The Wings of Faith

I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins

It is difficult to know for certain what the early fathers at the time of the council of Nicea practiced as ‘the formal’ and authoritative meaning of this statement “one baptism for the remission of sins,” but it is not difficult to know how the apostles practiced it through precept and example in the Scriptures. Nevertheless, the fathers of Nicea had some agreeable understanding of baptism on their minds when they included this in the creed to promote unity around the doctrine of the Trinity. The creed doesn’t inform us what that understanding is. However, we know the Scripture verses used to make this statement. It is a combination of two verses in two separate contexts (Eph.4:4-6; Acts 2:36-39). One context mentions one baptism as one spiritual body at the completion of the formation of the church’s doctrine under one faith, defining herself separate from the world in this body of divinity (Eph.4:4-6). The other context is at the beginning of the church’s formation through the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:36-39).

Therefore, the consensus at this time in the history of the churches centers on the internal baptism of the Spirit more than the formal practice according to the creed’s ambiguity (Acts 1:5). We know, however, that when Peter gave the commandment to be baptized “for the forgiveness of sins,” he meant water baptism by immersion as a result of conversion when the men of Israel were “cut to the heart.” So what is mentioned in that context is baptism as an outward sign of the inward reality of the indwelling conviction of the Spirit among those who believe Jesus of Nazareth to be both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36; 1Pet.3:21). That’s why the Baptist faith doesn’t baptize infants until this “conviction” is substantially evident in the life of the profession a believer (Jn.16:8-11). It should be translated “because of ” the forgiveness of sins or, more literally, “into” the forgiveness of sins.

Forgiveness is something that has been done as a completed act of God (Jn.19:30), but the believer must be immersed into the life and reality of it (Rom.6:1-7). Water baptism is simply the external sign of the inward but invisible reality of that testimony of being “freed from sin.” But the Spirit of this forgiveness is given as a promise according to this inward calling or “conviction” at the appointed time of God’s choosing (Acts 2:39; 2Cor.6:1-2). Again, this is why the Baptist faith doesn’t include infant baptism. This is not to say that an infant cannot be regenerated but that the test of regeneration cannot be observed as a testimony apart from a demonstration of this “conviction” and born witness with and among those of the body of divinity (Eph.4:4-6; Heb.11:1-2, 6; Rom.8:14-17, 19, 27-30).

Therefore, there can only be one baptism that bears witness to the truth of the Spirit abiding in the membership of faith that lives according to this one hope and calling of the one body in the Lord who unites us to one God and Father of the members of this divinity (Jn.18:37; Acts 14:3). So each individual baptism begins internally but is signified externally among those given the Spirit to exercise the authority to examine the demonstration of the faith (Acts 10:47-48), which is to honor the unity of this divinity under the same bond of peace and manner of love born of the Spirit’s gift (1Cor.12:12-14).

Now again, as this is given in the context of one holy catholic and apostolic church, the purpose of baptism isn’t just about the forgiveness of sins but to continue to live a holy and righteous life, pursuing to fulfill the Lord’s commandment to preach this gospel and good news to every creature in every part of the world, obeying the commission given to those now called saints of the Lord. This baptized body of divinity is given to equip and build up every saint to fulfill their part of this membership as seeds of the word cast abroad as ministries of the gift of the Spirit spread throughout the world, ministering to both the church first and evangelistically to the community (Eph.4:7-16; 1Cor.11:26-29; Gal.6:6-10; Rom.1:16-17).

Under this understanding of the commission with baptism as the “symbol” or sign of authority of that commission (Matt.28:18-20; Mk.11:28-33), the Baptist faith doesn’t commission infants with the authority to do this until they are fully trained on what the faith and message is in its simplest, basic form (Heb.5:12-6:8; ). The Bible is clear from my perspective that only those ordained to practice “the teaching” of the Spirit’s witness should be baptized with the honor of the authoritative symbol of that public witness. This doesn’t mean those who have faith but are not publically recognized for this witness are without the honor of fellowshipping with “the teaching” (1Cor.11:18-19, 26; Acts 2:41-42; 2Cor.13:4-6; Rom.10:14-17; 14:22-23; 1Cor.14:15-17, 23-25). But it does mean that they are not “sent” out as the testimony in the practice of this teaching, for the symbol represents “the sent ones” for the purpose of ministry (Jn.9:1-7, 18-34/emphasis: v.7; Matt.3:13-17). Again, that’s what makes it an apostolic church that bears the “signs” of being sent as an authority in the exercise of this ministry (Acts 1:4-8; Lk.24:44-48).

In the East the customary description of the creed was “the faith (ἡ πίστις)” or “the teaching (τὸ μάθημα),” and we have to wait for a hundred years after St Cyprian, until the so-called canons of the council of Laodicea, for the appearance of τὸ σύμβολον in this sense. The seventh of these (their claim to the title they bear is highly doubtful) laid it down that heretics should be required “to learn the symbols of the faith (τὰ τῆς πίστεως σύμβολα)” In view of this, and the fact that the designation did not become regular until the fifth century, it seems reasonable to suppose that it originated in the West.

 J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Creeds, Third Edition. (London; New York: Continuum, 2006), 53.