Why Baptism

Why Baptism?

1. It’s in the Bible

• It’s not like we made this up

• In fact it’s mentioned quite often in the New Testament

• John the Baptist as he prepares everyone for Jesus is baptizing people

• Jesus himself is baptized

• Jesus commands it as he commissions his disciples in Matthew 28:18–20 (NIV) — 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

• We see people being baptized all through the book of Acts – the story of the early church

• We see it in Paul’s letters to the churches as he talks about salvation

• It’s not just mentioned, it’s commanded

• Acts 2:38 (NIV) — 38 Peter replied, “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.

• Acts 22:16 (NIV) — 16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.

I don’t understand they why behind all of God’s commands and that’s not ultimately my responsibility, but there are some commands that seem to make sense and baptism is one them. There seems to be a good reason that we get baptized rather than hop on one foot for 3 minutes. There’s something about water that is special

2. Water is universally accessible – there is water everywhere.

• Most people life within a reasonable distance from water – that’s why people lived where they lived – they chose places close to water

• Baptism is available to the majority of people

• Repent and be

• What if the Bible had people anointed with olive oil – well, that is not as universal

• What about if people were told to climb a mountain – not everyone is close to a mountain or can climb

• What if we were told to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem or some other holy place – not everyone can do that

• What if people were told to recite a creed – not everyone may have the intellectual capacity to do that - some can’t read or even speak

• Everyone everywhere can be baptized

• It’s an experience that all believers can participate in and in doing so it creates a picture of unity among believers

One of the issues on the first century was a lack of unity among believers. Race, wealth, gender – they all were used to set people apart rather than unite them. So, in teaching on unity Paul uses this common experience, baptism, as a picture of our unity.

He uses the experience of the Jews during the exodus:

1 Corinthians 10:1–4 (NIV) — 1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

This common experience unified the people of Israel. He will go on to say that baptism unifies us:

1 Corinthians 12:12–14 (NIV) — 12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Look at how Paul connects baptism and unity in Galatians:

Galatians 3:26–29 (NIV) — 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Baptism is a beautiful way to enter the kingdom because it’s something all of us can do. Black, white, rich, poor, slave, free, American, African, male, female – we can all tell the same story of conversion – we were baptized! This one universally accessible act is an expression of the unity of all believers throughout time and places. Baptism levels the field – what did you do – I was baptized – it is a passive act – there’s no bragging – it is the common experience that unites all believers.