Thursday, April 14, 2022

Gordon W. Kuhrt on the Problems of the Baptist Doctrine of Water Baptism

  

1. Baptism is seen as a symbol of faith rather than as a sign of grace. This leads inevitably to a man-centred ceremony rather than a Christ-centred sacrament which is given by God and involves the seal of the Spirit. This is a serious distortion of the biblical doctrine which some baptist theologians are seeking to correct by developing a more sacramental theology.

 

2. Baptism is given an emphatic importance as witness to others. It may well be a powerful witness, especially when an adult is converted but this is not a significant part of apostolic doctrine. Witness to Christ is vital but is focused on the continuing baptized life of holiness rather than the initial baptismal event (Rom 10.9). Once again, the perceived direction is wrong. Baptism is primarily not something a person does either for God or as a witness to others, it is something God gives to him. It is God’s witness to his promise of saving grace. . . Then also—

 

3. Baptism is not acknowledged as essentially a covenant-sign. This is the fundamental weakness of biblical theology which underlies the first two problems. The essential covenant nature of the sacrament is not generally recognized by baptist theologians—the covenant language, imagery, contexts and illustrations so clearly seen . . . [in] each baptism reference in the Epistles. This was the essential pattern of apostolic understanding, and failure to recognize it leads inevitably to a whole range of erroneous exegesis. The covenant continuity is seriously undervalued and the discontinuities exaggerated . . . This means that most baptist theologians gravely misjudge the nature of the covenant with Abraham and its developments with Moses and David. Repeatedly it is described as outward (not inward( concerned with natural birth (not spiritual life) racially exclusive (not a universal promise) with circumcision a mere mark of the flesh (not a sign of spiritual grace). There is a serious confusion here between understanding God’s gracious covenant intention and provisions and the legalistic distortion of the promise and sign that developed from the misuse of the law as an attempted means of salvation. (Gordon W. Kuhrt, Believing in Baptism: Christian Baptism—its theology and practice [Oxford: A. W. Mowbray and Co., Ltd, 1987], 127-28)