Required reading
Institutes of Christian religion by John Calvin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 15 of Book 4.
My summary
Today Calvin gives us his thoughts about baptism which he defines as ' the initiatory sign by which we are admitted to the fellowship of the Church, that being ingrafted into Christ we may be accounted children of God.'
Firstly Calvin teaches us that baptism shows:
(i) the forgiveness of sins;
(ii) mortification in Christ and new life in him;
(iii) unification to Christ himself so as to be partakers of all his blessings;
(iv) our confession to men
Secondly Calvin explains in what way we ought to use and receive baptism. We learn about:
(i) who can baptise;
(ii) how to baptise.
What grabbed me
As a Baptist, I was interested by Calvin's thoughts on the mode of baptism: 'Whether the person baptised is to be wholly immersed, and that whether once or thrice, or whether he is only to be sprinkled with water, is not of the least consequence: churches should be at liberty to adopt either, according to the diversity of climates, although it is evident that the term baptise means to immerse, and that this was the form used by the primitive Church.'
Err, I don't understand Calvin. We don't do what the early church did for pragmatic reasons?
Next week's reading
Read Chapter 16 of Book 4.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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