Question #13

What is confession before baptism?

Question: What is the church of Christ views on, the confession before baptism is: “God has pardoned me”? Please list scriptures if you belief is for or against.

Question: I am searching for the truth, a person of the Baptist faith told me that the confession before baptism is “God has pardoned me.” I have been studying with the church of Christ and I rebuke what they are teacing on this subject. The little knowledge I have learned so far (1 John 4:15) states “whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him and he is God. Also Acts 8:36-37; Romans 10:9-10.

The Answer:

The confession to which you refer is most likely that of some denominations prior to administering baptism, “I believe that God for Christ’s sake has pardoned my sins.” While similar words are contained in scripture (Ephesians 4:32, K.J.V.), they are not used in conjunction with baptism. They are used to describe the Ephesian Christians’ position in Christ and put forward as a standard by which Christians are to be governed in their relationship with one another.

The purpose of confession of Christ is stated in Romans 10:10. “ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” While it is true that the Christian confesses Christ all the days of his or her life, the confession to which reference is here made is “unto” salvation. The parallel in the passage is that one “believes unto righteousness.” Both belief and confession occupy the same position to righteousness and salvation. Righteousness and salvation both refer to the saved stated. Thus, both the belief and the confession referred to here precede salvation.

Since the confession here precedes (is “unto”) salvation, it cannot be the confession, “I believe that God for Christ sake has pardoned by sins.” This confession is the only confession that can be called for by those who believe that baptism is not essential to salvation. The only confession actually recorded in scripture is in Acts 8:35-37, K.J.V.). While it is true that many scholars classify v. 37 as an interpolation, not being contained in later and supposedly better manuscripts, it is also true that early Church Fathers quoted or referred to this verse. This includes Irenaeus (born 120-140 A.D.) and Cyprian (born about 200 A.D.). Thus, in the second and third centuries, long before the oldest existing manuscripts, the entire verse appears to have been in the codices of both the Greek and Latin churches.

However, even if it were not in the original text, it was undoubtedly interpolated based on some practice of the early church. The confession, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,” is certainly the confession that would have been made. After all, confession is not a condition of salvation, per se. Baptism is only for the believer (Mark 16:16, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.). Confession is an expression of faith that qualifies one for baptism “unto” the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). That baptism is necessary for salvation is discussed at numerous other places on this web site.

This confession is known as the “good confession” based on 1 Timothy 6:13: I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed “the good confession” (Matthew 27:11; John 18:33-37. That confession was the acknowledgement that He was indeed the King of the Jews, i.e., the promised Messiah. It is that confession that we are called upon to make before our sins are washed away by the blood of Christ in the waters of baptism.