Dimensions of Baptism Biblical and Theological Studies

ELLIS The Baptism of Disciples 345

the baptism of believers and this, in turn, progresses what may be said

about the nature of the Church.

The Baptism of Believers Only

Neither the Westminster Confession nor the Baptist confessions saw bap-

tism as conferring salvation, as this was a gift of God to all those subject

to the divine election. While there was believed to be an efficacy of grace

in baptism, it was only conferred on those who had been so elected by God

for such a blessing. Thus, neither the administrator nor the subject of

baptism could force the divine hand through the ritual action. The grace

conferred is a gift of the Holy Spirit and, for Baptists, that such faith should

already be present is assumed in the phrase 'the baptism of believers'. This

is clearly evident in the extract from the 1656 Somerset Confession which

has already been cited:

THAT in admitting of members into the church of Christ, it is the duty of

the church, and ministers whom it concerns, in faithfulness to God, that

they be careful they receive none but such as do make forth evident

demonstration of the new birth, and the work of faith with power.^32

There are two relevant observations to make concerning this statement,

both of which take our discussion further. First is the matter of faith pre-

ceding baptism and membership, and the second is the nature of the faith.

Concerning the nature of faith, we can see from this statement that the

faith which is required to be evident is not simply an assent to creeds or

even a holy and moral lifestyle. 'Evident demonstration of the new birth,

and the work of faith with power' suggests a change in the person which

can best be described in terms of conversion, or evidence of the Spirit of

God changing the quality of the person's life. Several of the confessions

speak of repentance, faith and obedience as marks of a holy life and as the

prerequisites of baptism and church membership. But this must be seen

within the operation of divine grace and not as an example of the believer

earning the right to baptism or membership through good works or worthy

personal characteristics. A clarification of this can be seen from the same

association of churches which produced the 1656 confession.

In July 1654 the messengers of Particular Baptist churches in Somerset

and adjacent counties met in Taunton. The records of the meeting include

32. Somerset Confession, XXV.21, in Lumpkin (ed.), in Baptist Confessions of
    Faith, p. 211.