Why Baptism March 4, 2007
When they were trying to discover if life ever existed on Mars, the first thing they looked for was water. We cannot imagine life existing without water.
In his early days, the poet W.H. Auden, wrote – “We must love one another or die” at a later more cynical time he wrote "Thousands have lived without love, not one without water." – from “first things first”
It is not surprising that God would use water for the initiation rite into the new life that we find in Jesus Christ.
The novel “Gilead” is a letter that the old Presbyterian pastor John Ames is writing to his young son to be read when the son is old enough to understand. He quotes the theologian Ludwig Feuerbach
“Water is the purest, clearest of liquids; in virtue of this its natural character it is the image of the spotless nature of the Divine Spirit. In short, water has a significance in itself, as water; it is on account of its natural quality that it is consecrated and selected as the vehicle of the Holy Spirit. So far there lies at the foundation of Baptism a beautiful, profound natural significance” – Ludwig Feuerbach as quoted in the novel “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson p. 23-4
‘That mention of Feuerbach and joy reminded me of something I saw early one morning a few years ago, as I was walking up to the church. There was a young couple strolling along half a block ahead of me. The sun had come up brilliantly after a heavy rain, and the trees were glistening and very wet. On some impulse, plain exuberance, I suppose, the fellow jumped up and caught hold of a branch, and a storm of luminous water came pouring down on the two of them, and they laughed and took off running, the girl sweeping water off her hair and her dress as if she were a little bit disgusted, but she wasn’t. It was a beautiful thing to see, like something from a myth. I don’t know why I thought of that now, except perhaps because it is easy to believe in such moments that water was made primarily for blessing, and only secondarily for growing vegetables or doing the wash. I wish I had paid more attention to it.” – John Ames in the novel “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson p. 27-8
Today I want to talk about the blessing of the water of Baptism
Baptism is a sign and commitment to new life
Matthew 3:1-6
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
"A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
’Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’ "
John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Baptism is a picture of starting a new life, of turning over a new leaf.
The very few times that I have played golf, the guys I played with were very gracious and if you completely flubbed a shot, they would grant me a mulligan – a “do-over” - without counting the previous shot in your score.
The amazing thing about God is that he allows mulligans! When we realized that we’ve really flubbed our attempt at life, He allows us to start again, and he doesn’t hold our last attempt against us.
Baptism is a sign that we want to get a restart in life. We are saying that the person that we once were is not who we want to be, the way that we used to live is not the way that we want to live now.
Baptism is a powerful image because it is an image of death, burial, and resurrection. We are saying that our old way of living is dead, and we are leaving it in the watery grave as we come back out into a new life. This is what the people we saying as they came to John to be baptized – “we want to start again, we have not been living for God, and now we want to live for him.”
The funny thing is that Jesus shows up to be baptized!
Baptism is an act of obedience/ righteousness
Matthew 3:13-17
The Baptism of Jesus
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
We believe that Jesus is the sinless Son of God, he is the only one who has ever lived that did not need a mulligan! He did not need to repent, because he had never done anything wrong! And yet he says that he should be baptized to fulfill all righteousness. It reminds me that righteousness is not just about what we don’t do. It is also about what we do. There are things that God calls us to do to be righteous. He doesn’t just say, don’t murder or hate, don’t steal or covet lustfully. He says that there are things that we need to actively do – symbolic things like baptism, and very earthy practical things like serving the poor, loving the people he has given us, and caring for his creation. God cares about what we do as much as he does about what we don’t do.
Jesus goes and does what he doesn’t need to do, just to please his Father – it’s like when one of my kids does something I’d like them to do with out me asking, except greater. And God responds to Jesus in the same way as I do, except greater. The whole trinity comes together, the Spirit comes visibly on Jesus, and the Father shouts out, “THIS IS MY SON, WHOM I LOVE! WHITH HIM I AM WELL PLEASED!
As Liz and Brynn have stepped into the waters of baptism today out of obedience to God, it is my prayer that they would feel the pleasure of God’s love for them like they have never felt before.
Baptism was not the only thing that Jesus did that he did not have to do. Infinitely greater, Jesus died for things he did not do.
Isaiah says it this way 700 years before Jesus died:
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. – Isaiah 53:5-6
You may wonder why Jesus had to die – why isn’t our commitment to start over again good enough? Why can’t God just forgive us without the cross?
Bill Hybles says, “If you backed out of your driveway into my nice shiny new car and put a big dent in it, I would forgive you. But someone still has to pay for the dent!” Jesus, in his death on the cross pays for the dent that we have put in life.
In Baptism, we are saying that we will accept Jesus’ payment for the harm that our sins have caused. We are symbolically saying, that when Jesus died, our sins are on the cross with him.
Christian Baptism is a picture of unity with Jesus’ death and resurrection
This is how the apostle Paul puts it: “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” Romans 6:3-7
This is amazing rich imagery, but it is not all!
Baptism is a picture of washing
Just as we use water to wash the grime of our bodies, God uses the water of baptism as a symbol that he is washing us clean of everything that we have ever done wrong!
When Paul starts to serve Jesus, Annanias says to him, “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’ - Acts 22:16 (TNIV)
Peter writes to the early Christians:
and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. - 1 Peter 3:21-22
God takes us and cleans us up enough that we can enter into his presence – the presence of the creator and king of the universe! Our baptism is a symbol of that washing.
The amazing thing is that when we wash the dirt from our bodies, the dirt goes down the drain and we forget that we were ever that dirty. God is the same way, once he washes us clean, he treats us as if we had never been dirty before!
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22
Baptism is an immersion into Christ
Baptism is a transliterated word from the Greek word that means immerse. It was the word used when a ship sank in the sea and the waters flooded every part of the ship. Baptism is a symbol that our whole life, our whole being is “in Christ.” This understanding of baptism makes us realize what an act of love to God it is.
Your life is like an ocean
Yes, your life is like an ocean
I want to dive in naked
Lose myself in your depths
I want to be with you
To find myself in the best of dreams – The Waterboys “Trumpets”
Although we don’t remain under the water, We remain immersed, or clothed in Christ
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. - Galatians 3:27
We are also immersed in the Spirit
1 Corinthians 12:13
For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
I’ve had people ask “why should I have to be baptized? Isn’t it enough to believe?” But with this understanding of the depth and beauty of the act of Baptism, how could you not want to be baptized? In fact, the apostles came at it from a different angle, they talked not about requiring people to be Baptized, but being sure not to withhold baptism from new believers!
If you have come to faith in Christ, and have never been baptized, I want to invite you into this beautiful, deep and powerful symbol of our faith. Don’t hold yourself back from such an experience of salvation, obedience and love for, and from God.
