(Mk
1"),
overcoming
the
reluctance
of
the
Baptist
with
a
word
of
authority.
That
Jesus
Himself
baptized
is
nowhere
suggested
in
the
Synoptic
Gospels,
and
is
expressly
denied
in
the
Fourth
Gospel
(Jn
4');
but
His
disciples
baptized,
and
it
must
have
been
with
His
authority,
equivalent
to
baptism
by
Himself,
and
involving
admission
to
the
society
of
His
disciples.
On
the
other
hand.
His
instructions
to
the
Twelve
and
to
the
Seventy
contain
no
command
to
baptize.
Christian
baptism
was
to
be
baptism
'with
the
Spirit,'
and
'the
Spirit
was
not
yet
given'
(Jn
?'«).
It
is
recorded
in
Acts
(!')
that
the
Risen
Lord
foretold
that
this
promised
baptism
would
be
received
after
His
departure,
'not
many
days
hence.'
3.
Christian
baptism,
although
it
finds
a
formal
analogy
in
the
baptism
of
John,
which
in
its
turn
represents
a
spiritualizing
of
ancient
Jewish
ideas
of
lustration,
appears
as
in
its
essential
character
a
new
thing
after
the
descent
of
the
Holy
Spirit.
It
is
a
phenomenon
'
entirely
unique,
and
in
its
inmost
nature
without
any
analogy,
because
it
rises
as
an
original
fact
from
the
soil
of
the
Christian
reUgion
of
revelation'
(von
DobschUtz).
It
has
been
customary
to
trace
the
institution
of
the
practice
to
the
words
of
Christ
recorded
in
Mt
28".
But
the
authenticity
of
this
passage
has
been
challenged
on
historical
as
well
as
on
textual
grounds.
It
must
be
acknowledged
that
the
formula
of
the
threefold
name,
which
is
here
enjoined,
does
not
appear
to
have
been
employed
by
the
primitive
Church,
which,
so
tar
as
our
information
goes,
baptized
'in'
or
'into
the
name
of
Jesus'
(or
'Jesus
Christ'
or
'the
Lord
Jesus':
Ac
2'8
8'=
10"
195;
cf.
1
Co
l"-
«),
without
reference
to
the
Father
or
the
Spirit.
The
difficulty
hence
arising
may
be
met
by
assuming
(a)
that
Baptism
in
the
name
of
Jesus
was
equivalent
to
Baptism
in
the
name
of
the
Trinity,
or
(6)
that
the
shorter
phrase
does
not
represent
the
formula
used
by
the
baptizer
(which
may
have
been
the
fuller
one),
but
the
profession
made
by
the
baptized,
and
the
essential
fact
that
he
became
a
Christian
—
one
of
Christ's
acknowledged
followers.
But
it
is
better
to
infer
the
authority
of
Christ
for
the
practice
from
the
prompt
and
universal
adoption
of
it
by
the
Apostles
and
the
infant
Church,
to
which
the
opening
chapters
of
Acts
bear
witness;
and
from
the
significance
attached
to
the
rite
in
the
Epistles,
and
especially
in
those
of
St.
Paul.
4.
That
baptism
was
the
normal,
and
probably
the
indispensable,
condition
of
being
recognized
as
a
member
of
the
Christian
community
appears
from
allusions
in
the
Epistles
(1
Co
12",
Gal
3"),
and
abundantly
from
the
evidence
in
Acts.
The
first
preaching
of
the
Spirit-
filled
Apostles
on
the
day
of
Pentecost
led
to
many
being
'
pricked
in
their
heart
'
;
and
in
answer
to
their
inquiry
addressed
to
'Peter
and
the
rest
of
the
apostles,'
Peter
said
unto
them:
'
Repent
ye,
and
be
baptized
every
one
of
you
in
the
name
of
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
'
(Ac
2"-
").
'They
then
that
received
his
word
were
baptized'
to
the
number
of
'about
three
thousand
souls.'
At
Samaria,
'when
they
believed
Philip
preaching
the
things
concerning
the
kingdom
of
God,
and
the
name
of
Jesus
Christ,
they
were
baptized,
both
men
and
women'
(8''),
—
the
earliest
express
statement
that
women
were
admitted
to
the
rite.
In
this
case
the
gift
of
the
Spirit
did
not
follow
until
Peter
and
John
had
come
down
from
Jerusalem,
and
'
prayed
for
them
that
they
might
receive
the
Holy
Ghost.'
'Then
they
laid
their
hands
upon
them,
and
they
received
the
Holy
Ghost'
(8").
Saul
was
baptized
by
Ananias
(9")
in
accordance
with
instructions
recorded
by
himself
(22'*),
and
that
he
might
'be
filled
with
the
Holy
Ghost.'
In
these
cases
the
gift
followed
upon
baptism,
with
or
without
the
laying-on
of
hands.
In
the
case
of
Cornelius
and
his
friends,
the
gift
followed
immediately
upon
the
preaching
of
the
word
by
Peter,
and
presumably
its
reception
in
the
heart
of
those
who
heard
;
and
it
was
after
that
that
the
Apostle
'commanded
them
to
be
baptized
in
the
name
of
the
Lord
'
(10").
It
was
on
the
ground
of
this
previous
communication
of
the
Holy
Spirit
that
Peter
subsequently
justified
his
action
in
admitting
these
persons
to
baptism
(lli'-'s).
5.
The
preaching
of
St.
Paul,
no
less
than
that
of
St.
Peter,
led
to
the
profession
of
faith
through
baptism,
though
the
Apostle
seems
as
a
rule
to
have
left
the
actual
administration
to
others
(1
Co
l"-"):
'for
Christ
sent
me
not
to
baptize,
but
to
preach
the
gospel.'
At
PhUippi
Lydia
was
baptized
'and
her
household';
there
also
the
jailor,
'
and
all
that
were
his
'
(Ac
16"-
'')
;
at
Corinth,
Crispus
and
Gaius,
and
'the
household
of
Stephanas'
(1
Co
!»■
").
6.
The
conditions
antecedent
to
baptism
are
plainly
set
forth
in
Acts,
viz.
repentance
and
profession
of
faith
in
Jesus
as
Messiah
or
as
'the
Lord,'
following
on
the
preaching
of
the
word.
The
method
of
administration
was
baptizing
with
water
in
or
into
the
name
of
Jesus.
Immersion
may
have
been
employed
when
the
presence
of
sufficient
water
made
it
convenient;
but
there
is
nothing
to
show
that
affusion
or
sprinkliiig
was
not
regarded
as
equally
vaUd.
That
baptism
was
'in
the
name
of
Jesus
'
signifies
that
it
took
place
for
the
purpose
of
sealing
the
new
relationship
of
belonging
to.
being
committed
to,
His
Personality.
The
blessing
attached
to
the
rite
is
commonly
exhibited
as
the
gift
of
the
Holy
Spirit;
the
due
fulfilment
of
the
condition
of
baptism
involved
ipso
facto
the
due
fulfilment
of
the
condition
of
receiving
the
Spirit.
In
the
Epistles,
this,
the
normal
consequence
of
Christian
baptism,
is
analyzed
into
its
various
elements.
These
are
in
the
main
three:
(a)
the
'remission
of
sins'
(Ac
2^8,
i
Co
6";
cf.
He
lO'^,
i
p
3").
(6j
In
baptism
the
believer
was
to
realize
most
vividly
the
total
breach
with
his
old
Ufe
involved
in
his
new
attitude
to
God
through
Christ,
a
breach
comparable
only
with
that
effected
by
death
(Ro
e^-'.
Col
2^');
he
was
to
realize
also
that
the
consequences
of
this
fellowship
with
Christ
were
not
only
death
to
sin,
but
a
new
life
in
righteousness
as
real
as
that
which
followed
on
resurrection
(Ro
6'').
(c)
Baptism
conferred
incorpora-tion
in
the
one
body
of
Christ
(1
Co
12"),
and
was
thus
adapted
to
serve
as
a
symbol
of
the
true
unity
of
Christians
(Eph
4').
The
body
with
which
the
beUever
is
thus
incorporated
is
conceived
of
sometimes
as
the
corporate
community
of
Christians,
sometimes
as
the
Personality
of
Christ;
'for
as
many
of
you
as
were
baptized
into
Christ,
did
put
on
Christ'
(Gal
3").
Conversely,
as
with
the
Sacrament
of
the
Lord's
Supper,
all
the
elements
both
of
qualification
and
of
experience
are
sometimes
summed
up
in
a
pregnant
phrase
and
without
regard
to
the
order
in
which
they
emerge.
Eph
S»
may
find
its
best
interpretation
through
com-parison
with
Jn
15'
(cf.
17"),
i.e.
as
referring
to
the
continuous
cleansing
of
the
Church
by
the
word;
but
if
the
reference
is
to
baptism,
then
the
phrase
'by
the
word
*
probably
alludes
to
the
profession
of
faith
by
the
baptized,
whether
it
took
the
form
of
'Jesus
is
Lord'
(Ro
4"';
cf.
1
Co
12=),
or
whether
it
expressed
the
con-tent
of
the
faith
more
fully.
In
Tit
3',
while
baptism
is
the
instrument
by
which
salvation
is
realized,
'
regenera-tion'
and
'renewal'
are
both
displayed
as
the
work
of
the
Holy
Spirit.
And
here
the
Apostolic
interpretation
of
the
rite
touches
the
anticipation
of
it
in
our
Lord's
words
recorded
in
Jn
3'.
Faith
wrought
by
the
Spirit
and
faith
professed
by
the
believer
are
alike
necessary
to
entrance
into
the
Kingdom
of
salvation
(cf.
Ro
10'-
'").
In
1
Co
15^9
Paul
refers
to
the
practice
of
persons
allowing
themselves
to
be
baptized
on
behalf
of
the
dead.
Such
a
practice
appears
to
have
had
analogies
in
the
Greek
mysteries,
from
which
it
may
have
crept
into
the
Christian
Church.
As
such
it
may
be
regarded
as
'a
purely
magical,
and
wholly
superstitious,
vicarious
reception
of
the
sacrament.'
Of
such
a
practice
the
Apostle
expresses
no
approval,
but
'simply
meets
his
opponents
with
their
own
weapons
without
putting
their
validity
to
the
proof
(Rentdorff).
