Dimensions of Baptism Biblical and Theological Studies

ELLIS The Baptism of Disciples 347

with others to form a society of saints, or a visible manifestation of

Christ's kingdom.

For baptism, this would mean that the sacrament was a sign of that

which was already accomplished in the person's life—an act of obedi-

ence and the conferring of blessing through a closer fellowship with

Christ made possible both by that very obedience and the identification

with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection.

For the Church, this would mean that the ecclesial body was a fellow-

ship of those who had already been brought to life by the work of God,

through repentance and faith. Thus members of the local church would be

viewed not as passive recipients of ecclesiastical grace, but recipients of

divine grace who had banded together to be faithful followers of Christ,

obedient to his laws and available to God as instruments of his purposes.

The importance of faith cannot be over stressed. It is an irony of Baptist

church life that the denomination which is known for its advocacy of

believer's baptism, is virtually the only denomination^34 in which it is pos-

sible to become a member without having been baptized.^35 There are,

within the Baptist Union of Great Britain, a significant number of 'open

membership Baptist churches'.^36 While these churches define baptism as

the baptism of believers only, their constitutions make it possible for those

who are evidently Christians to become members, even if, through con-

science, they are unable to present themselves for baptism. In most cases,

these will be people who have been members in good standing of another

Christian church, and will probably have been baptized as infants. How-

ever, these churches' acceptance of members will not be on the basis of

such infant baptism, for that baptism will not be recognized by the Baptist

34. This is of course excepting the Quakers and the Salvation Army, but also some
    Congregationalists, who set their face against the observing of a sacramental life within
    the worship of the church. On this practice amongst Congregationalists, see Cross,
    Baptism and the Baptists, pp. 96 and 424.


35. It must be recognized that this situation is not worldwide but limited mainly to
    the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the American Baptist churches. For a criticism
    of this perceived anomaly, see W.M.S. West, Baptist Principles (London: Baptist
    Union of Great Britain and Ireland, 1960), p. 34; also Believing and Being Baptized,
    p. 29: 'We urge then that churches re-consider the place of baptism within Christian
    discipleship, and that they no longer accept without baptism those who have not yet
    been initiated in any way into membership of the Church of Christ.'


36. A survey of Baptist worship undertaken by the author suggests that it may
    exceed 50 per cent; see Christopher J. Ellis, Baptist Worship Today (Didcot: Baptist
    Union of Great Britain, 1999), p. 22.