Redeemed our Just Wet?
July 22, 2012
Romans 6:1-14
King James Version (KJV)
6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
After the christening of his baby brother in church, little Johnny sobbed
all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three
times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I want to stay with you guys!"
There is a lot of confusion about Baptism, and what it really means, how we should do it, and even whether it is necessary or not for the Christian. The little story above is obviously meant to generate a chuckle or two, much like my own life story! It also illustrates part of the confusion we generate in Southern Baptist life when we don’t clarify what we mean by baptism.
We have something similar to Christening in our faith, we just call it a dedication service. This is of course a service where we encourage the new parents to commit to raising their children in the church. What this is not, is baptism.
This morning we are going to celebrate the stirring of the baptismal waters for the first time in several years. It is a joyous occasion for our church, and a memorable time for those who are showing obedience to Christ in following Him in believer’s baptism.
Before we make our way out into the ocean I want to share a few thoughts with you on what we believe Baptism is.
Baptism is by Immersion
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
There are several methods used by the Christian church to baptize. Some denominations use immersion as Baptists do, others sprinkle a little water that has been blessed on the recipient, and then some use a method called pouring.
First and foremost Baptism is but a symbol. There is no power of salvation in the water, it’s just water. So Baptism, whether by immersion, sprinkling, dunking, dipping, dropping, or whatever doesn’t affect whether you are redeemed.
However, the word used in verse 3 is “baptizo” which has a specific meaning. The meaning of the word is to immerse or to submerge. That alone is enough to settle me on the notion that it is the proper way to observe this ordinance.
Let’s look to some other evidence. In Matthew 3:13-17 Jesus was baptized through immersion.
Let’s look together at verses 16-17.
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Other translations use the phrase “Jesus came up out of the water” or other phrases that have the same connotation. These verses give the distinct idea that Jesus was fully in the water, then He came up out of it.
More evidence is found in the book of Acts (Acts 2:41; 8:12,38; 9:18; 10:48; 16:33) that leads us to the idea that baptisms in the early church were by immersion.
Finally, the symbolism of Baptism is the death and burial of sin, then the resurrection to a new life in Christ. The immersion method of Baptism preserves that symbolism.
The Act of Baptist Identifies us With Christ
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
I’ve already said that Baptism is not necessary for us to be saved so you might be wondering why we would even bother. We bother because it is an outward identification of an inward action.
Little Betsy had faithfully attended baptism classes. Her mother, wanting to be sure her daughter understood its significance, asked, "Honey, what does baptism mean?"
"Well, it isn’t the water that makes you clean ..." she began. Smiling, Mother thought, Yes, she understands.
Then her daughter added, "...It’s the soap."
If the little girl is right, then Christ is the soap. He has already affected the cleansing. By following Christ in Baptism, we are acknowledging publicly the sacrifice that Christ made for us.
Today we are not only Baptizing publicly we are baptizing PUBLICLY! We are gathered at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean preparing to wade into the water in order to make a public proclamation of faith. Today everyone on this section of beach will have the opportunity to witness our actions. It doesn’t get much more public than this.
Baptists believe that Baptism is a public expression of your faith.
Baptism Shows Obedience
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
A man was stumbling through the woods, totally drunk, when he came upon a preacher baptizing people in the river. He proceeded to walk into the water and bumped into the preacher. The preacher turned around and, though almost overcome by the smell of alcohol, asked the drunk,
"Are you ready to find Jesus?" The Drunk answered, "Yes, I am." So the preacher grabbed the drunk and dunked him in the water. Then he pulled him up and asked him, "Brother have you found Jesus?"
The drunk replied, "No, I haven’t found Jesus." The preacher, shocked at the answer, dunked him into the water again, for a little longer. Then again, he pulled him out and asked, "Have you found
Jesus my brother?" The drunk again answered, "No, I haven’t found Jesus." By this time the preacher was at his wits end so he submerged the
drunk once more, and held him down for about 30 seconds until he began kicking his arms and legs, whereupon he pulled him up.
The preacher again asked the drunk, "For the love of God have you found Jesus?"
The drunk wiped his eyes and caught his breath and finally said to the preacher,
"Are you sure this is where he fell in?"
Baptism takes place AFTER you’ve already found where Jesus fell in! That’s why Southern Baptists do not practice infant Baptism. We believe that Baptism is an act of obedience for the believer. It’s impossible to be obedient as a believer if you are not a believer!
The act of Baptism is a reflection of your faith, and a mirror of the regeneration that takes place in the life of a believer. Without that regeneration, then Baptism has no significance, you just get wet.
The old fellow in the previous illustration was all wet! The search for Jesus isn’t difficult, and leads to redemption. You too can be redeemed today.
