Kitchen Table Theology
Where Coffee, Conversation, and Theology Meet. During my 40 years in ministry, I’ve developed an increasing burden for what I sense to be an increase in biblical illiteracy, not only among those in our churches, but also in the young men and women entering the ministry. Conversely, I am hopeful, because I also sense a hunger from people to learn and know biblical truth and the things of God has revealed to us in Scripture. Our Kitchen Table Theology team has developed a list of over 150 doctrinal topics which I, along with one of my cohosts, Jen Denton or Tiffany Coker, examine weekly. Our goal is to educate and share biblical truth on the same level as if we were sitting at your kitchen table with a Bible and a pot of southern pecan coffee in front of us. Welcome to the table!
Kitchen Table Theology
084 Ordinances of the Church: Baptism Part Two
“Baptism is meant to be an outward testimony of an inward change in the life of a believer, and Christian baptism is an act of obedience to the Lord after salvation.” - Pastor Jeff Cranston
Hello Kitchen Table Theology Family! In this episode, Pastor Jeff and Jen Denton are continuing their discussion on baptism in our new series on the ordinances of the church.
[00:01] Introduction
- Pastor Jeff gives us a summary of what was discussed last episode
- Different modes of baptism
[03:31] The Biblical Argument for Baptism by Sprinkling
- Why some people believe that sprinkling is the acceptable form of baptism
- Certain Old Testament rituals of cleansing involve sprinkling
- Sprinkling best pictures the cleansing of the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:25)
- Βαπτίζω (the Greek word for baptize) has differing interpretations of translation to support sprinkling
- Immersion is claimed to be improbable or impossible in certain instances in the New Testament (Acts 2:41, Acts 8:38, Acts 16:33)
- The greater majority of the visible church practices nonimmersion baptism
[06:25] The Biblical Argument for Baptism by Affusion
- Pouring water may best picture the ministry of the Holy Spirit coming on, and into the life of a believer
- In John 1:29-34, there are differing interpretations of translation
[10:24] The Practice of Baptizing Infants
- The arguments for Paedobaptism
- Paedobaptism is linked to circumcision in the OT, and infant baptism in the NT (Col 2:11-12)
- The early church practiced infant baptism and early church fathers supported it in their writings
- The arguments against Paedobaptism
- Baptism always follows belief in the NT
- Baptism is the initiatory rite into a believing community, not a covenant
[17:54] A Summary of Today’s Episode
- Baptism is meant to be an outward testimony of an inward change in the life of a believer
- We read a review from a listener!
- This episode is brought to you by Your Greatest Adventure: Taking the Next Steps in Your Faith by Pastor Jeff Cranston
- Connect with us!
Key Quotes
“Another argument for believers’ baptism is that baptism is the initiatory rite, not into a covenant, but into a believing community, which we call The Church. Therefore, baptism should only be practiced among believers. ” - Pastor Jeff Cranston
Resources Mentioned
- Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth by Charles Caldwell Ryrie
Join the Conversation
We love your feedback! If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review. If you have any questions or comments on today’s episode, email me at pastorjeff@lowcountrycc.org
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Remember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!