Heidelberg Catechism: Lord’s Day 27

Note for Our Church Family
While we deeply respect the Heidelberg Catechism and consider it a rich and faithful summary of biblical truth, we do not fully agree with this portion of its teaching. Our church has long held to the historic conviction that baptism is appropriately reserved for those who have made a credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ. We practice believer’s baptism because we believe the New Testament consistently connects baptism with personal belief and discipleship.

At the same time, we know that the wider body of Christ includes many faithful brothers and sisters from gospel-centered, Bible-believing churches who practice covenantal infant baptism. The Evangelical Free Church of America wisely recognizes this as a secondary issue, and allows churches to hold differing convictions while maintaining unity in the gospel.

It is also important to say clearly: while some traditions practice infant baptism with salvific overtones, no true Protestant tradition believes that baptism, in itself, saves. The Reformers rejected both sacerdotalism (the idea that grace is conveyed mechanically through ritual) and the notion that baptism regenerates apart from faith. Even where practices differ, the Heidelberg Catechism's understanding of baptism is thoroughly Christ-centered and grace-dependent.

So as we walk through this section of the Catechism, we can do so with clarity about our church’s practice, and with charity toward those who differ.

If baptism points us to the promise of God’s forgiveness and renewal, it’s only natural to ask: is it required for salvation? What if someone believes but isn’t baptized?

And what about children? Why would we baptize infants, especially if they cannot yet respond in faith?

The Catechism anticipates these questions and answers not from tradition, but from Scripture’s portrayal of God’s covenant faithfulness. The goal is never to elevate baptism above the gospel, but to show how baptism points us to the gospel.

Question 72

Does this outward washing with water itselfwash away sins?
No, only Jesus Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit
cleanse us from all sins.

¹ Matthew 3:11; 1 Peter 3:21; 1 John 1:7

Question 73

Why then does the Holy Spirit call baptismthe washing of rebirthand the washing away of sins?
God speaks this way for a good reason:

He wants to teach us that the blood and Spirit of Christ
take away our sins
just as water removes dirt from the body.

But more importantly,
He wants to assure us, by this divine pledge and sign,
that we are truly washed of our sins spiritually
as surely as we are washed physically with water.

² Acts 22:16; Titus 3:5–7

Question 74

Should infants also be baptized?
Yes.

Infants as well as adults
are included in God’s covenant and people,
and they, no less than adults,
are promised deliverance from sin through Christ’s blood
and the Holy Spirit who produces faith.

Therefore, by baptism,
the mark of the covenant,
infants should be received into the Christian church
and should be distinguished from the children of unbelievers.
This was done in the Old Testament by circumcision,
which was replaced in the New Testament by baptism.

³ Genesis 17:7–14; Matthew 19:14; Acts 2:38–39; Colossians 2:11–13

Baptism Does Not Save

The Catechism is careful to say what baptism does not do. It does not magically wash away sin. It does not save on its own. It is a sign that points beyond itself.

Only the blood of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit can truly cleanse a sinner. Water cannot do that. But God uses water to teach and assure us—so that when we see baptism, we remember that Christ alone is our hope, and the Spirit alone can make us new.

The Catechism’s language may sound bold (“washing of rebirth,” “washing away of sins”), but it is quoting Scripture. The goal is not confusion, but confidence. Baptism is meant to give visible expression to invisible grace.

Respecting Differences, Centered on Christ

Though our church does not practice infant baptism, we understand and respect the covenantal convictions behind the practice for many. Our brothers and sisters in traditions like the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), or Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) believe that baptism corresponds to circumcision—a sign applied to the children of believers as a mark of God’s covenant promises. While we ultimately diverge from that practice, we recognize their desire to uphold the gospel, not replace it.

This is not a point for division. The EFCA’s posture wisely reflects Paul’s instruction in Romans 14: "Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind." We are united in the essentials: salvation by grace through faith in Christ. And we extend grace on matters where faithful believers have long differed.

The God Who Claims Us Early

The Catechism’s pastoral instinct shines most clearly in its affirmation of God’s claim on children. The faith of Christian parents does not guarantee a child’s salvation—but it does mean something. Children are part of the covenant community. They are not outsiders until proven otherwise. They are recipients of God’s promises, participants in the life of the church, and objects of our prayer and nurture.

In our church, we reflect this biblical conviction through the dedication of children, publicly entrusting them to the Lord and committing as a congregation to support their spiritual formation. While we do not baptize infants, we affirm the Scriptural principle that the children of believers are set apart in some gracious and meaningful way (see 1 Corinthians 7:14). They are to be treated not as skeptics-in-waiting, but as disciples-in-the-making.

Whether baptized as infants or adults, all of us must eventually come to personal faith. But God often works long before we notice. His grace often precedes our awareness. And that is very good news.

A Closing Prayer

Lord, I thank You that salvation comes not by rituals, but by grace. Thank You for the sign of baptism—not as a substitute for the gospel, but as a witness to it. Help me never to trust in outward things, but to look to Christ alone. And when I see the water, let me remember the cross. Thank You for including children in Your promises, for calling us early and patiently drawing us near. Teach me to value the faith You begin and to trust You to finish what You start. Amen.

Daily Bible Readings

New Testament in a Year
July 6 – Acts 8:26–40
July 7 – Acts 9:1–31
July 8 – Acts 9:32–43
July 9 – Acts 10:1–23
July 10 – Acts 10:24–48
July 11 – Acts 11:1–30
July 12 – Acts 12:1–25

The Bible in a Year
July 6 – Job 28–29; Acts 8:26–40
July 7 – Job 30–31; Acts 9:1–31
July 8 – Job 32–33; Acts 9:32–43
July 9 – Job 34–35; Acts 10:1–23
July 10 – Job 36–37; Acts 10:24–48
July 11 – Job 38–39; Acts 11:1–30
July 12 – Job 40–42; Acts 12:1–25