Text: Luke 3: 21 and 22 ‘After all the people had been baptised, Jesus also was baptised
and a voice came down from heaven,
“You are my own dear Son, I am pleased with you”.’
Baptism sadly divides but it should unite God's people
Within Christianity there are few topics more debated or argued about
than the sacraments of the church.
Each major church group has its own view,
and recognizes only those sacraments that support their beliefs.
Today there are four different types of baptism:
pouring water on a baby’s head;
making the sign of the cross on a baby’s head with water;
immersing a baby in water three times, as the Orthodox do;
and immersing an adult after they have professed their faith.
All four can find support for what they do in both the Bible
and in church history and tradition,
and no one can say for sure which of the methods is definitely the most correct,
or the most wrong.
At the end of the day, whatever mode of baptism is carried out is effective,
providing it is done sincerely,
and the ancient Trinitarian formula:
‘In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ is said,
and ordinary water is used.
If and when this is done, then grace is imparted to the person being baptised,
or taking the bread and the wine,
which is why ‘sacraments’ are described as ‘means of grace’.
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The English word ‘Sacrament’ comes from the Latin word ‘sacramentum’
which roughly means ‘promise’ in Latin.
This word was used to refer to an initiation rite for Roman soldiers
when they promised their fidelity and loyalty to their Legionary commanders.
When the early church started teaching and baptising Gentiles
they used this word to explain the rite of Christian initiation.
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Saint Augustine referred to a ‘sacramentum’
as anything that was “a sign of sacred reality”.
Another term often used to define a ‘sacrament’ by the early church
was the Greek word ‘Mysterium’,
which means ‘Mystery’ or ‘Wonder’.
Thus the sacraments of baptism and holy communion
are both viewed as holy mysteries or wonders of the church.
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A common definition of a ‘Sacrament’
is ‘an outward and visible sign
of inward and invisible spiritual grace’
given to us by Jesus so that we may be sanctified in him,
and so that, with God’s help, we may become more like Him.
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We know from archaeology and ancient historical documents
that ritual water purification rites were practiced by the Hebrews for proselyte conversions, and by Pagans in many mystery regions throughout the Mediterranean.
Cleansing rites were practiced by many ancient peoples
such as the Egyptians and the Greeks,
and Jews were required to undergo a ritual washing before they were allowed to enter the temple in Jerusalem;
but the sacrament of baptism as we practice it today
is based on the historical fact that Jesus was baptised,
as we read in today’s Gospel reading,
and also on Jesus’ words in Matthew 28,
where Jesus instructed his disciples
and those who would follow them through the generations:
to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Tertullian, an early Church Father and eminent Christian theologian,
wrote of the many examples of symbolism of water in the bible.
He pointed to scriptural references of God’s spirit moving over the waters
even before the earth was formed,
and of Moses’ deliverance of the tribe of Israel through the parted Red Sea,
of Jesus being baptized by water,
of Jesus blessing people by miraculously turning water into wine,
of Jesus walking on water,
and of Pontius Pilate washing his hands in water.
Tertullian concluded that water is an important symbol of people being set free through it.
Jesus’ own words in John 4:14 confirm this,
“whoever drinks the water that 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."
Following Jesus’ commandment to His disciples to go and baptise all nations,
recorded in Matthew 28:19,
the disciples engaged in baptismal rites,
partly in remembrance of the historical fact that Jesus himself was baptised.
In the early church baptism came to symbolise the union with Jesus’,
His death and resurrection
through the candidate’s immersion in water,
as we read in today’s epistle text: Romans 6, verses 3 and 4.
Baptism is also a sign of cleansing and washing away of our sin (Acts 22:16).
Since Martin Luther and the 16th Century Reformation most Protestants recognize only two major sacraments, Baptism and The Lord’s Supper, and view these sacraments as outward and visible signs involving water or bread and wine, by which inward and spiritual grace is bestowed by God on those who faithfully take part in the particular activity.
In Martin Luther’s Augsburg Confession, he says that the sacraments “do not cause grace, but are ‘signs and testimonies of God’s good will towards us”.
The Churches of Christ, if I understand them correctly,
insist that salvation comes through baptism
on the basis of one verse in Peter's First Letter chapter 3 verse 21,
and that an unbaptised person is not saved,
whereas we, and Baptists and Pentecostals,
believe that while a saved person certainly should be baptised,
it is God's grace that saves, and nothing of us.
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The word ‘baptism’ comes from the Greek word ‘baptizo’,
which means to cleanse by dipping or submerging,
so that when someone goes through the ceremony of baptism,
they are cleansed from their old life, and starting anew.
The initiate is transformed and brought forth into a new life –
spiritually, of course, not physically.
Knowing this, we can see the significance of what John the Baptist was doing
at the River Jordan, and just how important Baptism is.
In the Gospels we find John the Baptist preparing his people for the Kingdom of God,
and the coming of the Messiah.
But how did he do this?
He did it through the teachings of the Prophets,
and through the rite of Baptism, as an outward sign of repentance before God.
So from the earliest days of the Christian Church,
sinners have been baptised to have their sins washed away. Invisibly, spiritually, by God,
Q. But the Bible says Jesus was without sin, so why did he have baptised,
even though John knew he did not need to be baptised?
The answer is, to set an example for us,
who are sinners, and need our sins washed away,
and to give us the assurance that we are acceptable to God
Who wants to be our Heavenly Father too.
Jesus himself was baptised by John the Baptist
so that all would see and know that he was the Messiah, and the Son of God,
which was why John the Baptist publicly declared:
Jesus is the “Lamb of God who takes upon himself the sins of the world”.
We also see this in the Gospel of Matthew and Mark where God speaks to Jesus at his baptism saying “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased”.
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So Christians practice Baptism as a rite or sacrament of repentance,
to show God that we are sorry for all the sins we have committed in the past,
at the present time, and in the future.
This why Christians are only baptised once, either as a baby or as an adult.
If we had to be baptised for the forgiveness of sin every time we had sinned,
I don’t know about you,
but I would need to be baptised every day,
but the Bible says once is enough.
We should not say 'I was baptised'
but 'I am baptised',
appealing for God's cleansing every time we admit we need it.
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The symbolism of the grave in baptism by immersion or submerging under the water
is important,
for in being baptised we spiritually die,
and resurrect with and in Jesus Christ to eternal life.
Thus as the Apostle John said we are born in “water and the Holy Spirit.
Saint Paul is considered to be the first great theologian of baptism.
In Paul’s letters one can find the beginning of the Christian understanding of Baptism,
and it’s effect on those being baptised.
Saint Paul instructs the Corinthians saying,
“But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him”.
Thus, Paul has taught us that when we are baptised we spiritually die,
and resurrect with and in Jesus Christ to eternal life.
In John 3:5 Jesus speaks of Baptism: “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit’.”
The same words are recorded in Luke 3:16.
The Sacrament of baptism is a very important part of our life as Christians
and every time we recite the Creed we are renewing our baptismal vows,
and when we confess our sins and ask God to wash them away.
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So to answer the Questions, Why do some churches baptise infants?
and How can a new-born baby have sins to wash away?
The sad answer as far as Christian doctrine is concerned
is that there are two main types of sin:
Original Sin, we inherit from Adam and Eve, our basic selfishness and self-centredness;
and Actual Sin, the wrongs that we do by either omission, not doing the good we could do;
or by commission, doing what we ought not to do.
So even though a new-born baby has obviously not committed any Actual Sin,
he or she is born with Original Sin, as is every human being,
and that is what infant baptism is intended to deal with,
as well as Actual Sin committed at any time in the baby’s future life,
which will be forgiven by God instantly when that sin is confessed
and forgiveness is sincerely requested,
no matter how far ahead it is in the person's life.
It is sad that baptism divides God's church,
but through baptism all believe that God incorporate us into His Family,
and causes us to die to our old sinful self,
as St Paul wrote in Romans 6.
That is what Christian baptism is all about.
Amen, and the peace of God ……………………………………..
