The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Is water baptism to be practiced today? [New]

Very few of the ECF held to "baptismal regeneration". If there was ever a 'transitory' period in Church history, that is it. Heresies and errors abounded. Thus most read the ECF writings with much scrutiny. You are trying to equate the writings of a few individuals with the testimony of a great mass of collective individuals who penned the Creeds, Confessions and Catechisms.

Thus the answer is a resounding, "No!!", it is not the same as the testimony found in the great Ecumenical Creeds; Apostles, Nicene, Athanasian, Chalcedon, Orange, etc., and likewise as the testimony in the great Confessions and Catechisms of all the various denominations that came out of the Protestant Reformation. Perhaps you would benefit to familiarize yourself with some of the 'history of doctrine' textbooks, e.g., The History of Christian Doctrines by Louis Berkhof. The doctrines contained in the historic Confessions and Catechisms were hammered out over decades and sometimes centuries in the context of controversy and finally set forth as the 'rule of faith and practice' which the respective churches held to be true.

It is sheer folly to think you can re-invent the wheel. Likewise it is utter nonsense to adopt an attitude, such as that held by Alexander Campbell, who boasted he approached the Scriptures with no bias or presuppositions. Such men invariably have held to and do hold to doctrines which are contrary to ALL the historic doctrines of the Church. They all have been judged to be intractable heretics.

Lastly, in this matter of your solitary understanding of water baptism being superseded and thus abrogated by 'spirit baptism', you are not going to find but a handful of individuals who will agree with you. Why? Simply because hermeneutically, exegetically and confessionally it is indefensible. I can't stress this enough... your 'handling' of Scripture is fundamentally flawed and thus your conclusions are flawed. Believers are to 'rightly handle [interpretation and application] the Word of truth (2Tim 2:15).

2 Timothy 2:14-18 (ASV) "Of these things put them in remembrance, charging [them] in the sight of the Lord, that they strive not about words, to no profit, to the subverting of them that hear. Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth. But shun profane babblings: for they will proceed further in ungodliness, and their word will eat as doth a gangrene: or whom is Hymenaeus an Philetus; men who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of some."

This subject is not some frivolous musing such as whether it is appropriate for ministers to wear blue ties or green ties with a grey suit. Baptism [water] is a fundamental doctrine of the Church. Thus, you should expect that you are going to meet strong and passionate resistance from every quarter; from babes in Christ to the learned in the Church. And the more you attempt to defend your view, and here I have to be blatantly honest with you, the more you reveal your ignorance of Scripture and your mangling of it. For the very last time, do yourself a favor and ask yourself how it is this doctrine of water baptism which you so openly reject has been adopted by the universal Church for two millennia. READ some of the good commentators on the passages which you hold at variance with the historic position, e.g., Calvin, Hendriksen, Murray, et al. See how they handle Scripture.