The baptism is an important part of the Christian faith, and the

Christian faith is an important part of the Christian faith, and yet it remains a

controversial subject among Christians who should get baptized.

What's the purpose? Are we somehow saved through baptism?

Allister Begg explores the baptism debate today on Truth for Life.

I want to pick up from where I left off last time we began last time by seeing we were going to look at both

the ordinances of the church, the Lord's Supper and baptism, and as those of you who were present know we

managed the Lord's Supper, but we did not manage baptism.

In the teaching on the Lord's Supper, we sought not simply to say positively what we understood the Bible to say, but also to identify in a

negative way the issues that we felt fell outside the orb of the instruction of Scripture.

In the same way as I listen to people talk about baptism and particularly infant baptism, I think is important for me to do this for you at least in part.

I'm going to have to ask you to be patient because what I want to do is I want to quote for you from a Presbyterian perspective, then from an

Anglican perspective, then from a Roman Catholic perspective, and then we'll go to the New Testament.

So if you would listen carefully, then I'll speak as quickly as I can so that we can get to the Bible as fast as we might.

We need to recognize in saying all of this that baptism remains a controversial subject, that tragically and unnecessarily so Christians are often divided over the issue.

I also recognize that there is little hope on my part of convincing those who disagree with me.

My friends who are committed pito-baptists, that is infant baptizers, are able to marshal their facts with great clarity, they understand the Bible, they are sincerely devoted to Jesus.

And although we play theological ping pong with it from time to time, they remain convinced of where they are, and I remain convinced of where I am too.

That doesn't unsettle us in any way because we are united on the fundamentals, we are committed to all of the issues of the gospel together, and this matter of the meaning and the mode of baptism.

We would not want to put in a primary position, but in a secondary position.

I say that in relationship to those who are within the framework of believing Christianity, the disagreement that exists there.

Now with that, where the notion would be that baptism possesses saving efficacy, then we would not regard that discussion as a secondary discussion, we would regard it as a primary discussion.

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