Baptismal Regeneration: Responding to Common Arguments

Here I respond to some common arguments in favor of baptismal regeneration.

Truth Unites is a mixture of apologetics and theology, with an irenic focus.

Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) serves as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Ojai.

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00:00 - Introduction
01:52 - Defining Baptismal Regeneration
05:40 - Clarifying the Alternatives
11:48 - Baptism in Acts
16:00 - Baptism in NT Epistles
28:18 - Baptist in Church Fathers
36:25 - Final Thoughts

[jmschmitten]

Here’s one thing you can say about Dr. O: he is definitely not here to shirk from the tough questions on his side of the apologetics debates, and he’s not here to cut down straw men!

[ShepherdMinistry]

I was saved and it was a radical conversion. I didn’t get water baptized for at least another 5 years. However, I wanted to get baptized during that time. During those 5 years God really sanctified my life and many people commented on this.

[TheAndreas]

Hey Gavin
Thanks for a respectful and honest look at baptism! I'm a Lutheran who's pretty hooked at baptismal regeneration (I think the last Cyril quote pretty much sums up my view). I learned a lot! I admittedly thought the Baptist view was more of a "just a symbol"-view. Glad to have that nuanced.

[JRVassar]

Excellent and helpful, Gavin. Very grateful for your ministry.

[Golfinthefamily]

Thankful for your work on this. As a baptist from pretty much birth, I really appreciate how you have introduced me to nuance on different positions and the way to properly discuss and advocate for a view. Your method gives great weight to the message you give.

[tammywilliams-ankcorn]

This makes more sense. I left a Baptist church over the sacraments being ordinances and only symbols. I love the idea of sealing. Thank you!

[michaelrowntree]

Awesome video. The language of metonymy - I love that. Feels true to the text, in contrast to some well-intentioned “workarounds” that satisfy no one. Well-researched and thought out. Helpful to me. Thanks Gavin!

[AlexHawker]

Hi Gavin, this was so helpful. It came along at the right time for me. Thanks for the nuanced arguments. There is a lot of confusion in my corner of the world about this.

[davidvanriper]

The very day I got saved, by repentance from sin, and faith toward Christ as my Savior; I KNEW I needed to be water baptized. Honestly I didn't even know why (at that time), only that I should
do it. I was saved from my sins 3 weeks before I was immersed. It was the act of a good conscience toward God.

[charlesadair]

“A larger spiritual category of language of cleansing water that baptism participates in and fulfills and points to baptism but baptism does not exhaust it.”

[ChristiansColloquy]

Glad you got Dr. Fowler’s book! Please be praying for him as he recovers from a major stroke suffered last year.

[samnordquist]

Appreciate your gentle approach to difficult topics. This is a something that has been extremely perplexing for me as the Bible seemingly points in both directions at times. Your analysis and especially the graduation analogy has given me some peace about this. My brothers and I are about to read Finding the Right Hills to Die On together and finding your Youtube channel has me pumped to read your books!

[felipewatkinson]

A heart-felt thanks to you brother Gavin, for being an honest searcher. Your thoughts echo that which has also been written by George R. Beasley-Murray's book "Baptism in The New Testament"

[truthnotlies]

He clearly didnt read the entirety of Cyril's lecture... "*If any man receive not Baptism, he has not salvation;* except only Martyrs, who even without the water receive the kingdom. For when the Saviour, in redeeming the world by His Cross, was pierced in the side, He shed forth blood and water; that men, living in times of peace, might be baptized in water, and, in times of persecution, in their own blood. "

[Rejoran]

I do disagree with your conclusions, but I respect so much your candor, respect, and thoughtfulness of complexities. I appreciate you thinking things through and not just repeating the same arguments that get passed around. You gave this our own thoughts, and at least consider and acknowledge how those who don't think as you may come to their conclusions, and you explain their positions well. Of those who don't believe baptism in water in Jesus's name is involved n being saved, yours is by far the best presentation I've seen.

[inspectortelford]

Thanks for this!! Re your last point, I’m struck by Gregory of Nyssa’s warning:

The baptismal water may be applied to the body, but if the soul hasn’t cleansed itself from the filth of its sinful passions, and your life after baptism is no different to your life before baptism, your baptism in water was a mere experience of water and nothing else. A bold thing to say, but I won’t flinch from saying it! If this is the nature of your baptismal birth, the gift of the Holy Spirit in no way appears. How have you been changed, if your life is still distorted by anger or inflamed by greed, and the divine image in you is warped by uncontrolled and tasteless thoughts, by self-importance, resentment, arrogance? What if you still hold onto the fruits of dishonesty, and carry on committing adultery? If such vices still cling to you, I can’t see how you have been changed at all; I see the same person I saw before you were baptised.
Someone may have been washed in the bath of baptism, but what good is that, if the people he treated badly, accused wrongly, and stole from, see no difference in him? …A baptised person who is morally unchanged, and yet jabbers nonsensically about the blessing he has received from baptism, needs to hear Paul: “If a man thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Gal.6:3). If you haven’t become a thing, you are not that thing. “As many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become God’s sons” (Jn.1:12). Thus the Gospel speaks of the new birth. A child through its birth has the same nature as its parent. If, then, you have received God, and become a child of God, show by your attitudes that God dwells in you; exhibit in yourself the One who begot you!

The Great Catechism, ch.40

[edwardlargent]

Rewatched this - super helpful, thanks again.

Had trouble getting my 4 year old to agree to a nap (she’s sick), starting playing this video and she was snoring in minutes! Haha so you helped us both

[ryanmiller]

You should definitely write a book on baptism

[soteriology]

I have diligently studied baptism, it is amazing how so many have it wrong. Baptism has to do with the conscience. Baptism or submission into the name of Jesus. If one does not even know who Jesus is, that person can not by any biblical standard be considered baptized. The act in and of itself does not possess any kind of power whatsoever.

[reverendjenkins]

As a baptist minister I find your videos really helpful. I see baptism as a part of theosis (I tend to lean to the East on a few subjects). If you get a chance you should read Mark the Monk’s Counsels on the Spiritual Life from the popular patristics series. In the introduction Tim Vivian writes about the different views that some of the fathers had. They certainly weren’t all in agreement.