8/12/2019 1993 Issue 4 - Cross-Examination: Infant Baptism Part 2 - Counsel of Chalcedon

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Each month the Cross-Examina

tion column presents a summary

statement of a Reformed

and

Reconstructionist conviction

in

theol

ogy or ethics, and then offers brief

answers to common questions, objec

tions or confusions which people have

about that belief. Send issues or ques

tions you would like addressed by Dr.

Bahnsen to the editor.

W BELIEVE

We have seen that the covenant

signs of circumcision

and

baptism

pointed to the cleansed and conse

crated (holy)character

of

God's people,

even though not everyone within the

covenant community (or church) lived

up

to

that signification in the Old

Testament, jus t as not everyone within

the NewTestamentcovenantcommu

nity (or church) lives

up

to it. Nev

ertheless the signs ofcircumcision and

baptism retain their value and impor

tance in the eyes of God, the Lord of

the covenant.

This may seem confusing

to

some

readers. How can a person bear the

token of being clean and holy

--

and

bearitat God's direction --even though

that person is not actually clean and

holy? The answer is that such a person

shares the designation of the wider

religious community of which he or

she is a part (Le., the mixed church is

viewed as clean and holy by her

Redeemer), and that this designation

is meant na ritualor ceremonial sense.

The church on earth as the community

formed

by

God's saving covenant has

been cleansed and consecrated in a

ceremonial or religious fushion, being

looked upon in a special and sacred

way by God. The covenant commu

nity has been set apart as His own

unique people and separated from the

common world ofspiritual defilement

and unbelief.

There is at least three ways in which

the Bible uses the terminology ofholi

ness

and

cleansing. We may think of

holiness and cleanness as concepts

which can be applied in an external

sense (e.g., a clean sheet or pure

gold, e.g. Matt. 27:56; Ex. 30:3). They

may also be applied

to

inward matters

in a moral sense (e.g., a clean heart or

holy living, e.g. Ps. 24:4; 1 Peter

1:15). But there is also a third kind of

way

in

which the Bible speaks ofholi

ness

and

cleanness, a way which can

be designated ceremonial or ritual.

The meats which were called un

clean in the

Old

Testament were not

given that designation because they

were outwardly dirty or inwardly im-

moral. They were rather unclean

in

some ritual sense. They were com

mon meats that the unbelievingworld

might eat, but not God's special or

holy (consecrated) people. (This dis

tinction is maintained even today

amongJews who observe dictates about

kosher eating.) The words

of

Levit

cus 11:44-47 are very insightful here.

God commanded Israel: Be holy ..

neither defile yourselves with any kind

of[unclean meatl ... make a distinction

between the unclean

and

the clean.

Israel was to be holy (set apart , con

secrated) by maintaining a clean diet.

This ritual or ceremonial sense of

cleanness and uncleanness is utilized

throughout the

Old

Testament: e.g.,

Lev. 11:32; 13:58; 14:4; 15:13; 17:15;

20:25; 24:6-7; Deut. 23: 10, etc.

The holiness and cleanness of the

Old Testament Jews as God's chosen

people was

not

always

in

every case

an

internal, moral reality.

Yet

even with

the unregenerate among them they

were nonetheless the special people of

God -- holy and clean

in

the cer

emonial or religious sense that He had

entered into a saving covenant with

them, settingthemapart from the other

nations or unbelieving groups of the

world. That explains, for instance,

why Ezra 6:21 speaks of the children

ofIsrael who hadcome out

of

captivity

and gone back.

to

the holy city of

Jerusalem as all such as have sepa

rated themselves from the filthiness of

the nations. Once again lsrael would

be a holy nation for God's own pos

session d. Ex. 19:5-6).

This concept of ceremonialor ritual

holiness and cleanness is evident

in the New Testament as well. When

May,

993

THE OUNSEL

of halcedon

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8/12/2019 1993 Issue 4 - Cross-Examination: Infant Baptism Part 2 - Counsel of Chalcedon

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Jesus disputed with the Pharisees over

11)aking the outside of the cup "clean"

(Matt. 23:25-26) or about the "defile

ment

"

of

eating with unwashed hands

(Matt. 15:2,

11,

20), neither party to

the argument was concerned with

physical filth

or

moral virtue. The

controversy was over religious or cer

emonial consecration (what was "ko

sher" or not, if you will). The New

Testament often speaks

of

ceremonial

cleansing or .ritual pUrification (e.g.,

Luke2:22;John2:6; Luke 17:14,etc.).

It is

in

this religious sense,

quite obviously, that blood

is said to

be

used for cleans

ing (e .g., Heb. 9:14, 22-23;

1John 1:7).

It is evident from Peter's

response to

the

sheet

of

meats from heaven thatwhat

is "unclean" was identical to

what is

common: not

ko

sher (Acts 10:14; 11:8).

Whatever

has

been

"cleansed" by God is no

longetin the category of the

"common" (10:15). Those

who are Within the covenant

community, the church, are set apart

from the common world and viewed

by God, therefore, as "clean."

As

Paul

wrote,

in

contrast to "those who are

outside," Godhasnotcalled the church

to be "unclean" but rather

"holy"

and

set apart (1 Thes. 4:

7,

12). Christ's

redemptive work has "purified" (or

"cleansed") unto Himself a special

people for God's own possession (Titus

2:14). They are to be "separate" from

the world -- to "touch no unclean

thing" (2 Cor. 6:1 7). Paul says this

right

in

the context

of

drawing a clear

distinction between the church and

the world, asserting that there is no

"commonality"between them 14-

16). The New Testament places the

church

in

a religiously unique cat

egory, being viewed as "clean"

or

.

"cleansed" from the ordinary world of

spiritual defilement.

Ukewise, "holiness" is repeatedly

used in the

New

Testament

to

speak of

what is religiously or ritually set apart

from the ordinary. Things which are

special - things which are set apart

from common use -- are called "holy"

(e

.

g.,

the unmarried virgin's body, 1

Cor. 7:34). You do not mix the ordi

nary and extraordinary by giving what

is "holy" to dogs, nor pearls to swine,

said Jesus (Matt. 7:6). The temple

precincts were not ordinary ground,

but consecrated -- thus "holy" (e.g.,

Acts 6:13; 21:28; 1 Cor. 3:17; Heb.

8:2; 9:1-3). The place of the burning

bush was "holy" ground as well (Acts

7:33). Every male that is born is said

to

be set apan ("holy") unto the Lord,

even if they 'grow up to be spiritual

rebels (Luke 2:23). Despite the rebel

lion of Old Testament Israel, it was

God's consecrated or "holy nation."

And even though unbelief and mur

derous sinwas found in her, the city of

Jerusalem is called the "holy city" be

cause it was chosen and set apart by

GodCMatt.4:5;Rev.1l:2;21:2,10;22:19).

The Old Testament writings

were

in

a special category

from

other hu

man works, being the "holy scrip

tures" (Rom. 1:2). The men who wrote

them were set apart from others -

were "holy" men or prophets (2 Peter

1:21;

Luke

1:70;

Acts

3:21). Our

brothers within the church are a spe-

8 W E CO{jNSEL

of

Chalcedon

May,

1993

cial kind of

family

relation - a "holy

brotherhood" (Heb. 3:1). Ukewise,

the kiss or greeting which is given

between believers is not an ordinary or

common kiss, but a " ioly kiss" (Rom.

16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20, etc.). Examples

could be multiplied where "holiness"

takes the sense of set apart from com

manuse (consecrated

to

a special pur

pose). But of special interest is the way

in which the New Testament desig

nates God's people as "the holy ones"

or "saints" (Acts 9:13,32,41; 26:10;

Rom.

1:7;

8:27; 1 Cor. 1:2;

2 Cor.

1:1;

Eph. 1:1; Phil.

1:1; Col. l:2 : etc.). Regard

less of their inward imper

fection and daily sin, those

who

are joined to Christ as

members of the church are

called "set apart" or

"holy"

by

God.

Our short examination

of Scripture has made us

aware , now, that the mixed

spiritual community of Old

Testament Israel was

deemed by Godas separated

from the defiled world of

unbelief, being "clean" and "holy"

in

a

ceremonial or ritual

Sense

. Similarly,

the New Testament covenant commu

nity, despite its flaws, is looked upon

by God as consecrated from the world

of unbelief

afld

spiritual defilement,

being "clean" and "holy" in Hissight.n

(To Be Continued)

Further Investigation

Writefor acatalog of Dr. Bahnsen's

tapes and publications from Covenant

Tape MiniStry,24198 Ash Conrt, Au

burn, CA 95603 (and be placed on the

mailing list for

the monthly update

from the Southern California Center

for Christian Studies, where he is the

resident scholar). A popular

album

is

TheDisdncttvesoft.heReformedFaith

(5 tapes). lso get hold ofhis senn,ons

Biblical

Baptism and Babies

and

Baptism: ItslJeaning

and Purpose.