LORD’S DAY 26
Q. 69. How art thou admonished and assured by holy baptism that the one sacrifice of Christ upon the cross is of real advantage to thee?
A. Thus: That Christ appointed this external washing with water,1 adding thereto this promise,2 that I am as certainly washed by His blood and Spirit from all the pollution of my soul, that is, from all my sins,3 as I am washed externally with water, by which the filthiness of the body is commonly washed away.
- Mat. 28:19; Acts 2:38.
- Mark 16:16; Mat. 3:11; Rom. 6:3.
- Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3.
Q. 70. What is it to be washed with the blood and Spirit of Christ?
A. It is to receive of God the remission of sins freely, for the sake of Christ’s blood, which He shed for us by His sacrifice upon the cross;1 and also to be renewed by the Holy Ghost, and sanctified to be members of Christ, that so we may more and more die unto sin and lead holy and unblamable lives.2
- Heb. 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:2.
- John 1:33; Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:11.
Q. 71. Where has Christ promised us that He will as certainly wash us by His blood and Spirit as we are washed with the water of baptism?
A. In the institution of baptism, which is thus expressed: Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.1 He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned.2 This promise is also repeated where the scripture calls baptism the washing of regeneration3 and the washing away of sins.4
- Mat. 28:19.
- Mark 16:16.
- Tit. 3:5.
- Acts 22:16.
LORD’S DAY 26
The Sign and Seal of Baptism
1. What is the outward sign of baptism?
The external sprinkling with water, by which I am assured and admonished that the one sacrifice of Christ is of real advantage to me. Leviticus 16:14-16; Hebrews 10:22.
2. How does holy baptism assure and admonish you that the sacrifice of Christ is of real advantage to you?
Christ adds to this external washing this promise: that I am as certainly washed by Christ’s blood from all the pollution of my soul as I am washed externally with water. John 13:6-10; Romans 6:3.
3. What does it mean to be washed with the blood of Christ?
That we receive of God the remission of sins, freely, for the sake of Christ’s blood shed upon the cross. Psalm 51:1, 2.
4. What does it mean to be washed with the Spirit of Christ?
That we are renewed by the Holy Spirit, and sanctified to be members of Christ. John 1:33; Titus 3:5, 6; II Thessalonians 2:13.
5. What is the result of being washed with the blood and Spirit of Christ?
We more and more die unto sin, and lead holy and unblamable lives. Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:11, 12.
6. Where has Christ promised us that He will as certainly wash us by His blood as we are washed with the water of baptism?
Matthew 28:19, “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
7. Where else does Christ promise us that we are most certainly washed in His blood?
In Titus 3:5, where baptism is referred to as the “washing of regeneration,” and in Acts 22:16, which speaks of baptism as “the washing away of sins.”