Christians have long differed with one another on both the meaning and the practice of water baptism. Using the classic Counterpoints forum of presentation-critique-response, this insightful book explores four prominent views of baptism held by different branches of Protestantism: Baptist, Christian Church/Church of Christ, Lutheran, and Reformed. Abbreviations 7(4) Introduction: Division, Differences, and a Dream 11(14) John H. Armstrong Baptist View: Baptism as a Symbol of Christ's Saving Work 25(34) Thomas J. Nettles A Reformed Response 42(5) Richard L. Pratt Jr. A Lutheran Response 47(4) Robert Kolb A Christian Churches/Churches of Christ Response 51(8) John D. Castelein Reformed View: Baptism as a Sacrament of the Covenant 59(32) Richard L. Pratt Jr. A Baptist Response 73(5) Thomas J. Nettles A Lutheran Response 78(5) Robert Kolb A Christian Churches/Churches of Christ Response 83(8) John D. Castelein Lutheran View: God's Baptismal Act as Regenerative 91(38) Robert Kolb A Baptist Response 110(5) Thomas J. Nettles A Reformed Response 115(7) Richard L. Pratt Jr. A Christian Churches/Churches of Christ Response 122(7) John D. Castelein Christian Churches/Churches of Christ View: Believers' Baptism as the Biblical Occasion of Salvation 129(32) John D. Castelein A Baptist Response 145(4) Thomas J. Nettles A Reformed Response 149(5) Richard L. Pratt Jr. A Lutheran Response 154(7) Robert Kolb Conclusion: Finding Common Ground Amid Disagreement and Agreement 161(5) John H. Armstrong Appendix 1: All Instances of the Words for Baptism in the New Testament 166(9) Appendix 2: Statements on Baptism in Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms 175(14) Appendix 3: Quotations on Baptism 189(10) Resources for Further Study 199(4) About the Contributors 203(3) Discussion and Reflection Questions 206(4) Scripture Index 210(4) Subject Index 214