Justification by Faith and Baptismal Regeneration

This week, I've been working through a little book on historical theology, particularly how - if at all - we participate in God's work of bringing about justification. This book, which is cited below, inevitably crosses the issue of baptism. This is following a fascinating Formulary Friday post by Tom Woolford over on the Church Society Blog, which concerned a particular phrase in the Book of Common Prayer Baptismal Service:

"seeing now this child is regenerate"

There is much that can be said about the way that Anglican theology has been, and continues in certain quarters, to be shaped by both the over-arching theological themes found in the formularies, and the specific phraseology found that seems to run contrary to the grain of the whole. This conversation, however, is helpful as it allows a vital context for other conversations to take place.

It is in this vital context that I want to explore Calvin's Causal Schema offered contra to the Council of Trent,[1] wherein - leaning on an Aristotelian fourfold division of causality - he argues that the causation in play, concerning justification by faith alone by grace alone, should be understood as follows:

1. The Efficient Cause - The Mercy of God
2. The Meritorious Cause - Christ
3. The Instrumental Cause - Baptism ("the Sacrament of Faith")
4. The Formal Cause - The Righteousness of God (in that he makes us righteous) [2]

Elsewhere Calvin seems to drop baptism as the instrumental cause, focusing solely on faith, our faith, as the instrumental cause by which justification is brought about [3] yet, even there he argues that baptism is conductive to our faith in God. [4] So for Calvin, faith without baptism seems almost unthinkable.

This 'both/and' approach to baptism and faith finds itself expressed within the 39 articles

"Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that be not christened, but it is also a sign of Regeneration or New-Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed, Faith is confirmed, and Grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God."[5]

Although the detailed work of presenting a fourfold causal schema is not undertaken here (and rightly not so, as I suspect a strict  aristotelianism cannot be found within the pages of scripture), and yet we see clearly this notion of instrumentality.

However, and here is the crux, "they that receive Baptism rightly".

We are not to infer that this is a point that appertains to the worthiness of the minister; rather I would contend those that receive baptism as a sign and seal of the grace which is given in the elect, are those who receive baptism rightly.

Priestly Robes:

Given that I have now been selected to study for the priesthood, I thought we could revisit this post, from 2011, where I explored what it means to be a priest in the evangelical tradition. I had almost forgotten how much of an evo I am!

I often find organised religion slightly ridiculous.

Not quite so ridiculous as other strands of religion mind you, but my point still stands.

Christianity walks a perilous path between the two. Organised chaos is our aim. And that's what happens when you have a Priesthood of all believers, yet still have an ordained order of priests.
Much of the theological ink spilled over this matter was wasted on misunderstandings of some simple Bible stuff. A good friend of mine once taught me 'understand the bible by reading the bible:

In the New Testament we have two Greek words, which have both come to be translated  'Priest', in my beloved, but often misleading English.

ἱερεύς - hiereus meaning "sacred one". These are the Old-testament-sacrifice-offering-blood-and-guts-and-gore guys. They were a select few, as with most religions, held to be in some way especially sacred. They were almost a race within the Jewish race. All being patrilinial descendants of Moses' mate Aaron.

πρεσβύτερος - presbyteros meaning "one with elderhood". Here is where we get our word priest from, and it has nothing to do with sacrifices.

#facepalm

It's a pastoral role, about replicating the Apostles' love for the brethren, and their flair for administration... maybe.

The confusion has crept in with the doctrine that at Communion the priest offers it as a sacrifice. This is a doctrine I am uncomfortable with, but mostly because it re-restricts the use of hiereus. The bible, IMHO, calls us all to live a life of sacrifice. Christianity, for me, turned the old religious system upside-down; ushering us all into the the life of the sacred ones. Christ in us makes us all sacred. In that sense, in the sense that we offer a sacrifice, pleasing and acceptable to God - we are all priests, through Christ.

Though we don't get to kill animals.

Unless you're my dad, but that's an entirely different story.

We are not however all priests, in the presbyteros sense of the word; that is, in the actual sense of the word. Our ordained priesthood has a very specific role, and it involves being sacred ones every day - even when they don't feel like it. Even when they demonstrably haven't acted like it. And raising as many people as they meet into a position where they too can become sacred ones.Don't get me wrong though. Although, I don't think Communion should be confused or conflated with Christ's actual, historical sacrifice - I am by no means a full blown protestant.

Our priesthood is about raising people to meet Jesus. And how do they [priests] do that?

Primarily, it's about making God real to people, and this is done through:

Communion.
Baptism.

but also through confirmation, holy orders, marriage, reconciliation, extreme unction... and actually any number of ways that God's grace is conveyed into people's lives through ordinary and physical means.

How  I long to join them.

NB - This post must send a Hat Tip over to http://www.liturgy.co.nz/blog/priest-altar/1950