I think every preacher has at least one funny baptism story they can share. Here’s mine. When Elizabeth was 7 years old, she convinced us that she was ready to commit her life to Jesus and be baptized. We knew she understood what she was doing when she told us she was praying for God to give her a new heart. When the time came for her baptism, we got into the baptistry at the front of the church. As I went to put her under the water, she panicked and froze, so I couldn’t get her head under. She was pretty small at that age, so I picked her up off her feet and plunged her into the water, then stood her back up. To the church, it looked like I had immersed her twice, earning her the nickname Double Dunk.
We have been preaching about the colors of faith, based on the witness bracelet. Each color tells a part of the gospel story and how we respond to Jesus Christ. Black reminds us that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Red represents the blood of Christ that was given so that we might be saved. Blue is for the waters of baptism, depicting our response to Christ. White is for purity- our sin is no longer held against us. Green is because we continue to grow in our faith throughout our lives. Yellow is the reminder that we look for word to eternity in heaven.
Today, we’re going to focus on blue, explore the idea of baptism and what it’s all about. I believe this topic is so important because too many have watered down the concept over the years. There are a lot of man-made traditions surrounding the idea of baptism, so let’s dive in.
What is baptism? (read Romans 6:3-5) Paul explains that it is at baptism that we join with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. He died on the cross, was buried in a tomb, and arose from the dead- conquering sin and death. When we are baptized, we die to our old selves, are buried in a watery grave, and are brought back up as a new creation.
Jeff has often likened this idea to buying a house. You find the house you like, you negotiate the terms, and you come to an agreement. Is the house now yours? No, you have to sign the paperwork and seal the deal. That’s what baptism does- it seals the deal. You see, there are some out there who will teach people to say a sinner’s prayer- repeat these words and you are now saved. But look at what Peter says about that (read 1 Peter 3:21). Baptism is our appeal to God so that we can have a clear conscience- our sin is now gone.
How do we baptize? Many years ago when the Bible was translated from Greek to English, the translators made the decision to transliterate, rather than translate, the word for baptism. This means they took the Greek letters- BAPTIZO, and replaced them with the English letters- BAPTISM. If the word were translated, it would literally read immerse.
Even the early church fathers acknowledge the truth that baptism is immersion. Tertullian wrote in “On Baptism” that “Baptism itself is a bodily act, because we are immersed in water. Basil of Caesarea wrote in “On the Holy Spirit” that “We imitate the burial of Christ through baptism. For the bodies of those being baptized are as it were buried in water.”
But over time, the concept of baptism began to evolve. Eusebius was a historian who wrote around 253 AD about a man named Novatian who was unable to leave his bed due to illness, but wanted to commit to Christ. A bishop gave permission for water to be poured over his body and count it as baptism. This was accepted as an exception at first, but slowly became the norm. This is part of the reason we are known as the Restoration Movement- we seek to restore things like baptism to the way they were originally done.
Who gets baptized? Those who have come to believe in Jesus Christ. (Read Mark 16:16). Notice that in this verse, belief precedes baptism- someone who hasn’t expressed belief in Jesus Christ, is merely getting wet.
Yet there are denominations today that baptize infants. This practice began in the 160s as a reaction to the Antonine Plague. With the high level of infant mortality, churches began to baptize infants to reassure parents that their children would be in heaven if they got sick and died. They point to the stories Lydia (Acts 16:15), the Philippian Jailer (Acts 16:33), and Stephanas (1 Corinthians 1:16), where the passages mention their entire households were baptized. Their stance is that surely there were some infants involved since it was the entire household, but we really don’t know.
Here is how I respond when someone uses that argument. There is actually one passage in the Bible that talks about the fate of an infant upon death. When King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, she became pregnant. Part of the consequences was that the baby would die shortly after birth. When he was born, David began to fast and pray in hopes that God would remove that consequence. But He didn’t, and the servants were afraid to tell David that his son was dead for fear of his reaction. When he figured it out, we’re told he cleaned up and had dinner, which really confused the servants, so they asked about his reaction. (read 2 Samuel 12:22-23) David knew his son would be in heaven and he’d get to see him again. Therefore, we can trust that God gives grace to those who are too young to understand the good news of the gospel.
Now, should people get rebaptized? In most cases, I’d say no. I’ve had multiple conversations with people about this topic- here’s how I’ve handled it. They’ll often tell me they were young, they didn’t understand what they were doing- should they get baptized again? I ask them these questions:
1- Did you believe that God is real and Jesus came to earth, died, and rose again?
2- Did you recognize that you had sins to be forgiven and only Jesus could forgive you?
3- Did you declare that you wanted Jesus to be in charge of all your life?
Almost every time, they have said yes to all those questions, so I point them to the words of John (read 1 John 1:9)
The exception I have made to that answer is in cases where the person goes on to explain that they had publicly recanted their faith and had gone down a very dark path so they need a time that they can point to for when they had truly begun their walk with Christ.
In the case of someone who was baptized as an infant, their answers to these questions is going to be no. They didn’t believe in God, they didn’t recognize that they had sin that needed forgiveness, and they didn’t declare that Jesus was now in charge. Could this really even be termed a rebaptism? May I suggest that what they experienced was more like a baby dedication that we do as a church, where the parents declare their commitment to raise their child in the faith. Now that the person wants their faith to be their own, the time has come for them to be baptized.
When and where do we baptize people? For me, the answer is simple- as soon as possible, wherever there is enough water to dunk the person. I believe scripture agrees. (read Acts 8:36-38) As soon as the Ethiopian Eunuch came to understand who Jesus is, when he saw water, he asked to stop the chariot and get baptized. (read Acts 22:16) In his testimony, Paul relates that once he knew God was calling him, he was immediately baptized.
I recall the first time I baptized someone. I had just graduated from Lincoln and my youth minister asked me to be a leader on the youth group trip to attend a Christ in Youth conference. We had a list of youth who were on the trip and trying to figure out where they were at in terms of their faith, so we were praying for them. One of those youth began opening up to me through the week and on the last night he made his decision to follow Jesus and be baptized. His parents gave us permission to baptize him as long as we recorded it so they could see when we got back. Unfortunately, the CIY planners had taken down the horse trough being used for baptisms to get it to their next location. So we found a fountain with a pool on the college campus. We climbed in and started the camcorder and I baptized him right then and there- as he came up from the water, the battery died, but we caught just enough.
The idea here is that we baptize someone when they come to believe, desire to change, and seek to follow God. They will have plenty to learn yet and that’s okay. The Great Commission is to make disciples- how? Baptizing and teaching- notice the order. It may take some time for a new believer to overcome some bad habits, but the overcoming doesn’t have to come first. They are given the Holy Spirit and He will work to convict them of the needed changes. We’re called to come alongside and help each other along the way.
Why do we baptize? First, there’s the example of Jesus. In Matthew 3, we’re told how Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized as it was time to begin His ministry. John refused at first, recognizing he wasn’t worthy. Jesus reassured him that it was needed- it wasn’t about forgiveness for Jesus Himself, but to usher in His time of ministry. Jesus was setting the example. We can truly believe that Jesus never asked His followers to do anything He hadn’t done Himself.
Next, there’s the command of Jesus. (read Matthew 28:19-20) As His followers we are to go throughout the world and make disciples. Again, we do this by baptizing and teaching.
And then, there’s the instructions from Peter. When the Jews gathered in Jerusalem and listened to his first sermon, they were convicted to the core and asked what they needed to do to be saved. Peter’s answer? (read Acts 2:38)
One final question- let’s make it a bit more personal. Why should you get baptized? If you haven’t already begun you walk with Jesus, ask yourself these questions:
1- Did you believe that God is real and Jesus came to earth, died, and rose again?
2- Did you recognize that you had sins to be forgiven and only Jesus could forgive you?
3- Did you declare that you wanted Jesus to be in charge of all your life?
If you have answered “yes” to all these questions, then what you really need to be asking yourself is this- what are you waiting for? What’s holding you back? (read Romans 3:23-24)
(set a gift on the communion table) God has offered all of us the free gift of grace. Think about it- this box is sitting here, it looks nice, it feels good to know you’re receiving a gift, especially knowing it’s from God Himself. But what good is the gift if it just sits there? What benefit is it to the giver or the receiver if the gift goes unopened? Nothing comes of this gift if you just leave it sitting on the table. You need to act, to open the gift of God’s grace.
We’re going to give you the opportunity to do just that. God has extended the gift of His grace to you, now is the time for you to receive and open that gift. As we stand and sing this next song, we invite you to come forward, declare your desire to follow Jesus, and be baptized into a new life with Him.
