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94* “Let*the*little*children*come*to*me…”*But*should*we*baptise*them?**ready*for*the*Lord’s*Supper,*not*the*church,*sometimes*a*decade*before*their*baptism.*I*have*lost*count*of*the*number*of*times*I*have*heard*a*baptismal*candidate*say,*“I’m*ready*for*baptism*but*not*yet*for*church*membership.”*All* three* of* these* positions* would* have* been* utterly* unthinkable* to*Christians*from*all*denominations*even*a*century*ago.*My*assumption*is*that*baptism*and*church*membership*come*together,*or,* more* precisely* that* baptism* is* the* Christian* entry* ritual* into* public*identification* with* Jesus* Christ* (Rom*6:3)*and*with*his*body*the*church*(1*Cor* 12:13).* Moreover,* as* Jonathan* Leeman* put* it* in* a* recent* interview,*“Baptism* and* the* Lord’s* Supper* are* just* signs* of* the* thing.* Church*membership*is*the*thing*itself.” 13 *This*is*not*to*deny*that*the*Lord’s*Supper*and*Baptism*are*means*of*grace,*but*merely*to*assert*that*they*are*means*of*grace*given*in*large*part*to*make*the*invisible*body*of*Christ*seen*through*visible*identification*with*Christ*in*baptism,*and*continued*union*with*Christ*in*the*Lord’s*Supper.*Or*as*George*Beasley:Murray*states,*“to*be*baptised*to*Christ* is* to* be* baptised* to* his* Body.* And* to* be* accepted* by* Christ* into* his*church,* but* not* by* the* local* church* into* which* he* is* baptised,* would* be*preposterous.” 14 *Just* as* the* marriage* service* and* marital* intercourse* are* signs* of* the*marriage,*so*baptism*and*the*Lord’s*Supper*are*signs*of*church*membership.*Baptism*without*church*membership*is*like*getting*married*and*returning*to*the*parental*home*(without*your*spouse!).*The*Lord’s*Supper*before*baptism*is*like*sex*before*marriage.*The*Lord’s*Supper*without*church*membership*is*like*sharing*a*bed*with*your*wife*but*not*actually*sharing*a*life*with*her.*I* shall* rely* heavily* upon* this* second* assumption.* And* any* reader* who*doesn’t*share*this*assumption*will*probably*not*agree*with*my*conclusions,*but* they* should* know* also,* that* they* probably* don’t* agree* with* one* of* the*key* ecclesiological* agreements* that* almost* all* churches,* baptistic* and*paedobaptist,*would*have*shared*until*the*middle*of*the * twentieth*century.**The%responsibilities%taken%on%with%baptism**The%direct%responsibilities%of%water%baptism%%Baptism*is*public*identification*with*the*Lord*Jesus*Christ*into*his*death*and*resurrection* entailing* the* public* responsibility* of* living* “a* new* life”* (Rom*6:1:3).*Elsewhere*baptism*is*“the*pledge*of*a*good*conscience*before*God”*(1*Pet* 3:21).*Thus,*in*the*very*act*of*baptism*the*candidate*becomes*a*public*********************************************************************13*http://www.9marks.org/audio/roundtable:discussion:church*accessed*2/10/2012.*14*George*Beasley:Murray,*“A*Baptist*interpretation*of*the*place*of*the*child*in*the*church”*in*Foundations%8%(April*1965)*157:158.*He*however,*reached*different*conclusions*to*me*on*the*age*of*baptism.%%