Hi Steve:

Having grown weary of this "discussion", I was reading Goodwin on Hebrews 6 and false profession and found it to be the most penetrating and insightful I have read on this controversial passage. Stunning really, but in the process of analysis of the verse he states the following in passing, for this is not his primary emphasis here:

Quote
... 'Know ye not that as amany of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ,' it having been into Him, and therefore 'were baptized into his death' (which here in vs. 5 is explained by a being 'planted together into the likeness of His death',etc), baptism being the sacrament signifying our ingraftature into Christ, ver. 8, and our being planted together with Christ into the same conformity

I note that Goodwin says that baptism signifies our ingraftature into Christ, which agrees with our postion that Baptism is an outward sign of an inward reality, not an "objective sign of a promise of God".

Back to reading Goodwin now, rather than "laying again a foundation of repentance... and doctrines of baptisms" per Paul's instruction at the beginning of Heb 6.

In Him,

Gerry

Last edited by acts2027; Sun May 09, 2004 9:20 PM.