Today, I completed reading John Stott and J. Alec Motyer’s The Anglican Evangelical Doctrine of Infant Baptism, published by Latimer Trust. This book is a compilation of two papers written in defense of infant baptism from the position of Anglican tradition with biblical and theological support.
First, this book provides a thorough theological reflection on the sacrament of baptism within the Anglican tradition. It emphasizes that baptism, like all sacraments of the gospel, is fundamentally a sacrament of divine grace and initiative rather than human action. New Testament examples show that baptism is always administered by another, emphasizing the recipient’s passive reception of God’s grace. Furthermore, the Articles of Religion within the Anglican tradition affirm this understanding by defining sacraments as signs of God’s actions rather than human merit.
The theological significance of baptism is explored in three interconnected ways: union with Christ, the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism symbolizes a profound union with Jesus in His death and resurrection, marking the death of the old self and the birth of a new life grounded in righteousness. This union also signifies the washing away of sins, as reflected in scriptural passages like Acts 2:38 and 1 Corinthians 6:11. The imagery of water cleansing impurities highlights baptism as a transformative act of spiritual renewal and moral purification.
Finally, baptism signifies the reception of the Holy Spirit, aligning the believer with the promises of the New Covenant. This spiritual endowment, foretold by the prophets and fulfilled in Christ, incorporates the baptized individual into the body of Christ—the Church. The Book of Common Prayer supports this interpretation by reinforcing themes of unity with Christ, forgiveness of sins, and regeneration through the Holy Spirit. The sacrament of baptism thus stands as an eschatological sign, marking the believer’s entrance into the new age of God’s redemptive grace and the communal life of the Church.
The effect of baptism explores three primary theological interpretations concerning how the sacrament conveys grace:
- ex opere operato
- the bare token view
- covenant sign view
The first interpretation, ex opere operato, posits that baptism inherently conveys grace simply by being performed, regardless of the faith or disposition of the recipient. This view implies that all baptized individuals, including infants, are automatically regenerated. However, the narrative challenges this belief, highlighting scriptural distinctions between the visible Church (those outwardly baptized) and the invisible Church (those truly regenerated in heart and spirit). Biblical examples, like Simon Magus and the Israelites baptized into Moses but later condemned, illustrate that baptism alone does not guarantee salvation or genuine regeneration without faith.
The second interpretation, the bare token view, argues that baptism serves solely as a symbolic gesture without imparting any grace or spiritual effect. While this understanding reduces baptism to a mere external sign, the narrative dismisses this view as inconsistent with biblical teachings. Verses such as Acts 2:38, Galatians 3:27, and 1 Peter 3:21 suggest that baptism carries a spiritual significance that goes beyond mere symbolism. These passages imply that baptism is intricately connected with the forgiveness of sins, union with Christ, and salvation, indicating that it holds a more profound theological role than being a simple ritual marker.
The covenant sign view—the evangelical or Reformed perspective—offers a more nuanced understanding, aligning baptism with God’s covenant of grace. This view suggests that baptism is both a sign and a seal of the blessings of the New Covenant, granting recipients a title to spiritual gifts rather than conferring the gifts themselves. The grace signified by baptism, such as justification and regeneration, becomes accessible through faith, which may arise before, during, or after the sacrament. Drawing from covenant theology, this understanding parallels baptism with Old Testament circumcision, which signified God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants without being contingent on the recipient’s immediate faith.
The narrative further explains how the timing of grace reception varies between believers. Infants baptized under the covenant sign receive a symbolic promise of grace that matures when they later profess personal faith. For adults, baptism may signify an acknowledgment of grace already received through faith. This approach respects the sacrament’s significance without implying that grace is mechanically conferred, as argued in the ex opere operato view. Historical church practices, such as refraining from rebaptizing those who come to faith after being baptized in unbelief, reflect this understanding by recognizing the validity of the initial baptism as a covenantal sign.
Lastly, the narrative emphasizes that baptism does not operate independently of faith but serves as a divine pledge of grace that believers must actively embrace. Scripture and liturgical traditions assume that the baptized will possess or eventually come to faith, thereby fulfilling the sacrament’s promises. The Church’s liturgical language often assumes the presence of faith, even in cases where it is only anticipated. This raises our awareness that baptism is a means of grace, not by automatic effect, but through a relationship with God’s covenant, awaiting the believer’s faith to fully live its transformative power.
Review and Impressions
Infant baptism within the Evangelical Anglican Church represents a significant theological and liturgical practice, grounded in covenant theology and interpreted through a Reformed evangelical lens. While Evangelical Anglicans maintain a high view of Scripture and emphasize personal faith in Jesus Christ as essential for salvation, they also uphold infant baptism as a legitimate expression of God’s covenantal promises. Theologically, this practice finds its foundation in both the biblical narrative of God’s dealings with His people and the Church’s historical understanding of sacraments as outward signs of inward grace.
Theological Foundation
In the Evangelical Anglican tradition, infant baptism is rooted in the covenant sign view of sacraments, which reflects a continuity between the Old and New Covenants. Just as circumcision was the covenant sign for Jewish infants in the Old Testament (Genesis 17:9-14), baptism now functions as the equivalent sign under the New Covenant, as explained by the Apostle Paul (Colossians 2:11-12). Evangelical Anglicans view the child of believing parents as a member of the covenant community (1 Corinthians 7:14) and, therefore, eligible to receive the outward sign of God’s grace through baptism.
Theologically, this does not imply that baptism automatically regenerates the infant (ex opere operato), nor that the child is immediately justified apart from personal faith. Rather, baptism signifies God’s promises to the child within the context of the covenant of grace and pledges the gift of salvation, which the child must later confirm through personal faith in Christ. In other words, baptism grants the child a title to covenant blessings that must be appropriated through faith when they come of age. This view harmonizes with the Reformation emphasis on salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Of Faith and Regeneration
While infants cannot exercise personal faith at the time of baptism, Evangelical Anglicans believe that baptism anticipates the faith that the child is expected to embrace later in life. Theologically, this resonates with the potential nature of grace conveyed through baptism—it is not a guarantee of regeneration but a sign of inclusion in the covenant community.
The liturgical language of the Book of Common Prayer (1662) reflects this anticipatory faith: the service assumes the child will grow into the promises made on their behalf by parents and godparents. These sponsors, acting on behalf of the infant, vow to raise the child in the Christian faith, ensuring they are nurtured spiritually until they are capable of personally affirming their faith, typically through confirmation. This process mirrors the biblical model seen in Acts 2:38-39, where the promise of salvation is extended not only to individuals who believe but also to their children.
The Covenant Community
Infant baptism in the Evangelical Anglican tradition reflects a corporate understanding of salvation and the Church’s identity as the Body of Christ. Baptism initiates the child into the visible Church, marking them as a member of the Christian community. This mirrors the Old Testament model, where infants were considered part of the covenant people of God by virtue of their parents’ faith. The visible Church, however, contains both regenerate, and unregenerate members and baptism into this community does not guarantee salvation—true membership in the invisible Church (the community of the truly regenerate) requires personal faith and regeneration by the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-8).
This distinction clarifies that while infant baptism places a child within the sphere of God’s covenantal grace and ecclesial fellowship, it does not substitute for a personal conversion experience. Evangelical Anglicans emphasize the need for the baptized child to later respond in faith, typically marked by public profession during confirmation.
The Liturgy of Infant Baptism
In practice, infant baptism within the Evangelical Anglican Church follows the traditional structure outlined in the Book of Common Prayer but with a distinct evangelical emphasis on personal faith. The rite involves parents and godparents making vows on behalf of the child, committing to raise them within the faith, and encouraging their eventual profession of personal belief in Christ. The baptismal formula (“I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”) signifies both inclusion in the covenant community and the expectation of future regeneration.
The service itself reflects theological clarity about the nature of baptism as a pledge rather than an automatic conveyance of grace. The prayers focus on asking God to bestow grace upon the child in His time, trusting in the promises of Scripture while avoiding any mechanical or superstitious interpretation of the sacrament. Many evangelical parishes also encourage post-baptismal catechesis to ensure the child’s understanding of their baptismal vows as they grow in maturity.
Implications and Practice
Infant baptism in the Evangelical Anglican Church highlights the balance between God’s sovereign grace and human responsibility. It affirms that salvation is entirely by God’s grace, extended to the covenant community, while also insisting on the necessity of personal faith for the realization of the sacrament’s spiritual benefits. The practice serves as both a reminder of God’s covenantal faithfulness and a call to personal conversion.
In this framework, baptism remains a meaningful and necessary sign of the Church’s mission to nurture faith across generations. It reflects the Church’s responsibility to instruct and guide baptized children toward personal belief while honoring God’s promises to the covenant community. Ultimately, infant baptism is a visible testament to the hope that children will one day embrace the faith their parents and godparents have professed on their behalf, fulfilling the spiritual potential signified by their baptismal initiation.
Conclusion
The distinction between the reception of the sacrament of baptism and the grace it signifies holds significant theological and pastoral importance in Evangelical Anglican thought. It is crucial to understand that while baptism entitles the recipient to God’s promises, it does not automatically confer the grace of regeneration without personal repentance and faith. This understanding has implications in three key areas: assurance of salvation, baptismal discipline, and the practice of evangelism. Relying on the mere act of baptism for assurance of salvation risks creating a false sense of security, as true assurance stems from a heartfelt reception of God’s promises through faith. This distinction helps prevent a superficial reliance on outward signs while encouraging believers to seek genuine spiritual transformation.
The lack of discipline surrounding indiscriminate baptism, particularly of infants without proper spiritual upbringing, undermines the gravity of the sacrament and diminishes its significance. Thinkers like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and H.H. Henson criticized this lax approach, warning that it leads to a devaluation of grace and weakens the Church’s moral and spiritual authority. Evangelistically, the misconception that all baptized individuals automatically regenerate stifles efforts to call people to repentance and faith, especially among those who may have received baptism without subsequent spiritual formation. Instead, the Evangelical Anglican perspective encourages teaching the true significance of baptism and recognizing the need for continuous evangelization within the baptized community, urging individuals to embrace the grace promised in their baptism through genuine conversion and commitment to Christ.
