One of the questions often posed about the sacrament of Holy Baptism is: What does it actually accomplish? The answer in its most basic form is that Baptism initiates a covenant relationship with the Triune God and with each of the three Persons in particular.
In this series, I will develop this answer in some detail, but first it may be helpful to give a brief explanation and defense of its several parts.
Baptism Initiates a Covenant Relationship
Some have argued that “initiate” is too strong of a word since baptism, like circumcision, merely “acknowledges” a child’s existing covenant relationship with God, provided that he was born to at least one believing parent (1 Corinthians 7:14). Indeed, such an argument is not altogether wrong, as the LORD states that a child not circumcised on the eighth day would be “cut off from his people” for having “broken My covenant” (Genesis 17:12-14). From this passage, it is evident that every Israelite boy had a legitimate covenant status prior to his circumcision. Otherwise, how could he have broken the covenant? Or what does it mean that he is to be cut off from God’s people?
At the same time, however, we need to understand that this pre-circumcision covenant status was provisional. To use an analogy, it is like a temporary paper driver’s license issued to a new driver until the official one arrives. The paper license is real but is intended for limited and temporary use, and therefore bears the disclaimer: Not a Valid Form of ID. While imperfect, this analogy suffices. The thrust of Genesis 17:12-14 is that when the circumcision of an Israelite boy was refused or neglected by the father, the provisional covenant status of the child expired on the eighth day. Thus, the lack of circumcision annulled the status that the child enjoyed for the first eight days of his life. At minimum, this implies that birth alone—like the paper license—was not a valid form of Covenant ID in Israel.
In the same way, we might assert that any child born today to at least one believing parent has an interest in the covenant by virtue of his birth. In this sense, his covenant status is assumed but still pending. The child is holy, but with a provisional holiness (1 Corinthians 7:14). Thus, it is only when he is baptized that he enters into the church and is cleared and confirmed as a member of the body of Christ. Being baptized, his provisional covenant status is both formalized and secured.
However, while such an objection may be valid, it is nevertheless limited since it only applies to covenant children who are born within the church and fails to account for the men, women, and children who come in from the outside. For those who come from the outside have no covenant status to formalize or secure. In their case, baptism serves to confer that status for the very first time, as it unites them to Jesus Christ, brings them into the new covenant community, and incorporates them into the life of church: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; cf. Acts 2:41).
Therefore, there is nothing improper in saying that baptism initiates a covenant relationship with the Triune God.
A Relationship with the Triune God
Of all the aspects of the answer provided, this is perhaps the easiest to understand. When a person is baptized, he is always baptized into the name of the Triune God. Jesus commanded the apostles to use the Trinitarian formula for Christian baptism, thus, employing a different form invalidates the rite. Unless we are baptized “into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19-20), we are not baptized at all. This command has been faithfully followed by the church for nearly 2,000 years.
Unfortunately, many today question the necessity of using the Trinitarian formula, citing instances in Scripture where the apostles baptized people “in the name of Jesus” (Acts 10:48). To clarify this point, we must understand the flexibility of the term “name” (Greek: onoma). At times, it refers to a person’s reputation, as seen in Revelation 3:1: “You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” At other times, it denotes a person’s authority, as when Paul said to the unclean spirit: “I command you in the Name of Jesus Christ to come out of her” (Acts 16:18). In this latter sense, the apostles baptized in Jesus’ name—they acted under His authority, as His appointed representatives.
Moreover, the term “name” is used in Scripture to denote the person himself. This is evident in the Lord’s response to Moses when he asked to see the Lord’s glory (Exodus 33:18). The Lord replied, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the Name of the Lord before you” (Exodus 33:19). Subsequently, as He passed by Moses, He proclaimed His “name” by listing a number of the communicable attributes of His own nature—specifically His mercy, grace, patience, goodness, truth, and justice (Exodus 34:6-7). From this, it becomes clear that God’s Name refers to God Himself, so that to be baptized into the Name of the Triune God is to be baptized into Him. Through baptism, we are united to God in Christ, made “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) and beneficiaries of His richest covenant blessings.
Nevertheless, as previously noted, the church remains committed to baptizing in the authority of Jesus Christ, who commissioned His disciples to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” This practice is essential to uphold.
With Each Person of the Trinity
Here we transition from the “one” to the “many” and return to where we began. God is indeed one, yet He is one in three Persons. Therefore, while baptism initiates a covenant relationship with the Triune God, there are necessarily three distinct aspects to that relationship, each corresponding to one of the three Persons of the Trinity. As it pertains to the Father, the relationship is adoptive; as it pertains to the Son, it is marital; and as it pertains to the Holy Spirit, it is ministerial. Thus, baptism (serving simultaneously as an adoption, marriage, and ordination ceremony) at once incorporates the baptized person into the family of God, the bride of Christ, and the universal priesthood of the Christian church.
In the following three installments, I will take up and defend these propositions in turn, beginning with the assertion that Christian baptism is an adoption ceremony. This foundational aspect not only underscores our identity in Christ but also invites us into the profound and transformative relationship that God extends to each of His covenant children.
