Why I love baptism
Something has been lost in the modern church. Some time ago baptism became an optional extra, something symbolic and nice, but not really necessary. We have come to treat baptism as something one does to show the other folks at church that you are also now saved, that you have indeed become a Christian. Even more incredible is that some churches actually use baptism as a way to join the church. For these churches it seems that baptism is a sort of club initiation. And this was my view of it while growing up. In fact, while growing up, it became pretty clear that being Christian didn’t really mean much at all to most people I went to church with. So because we created a church that really was pretty vanilla, kind of non-confrontational and user friendly,it is no wonder then that baptism fell into the category of sideshow.
Baptism is not an optional extra. It is made clear throughout the Word of God that it is in fact the thing that we are supposed to do. Let me be clear. Baptism does not save you. We know that the thief on the cross was promised eternitywith Christ and he was not baptized. We also know Jesus promised several others eternity for faith and other things and there is no mention that they were baptized. However, what we also know is that there are many accounts that saying yes to following was associated with baptism. So while baptism is not a saving moment, neither are the other things that we often associate with salvation. Clearly professions of faith do not save us. Sinner’s prayers also do not save us. Saying yes to an alter call also does not save us.In fact, most things that we associate with salvation are things of man, things that bring us comfort for death but not necessarily eternal life.
Paul was clear that there was a race to be won. John was clear that we must overcome and be faithful to the end. In fact the Word of God makes clear that while salvation is freely given and not earned, it is given upon completion of the journey, not upon beginning it. We must go on believing,not just start.
So why we are baptized is not symbolic at all. It is a very real transaction between us and God. It is a very real death. Those who will follow, will desire to be buried in that water, to dive in and stay under untilthe old man has died and the new man has risen. Oh how I long to scream and shout for all to hear that it is real, that the death we die in that water is not symbolic and that all who think it is have not died and therefore do not live.
Our Savior was baptized. He came to John and humbled himself and in some weird way that we cannot understand He had to die in that water so that He could then die on the cross. Jesus does not mess around and He certainly is not being symbolic on that day when He went under the water. God does not cry out from heaven with joy because His Son has given us a good example to follow. God is overjoyed because Jesus has chosen to die in the water and then walk the death out for three and a half years. In Matthew 3:16we are told, “And when Jesus was baptized,immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him,and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.”You are kidding me that this is just some tender trinity moment. This is a moment of great joy and as such when we see baptism we should shout from the mountaintops. If God is moved enough to open up heaven we can also be moved.Jesus rises from the water and begins to transform the world. He does this after He is baptized and not before. Who will we transform with our symbolism?We transform because we die and live in new life.
In Acts 2:38 Peter gives his first message “And Peter said to them, ‘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.’” Repentance is the first step. It is the beginning of all things in Him. We cry out for mercy and repent of our old man and then we jump in the water and die. And when we come out we are so utterly changed that we are not who we were moments ago. We are transformed and ready to go on believing.
In Romans 6:1-4 Paul writes, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” What are you saying Paul? Why is it that we quote the first two verses but not the rest. Why do we say go and sin no more without saying jump in the water and die. Here Paul clearly puts the two together, clearly says stop sinning because you died in the water, you are new.
Why do I love baptism? Oh because I know what it is to die. I know what it is to be someone before the water and someone after the water and I am convinced that the water kills off all the old man when you go under it. I will never be the same again. The water did not save me. On the contrary, it killed me.
