speratus tries to obviate the subject by asking: If we are justified by Christ alone through faith alone, tell me, how is it possible that someone who despises Baptism in Christ could have received faith in Christ?
The "despising" of baptism isn't relevant to the subject at hand which is the "efficacy" and "necessity" of baptism for justification/salvation. The WFC, Section V states very clearly that, "yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it, as that no person can be regenerated, or saved, without it;". I heartily concur. Again, making baptism "essential to salvation" annexes the sacrament to faith and thus contradicts "Sola Fide".
To the contrary, to deny that baptism is "essential to salvation" is to deny sola fide. The children of God by faith are baptized into Christ. Gal. 3:26, 27. Those who have not the baptism of Christ are not part of the body of Christ. 1 Cor. 12:13.
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Pilgrim said:
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speratus blurts out another gross contradiction, saying: <span style="background-color:yellow">Faith is the only means</span> whereby the sinner apprehends the righteousness of Christ. <span style="background-color:yellow">But,</span> God does not grant that faith apart from the work of the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments instituted by Christ. Thus, God protects the sinner from imagining that faith comes through his own works, prayers, and secret strivings.
So, now we are to deny the Scriptural teaching as to the origin of faith, i.e., regeneration of the Holy Spirit which comes through the Gospel found in the written Word (Rom 1:16; 10:14-17) and add to it that faith must come through not only the Word but baptism too? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/nope.gif" alt="" /> Sir, an adult comes to baptism having already believed. Adults who deny Christ are not qualified nor allowed to partake of baptism. Faith is a prerequisite for baptism. Thus, it is illogical to posit that one gains faith through baptism. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/igiveup.gif" alt="" />
If the origin of faith is regeneration (i.e., inner character change) rather than the work of Holy Spirit then we are made righteous before God not declared righteous. But, according to scripture, we have no righteousness of our own. The righteousness of Christ is imputed through faith not regeneration.
It is also illogical that a dead man gains faith through the written Word. Admit it. You reject regeneration being connected to any means of grace.
Tell me how the minister is able to see faith and unbelief so that he may infallibly baptize only believers? Could not one slip through and first believe through the Word of Baptism?
speratus said: To the contrary, to deny that baptism is "essential to salvation" is to deny sola fide. The children of God by faith are baptized into Christ. Gal. 3:26, 27. Those who have not the baptism of Christ are not part of the body of Christ. 1 Cor. 12:13.
What planet to you live on? "Sola Fide" means, "salvation by Faith ALONE" not "by Faith plus baptism"
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speratus states more error: If the origin of faith is regeneration (i.e., inner character change) rather than the work of Holy Spirit then we are made righteous before God not declared righteous. But, according to scripture, we have no righteousness of our own. The righteousness of Christ is imputed through faith not regeneration.
First of all, regeneration is far more than "character change"! It is a total recreation of one's nature/predisposition. One of the elements of regeneration is the implanting of faith which the new nature then exercises by believing on Christ unto justification. This regeneration is the sovereign and sole work of the Holy Spirit. The sinner has no part whatsoever in regeneration other than being the recipient of God's unconditional saving grace. Secondly, regeneration has nothing to do with "righteousness", whether infused or imputed. Regeneration enables one to believe upon Christ at which time God imputes Christ's righteousness to the believer. HELLO?
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And speratus expresses more of his misunderstanding of Scripture by stating: It is also illogical that a dead man gains faith through the written Word. Admit it. You reject regeneration being connected to any means of grace.
Tell me how the minister is able to see faith and unbelief so that he may infallibly baptize only believers? Could not one slip through and first believe through the Word of Baptism?
<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/hairout.gif" alt="" /> It is God's ordained method of bringing salvation to sinners by using the means of the Word of God through and by which the Holy Spirit works. (Rom 1:16; 10:14-17). Sorry, but I and others have explained the biblical doctrine of regeneration to you myriad times as well as pointed you to several articles on The Highway which set forth the biblical doctrine of regeneration in great detail. If you haven't got it by now...... well! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/shrug.gif" alt="" />
As to your second question, it doesn't pertain to me. I am not a Baptist. It is not required of a minister to know infallibly who actually possesses true saving faith. What is given to us is the responsibility to examine those who make a profession of faith by reasonable means. God alone knows the heart. And lastly, I know of no such terminology or teaching in Scripture which even hints at what you refer to as "believe through the Word of Baptism". <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/scratch1.gif" alt="" />
speratus said: I find it strange that a person holding the WCF has trouble grasping the concept that "The efficacy of Baptism is not tied to that moment of time wherein it is administered." The washing away of sins through baptism, forensic justification, is not tied to a moment of time wherein it is administered.
The WCF means by "not tied to that moment wherein it is administered" only that the one who is baptized is not necessarily at that moment made regenerate and justified. It does not mean that unbaptized believers have received the grace of regeneration and justification through the sacrament even though it has not been administered to them. (For grace can only be received through the sacrament when it has once been administered, not sooner.)
Furthermore, as Pilgrim has pointed out numerous times, the WCF states that "grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto [baptism], as that no person can be regenerated, or saved, without it." Whereas the WCF allows for salvation entirely apart from the sacrament, you insist that salvation comes through the sacrament even when it has not yet been administered.
In short, you'd best stop attempting to find Lutheran teaching on baptism in the WCF, because it simply isn't in there.
The Westminister Confession of Faith is judged against the sole rule of scripture by the words themselves rather than any subjective intent of the authors. You and I assign different definitions to words like "efficacy", "grace", "annexed", and "moment" in the WCF just as we may assign different definitions to words in the Speratus hymn,
Baptized into Thy precious name, My faith cannot be put to shame, And I shall never perish.
I will continue to regard the WCF article on baptism as being correct although I acknowledge there is no unity of faith between us regarding the doctrine of baptism.
speratus said: Could not one slip through and first believe through the Word of Baptism?
I know of no such terminology or teaching in Scripture which even hints at what you refer to as "believe through the Word of Baptism".
In John 17:20, Jesus prays for them which shall believe on me through their word. After His resurrection, Jesus commissions His disciples, in Matt. 28:19, Mark 16:16, and John 20:23, to teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Ghost. . .Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them. . .He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. In Acts 2:38 and 22:16, Peter and Paul, through the word of teaching and baptism, offer the remission of sins to the nations. Paul explains in Gal. 3:26, 27 that, in our baptism, we put on Christ by faith.
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So, now we are to deny the Scriptural teaching as to the origin of faith, i.e., regeneration of the Holy Spirit which comes through the Gospel found in the written Word (Rom 1:16; 10:14-17) and add to it that faith 
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