicit reference to water baptism as “proof” the Bible does not teach baptismal regeneration (it is also a classic example of arguing from silence):
It is of the greatest importance to recognize that each of the blessings signified in baptism are similarly attributed to the word and its acceptance by faith:
(a) forgiveness and cleansing—‘He purified their hearts by faith’ (Acts 15.9; see also 13.38f; Romans 3.21ff),
(b) identification with Christ—‘that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith’ (Ephesians 3.17),
(c) sharing the death and resurrection of Jesus—‘raised with him through your faith’ (Colossians 2.12; Galatians 2.20),
(d) the gift of the Spirit—‘so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit’ (Galatians 3.14; 3.2; Ephesians 1.13),
(e) new birth and sonship—‘you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3.26; John 1.12; James 1.18; 1 Peter 1.23f),
(f) membership of the church—‘we proclaim . . . so that you may have fellowship with us’. The church is ‘the family of beleivers’ (household of faith) (1 John 1.3; Galatians 6.10).
Thus it is clear that in the New Testament the word of the gospel and the sign of baptism are seen as a unity, and the same effects are attributed to both without contradiction or difference of meaning. (Ibid., 78-79, emphasis in bold added).
