Billy Bartholomew was a rather interesting young boy. He had been going to church for a long time. Billy’s dad was a deacon. But Billy considered church to be rather boring. And so he saw it as his calling to spice things up a bit. Especially during baptisms.
Little Billy was with his father on Saturday when he was cleaning the church. In his adventures around the building, Billy noticed that the baptistery was filled—meaning there would be a baptism the next day. And so Billy’s mind turned for a few seconds before he ran to the bulletin board. There, fascened into the corkboard were all sorts of multicolored thumb tacks. Billy proceeded to line them up one by one across the front of the baptistery like an army standing at attention. He then flicked them individually into the water below—each one making a little twisting move as they landed upon the bottom.
The next day as Pastor Peterson descended into the baptistery for the momentous event a peaceful demeanor showed upon his face. That is, until he came down that one final step and met the bottom. “Lord Jesus, have mercy,” he cried. At first, most thought Pastor Peterson was unusually emotional. Ah, church was really fun that day.
Or how about the time Billy’s older sister was to be baptized. Beth Bartholomew was deathly afraid of certain water experiences. She couldn’t stand to swim in a lake for fear of fish swimming by and touching her legs. Her parents convinced her that baptisms don’t have to be done in lakes, that a pool or a baptistery would do just fine and there would be no worry about fish. That is, until Billy just happened to ride his bike down to the local fish store and secure for his pleasure a nice school of goldfish. As Beth entered the water on that special day, her scream could be heard for miles. Some thought she had a change of heart. Those who knew Billy thought otherwise. Oh church was really interesting that day.
Many people identify with the following accounts. There can be almost a hovering fear or curiosity around the subject of baptism for those that weren’t raised in that tradition. What is baptism about and why is it necessary? Some have seen it as just another initiation ritual--like you would see at a fraternity house or a civic club. Some are frightened by it--envisioning the scene as an embarrassing, humiliating experience as hundreds of gawkers watch you at one of your most vulnerable points as you allow someone else to hold you down. Still others find it to be almost a game of chance, like the dunking booths you see at the fair. Throw the ball or give a confession, get dunked, and maybe God will save you that way.
Today we want to dispel some of the myths you may have about baptism while also giving you a clearer picture of how baptism came about and what it means. And one of the best places to start is in Matthew 3, where Jesus himself is baptized by John the Baptist. Turn with me, if you would, to Matthew 3:13-17 as we unlock some of the questions behind what baptism is and what it means for us today. (Read text)
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 lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.
This is one of the more remarkable passages we have regarding Jesus. Here we are, at the beginning of his ministry. John the Baptist had been faithfully preaching repentance and baptizing people all around the region of Galilee. But something amazing occurs. Something unexpected. Jesus comes to the Jordan river and requests that John baptize him. Why in the world would Jesus request such a thing? Here he is, the son of God, without sin, sent to die for the sins of humanity--why would he of all people need to be baptized? Why would God himself, in the form of his son, seek baptism?
That’s what John wanted to know. John’s eyes must have been popping out of his head. Here’s the one whose sandals John says he’s not fit to carry, and Jesus request him to take the lead and baptize him. John’s answer is what we expect, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
It seems mystifying to John, and to us, at first glance in knowing Jesus to see such a request. But once we go further into the text we begin to understand the significance of why Jesus makes this a vital part of his ministry. Jesus replied to John, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus requested baptism in order to fulfill all righteousness. It’s not that Jesus had sinned and needed baptism. It’s not that without baptism Jesus could not have saved the world. Jesus himself was saying that this needed to happen so that every aspect of righteousness could and would be accomplished.
It seems almost arrogant to me, that some people proclaim that they are Christians but in the same breath say that they don’t need baptism. Here, the very Son of God himself, without sin, requested the rite because it meant so much to him and to his character of righteousness. If it meant that much to Jesus, it should mean that much to us. If we are to follow Christ in every example he gave, baptism needs to be included in our lives as we serve Christ today.
The early church took this to heart and practiced baptism. But not just any baptism, mind you. Every specific instance of a baptism within the NT was a conscious decision by the person. They wanted to be baptized. They knew what baptism meant in the understanding of the word and practice. They desired to humble themselves before others to symbolize the death, burial, and resurrection of their Lord. The reason they did this was because Jesus himself commanded baptism. At the end of Matthew, when Jesus was about ready to leave his disciples and ascend into heaven, he said to them, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
From this proclamation, Peter was able to tell the crowd on the day of Pentecost the importance of baptism. They were cut to the heart. Three thousand were baptized when he got done preaching. In Acts 8, Simon the sorcerer saw the example of Philip and heard his preaching, and he believed and was baptized as well as other men and women who listened to him. Later on, as Philip encountered an Ethiopian eunuch, the man was confused by the prophecy of Jesus from Isaiah 53. Philip not only explained the text, but had such an effect on him that when they came to water as they were walking along the road the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?”
As the apostles later went on to be with their Lord and the church progressed, some interesting things happened in baptismal theology. For the early church believer, baptism became connected with the catechism, or the teaching of the church. Baptism was the culmination of a series of teachings on what the church believed in. Early Christian writers still affirmed the importance of the believer’s baptism, and it wasn’t until the late 2nd century that infant baptism was even introduced into Christian writings. The early Christian writer Tertullian was the first to mention it, but he disagreed with the notion, saying children were innocent at birth.
In some cases fasting was required before baptisms. In other cases, the person was immersed 3 times--once for each head of the trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Frequently baptisms were still held in rivers, signifying the fact that life was in the water. When baptisms did occur in baptisteries, even the architecture of the pool was symbolic. Baptisteries were made in the form of a cross, or in the shape of the womb of a mother to signify being born again.
Theologically, baptisms in the early church pointed out the connection of OT and NT. Passages recalling the Exodus would be read, recalling how water was used in salvation even as long ago as Moses and the Israelites.
But going back to our text, we see 1. Jesus himself was baptized, and 2. Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize as I read from Matt. 28:19. But something else comes out of this request by Jesus to be baptized. Jesus indicates how he was to be baptized.
In the use of the Greek word, baptizo, Jesus indicated that the baptism he wanted was to be immersed fully in water. Scholarly opinion confirms this definitively. Kittle’s Theological Dictionary of New Testament Words defines the word “baptizo” to mean “to dip in or under”. Thayers Greek-English Lexicon says “to dip, dip in, immerse”. Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich’s Lexicon also states “dip or dip in”. In fact every place that baptism is mentioned in the NT it uses this Greek word, which means to immerse. Nowhere in the NT does it speak of sprinkling babies or adults at all. So Jesus was requesting a baptism that would immerse him fully in water.
Leaders from church history also confirm the fact that baptism should be done by immersion. Martin Luther, who sparked the Protestant reformation and became the forerunner for the Lutheran denomination said, “I would have those who are to be baptized to be entirely immersed, as the word imports and the mystery signifies.” John Calvin, leader of the Presbyterian church wrote, “the word `baptize’ signifies to immerse. It is certain that immersion was the practice of the ancient church.” John Wesley, preacher and hymn writer in the Methodist church claimed, “buried with Him, alludes to baptizing by immersion according to the custom of the first church.”
Within the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, baptism by immersion has always held great importance. The founders of our movement desired to go back to the NT and attempt to practice baptism the way it was taught in by our Lord and by the early church. In trying to get this point across to the early frontier settlers of America, Alexander Campbell wrote a book called The Christian System. In that work, Campbell states, “Baptism is, then, designed to introduce the subjects of it into the participation of the blessings of the death and resurrection of Christ.”
The reason that a person is baptized is to participate in the blessings offered to us through a physical and symbolic cleansing. Baptism allows us an opportunity to openly declare in a humble fashion, that we are imperfect, that we need assistance, and that the only help available to us was made possible by Jesus Christ.
Baptism is the great equalizer, as Bob Russell likes to state, because no matter what your level of income is, or color of your skin, or occupation, we are all offered the same opportunity. And whether you had a $200 perm just before you enter the water or a $6 blue light special trim, when we come out of the water, all of us look the same—wet. There is great symbolism and significance in baptism becoming part of the process where we are born again. It provides a universal experience with unimaginable benefits.
But within the discussion of baptism, many times a given question will arise. Simply put, is baptism essential to salvation? This is not an easy question. But a good place for us to start is with Alexander Campbell himself—one of the major founders of the Christian churches and Churches of Christ.
Alexander Campbell answered this question when a woman from Lunenburg, Va. asked him his view on the matter. He responded by writing, ”There is no occasion for making immersion, on a profession of the faith, absolutely essential to a Christian.” He later added, “He that infers that none are Christians but the immersed, as greatly errs as he who affirms that none are alive but those of clear and full vision.” That may surprise you. Campbell went on to define who is a Christian. He said, “But who is a Christian? I answer, every one that believes in his heart that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Son of God; repents of his sins, and obeys him in all things according to the measure of knowledge of his will.” A Christian, as Campbell defined it, is one who follows God’s will to the best of their own ability.
Sometimes people in the Christian Churches & Church of Christ make baptism to be the only test of whether a person will go to heaven. It doesn’t matter whether a person walks closely with God or says one thing and does another, or just blatantly rejects God altogether--if they were dunked in the water, that’s all that matters, and they’re saved regardless. But such a stance is a dangerous distortion of scripture. The Bible tells us we are saved through our faith and our actions. Our salvation does not come through the power that is in the water or through one specific act we perform. Our salvation comes through the power and the grace that is in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Whenever you ask the question of whether baptism is essential, all sorts of opinions arise. It would be fair to say that there are varied opinions even within our assembly today. But what is critical for us to remember is that God is the ultimate judge, and it’s our responsibility to show love and unity within Christ. In the words of one of the founders of the Christian church movement, “We do not seek to be the only Christians, but Christians only.”
But some people make the excuse that since baptism isn’t really essential --why do it? The prevalent thought many people have today is to ask what is the least I can do in order to get into heaven. But that’s the wrong attitude to have. God has given us so much that the least we can do, should not replace the very best we can do.
I would bet that when you know that someone special will be visiting your home, you make special preparations. You get the vacuum out, do some dusting, place the fine china on a fresh tablecloth, carefully prepare the food, maybe play some soft music and light some candles for atmosphere. If your guest is staying for awhile you prepare the guest room, put some towels out, maybe arrange for some sight-seeing opportunities and some fun events to attend. When you invite Jesus into your life, you are inviting him in for an extended stay. And part of the preparation process of inviting him into our life is our willingness to participate in baptism.
We are told in the Bible that baptism is a critical part of the process of salvation. And if you haven’t yet been baptized, you need to know that time and again the New Testament speaks of the importance of baptism in the conversion process. In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost he stated, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Mark 16:16 informs us, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” In Romans 6, Paul outlines that the act of baptism is the symbolic act of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we undergo the process of baptism, we experience a similar situation. We die to our old self, a friend assists in our burial, and we are raised by the power of God. 2 Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”
Jesus came to seek and save the lost, to draw all people of all nations unto himself. His baptism signified this as the Spirit of God descended like a dove and light shot down from heaven upon him. The voice of God then beamed with pride, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
By understanding Jesus’ baptism we can understand how to explain baptism to others. Ivan the Great, czar of Russia during the 15th century, was so busy making Russia great that he had never taken a wife. Some of his advisors were concerned because he had no male heir. So Ivan commissioned them to find him a wife. They did; the daughter of the king of Greece, but there was one problem. In order for Ivan to be acceptable to the King of Greece, Ivan had to become Greek orthodox. To do so Ivan had to be baptized. Ivan agreed and he demanded that his 500 personal body guards be baptized with him. Priests were sent to Russia to teach Ivan and his soldiers, and on the day of his baptism, thousands gathered to watch the event. The soldiers walked into the water, but there was a problem. In the Greek Orthodox church, members can’t be warriors. So it was determined that the soldiers would be baptized with one arm out of the water, holding the sword high. They had what history calls “the unbaptized arm”.
In their inaccurate thoughts about baptism, the priests incorrectly told Ivan and his bodyguards that part of you can still remain in your old life. You see, baptism isn’t about jumping through the right hoops or being initiated into the church—it’s about openly declaring your desire to give your heart to God.
What it comes down to is personally reflecting on your relationship with God. If you have already been baptized, I’d encourage you to continue to learn about the importance of this event and share it’s joy with others. For those of you who are considering baptism, know that this is a beautiful opportunity to declare your life to Jesus Christ. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward decision. Without knowing it, your decision may have a direct bearing on others.
When I was nine years old, I went to church camp for the very first time. It was the first extended period I had experienced away from home, but since my dad was one of the counselors, I still felt at ease. That week at Christian Harbor Youth Camp is one of the most memorable of my life. The songs we sang, the games we played, and the invitation that was given to accept Jesus into our life. I went to dad at the end of the week and told him I wanted to be baptized. And he encouraged me to do so the following Sunday during worship. And so, during the service that day, I came to the front during the invitation time, gave my confession of faith, went to prepare for baptism as a few songs were sung, and a short time later, I was baptized.
While I don’t remember any doves or a shot of light that beamed upon me, something else special occurred a week later. During worship the following week, a man in his late 40s came forward to be baptized. And I distinctly remember him coming up to me following the service that day and he said, “Aaron, I want you to know, you gave me the courage to go ahead and be baptized. I figured that if a nine year-old could do it, then so could I.” Without knowing it, your baptism can have a direct impact, not only on you, but also on someone else’s life.
And so I encourage you today to fulfill all righteousness as Jesus did. Make the miracle of baptism a part of your life by offering, in complete obedience, the very best of yourself to God. I’ll check for the thumb tacks and the goldfish, you make sure that your heart is right with God.
