Understanding Four Views on Baptism

Counterpoints

by John H. Armstrong

What is the significance of water baptism? Who should be baptized? Is infant baptism scriptural? Which is the proper baptismal sprinkling, pouring, or immersion? Should people be rebaptized if they join a church that teaches a different form of baptism? Should baptism be required for church membership? These and other questions are explored in this thought-provoking book. Four historic views on baptism are considered in * Baptism of the professing regenerate by immersion (Baptist) * Believers' baptism on the occasion of regeneration by immersion (Christian Churches/Churches of Christ) * Infant baptism by sprinkling as a regenerative act (Lutheran) * Infant baptism of children of the covenant (Reformed) Each view is presented by its proponent, then critiqued and defended in dialogue with the book's other contributors. Here is an ideal setting in which you can consider the strengths and weaknesses of each stance and arrive at your own informed conclusion.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Ecclesiology, Christianity, Religion, Nonfiction, Church

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2007

Reviews

[Nick Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly good overview. Handles all the major arguments without being too technical.

Here is an oversimplified summary of the arguments:
Baptist: Here are the scriptures that support our view:
Reformed: Scripture doesn't really say, but the confessions say...
Lutheran: Scripture doesn't really say, but Luther says...
Church of Christ: Here are the scriptures that support our view:

[Matt Koser · Rating 3 out of 5]

The views were presented, but unfortunately they weren’t defended very convincingly. If you’re relatively familiar with this debate, most likely it won’t change your position.

My ranking of 4 views:

🥇Christian churches/Churches of Christ (Castelein)
1. Baptism is only for believers
2. Baptism is the occasion of salvation
3. Baptism is necessary for church membership
4. Mode: immersion
5. Faith without baptism is docetism/mysticism. Baptism without faith is empty ritualism.
6. Although there is a moment of salvation from God’s perspective, from a human perspective it’s a process of receiving salvation: understanding, agreeing, repenting, believing, being baptized. Without baptism, the process is incomplete.

🥈Reformed Baptist (symbolic) view (Nettles)
1. Baptism is only for believers
2. Baptism is a symbol. A symbol isn’t a “mere symbol”, it signifies the reality
3. Baptism is necessary for church membership
4. Mode: immersion
5. He argues against baptismal regeneration by pointing out that people in the OT were saved without baptism, so baptism can’t be necessary for salvation.
6. Baptism has to come after regeneration because we wouldn’t do anything good before we’re regenerated.

🥉Lutheran (Kolb)
1. Baptism is for infants or adults
2. Baptism brings regeneration, not because of the water itself but because of the Word (Lutherans refer to the act of baptism as “the Word of Baptism”)
3. Confusing - repentance precedes baptism; how does this work for infants? Understanding is a prerequisite for adults’ baptism but not infants—Not sure why.
4. Baptism is necessary for church membership
5. Mode: does not matter

👉🏼Reformed/Presbyterian (Pratt Jr.)
1. Baptism is for infants and adults
2. Baptism is entrance into the new covenant community which consists of believers and non believers, just like Israel was. A person can be simultaneously baptized and not a believer
3. Infant baptism is required for children of ministers but recommended for, not required of, members

___

My ⭐️ rating criteria
- ⭐️: I absolutely did not like or totally disagreed with the book and would recommend that no one else read it
- ⭐️⭐️: the book was below average style or content, wouldn’t read it again, but wouldn’t beg people not to read it necessarily
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️: a fine book, some helpful information (or a decent story, for the handful of novels I read), didn’t disagree with too much, enjoyed it decently well
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: a very good book, information was very helpful, mostly agreed with everything, was above-average enjoyable to read
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: life-changing book, I enjoyed it more than most other books, I want to read it again in the future, I will be telling everyone to read it for the next few weeks

[Derek Woodall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been familiar with the four views series but this is the first one I’ve read. Positively, I certainly have a better understanding for the Reformed, Lutheran, and Church of Christ views. However, the whole time I read this book I frequently wished the arguments were more textual. Perhaps I was hoping for more than what this series is intended to offer (as a presentation of the views). I would have enjoyed/benefited more if the views were argued for rather than simply presented.
One main takeaway is that various views on baptism are intricately related to how one reads the whole Bible and understands other doctrines. In this regard, if you pull on the string of baptism, the yarn ball unravels to reveal the rest of the string. It’s not just the question of how circumcision relates to baptism but what they signify, what saving faith is, when does regeneration occur, and more. I’m thankful for the greater level of understanding this book has given me for the nuance is these views

[Spencer R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick Review: I am a baptist, so I found Nettles helpful, though I don't agree with all of his formulations, I enjoyed reading his part. Pratt(Reformed/Presbyterian) was pretty good, though I certainly differ with him. Kolb (Lutheran) was mostly confusing and unclear. I was hoping to get a better grasp on the Lutheran view. I did, but not very well. His response to Nettles was useless, writing only about how they have differing presuppositions and almost leaving it just at that. I didn't read the Church of Christ guy at all.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful for what it was. I found myself agreeing with the Reformed perspective, although I don't think I'm quite convinced of infant baptism. The editor's essays were great. It would have been better to exclude the Lutheran and Churches of Christ contributions and replace them with Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox contributions.

[Zach Forehand · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, this one was a little disappointing. The authors aren’t given much space to present and defend their respective tradition’s views, thus leading to generalized presentations.

Personally, I learned much about the Lutheran and Church of Christ views mainly because I knew little of the two before, although the Lutheran view was, quite frankly, confusing in many ways. For the Baptist and Reformed views, I felt as if neither brought the full weight of their arguments to the table, or at least they failed to articulate the arguments in a compelling manner. Perhaps this was also due to the limited space each author is given.

On a separate note: To this point, I have still yet to hear a compelling Baptist counter-argument for Colossians 2:11-12. Shawn Wright, Thomas Nettles, and others have submitted Baptist arguments that are not very compelling in my opinion. If Paul is not equating the spiritual significance of circumcision and baptism, with the two pointing towards and climaxing in the person and work of Christ, then what is he doing? He didn’t accidentally pick both circumcision and baptism and then bring them together for an illustration; it was intentional. Furthermore, since the spiritual component of the Abrahamic covenant hasn’t been annulled (e.g., Gal. 3-4; Rom. 4) and Christians are the spiritual offspring of Abraham (Gal. 3:14, 29, 4:28; cf. Rom. 4:16, 9:8; Heb. 2:16), then why wouldn’t the sign of the promise (Rom. 4:11 cf. Gen. 17:7-14) carry over from the OT if there’s no Scriptural warrant to discontinue it? Yes, circumcision was a physical mark that distinguished a nation, but more importantly, it also pointed to the need to be circumcised spiritually (Deut. 10:16, 30:6; Jer. 4:4) just like baptism points to the spiritual need for circumcision of the heart by the Spirit (Rom. 2:28-29)!

Wellum would respond by saying that the “nature and structure” of the new covenant is fundamentally different because of the advent of the Christ, thus negating baptism as the sign in a fashion analogous to circumcision. But there’s a few problems with this: 1) this argument is almost solely based upon a few clauses in Jer. 31:31-34; 2) whenever the new covenant is contrasted with the old covenant in the NT, it’s contrasted with the Mosaic covenant, not the Abrahamic covenant (e.g., Gal. 3; Heb. 8); 3) even if we grant that Jer. 31:31-34 is actually referring to true regenerate believers in this age (as opposed to the eternal age to come), then there remains the massive human epistemological issue in this age, for we know from both Scripture and lived experience that people can and will counterfeit the marks of a true regenerate believer. This is why there are many people in Baptist circles that profess faith, have their profession affirmed by the church, undergo baptism, and then later reject the faith, thus indicating that they were never saved to begin with. Dever, Wellum, and Wright have all spoken about this Baptist issue as well.

This has been your cage-stage seminarian, stream-of-consciousness review. I’ll be here all week.

Anyways, if anyone has any helpful answers, please let me know! Faith seeking humble understanding…

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you haven't studied this issue you will probably like this book as the authors provide succinct overviews of what is really quite a detailed subject requiring laborious study to master. If you feel that you are fairly well-read on this subject then you may not profit (that much) from this book.

The two I'm most concerned with (for my purposes) are Nettles' and Pratt's chapters, so I'll briefly comment. Nettles' chapter doesn't deal with any of the difficult objections that I think should be offered to credobaptism. Given the defeaters I (think I) have for his position, he provided me with no reason to hold his position. And, since it was written at an introductory level, I didn't learn much about his position. Pratt's chapter coincides with my own view on the matter. I also highly respect Pratt - having read a lot of other material by him. But his chapter was about at the level of Nettles'. I don't think he dealt with what I think are the best objections credobaptists could launch. I also think he spent way too much time referencing the Westminster Confession of Faith (and/or the three forms of unity). Doing that doesn't go to far in dispelling the myth that paedobaptists simply hold to their position because of tradition, but couldn't exegete it out of Scripture if their life depended on it. So, I was disappointed in Pratt's contribution too. (I also would say that I thought Nettles did a better job presenting his position than did Pratt.)

I gave the book three stars because I think novices to the subject can be helped to at least get some of the basics down of each view. I didn't want to dissuade them from reading what could be profitable for them.

[Griffin Swihart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does this get 5 stars for being a flawless and perfect book? No. Does it get 5 stars for being a helpful and thoughtful resource? It sure does!

As someone raised in a Christian Church/Church of Christ background whose only religious friends were either swimming in the same stream or Catholic—and who continued to lack knowledge and experience of other Protestant beliefs and practices—this book was more than helpful in providing clear teaching and reasoning for Lutheran, Reformed, Baptist, and CC/CoC views and practices. While my own viewpoint hasn’t changed through the arguments presented in this book, my eyes have been opened to different Protestant points of view and the reasoning therein, and I’m thankful for that!

Those many appendices are a nice little bonus, too!

I’d recommend a resource like this to anyone lacking knowledge in different Protestant viewpoints, and I’ll definitely be returning to the Counterpoints book series

[Savannah Lea Morello · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the Lutherans are right, I say we take water to the nearest playgrounds and start sprinkling as many kids as we can before the parents catch on.

In all seriousness, this was very helpful as a primer. Not all the contributors argue as well as they could at all points, but they do all make some good cases for a variety of positions.

[Martin Augestad · Rating 4 out of 5]

God introduksjon til dåpsdebatten. Jeg har sansen for disse bøkene der personer med ulikt perspektiv argumenterer for sitt eget syn og argumenterer mot de andres. Denne var nokså kort, så det er mye man ikke rekker å si noe om.

[Rachel]

dnf – not because it wasn’t good, but because I already know what views I hold so I was reading it with intense confirmation bias goggles on (and that’s really not the point, is it?)

[Chase]

Baptize yo' babies! 😎

[Shaun Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

One would have to consider this title from Zondervan's Counterpoints series against its counterpart in IVP's Spectrum Multiview titled Baptism: Three Views (Edited by David F. Wright). I read both titles a few months ago and leafed through them again for the purposes of this review.

Unless you have a lot of spare time on your hands, I recommend you skip this and pick up the latter for reasons due to its superior (1) format, (2) quality of scholarship and accessibility. I will discuss these two factors at length later, but if you can borrow this book from a friend or library, be sure to read the editor's introductory chapter, which provides a helpful, sombre call for humility, love and unity even when we approach other Christians who hold differing views on baptism.

1. The four view breakdown of this Zondervan Counterpoints title is messy and less relevant - (i) Baptist, (ii) Reformed, (iii) Lutheran and (iv) Churches of Christ. The latter two are not as well-known, and therefore not be of interest to the majority of readers. The extra two views (and contributors) makes the response sections longer and a great chore to read.

On the other hand, the three view breakdown of the IVP Spectrum Multiview title is more clean-cut and relevant - (i) Believer's Baptism (credobaptism), (ii) Infant Baptism (paedobaptism) and Dual-Practice (or plural practice). These three positions are an all-encompassing categorisation that the majority of readers would likely identify with.

2. The quality of scholarship in this Zondervan Counterpoints title is inferior to that of the IVP Spectrum Multiview one. I found myself struggling to retain an interest in the content of the baptismal view that I lean most toward. I felt that this editor could have wielded a heavier hand in summarising what felt like long and convoluted academic debates from the contributors. The scholars in the IVP title wrote in a more engaging, brief and accessible manner than their Zondervan counterparts. I make this observation by comparing the respective chapters on the credobaptist view (between Thomas Nettles and Bruce Ware) and on the paedobaptist view (between Richard Pratt Jr. and Sinclair Ferguson). The clarity and accessibility of the IVP contributors clearly outshine that of the Zondervan Counterpoints.

The purpose of readers picking up such multi-view titles is likely for the purpose of receiving an introduction on the various theological positions. The Zondervan Counterpoints contributors and editor have failed in the aspect of presenting their positions in a concise, understandable and interesting manner that a novice reader would find useful. I feel that the material is targeted at experts on the subject of baptism, who would probably go straight for the monographs that discuss a single theological position in detail.

In summary, I cannot recommend this Zondervan's Counterpoints series title, and instead point you to the superior IVP's Spectrum Multiview title - Baptism: Three Views (Edited by David F. Wright).

[Chase Cohee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource for understanding the general spectrum of views on baptism. The authors engage each other with civility and operate on the basic principle that the proper recipients of baptism should be determined by the meaning and significance of baptism. I'll highlight what I perceived to be the strength and difficulty of each position:

Baptist Perspective: the strength of this view is that it is able to clearly communicate the heart of the gospel, that salvation is entered into through faith alone, and cannot be received by human works including observing the rite of baptism. However, the idea that baptism is only a symbolic picture of salvation given to confirm a believer's interest in Christ doesn't seem to do justice to passages like Rom. 6:3-4, Gal. 3:27, Col. 2:12, and 1 Pt. 3:21 which appear to link baptism more closely with salvation.

Reformed Perspective: the strength of this view is that it is able to hold in tension the fact that Scripture appears to teach that grace really is conferred in baptism with the truth that baptism must be accompanied by faith in the preached Word in order for salvation to be accomplished. The difficulty of this view is that it leaves a person wondering what "temporal" benefits baptism brings to one who receives it but never progresses to saving faith and has saving grace applied to them by the Spirit.

Lutheran Perspective: the strength of this view is that it does emphasize the creative power of God's Word, and maintains that it is the Word of God that gives life in baptism, not the mere rite itself. However, the difficulty of this view is that it does seem to put too much emphasis on the Word of God delivered in baptism as opposed to the preached Word of God, which Paul sees as primary in salvation according to Rom. 10:14-17.

Church of Christ Perspective: the strength of this view is its attempt to hold baptism, faith, and repentance together in the experience of conversion, mirroring passages like Acts 2:38, 22:16. The difficulty of this view is that it requires faith to precede regeneration, since regeneration is achieved in baptism (argued to be an act of faith), which therefore places too much weight on the sinner's "free will" in salvation.

In the end, I remain convinced of the Reformed perspective, but these essays increase my respect for those coming from different Christian traditions.

[Gabe Perez · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative explanation of the Baptist, Reformed, Lutheran, and Restorationist (Christian Churches/Churches of Christ) views on baptism. As a life-long member of the Church of Christ, I am most familiar with the Restorationist and Baptist views; so I found the articles and responses explaining the Reformed and Lutheran views to be most illuminating. Also, the first appendix contains an exhaustive list of the instances of the word baptism in the NT, which is very helpful. Nevertheless, I was not in the slightest convinced to abandon the CoC position on baptism.

I was, however, disappointed by a few things:

In responding to the Reformed and Lutheran views, the Restorationist representative, Dr. Castelein, seemed solely interested in refuting the baptism of infants and the mode of baptism as anything other than full immersion. Unfortunately, Dr. Castelein did not really interact with any of the other facets of these viewpoints such as the continuity or discontinuity of scripture, or the relationship of baptism to circumcision in the Reformed and Lutheran articles.

Also, the third appendix contains quotations from theologians such as Luther, Calvin and Wesley on baptism. However, there are no quotations from anyone in the Restorationist camp in this appendix - not even Alexander Campbell. The Restorationist perspective is completely ignored in the second and third appendices.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good introduction to four distinct views on baptism. Although, I wish the fourth one had been something other than Church of Christ, such as maybe a Methodist or Roman Catholic view.
I also think they should have picked a different person to represent the Baptist view. I found him relatively uncharitable in his responses. He also did not seem to understand that everyone is reading the same texts, so getting to the heart of the differences requires an examination of presuppositions, or some sort of metacognition, so to speak. He did not seem to understand the emphasis on mystery, for example. Hence, I found the Reformed and Lutheran essays to be the most helpful.
Finally, I think there was some disconnect as it relates to church history. The authors raised questions as to the meaning of the Greek words referring to baptism and the practice of the early church. I think the Reformed and Lutherans should have touched on these questions a bit more in their own essays, rather than just their responses.

[Jonathan Ammon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible, well-written, and clear this FOUR VIEWS book will serve as a good introduction to the debate for most readers. For those who already have an introduction to the debate on baptism a fresh presentation of the views and the addition of the Church of Christ/Restorationist view will be welcome.

This was one of the easiest FOUR VIEWS book to read, though I was a little disappointed that Pratt and Kolb did not argue more vigorously for infant baptism. Perhaps space did not permit. The Lutheran view remains hard to grasp and Kolb was perhaps the least clear and compelling writer of the group. Castelein's essay was a welcome addition, and his responses to the other views were helpful.

For my own study of this topic, this book offered little that was new apart from Castelein's contribution and the clarity of Pratt's presentation.

[Brad Bevers · Rating 5 out of 5]

My youngest son (out of 4 boys) will be baptized soon. It's been a few years since my last was baptized, so have been reading about different views of Baptism. These four views have more in common than they have differences - Baptist, Lutheran, Church of Christ, and Presbyterian. Reading these 'four views' books is very helpful to figure out what you believe, and why you believe it. No huge revelations here, but if you struggle to accept another's view of an issue like baptism as legitimate, reading this book may be really helpful. There are some views that are outside orthodox Christianity, but where there is room for interpretation we should be gracious to those who have decided something different than we have. Great book, great series.

[Kevin V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Understanding Four Views on Baptism is a helpful read. Each of the four contributors presents clearly the baptismal tradition standing behind his view and each makes an appeal both to Scripture and a variety of historical evidence. After each writer presents his case, the other three respond with additional clarity on their position. These responses are perhaps the highlight of the book. Each of the men aims at charity in their response, even as they lay clear lines of disagreement and/or call into question a particular presupposition or exegesis of a passage.

Overall, the book is a helpful resource and I’m glad to have read it.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book presents four authors, each one representing a different view on baptism. Views being presented are: Baptist View, Reformed View, Lutheran View, and Church of Christ view. After each author presents his view, the other three offer a response. It's an effective way to show the views and the various objections and agreements that each have with one another. It's an okay book but one that left this reader as confused about the way that the Reformed, Lutheran, and Church of Christ come up with their view. I supposed if one wants to understand four main views of this topic, this might be a helpful resource.

[Caleb Beard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was free on Logos, so I thought why not and decided to check it out. This really provides thorough discussions and rebukes of each respective view that is represented. However, I believe each position would benefit from having longer to expand. The denseness in their arguments as well as their rebuttals would prove fairly dense to an uninformed reader looking for answers. Someone with a held belief would probably be steady in their belief and not be moved.

Overall a good look into these views, but felt a little lacking in some areas for me.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is exactly what the title says that it is. Four theologians from four branches of Christianity write essays outlining what they believe about baptism, then critique each other's essays. I did not learn a lot about baptism, but I did learn about how preconceptions change how we hear what other people say.

I enjoyed the book and will read it again. I will recommend it to a few, but it will not suit most people.

[C.J. Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Generally helpful summary.

However (and this is usually the case for this series), the topic just felt too broad. This is such a vital issue, and the Bible says so much concerning it. Maybe we'd benefit more if this was a book on the mode, subjects, purpose, or meaning of baptism, rather than all four (plus some more). The authors simply did not have enough space to give their positions proper treatment, and the unfamiliar reader will be left with many questions.

[Melody Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish this book was easier to wrap my head around. The problem with dense theological books is they may offer lots of good information, but what good is information if it’s not easy to share?

I can’t recommend this book to most people because it’s not easy. Someone may read it and probably become more confused on the subject.

[Seth Channell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has strengthened my position on believer's baptism and caused me to think more deeply on how important to treat the mode of baptism. If we can deviate from the NT church practice of Lord's Supper (one church & one loaf) are we free to deviate from the NT church mode of baptism?

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely helpful to hear the various positions explained, defended, and challenged on their respective merits... or not, as the case may be. I realize how badly misrepresented some of them were by teachers/preachers of my youth.

[Auburn Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this really interesting! The writing was concise and pretty easy to understand. There was a lot of biblical support for all sides. I love how this series is written, so you can see all informed sides of the argument.

[Philip Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Pretty good. Needed to be longer. Would have loved to have seen more discussion about the relationship between the covenants.

[Joonas Laajanen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok. Includes a list of all the texts that speak of baptism. Also includes confessions and catechisms on baptism.

[Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad! Short and fairly accessible, but I doubt that it will be enough to seriously challenge your perspective. Useful for better understanding the basics of other viewpoints.