Covenant Class, Lesson 10-C

The Covenant Relationship Lesson Ten (part three)

Salvation:  We have seen that entrance into the New Covenant results not merely from obedience, but from the formation of a “saving” relationship.  We are thus “saved” from our sins, all of the relational failures toward God and toward other people, over which God watches and judges.  Salvation from sin releases us from the consequences of sin bound up in God’s judgment, condemnation, and punishment.  We recall that covenant-relationships, based on mutual faithfulness (Hebrew chesed), result in blessings.  Covenants also allow for forgiveness as the partners extend “grace” to one another.  Salvation, forgiveness, and grace are key features of the NC. 

Thus, we agree with Mont W. Smith when he writes, “The link [between baptism and remission of sin] was covenantal.”  This link is demonstrated dramatically in two Scriptures that suggest a common purpose for both the shedding of Jesus’ blood and baptism—that purpose is the forgiveness of sins:

--“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”  (Matt. 26:28).

--“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’”  (Acts 2:38).

Thus, baptism effects the saving purpose for which Jesus shed His blood on the Cross.  One ancient Christian wrote:  “Blessed are those who go down into the water with their hopes set on the Cross” (from The Epistle of Barnabas—not part of the Bible).  We see the same connection in the conversion stories in The Acts of the Apostles.

Church membership:  Those entering the NC were bound together in a spiritual fellowship (or sharing) called “the church.”  At the start, every member was a Jewish Christian.  The Book of Acts shows the power behind the Gospel as it jumps across the social and religious boundaries that were deeply entrenched in Judaism.  With each new “wall” that was crossed, new territory was claimed for the church and her Lord.  Again, the conversion stories show that baptism is the critical moment that changes the convert from being “one of them” to becoming “one of us.”  Thus we read in Acts, “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (2:47).  Likewise, Paul would write:  “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26-28).  We might say that the church was the “covenant community” of the NC; just as the nation of Israel was of the OC.

The Lord’s Supper:  We read in the NT that the church assembled weekly to share the Lord’s Supper or “communion” (means sharing or fellowship, see 1 Cor. 10:16).  Elements of bread and grape were taken as representations of Jesus’s body and blood, sacrificed upon the Cross.  Since each member had a share in that event by means of their entrance into the NC at baptism, they had a share together and viewed themselves collectively as the “body of Christ.”  Paul wrote:  “in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Rom. 12:5).  This became the weekly “covenant meal” for Christians belonging to the NC much as the annual “Passover” had been for Jews under the OC.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper:  Both of these events draw meaning from the Cross.  Notice that while the Lord’s Supper is a regular, weekly experience, baptism only is experienced once.  Sociologists observe that human societies use certain “rituals” and “ceremonies” to accomplish social functions.  It is interesting to note their observations when they apply these categories to baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  Mark McVann writes:

“Weddings are occasions of great importance.  During them, a woman and a man publicly enter into a new social relationship; they have crossed a line that cannot be crossed again.  With that crossing, they assume a new identity with new rights and obligations.  No matter what the future holds, neither of them can ever be ‘single’ in the sense the word had before they married.  A fundamental life boundary has been crossed, and its mark on personal and communal experience is virtually indelible.  The wedding, which is a ritual of status transformation or ‘boundary crossing,’ signals to the members of the group that this man and woman have validly assumed the new role of married man and woman.

“Weddings, baptisms, graduations, and ordinations are familiar examples of status transformation in our society.  We all have felt the power and solemnity they express.  They have a peculiar ability to move us, and at the same time, to tell us who we are.  Rituals help us build and sustain our identities:  Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish; married, divorced or widowed; professor, doctor, or lawyer.  They assign us a location in cultural space, and designate a status for us which the members of society recognize as proper to us.  They help us make sense of society, and help society to make sense of us.”  (bold highlites were added)

Thus, baptism is identified in sociological terms as a “status transformation ritual.”  We would agree, noting that the transformation of status coincides with entrance into covenant.  In contrast, the Lord’s Supper is seen as a “ceremony.”  Note the following table for the difference between a ritual and a ceremony:

Category:	Ritual (baptism)	Ceremony (communion)
Frequency	Once, not repeated	Regular, repeated
Calendar	Unpredictable, as needed	Predictable, planned
Time focus	Present-to-future	Past-to-present
Purpose	Reversal/transformation of status	Confirmation of status
Relation to status quo	Transformed	Maintained
Group area focus	Perimeter boundary	Inside
Impact	Change	Stability

Thus, the baptism and communion stand together in much the same relationship as a wedding followed by anniversaries.  There is one “ritual” followed by many “ceremonies.”  Marriage and Christianity are both covenants (Eph. 5:21-33).

Baptism and the Holy Spirit:  What a powerful event!  John the Baptist immerses those confessing their sins in a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4).  Jesus likewise came to John, and it was obvious He needed no forgiveness in His sinless life.  And as He was immersed in River Jordan, the Heavens were opened and the Spirit descended upon Jesus in bodily form, as a dove.  John adds that it remained upon Him (1:32).

Then, after Jesus had been crucified and resurrected, the Holy Spirit was outpoured and the apostles began baptizing again.  This time, baptism took on new meanings drawn from the Cross.  Again, sins were forgiven.  But now there was an additional “grace-gift”—the Holy Spirit was given to Christians as a baptismal gift very similar to the Spirit’s descent upon Jesus at baptism (Acts 2:38, 5:32, 19:1-6; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; 2 Cor. 11:4; Gal. 3:2-4; Eph. 1:13; 2 Thess. 2:13; Titus 3:5).

Baptism also gave Christians a new existence referred to as “in Christ”.  They viewed their immersion as a burial into death—not just into death, but into the very death of Jesus.  They considered themselves “crucified with Him.”  The bonds of covenant so join Christian and Christ, that in some sense He had them with Him while He hung upon the cross and likewise they participated with Jesus in His resurrection.  This does not work chronologically, since none were yet Christians when Jesus was crucified.  But entrance into the sphere of covenant retroactively enters Christians into the Cross-death and life-resurrection experiences of Jesus because they are “in Him.”

And, it can be said that Jesus lives “in” Christians.  The close union of the Trinity of the “Godhead”—Father God, Jesus the Son, and Holy Spirit—results in similar expressions as each may be said to “indwell” the Christian.  Or, any One of the Three may be said to indwell the Christian through the presence of another.  Especially, it is the Spirit that is the indwelling presence of God the Father and of Jesus (Romans 8:9-11; Eph. 2:22).  This mutual indwelling, of Christian-in-Christ and Christ-in-Christian, fulfills the “unity prayer” of Jesus in John 17. 

It is especially significant that the reception of the Spirit in baptism (first by Jesus and then by Christians who are baptized into Jesus) is considered an “anointing.”  The words “Christ” and “Messiah” mean “anointed one.”  It refers to the OT ritual whereby God marks His selection of a person to serve as prophet, priest, or king through the pouring of olive oil.  Jesus and Christians are marked as those selected of God, no longer with olive oil, but with the “pouring” of the Holy Spirit upon them.  This follows the “outpouring” of God’s Spirit on the first day of Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 1).  For this anointing, see Acts 10:38 and 2 Cor. 1:21-22 (also 1 John 2:20-27).

Another implication of indwelling is that Christians are seen as the new “temple” in which God actually dwells.  God/Jesus/Spirit indwell both Christians individually (1 Cor. 6:19) and indwell them collectively as a group (1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 2:22).  Thus, in both cases the Spirit indwells us “bodily”—first in our physical bodies individually and second in the church as the “body of Christ.”

When we view Christianity in terms of covenant, it will be seen that the bond between partners—Christians and God—achieves a greater level of intimacy than what was known in any of the other Biblical covenants.  The notions of oneness, mutual indwelling, and the baptismal reception of the Holy Spirit unify the covenant at the very deepest inner level of being.  Christians are joined to both God and to one another by the sharing of a common Spirit.