Baptism for paper
Baptism is an authority Christ has given to the church to make Christians. He tells us through the great commission to baptize and teach all nations. Some see Baptism only as an outward symbol and ceremony, something we do to identify ourselves as Christians, or even something God does to identify us in the way of a sign or symbol. For others Baptism is a sacrament. As a sacrament we say we are doing something natural, while God is doing something supernatural. It is a decisive act of God. It is water that is understood by the command of Christ to make disciples. It is water combined with God’s Word. The water we apply as we speak God’s word – I Baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus described Baptism when he spoke to Nicodemous . “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. John 3:5, 6. This is the supernatural part of Baptism, God places his Spirit in us through this sacrament. By placing his Spirit in us God undoes the death we are all born into because of the sin of Adam and Eve. We say we are born again (made alive) by having the Spirit of God in us.
Having the Spirit is us guarantees the Hope of all Christians – eternal life. “He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 1: 21b, 22 In Baptism God has marked us with his seal of ownership, branded us as sheep of His pasture, covered the shame of our sin with Christ. In Baptism we wear Christ like a coat.
Baptism is a life-giving water. When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well in Samaria he offered her “living water”, and told her that those who drink this water will not thirst again. Then he said “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Baptism is our daily spring, our daily refreshment, God’s birthing, healing, cleansing bath that makes us alive in the life of the Lamb who was slain but lives.
Baptism joins us to the death of Jesus. It nails us to His cross, buries us in His tomb. God has put our sin out of His sight. He has buried it in the death of His Son, hidden it in His wounds, sealed it up in His grave. Our sin is drowned in Baptism, and our sin is totally paid for!
Baptismal death in the death of Jesus is a death in hope “If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.” Romans 6: 5
We all know how our story ends. We know how the last chapter comes out for those who are joined to Christ. Christ has died. And we have died with Him. Christ has risen. And we will rise with Him.
In the death of Jesus on the cross, God has given the world a death in which a sinner may die now and live forever. It is either die now in the death of Jesus through Baptism and live forever in His life; or live now apart from the death of Jesus and die forever in your own death. There is no third option.
Baptism means life – new life in the life of Jesus. We no longer live. We died and were buried. Christ now lives within us. His life is our life. Our life is the resurrected life of Jesus. He is at work in and through us. We are “alive to God in Christ Jesus” and it is only “in Christ Jesus” that we are alive to God. Apart from Him, we are dead. But joined to Him by Baptism, we live. In short, “Baptism saves.”
There is so much more that can be said about baptism, but this small column is all we can look at today.
Blessings