Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion
Section 4.15.7-12
For Nov 07, 2009

7. John's baptism and Christian baptism

By this also we are assured that John's ministry was exactly the same as that afterward committed to the apostles. For the different hands that administer baptism do not make it different; but the same doctrine shows it to be the same baptism. John and the apostles agreed on one doctrine: both baptized to repentance, both to forgiveness of sins, both into the name of Christ, from whom repentance and forgiveness of sins came. John said that Christ was the Lamb of God, through whom the sins of the world would be taken away [John 1:29]. In this, he made Him a sacrifice acceptable to the Father, and the propitiator of righteousness and author of salvation. What could the apostles add to this confession?

Therefore, let no one be troubled by the attempt of ancient writers to differentiate the one thing from the other. We ought not so to value their authority as to let it shake the certainty of Scripture. For who would rather listen to Chrysostom denying that forgiveness of sins was included in John's baptism than to Luke asserting to the contrary that John the Baptist preached repentance unto forgiveness of sins [Luke 3:3]? And we must not accept that subtle reasoning of Augustine, that in the baptism of John sins were remitted in hope, but in the baptism of Christ are remitted in reality. For since the Evangelist clearly testifies that John promised forgiveness of sins in his baptism, why must we weaken this language, when no necessity compels us to do so?

But if anyone should seek a difference between them from God's Word, he will find no other difference than that John baptized in him who was to come; but the apostles, in him who had

already revealed himself [Luke 3:16; Acts 19:4].

8. Disparity in personality, not in baptism

The fact that richer graces of the Spirit have been poured out since Christ's resurrection does not serve toward establishing a diversity of baptism. For the baptism that the apostles administered

during Christ's earthly ministry was called his. And yet it did not have a greater abundance of the Spirit than the baptism of John. Even after his ascension, the Samaritans, although they had been baptized in the name of Jesus, were not given a larger measure of the Spirit than were previous believers, until Peter and John were sent to lay their hands upon them [Acts 8:14, 17].

I believe the early writers, when they said that the baptism of John was only a preparation for the baptism of Christ, were deceived only because they read that those who had once received the baptism of John were rebaptized by Paul [Acts 19:3, 6]. But how deluded they were in this will be explained very clearly in the proper place.

What, then, is the meaning of John's statement that he baptizes with water but that Christ would come to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire [Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16]? This can be explained in few words. John did not mean to distinguish one sort of baptism from another, but he compared his person with that of Christ-that he was a minister of water, but Christ the

giver of the Holy Spirit; and that this power would be declared by a visible miracle on the day when he would send the Holy Spirit to the apostles under tongues of fire [Acts 2:3]. What could

the apostles boast beyond this? And what those who baptize today? For they are only ministers of the outward sign, but Christ is the author of inward grace, as those same ancient writers everywhere teach, and especially Augustine, who in controversy with the Donatists relied chiefly on this argument: whosoever may baptize, Christ alone presides.

9. Prototype of baptism in the Old Covenant

These things which we have said both of mortification and of washing were foreshadowed in the people of Israel, who were on this account said by the apostle to have been "baptized in the cloud and in the sea" [I Cor. 10:2]. Mortification was symbolized when the Lord, rescuing his people from the domination and cruel bondage of Pharaoh, made a way for them through the Red Sea [Ex. 14:21] and drowned both Pharaoh himself and the Egyptian army, who were in hot pursuit and almost at their backs [Ex. 14:26-28]. For in the same way he also promises us in baptism and shows us by a sign given that by his power we have been led out and delivered from bondage in Egypt, that is, from the bondage of sin; that our Pharaoh, that is, the devil, has been drowned, although he does not cease to harry us and weary us. As the Egyptian, however, was not cast into the depth of the sea, but, left lying on the shore, still terrified the Israelites by his frightful appearance, yet could not harm them [Ex. 14:30-31], so too this enemy of ours still threatens, brandishes his weapons, is felt, but cannot conquer.

In the cloud [Num. 9:15; Ex. 13:21] there was a symbol of cleansing. For as the Lord covered them with a cloud and gave them coolness, that they might not weaken and pine away in the merciless heat of the sun, so do we recognize that in baptism we are covered and protected by Christ's blood, that God's severity, which is truly an unbearable flame, should not assail us.

Even though the mystery was then obscure and known to few, still, because there is no other way to obtain salvation than in these two graces, God did not will to take away the tokens of both from the ancient fathers whom he had adopted as his heirs.

10. Baptism, original sin, and new righteousness

Now, it is clear how false is the teaching, long propagated by some and still persisted in by others, that through baptism we are released and made exempt from original sin, and from the

corruption that descended from Adam into all his posterity; and are restored into that same righteousness and purity of nature which Adam would have obtained if he had remained upright as he was first created. For teachers of this type never understood what original sin, what original righteousness, or what the grace of baptism was. But we have already contended that original

sin is the depravity and corruption of our nature, "which first renders us liable to God's wrath, then also gives rise to what Scripture calls "works of the flesh" [Gal. 5:19]. We must therefore carefully note these two points.

As we are vitiated and corrupted in all parts of our nature, we are held rightly condemned on account of such corruption alone and convicted before God, to whom nothing is acceptable but

righteousness, innocence, and purity. Even infants bear their condemnation with them from their mother's womb; for, though they have not yet brought forth the fruits of their own iniquity, they

have the seed enclosed within themselves. Indeed, their whole nature is a seed of sin; thus it cannot but be hateful and abominable to God. Through baptism, believers are assured that this

condemnation has been removed and withdrawn from them, since (as was said) the Lord promises us by this sign that full and complete remission has been made, both of the guilt that

should have been imputed to us, and of the punishment that we ought to have undergone because of the guilt. They also lay hold on righteousness, but such righteousness as the people of God

can obtain in this life, that is, by imputation only, since the Lord of his own mercy considers them righteous and innocent.

11. We must strive to overcome persistent sin

The other point is that this perversity never ceases in us, but continually bears new fruits-what we have previously described as "works of the flesh" [Gal. 5:19]-just as a glowing furnace continually emits flame and sparks, or a spring ceaselessly gives forth water. For lust never actually dies and is extinguished in men until, freed by death from the body of death, they are completely divested of themselves. Baptism indeed promises to us the drowning of our Pharaoh [Ex. 14:28] and the mortification of our sin, but not so that it no longer exists or gives us trouble, but only that it may not overcome us. For so long as we live cooped up in this prison of our body, traces of sin will dwell in us; but if we faithfully hold fast to the promise given us by God in baptism, they shall not dominate or rule.

But let no one deceive himself, let no one cajole himself in his sinfulness, when he hears that sin always dwells in us. When we speak thus it is not that those who otherwise are all too prone

to sin should slumber untroubled in their sins, but only that those who are disturbed and pricked by their own flesh should not faint and be discouraged. Let them rather think that they are still on the way, and believe that they have made good progress when they feel that a bit is being taken away from their lust each day, until they reach their destination, that is, the final death of their flesh, which shall be accomplished in the close of this mortal life. Meanwhile, let them not cease to struggle manfully, to have courage for the onward way, and to spur on to full victory. For the fact that, after long striving, they see no little difficulty still remaining ought to sharpen their efforts all the more. This we must believe: we are baptized into the mortification of our flesh, which begins with our baptism and which we pursue day by day and which will, moreover, be accomplished when we pass from this life to the Lord.

12. Paul's inner struggle [Rom., ch. 7]

Here we are saying the same thing that the apostle Paul very clearly explains in the seventh chapter of Romans. After he had discussed freely given righteousness, then, since some impious

persons were inferring from it that we should live as we pleased because we were not accepted by God through the merit of works [Rom. 6:1, 15], he adds that all those who don Christ's righteousness are at the same time regenerated by the Spirit, and that we have a pledge of this regeneration in baptism [Rom. 6:3 ff.]. Hence he exhorts believers not to let sin have lordship over their members [Rom. 6:12]. He knew that there is always some weakness in believers. Consequently, to prevent their being discouraged by it, he adds the consolation that they are not under the law [Rom. 6:14]. On the other hand, because it might seem that Christians could conceivably grow insolent because they were not under the yoke of the law, he discusses the nature of this abrogation [Rom. 7:1-6], and at the same time what the use of the law is [Rom. 7:7-13], a question now twice postponed [Rom. 2:12-24]. The essential point is that we have been freed from the rigor of the law that we may cleave to Christ. But the function of the law is that, convicted of our depravity, we may confess our weakness and misery. Now, because that depravity of nature does not so readily appear in secular man (who indulges his own desires

without fear of God), Paul takes his example from a regenerated man, that is, himself. He therefore says that he has a perpetual conflict with the vestiges of his flesh, and that he is held

bound in miserable bondage, so that he cannot consecrate himself wholly to obedience to the divine law [Rom. 7:18-23]. Hence, he is compelled to exclaim with groaning: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body subject to death?" [Rom. 7:24 p.]. But if God's children are held captive in prison as long as they live, they must be very anxious over the thought of their own peril, unless this fear is overcome. Paul has accordingly attached a consolation for this purpose: "There is . . . no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" [Rom. 8:1]. There he teaches that those whom the Lord has once received into grace, engrafts into the communion of his Christ, and adopts into the society of the church through baptism-so long as they persevere in faith in Christ (even though they are besieged by sin and still carry sin about in themselves)-are absolved of guilt and condemnation. If this is the simple and genuine interpretation of Paul, there is no reason why we should seem to be teaching something strange.