Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 26
Q69. How does holy baptism
remind and assure you
that Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross
benefits you personally?
A69. In this way:
Christ instituted this outward washing
and with it promised that,
as surely as water washes away the dirt from the body,
so certainly his blood and his Spirit
wash away my soul’s impurity,
that is, all my sins.
Q70. What does it mean
to be washed with Christ’s blood and Spirit?
A70. To be washed with Christ’s blood means
that God, by grace, has forgiven our sins
because of Christ’s blood
poured out for us in his sacrifice on the cross.
To be washed with Christ’s Spirit means
that the Holy Spirit has renewed
and sanctified us to be members of Christ,
so that more and more
we become dead to sin
and live holy and blameless lives.
Q71. Where does Christ promise
that we are washed with his blood and Spirit
as surely as we are washed
with the water of baptism?
A71. In the institution of baptism, where he says:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.”
“The one who believes and is baptized will be saved;
but the one who does not believe will be condemned.”
This promise is repeated when Scripture calls baptism
“the water of rebirth” and
the washing away of sins.