There is a story about a Baptist pastor who had just started serving a new congregation. For eight Sundays in a row he preached on the importance of baptism. Finally, the chairman of the deacon board approached him and said, "Preacher, we think you need to choose another theme to preach on." The pastor responded, "Well, I did not know you felt that way. Why don't you just pick out a Bible text and I'll preach on that." The deacon then randomly opened a Bible, closed his eyes and put his finger in the middle of the page. He said, "OK, Pastor, here's the text, Matthew 3:10 - "The ax is laid at the root of the tree." The next Sunday the pastor got up in the pulpit, read that verse, and then said, "Amen. That's wonderful. They laid the ax at the root of the tree. Why would anyone do that? So they could cut down the tree, of course, and then dam up the creek, and get the water deep enough to have a baptism."
Friends, unlike that pastor, I don't have a preoccupation with baptism. This week I realized that though I have been a Baptist pastor for about 17 years, I don't think I have ever preached a sermon on baptism. Oh, I have addressed the subject sometimes, but I have never devoted an entire message to the topic. Well, that is going to change today. As I prepared for today's service, I realized that there would probably be people here, and certainly some who watch on television, who have never witnessed a Baptist type of baptism, where the person is put all the way under the water. If you saw that for the first time today, it may have seemed a little strange or even scary. I also realize there are plenty of people here who have been Baptists all their lives, who were baptized years ago, but who seldom think about the meaning and significance of this event. So, whether this was the first, or the tenth, or the hundredth baptism you have observed, I think we can all benefit from exploring some things the Lord has to say on this topic. So let's pause and pray that God would speak to us through His Word.
Why don't we talk about baptism very often, even in a Baptist church like ours? I suspect it is a topic that makes us a little uncomfortable because it is one that has been so divisive over the years. There was a book written a few years ago called Baptism: The Water That Divides. While Baptists practice "believers baptism by immersion," most other churches utilize other methods such as sprinkling or pouring, and will usually baptize people when they are infants. In the past, this difference was seen literally as a life or death issue. Leaders of other churches often advocated executing Baptists as dangerous heretics, and Baptists were usually willing to die for their convictions. I have to admit that I don't really understand either position. Though I certainly agree with the traditional Baptist teaching and see baptism as an important doctrine, I don't see it as an essential view. I know there are many wonderful Christians who have very different beliefs on baptism than I do. Some of my most cherished spiritual mentors are not Baptists. For example, Francis Schaeffer, C. S. Lewis, R. C. Sproul and J. I. Packer are men whose books fill my shelves and who God has used to nourish my soul, but they all believed in infant baptism. I find that I have much more in common with non-Baptists who are strong evangelicals, then I do with Baptists who are theologically more liberal. Within evangelical circles baptism is usually treated as a subject that we agree to disagree on, and I am glad for that.
The unfortunate result, however, is that baptism is a subject that often gets ignored, even though it is important. Christians from almost all denominations agree that this is not good. Yes, there are a handful of folks who argue that baptism was only intended for 1st Century Christians, or that the Bible commands only spiritual baptism, not water baptism, but they don't have much evidence to support their case and have not been very convincing. Though we differ about the mode and objects of baptism, how it should be done and to whom it should be done, most Christians agree that it is important that we be baptized. After all, the Great Commission, the job that Jesus has given us, involves going and making disciples and, as Matthew 28:19 says, "...baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Also, because Jesus Himself was baptized by John (Matthew 3:13ff and other passages) and as Jesus' followers, we too are baptized. In Acts 2:38 the Apostle Peter commands the crowd to "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Throughout the Book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament, the clear expectation is that anyone who is a Christian is going to be baptized. As far as we know, the thief on the cross is the only New Testament believer who was never baptized. That is why Paul can say in Ephesians 4:5 that we as Christians all share in one Lord, one faith and one baptism.
Indeed, almost all Christians agree that the ordinance or the sacrament of baptism is the rite that signifies our union with Jesus Christ. It symbolizes that we share in the benefits of Christ's death and resurrection. Listen to Romans 6:3,4 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. Or Colossians 2:12 ...having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Water baptism also signifies our experience of being baptized by the Holy Spirit through which we are made a part of the body of Christ. In many ways it is like a wedding ring. This ring on my finger is a sign to remind me and everyone who looks at my hand that I am married, that I have one wife, Nancy. Baptism is an event which tells all who witness it, including the one who has been baptized as he or she remembers what happened, that this individual is a Christian, who has one Lord, Jesus Christ.
Though there is general agreement among Christians about the importance of baptism, there are some significant issues on which there is disagreement. As we mentioned earlier, these are some of the things which distinguish Baptists from many other churches, including those in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran and Reformed traditions. Now, though we are in the minority, there are some other churches who agree with us on this issue. Almost all Pentecostal, charismatic, Brethren and Bible churches hold to what is called a "baptistic" (with a small "b") view, as do a number of other groups. I want to take time to highlight three key parts of our understanding of baptism -- what I as a pastor, or we as a congregation, believe about baptism.
1) We do not believe that baptism is a means of salvation. We think it symbolizes the salvation we receive through Jesus Christ, but we don't believe one receives that salvation by being baptized. Though some people claim that the act of baptism by itself washes away our original sin and provides the occasion on which we experience regeneration by the Holy Spirit, I don't see either of those things taught in the Bible. Rather, we understand that the key instrument in receiving God's salvation, the way someone gets saved, is through faith, through believing in Jesus Christ. Listen to Ephesians 2:8,9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast. There is no mention of baptism or even a drop of water in this text. Though there are passages which speak of faith and baptism together, I am convinced that it is the faith, the Holy Spirit-generated faith in Jesus Christ, which is effective in receiving salvation, while baptism is the outward symbol of this inner reality. That is why the Apostle John is able to say in John 3:36 "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." Again, belief, another word for faith, not baptism, is the key. So, my conclusion is that an individual becomes a Christian when, by the grace of God he or she puts faith -- believes, trusts -- in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. That is why Billy Graham, another Baptist, says it doesn't matter if you are a church member, have been baptized or are a religious person, if you have not trusted in Jesus Christ, you are spiritually lost.
The wedding ring analogy may provide some help at this point. If my son Ben takes my ring off the dresser and puts it on his finger, does that mean he is married to someone? Of course not. The ring by itself means nothing. Only when marriage vows have been spoken and a marriage license signed is a couple really married, at least in the eyes of the State of Minnesota. A couple who goes through the marriage ceremony but, for some reason don't wear rings, is still married. Someone who puts on a wedding ring but has never made any type of commitment to a husband or wife is not married at all. In the same way, I am convinced that apart from faith, the act of being baptized is of no spiritual benefit in and of itself. Unless there is faith in Jesus, being baptized does no more than get you wet.
Sometimes when I do a baptism, I stress that there is nothing magical about the water. If the person who is being baptized is not a Christian when he steps into the water, he is not going to be a Christian when he steps out. Baptism doesn't have that power. That doesn't mean there is no spiritual benefit in being baptized, however. Sometimes Baptists have made the mistake of saying "it is only a symbol." But you see, when someone is baptized because of a desire to obey and follow Jesus Christ, that is not "only a symbol." I am confident God honors that act of obedience and so, being baptized can indeed strengthen someone's soul. But again, it is not the water, but faith motivating the action which is the key.
2) We believe that only those who are believers in Jesus Christ should be baptized. As I mentioned earlier, the Lord has commanded all who receive Jesus as Savior and Lord to be baptized. Baptism should be one of the first steps of being a follower of Jesus after one becomes a Christian. That is why we don't accept anyone as an official member of our church until he or she has been baptized. Now, there is disagreement within Baptist circles, and within our church, as to how soon someone should be baptized after they profess to be a believer in Christ. In some churches a person who prays to receive Christ during a Sunday morning service will be baptized that same day. Other churches believe there should be a period of instruction before someone is baptized. They think that when someone becomes a Christian, it is good to wait and be taught basic Christian doctrine for even a few months before being baptized. Whose right? Well, in the New Testament those who turned to Christ were usually baptized almost immediately. Yet, it was appropriately very early in church history that it was decided that some instruction before baptism was necessary because people were asking to be baptized without really understanding what it meant to be a Christian. I guess maybe the answer is that when someone clearly understands what it means to be a Christian and makes a clear profession of faith, then it is time for that individual to be baptized. It would not be wise, however, to baptize everyone who merely shows initial signs of faith in Christ. That would be premature. I know there are a number of young people here today who are wondering when they should be baptized. Let me say that if you understand what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and if you know you are trusting in Him as Lord and Savior, then you should be baptized. Either Pastor Chris or I would love to talk with you if this is something you think you should do.
What about infant baptism then? Well, we believe the Bible teaches that an individual is to baptized after he/she becomes a Christian and after he/she expresses faith in Jesus. That is the pattern throughout the Book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament. Now, an infant is clearly incapable of expressing faith in Christ, even if such a faith were to exist as some claim is possible. And since infants cannot express faith in Christ, we don't believe they should be baptized. What about the faith that the parents or sponsors have? Is not that adequate for the baby? I don't think so. There is certainly nowhere in the Bible that indicates that faith is vicarious, that I can depend on someone else's faith to work as my own. No, I think the Bible is clear that it is up to each of us as individuals to trust in Jesus Christ.
Why do so many Christians practice infant baptism then? I'm not sure, although I know there is a variety of reasons. There are two types of texts that I have heard used to support this practice. The first is a passage such as Matthew 19:13-15 where Jesus blesses the children. I certainly think it is a wonderful thing to bless little children, but this text doesn't mention anything about baptism, and I think blessing and baptizing children are two different things. The second type of text consists of those Scriptures which talk about "household baptism." Four times in the Book of Acts Luke says that a believer and the members of his/her household were baptized. For example, Acts 16:33 says At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. Of course, none of these passages indicate there were infants or even children in any of these families. In the ancient world, a household might include a number of members of the extended family as well as servants or slaves. There are certainly many families in this room today who don't have anyone under twelve years of age in their household. There is no reason to believe that confessing faith in Jesus was not a prerequisite for anyone in these households to be baptized. One Roman Catholic archbishop says that infant baptism is a valid practice because it is something the church has instituted. He cannot understand, however, why any Protestant churches, who claim to believe in the authority of Scripture alone, practice infant baptism, since there is not even one instance of it in the Bible. I agree with the archbishop on that point. In this church we don't practice infant baptism because we don't believe the practice is taught in the Bible.
Now, we do recognize that being sprinkled as an infant may be a significant spiritual experience for those involved. If your parents had you baptized in this way when you were a baby, I don't think that was an evil thing. It is wonderful if your parents were using that ceremony to dedicate you to the Lord. However, we don't believe such an act constitutes the biblical ordinance of baptism. Thus, we believe that anyone who was "baptized" prior to his or her conversion to Christ, should be baptized again after they have received Christ as Lord and Savior.
3) We believe that the proper mode of baptism is immersion. By that we mean putting the person completely under the water. The meaning of the Greek word for baptism is to immerse or to dip under. This is something which most Christians who are not Baptists freely admit. Luther and Calvin, for example, both acknowledged that "baptize" means to immerse and that the early church certainly baptized by immersion. Brenner, a Roman Catholic historian, writes, "For the first 1300 years of church history, baptism was generally and regularly an immersion of the person under water, and only in extraordinary cases a sprinkling or pouring with water. The latter were disputed modes of baptism and often forbidden." The reason then that sprinkling or pouring became the common mode of baptism in various churches seems to be convenience. It is a lot easier to sprinkle water on someone than it is to immerse that individual in a pool of some type.
Now, to be fair, I have to admit that we Baptists usually do something very similar with the Lord's Supper. Jesus most certainly used wine and unleavened bread when He served the Last Supper, but in our church we use grape juice and crackers. The primary reason for this is probably convenience, and we believe that the juice and crackers retain the symbolism of the original wine and bread. Some would claim that the symbol of having our sins washed away by the Lord is retained by sprinkling water on the individual. The problem, however, is that this is only one aspect of baptism. It also symbolizes our participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus. That can only be symbolized through immersion. Going under the water represents being buried with Christ; coming up out of the water represents the new life we have in Christ. For that reason I think baptism by immersion is not only the biblical mode, but also the best mode of baptism.
Now, there is a wide variety of opinions about how baptism by immersion should be done. Trying to imitate John's baptism of Jesus, some say that baptisms should always be done outside, not in an indoor tank, and a few even insist it should be done in running water, a river or stream, not a lake. Some of you are thinking: Well, if baptisms had to be done outside, then we could only do them in the summer here. Maybe, although I remember Helena Tervonen telling me that when her husband, Toivo, was a pastor in Finland, they would chop holes in the ice to do baptisms in the winter. Most churches believe the individual should be put under the water once, in the name of the triune God, but other churches dip the person three times, once each for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In some churches, the individual squats down and the pastor just kind of pushes on his head to make sure he gets all the way under the water. One Brethren group baptizes "three times forward" instead of one time backwards like we do here. I have no idea why. My view is that the New Testament does not give us details about how baptisms were done other than that it was by immersion. So, I am fine with whatever style of immersion someone wants to use.
Friends, I hope this sermon today has helped make a little more sense of this thing we call baptism. I trust you have better understanding of what I as a pastor and we as a church believe the Bible teaches on this subject. But my fear is that we might miss the forest among the trees. By talking about the details surrounding baptism, I'm afraid we may miss the fact that we are witnessing a wonderful event. Today we have witnessed the baptism of four individuals. For each of them, this is a testimony of God's grace, of their experience of amazing grace in their life. As they came out of the water, each of them was silently shouting, "God has made me a new person through Jesus Christ. Oh, I'm not who I should be, I'm not who I'm going to be, but praise God, by His grace, I am no longer the person I used to be. Love, faith, hope and joy are starting to fill my life in a way I never thought possible." Friends, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, these baptisms ought to cause you to reflect back on your experience of God's saving grace and cause you to joyfully thank God for that. Of all the blessings we enjoy, this is the one for which we should be most thankful. If you are not a believer in Christ, or if you are not sure you are, I encourage you to talk to me or someone else who can help you understand what it means to trust in Jesus Christ. If you are not doing that, you are missing out big time, and one day you will be missing out for eternity.
Those who have been baptized today are not only testifying about what God has already done in their lives, they are also making a pledge that they will seek to follow the Lord Jesus throughout the rest of their lives. As witnesses, it is our job to help and encourage them to do just that. They are saying they are ready to join us in the battle for what is true, right and good, a battle for the kingdom of Jesus Christ. We need to welcome them to our ranks, and make sure we are seeking to follow the Lord each day. If we have been a little lax on doing so, it is time to recommit ourselves, by God's grace, to do just that.
To see our church brochure "What does our church believe about baptism?" Go to www.life.1stbaptist.org/Baptism.htm
Go to www.life.1stbaptist.org/sermons.htm for Pastor Dan's sermon site containing over 120 messages
