Lord’s Day 26
Q72. Does this outward washing with water itself wash away sins?
No, only Jesus Christ's blood and the Holy Spirit cleanse us from all sins.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
Matthew 3:11
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and fire:”
1 Peter 3:21
“The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:”
1 John 1:7
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
Modernized Commentary — Zacharias Ursinus (1616)
The same distinction we made when discussing the sacraments in general also applies to baptism: some forms of speech about it are literal, and others are figurative. These are known as sacramental forms of speech. A literal form of speech occurs when those who receive the sign are said to receive the thing it signifies, as in "he that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved." The same applies when the sign is said to point to the thing itself, as when we read that "baptism is the sign of the washing away of sin," or that "He gave unto them circumcision to be a sign of the covenant." Figurative forms of speech, by contrast, occur when the sign is said to be the thing itself, as in "Baptism is the washing of regeneration," or when the sacrament is said to actually confer what is signified, as when baptism is said to save us. All of these expressions ultimately carry the same meaning: baptism is a definite sign of the forgiveness of sin and of eternal life for those who believe. The figurative language used in reference to the sacraments should be interpreted the same way we interpret figurative language used in reference to sacrifices. Sacrifices are frequently called expiations for sin, and yet the apostle Paul plainly affirms that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin (Heb 10:4). So when Scripture says "Baptism saves us," calls it "the washing of regeneration," or speaks of "the washing away of sins," it is saying, in effect, that baptism is the sign of all these things.
Question
73. Why, then, does the Holy Spirit call baptism "the washing of regeneration" and "the washing away of sins?"