A Christian's Pocket Guide to Baptism: The Water that Unites

A Christian's Pocket Guide

by Robert Letham

What is Christian baptism? Is it, as many believe, a mere symbol? When should someone be baptized? In A Christian's Pocket Guide to Baptism , Robert Letham answers such questions from Scripture. He reflects sensitively on historic Christian teaching and avoids the extremes that often mark discussions of this subject, making this a book for everyone. Letham's plain talk will not leave beginners bemused, nor will it frustrate those who want to make real progress in their theological understanding. It is a 'tragedy', says Letham, that Christians should think of baptism as 'the water that divides'. The sign of our union with Christ should unite Christians, not least because it does not focus on our actions, but on God's mighty deeds. Baptism belongs to him. It must always be administered in connection with faith, yet that does not mean Christians do anything to receive or to earn baptism. They are to be baptized solely because of God's gracious promises.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Christianity

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2012

About the author

Robert Letham (MAR, ThM, Westminster Theological Seminary; PhD, Aberdeen University) is professor of systematic and historical theology at Union School of Theology in Bridgend, Wales, and the author of a number of books, including The Lord's Supper and Union with Christ.

Reviews

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful look at baptism that made some good points. While I'm not immediately convinced, I am more aware that further reading is needed so I can really clarify my position on this sacrament.

[Mandy Keel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple and clear explanation of paedobaptism.

[Ashley Bacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book packs a punch! What a consistent, thorough, meaty look into the sacrament of baptism. I was thankful for the many Scripture refrences and explanations. It is a must read. Twice.

[Chase Cohee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth reading for his treatment on the relationship between the sign and the thing signified in the sacraments as well as his challenge to our modern dualistic/Gnostic thinking which pits the material against the spiritual and does not understand the way God works through created means.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favourite introduction to baptism. Letham is a good writer but he is an even better theologian. If you want the true reformed view of baptism it is in this slim volume--popular in style but challenging also.

He is especially good on Union with Christ and how baptism saves us.

Loved it.

[James Ascott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an interesting introduction to baptism, but I found it confusing at key points.

The author argues that baptism can sometimes precede faith (p. 88) to justify infant baptism, yet he also says that infants may only be baptized if the head of the household believes. This seems inconsistent: faith must precede baptism for the head, but not for the one being baptized.

I prefer to frame this in covenantal terms. Since children are covenant members, we treat them as believers and as belonging to the people of God. We are therefore not knowingly baptizing unbelievers, but those who are regarded as believers within the covenant community.

I was also unclear about the author’s position on baptismal regeneration. He quotes various Reformers who at times sound supportive of it and at other times strongly opposed to the Roman Catholic view. Rather than resolving this tension, he simply insists that baptism is more than a symbol but not Roman Catholic—without clearly explaining what that “middle position” actually is.

These two issues significantly reduced the value of the book for me, though the rest of the book was well done.

[Spencer Enright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the better brief Reformed treatises on baptism I’ve read…

Something that I appreciated about this work is that the author did not shy away from discussing baptismal efficacy. That particular topic is often obscured significantly in this modern age of Presbyterian thought due to discussion of and meditation upon baptism being, in my opinion, overly focused upon the covenantal aspects of the sacrament.

Nevertheless, the material presented still seemed a bit more ambiguous than I would have preferred. Though, that could simply be due to the mysterious nature of the sacraments, especially within Reformed theology—which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Overall, despite some minor qualms, this will probably be my go-to recommendation for a Presbyterian/Reformed treatment on the subject of the sacrament of baptism if I am asked for such a referral.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A decently thorough walk-through of infant baptism from a Presbyterian perspective. Coming from the opposite perspective, there were a couple points that were difficult to understand, but those difficulties faded once the book was read in its entirety.

[Andy Dollahite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Efficient summary of the Reformed doctrine of baptism. My primary gripe is that his exegesis of the Romans and Corinthians passages at the close of the book too brief. I found his exploration of corporate identity and federal headship particularly helpful.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, deep, and accessible, this is a first-rate introduction to the biblical, covenantal, and confessional practice of baptism.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than an introduction. Well worth a read or two.

[Jay Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. I think some of the chapters were wordy but overall gave a good overview of Covenant Baptism in the Reformed tradition.

[Brandi Breezee · Rating 5 out of 5]

No review needed. 5 stars. Read it for yourself and let Latham clearly and concisely explain paedobaptism.

[Gualter Junior · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on baptism in a reformed perspective. Read this book with John Fesko "Word, Water and Spirit" book on The subject may be good too.

[Taylor Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very helpful read.

[David Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful little book.

[Eric Keel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best, most succinct book I've read on baptism. Will 100% read again.

[Mark Mcconnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this twice and I've heard Alexa read it three times. I will read it again.

[Paul Wichert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a small (4.5" x 7", 100 pp) book that packs a lot of well-written theology between its covers. Of all the books on baptism I have read (10 or so), I think I like this one best so far. The approach is decidedly reformed, covenantal, and needless to say paedobaptist. One benefit is how the author continually ties baptism back into the rest of Christology, soteriology, and ecclesiology, showing that this is hardly a stand-alone subject (this is also the author of the well-regarded book "Union With Christ"). Another strong point is how he derives the sign and seal of a Christian from the Biblical covenants with Abraham and Moses. A key concept he derives from Scripture is that the everlasting covenant is administered in units of "household," not individual. Most importantly for me, he discusses the question of the role of children in the church: "How does the NT view the children of believing parents?" and "Are the children of believers members of the Church?" These are important questions to which he gives convincing answers. A very worthwhile read.

[Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, brief overview of the sacrament of baptism. Letham states, “our view of the sacraments reflects our understanding of the gospel.” Therefore, having a biblical view of the sacraments is very significant for any follower of Christ. Though this is a brief book, it does get a bit theologically dense at certain points; I simply point that out as a word of warning dependent upon how accustomed one is to reading theological jargon. Letham is very intentional to let the entire Bible define baptism as opposed to only looking at verses that say the word “baptism”. He states, “we cannot understand either Old Testament or New Testament aright in isolation from the other.” Because of his desire to take what the entire cannon of Scripture has to say about the sacraments and specifically about baptism, Letham provides a very clear and biblical definition of the sacrament of baptism.

[Andrew Canavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a handy and brief book advocating for the Reformed view of baptism. It's not necessarily what I would give to a credobaptist to convince them of the paedobaptist position, but many of Letham's points are very important and hard-hitting. One minor critique is the manner in which Letham made his argument: he spent the first few chapters proving several thesis statements that were not directly about baptism but, when taken together, that make a convincing argument. This seemed like an odd choice for such a short book. In my mind, the sooner you can connect anything you write to your main argument the better. Other than that, this is a helpful book.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise, yet in many ways unique defence of infant baptism. The strengths of this book are the emphasis on corporate solidarity and the discussion of baptismal efficacy. I liked the response to those who claim that the sacraments and the church are "non-essentials". If baptism is a non-essential, then why did Christ put it in the Great Commission? Moreover, if the doctrine of the church is a non-essential, then why did Paul write to churches as opposed to various meetings of the Banner of Truth conferences?

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and to the point, this is a basic overview of the theology of baptism. It gets 3 stars because it was really dry and I struggled to keep focused all the way through. Only in the final section, where Letham finally lays out his own conclusions (yes to paedobaptism) and addresses some practical questions, did I read with renewed interest. Ultimately, I'm glad I read this book because it challenged me to think more critically about baptism--and other, more foundational issues like covenants, and the conflict of Western concepts of individualism with biblical concepts of community.

[Peter Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful short introduction to baptism. He does a great job holding together the individual and corporate dimensions of baptism. He roots his view in strong understanding of redemptive history. He also carefully balances the efficacy of baptism with the necessity of faith. He is also a clear writer. Anyone who wants a brief introduction to the basics of a reformed view of baptism should read this book.

[CJ Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding intro to baptism. More theological, and a little less pastoral than Danny Hyde's "Jesus Loves the Little Children", this is the best introductory resource on the efficacy of baptism that I've seen. Letham digs deep into the reformed heritage, and boldly embraces Scripture's dramatic claims about what baptism is and does.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction. Letham needs to write a more comprehensive text on the sacraments. I found his focus on the corporate nature of biblical history and the covenants. It seems like a very important part understanding the sacraments.

[Kyle Oliphint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding!!!!!