Baptism

Depending on your theological background we all come to the issue of baptism with different presuppositions and preunderstandings… there is no doubt about that.

From my own background, I have heard it said of baptism, that it is just an outward expression of an inward transformation, and as true as that is... I also believe it is so much more than that. 

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Before I get too far into this... I understand there have been many different beliefs and debates about what baptism means in the church. I do not mean to derail anyone's personal view on how one should be baptized or how your church has taught about the doctrine of baptism, I wish to simply grow our view of and respect of this beautiful sacrament of the church. whatever your views on this gift, I hope this post will only bring glory to God by dialoguing on the subject.
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And so... Here we go!

Baptism is a symbol of reconciliation with Christ, in fact it is a way we even join with Christ. We die to ourselves and to him and are raised back with him. The gift of baptism makes us a part of a community of believers.

The Essenes (Jewish group of the first century) baptized as a recognition of joining a new community.

Early Jewish groups throughout the time of the Old Testament kings baptized their members as a sign of repentance.

Evidence suggests that the very first form of Jewish and Christian baptisms were of submersion into a pool of water.

There were many types of ceremonial washings in pagan religions. In Hellenistic religions, it was believed that moral sins could be washed away. Egyptians would ritually wash their dead, believing that this would renew the spark of life in the next world. The mystery religions combined eastern mystical rites with western mythology, stressing secret ritual and hidden knowledge. Among these groups baptism came to be recognized as a cultic dying and revivification. However, there is no evidence that such beliefs existed before the late 2nd century, and Jewish parallels provide better background.

When we submit to Christian baptism we all have a moment in common with one another, this one experience that we have all shared and that we all have experienced.

As part of the baptismal ceremony the new believer affirms the lordship of Christ, his or her commitment to a new way of living, and an announcement of their need for a savior. We all together become dependent upon one another and on Christ.

There is something mysterious about water in the Bible.
There is nothing magical about it… but mysterious.
Water in the Bible has always been linked to death turning into life. Death and newness.

Genesis 1:1-2

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

The Hebrew word for hovering can also be translated as quaking. There is a rumble from this hovering. There is activity. There is movement. There is… a voice calling out LET THERE BE… 

And there was.

It is also interesting that before God creates light, land, air, life, or anything else… He creates an earth that is covered with water. A giant sphere of deep water. And out of this water the Spirit quakes and creates.

Then there is Noah’s flood… Boom. Death and destruction. But out of this… God preserves Noah and his family as they hover over the water in the Ark, and there is a fresh start. A reset. A newness. (1 Peter 3:18-22)

Then there is the crossing of the Red Sea…
The crossing of the Jordan River…

A lot of Jesus’ miracles involve water… or are surrounded by water, including his first miracle that is recorded for us.

Water into Wine.
Feeding of the 5000 next to the Sea of Galilee.
Walking on water.
Calming of the storm.
The immense catch of fish.
The calling of the first disciples.

And what of that conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus?

“Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” -John 3:3-5

There is just something about water.

The believer is also partaking in an act that Jesus himself did. We are reminded of the dove and voice falling from heaven, “This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased.” We are now children of God as well.

We are, through baptism, joining Jesus in his story and passing through the waters ourselves. 

After all, Jesus did it... and it wasn't because he needed cleansing from sins. He instituted something in which we can join him in: Submission to His Father... Our Father in Heaven.

The story is even more ancient than that though, because when we are baptized we are also linked to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea and the Jordan, being rescued from our bondage to sin and death as well as inheriting the promises of God.

Isn’t that cool?

Baptism is a gift.

So what does it mean to be called “the baptized”?

Perhaps the easiest explanation is that it means to be the family of God. We are heirs of the promise, fellow heirs with Christ. There was a ceremony of entrance into something new. We died and were raised. We have been cleansed, washed, bought, and consecrated to Christ. We are a new creation together.

The Spirit was quaking over the waters.

The result of baptism is reception into and identification with the messianic community of the new covenant, signifying both forgiveness of sins and the reception of the Holy Spirit. Baptism, much like circumcision for the Jews, is a mark of separation.

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” -Colossians 2:6-15

When we are baptized, we are not just dunked into water and brought up…We are now different than the world.

It is also one of the chosen ways God gives us his Holy Spirit:

“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 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. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” –Acts 2:37-41

See also: Acts 19, 22, Ephesians 4, Titus 3:1-11

The fact that it is baptism that is our entry point, means that there are no other things, no acts of righteousness that we can do or have to get in to God’s community.

It is God's gift. God's doing.
God's work.

 
There are no special barriers having to be a specific ethnicity, socio-economic level, or political party.
 

The Kingdom of God is open to all who submit to Christ as absolute authority.

Within the Christian community there is no room for oppression, racism, or of viewing oneself higher than anyone else. We are all equally in need of a savior and saving.

We all enter through the same gate: Jesus.

We have all passed through the same waters.

We look like a community of submission. We remember our baptism and how that is an act of submission, to Jesus and to one another. We literally place our life in the hands of another as they submerge us. We entered the community through submission, and that is how we live in the community from that point forward.

We cannot disregard the picture of submersion though.

We enter the water. We are laid down into the water. And we are raised back up out of the water.

We die to ourselves. We are buried as Christ was buried. But we do not stay under… We are raised back to life just as Jesus.

Baptism is a gift.

Baptism is a picture of beauty.

But it is also a picture of a violent, disruptive death.

Baptism is… not a question of whether it is a work or whether it is required for salvation…

But rather it is a different question entirely…

Why wouldn’t you want to take part in the gift that is given to us?

There is no better illustration of why baptism is a death than when I heard the following story:

Some time back, a retired missionary dropped by our church. She had served faithfully in Africa for many years, and one day while there, she happened upon a small baptismal service. A fellow missionary took three new converts to the center of a shallow river, and dug a hole in the sand so there would be enough water for the baptisms. Even then, the new believers were forced to sit in the sand so there would be enough water to cover them for the important ceremony.

The missionary telling the story saw what she'd expected.

A few friends and family members gathered to watch, and the missionary in the river raised his hand, repeating familiar scriptures before baptizing the converts. When the first convert came up out of the water, he began an excited and joyful time of shouting.

The quiet service was silent no more!

The second convert did the same.
The final convert also came up from the shallow water shouting for joy.

Afterwards, the missionary watching the process asked about the unusual tradition.

Why all the shouting?

"I haven't been able to completely communicate in this tribe's language," said the younger missionary. "I presented the Gospel. I am confident they understand who Jesus is and what he did. They believe in him. They heard the scripture I gave them, they understand the words, but they didn't understand the symbolic nature of it. I have not been able to adequately describe symbolism appropriately in this language. I am still learning. So when I told them that they would be "buried with him through baptism into death ... and raised to walk in the newness of life" (Romans 6:4) they actually thought baptism would kill them! They weren’t expecting to be raised back up and actually be alive… So they started shouting and thanking God for a new life. I guess they understand resurrection more than I ever will.”

I will add to that… I think this tribe in Africa and the people who submitted to the Baptismal service understand it more than any of us ever will.

If you thought baptism would kill you, would you be willing to get into the water?

Following Jesus means we recognize the royal nature of the one we serve. Yes, he has saved us. Yes, he loves us and wants us in his royal family. But yes, he is King of Kings, and we owe him our very lives. There is no other appropriate response but death to self.
There is no other appropriate response but submission.

Baptism… a gift to us by the very grace of God… is by nature the way we should live every day of our lives.
Are you ready to live out what your Baptism means?
If you haven’t yet submitted to this blessed sacrament of the church… Are you willing to step into the water?

Christ deserves nothing less.
And the church loves to celebrate these ceremonies.

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Nathan Bryant

Is a student of Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri. Majoring in Biblical leadership and Missiology, he has a combined passion for church unity and discipleship in the global church. Nate is a crazed sports fan, he enjoys fantasy football and watching baseball with friends. He works as an Admissions Counselor at Ozark as well as assistant to the staff at River Run Christian Church. Nate is also a Starbucks addict. Yay Coffee!

Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our causes.

Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our boundaries.
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