I Have a Question…
On your tables there’s a half sheet of paper with some discussion questions on it. Take 3 minutes to read them over and discuss them at your table as we begin this morning.
[Break]
How many of you have heard at least three of the statements about baptism on that page? How many have heard all 5? Today we’re going to
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." He said, "OK, Pastor, preach on Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." The next Sunday the pastor got up in the pulpit, read that verse, and then said, "Amen. That’s wonderful. God created the earth, which is two-thirds water, and today we’re going to talk about the best use of water – baptism!"
Unlike that pastor, I don’t have a preoccupation with baptism. But many people do. I think that it’s interesting that the churches that call themselves “Baptist” are actually less fixated with baptism than many churches that don’t wear that name. They see baptism as the point of salvation – as an absolute necessity for salvation. While Baptists, and by that I mean churches that follow Baptistic theology, see it as an outward symbol of an internal work of salvation already completed by God.
There are many people here at Gateway who have just recently become a part of our church. Many of you come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Catholics, Lutherans, Methodist, Assembly of God, and many other church heritages are represented here. Still others of us come from no church background at all. With such diversity, I think it is very important that we take the time every now and then to review just what this church believes. As I prepared for today’s service, I realized that there would probably be people here at Gateway who have never witnessed a believer baptism, where an adult is immersed in water. I was talking to one young man this week who said that when he saw his parents baptized, he was four years old, and it kind of scared him - he wasn’t sure the preacher was going to let them back up out of the water! I want to encourage you with all I have to come tonight and be a part of the service we are going to have at the Power’s pool. We have a bunch of folks, young and not so young, who want to make a public statement of their decision to follow Jesus!
I also realize there are plenty of people here who have known of and witnessed believer baptism all their lives, who were themselves baptized years ago, but who seldom think about the meaning and significance of this event. So, whether this is the first, or the tenth, or the hundredth Baptism Sunday you have been a part of, I think we can all benefit from exploring some things the Lord has to say on this topic.
Our focus as a church has always been to reach the people in this community who feel far removed from God – they may feel un-welcomed, or perhaps abused by the church. Some may have even given up on the church, but haven’t given up on God. We desire to show those seeking people, maybe you are here today – that knowing Jesus is a lot more than going to church; much more than religion – knowing Jesus is all about relationship. You loving Him, because you realize His love for you; and the daily, moment-by-moment impact that He can make on your life.
In Matthew 28, verse 19, we find the source of our mission as a church – it does not stem from me, or from the Leadership Team here at Gateway Community Church, instead, it comes from the ultimate Leader of this church, Jesus Christ himself. Look at the command he gives his followers in this verse.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
As I thought about it, I realized that in the 11 years that I’ve pastored this church, I’ve only spoken about baptism on one Sunday morning – most of the time when we talk about baptism, it’s at the baptism service on Sunday afternoon – to those who are there to witness it. Why don’t we talk about baptism very often? I suspect it is a because baptism has been so divisive over the years. There was a book written a few years ago called Baptism: The Water That Divides. Baptistic churches 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 as a life or death issue – literally! Leaders of other churches often advocated executing Baptists as dangerous heretics, and Baptists were usually willing to die for their convictions. Our own Conference is rooted in that type of persecution, when Swedish Baptists were not permitted to work, own property and were jailed for their beliefs. So they came to America seeking religions freedom.
I know there are many wonderful Christians who have very different beliefs on baptism than I do. Some of my favorite authors 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, while they all believed in infant baptism. I remember talking to Dave Katsma, the pastor of Marshview Ministries in Horicon – a Christian Reformed Congregation - about the challenges of starting a new church in this area. I told him that two issues were the most commonly asked of me when a new visitor arrived. One was about the Holy Spirit, people wondering if we were a more “Charismatic,” or “Pentecostal” church, and the other was the issue of baptism – people asking if I would baptize their babies. He laughed and said, “Well, we do baptize infants, you heretic!” Within evangelical circles baptism is usually treated as a subject that we agree to disagree on, and I am glad for that.
But while the means of baptism is something that many Christians have agreed to disagree on, the significance of baptism not something that should be ignored by the church. It is very important. 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.
The Great Commission – which we read earlier, is the job description that Jesus has given us - to “make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Jesus Himself was baptized by John, and as Jesus’ followers, we too are baptized. In Acts 2:38, 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 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.”
Almost all Christians agree that baptism is the rite that signifies our union with Jesus Christ in His 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.
Baptism symbolizes the salvation we receive through faith in Jesus Christ. We don’t believe one receives that salvation by being baptized. Some theology claims that the act of baptism in 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, 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.”
While many churches will say in their written doctrines that they believe in salvation through faith, their practices show that they believe in salvation by baptism. Just go to one of the funerals at that church, and the pastor will inevitably claim that the deceased entered into new life in Christ on the occasion of their baptism, and give the date of that baptism.
But in the Bible there is no mention of baptism or even a drop of water in connection with Salvation. There are passages that speak of “faith” and “baptism” together, but it is the faith that saves, 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.
There is nothing magical about the water. If the person who is being baptized is not a Christian when they step into the water, they are not going to be a Christian when they step out. Baptism doesn’t have that power. That is why Billy Graham 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.
But with that being said, baptism does have great significance and benefit for us as Christians. It does not save us, but it is very important.
So then what is the significance of baptism? Some have made the mistake of saying "baptism is only a symbol." It is a symbolic act, but it’s much more. I believe baptism is an act of obedience, it is a symbol of commitment, and it is a milepost on the highway of our spiritual journey.
First, it’s an act of obedience. When someone is baptized because of a desire to obey and follow Jesus Christ, that is not "just a symbol." It is doing what Jesus commanded. I am confident God honors that act of obedience. When a person tells me that they aren’t sure they want to get baptized, or that they don’t feel the need to get baptized, then I have to wonder, “Why not? What is going on in that heart that keeps them from wanting to do what Jesus has clearly instructed us to do?” I believe it can indicate other areas of disobedience or unwillingness to submit to His authority. We can’t begin to follow the path of obedience without taking the first step.
Secondly, baptism is an external symbol of a committed heart. The wedding ring analogy may provide some help at this point. You may have heard me say this before, but it bears repeating – This ring is a symbol of my love and commitment to Carol. In and of itself, however, it is simply shaped metal. If my son John 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. 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. And a couple who decides to put on their rings before the ceremony, and pretend they are married are just that – pretending. In the same way, any act, including baptism, that is not accompanied by faith, is meaningless. Unless there is faith in Jesus, being baptized does no more than get you wet.
Thirdly, baptism is a milepost on the spiritual highway. The Bible is full of spiritual mileposts. When God made a commitment to Noah, he sealed it with the rainbow. When God made a covenant with Jacob, Jacob took a stone and set it up on end as a pillar as a milepost – a reminder of the vow he had taken before God. Joshua did the same thing after leading the children of Israel across the Jordan River. We need those specific places in time to remind us of significant events. We do it all the time. Mileposts serve as reminders – in our nations history we “Remember the Alamo!” and Pearl Harbor. People have stickers on their cars that say, “Never forget 9-11.” Those reminders serve to inspire us when we get weary in our resolve.
Baptism is a milepost – it is a “line in the sand” that says, “On this day, I declare to the world that my life is going in a new direction” That’s why Jesus was baptized. He went into the water a carpenter, He came out a rabbi. He was baptized to set a marker for all to see that His life was taking a new direction from that point on.
I’m sure Paul never forgot the events on the road to Damascus, when Jesus appeared before him, and struck him blind, and called him. In the days that followed, through shipwreck, snakebite, stoning, persecution from the Romans and his own people alike, whenever he had a moment of doubt, that road to Damascus experience serve to remind him that he had been called by the Lord of the Universe!
We have significant mileposts in our personal lives as well. Like a wedding ceremony, for example. When a man and woman come to the wedding ceremony, it’s not the first time they have expressed their love for each other, or their commitment to one another. They have discussed it and made that decision weeks or even months before. But they gather their friends together, and in a specific time and place, before witnesses, they make a public pledge to one another. In the years to come, when struggles and doubts arise, they can look back to that day, and those promises made, and be reminded of the solemn oaths they took.
It’s true of your spiritual life, too. Baptism is a milepost – it’s a specific place and time when you can look back and say, “On July 16, 2006, in the pool of Jim and Trish Powers, I stood before family, friends and other witnesses and made a public statement of my decision to follow Jesus Christ.”
We all need that. I can recall the morning in 1966 when I prayed with my Sunday School teacher to receive Jesus as my Savior. I remember the swimming pool in Ohio where I was baptized as a teenager and vowed I would follow Jesus for the rest of my life. When I sometimes get discouraged in my ministry, I remember the day a man I had never met, who didn’t know me at all, put his hand on my back and said, “You’re going to plant a church in Mayville one day!” I didn’t even know where Mayville was! I remember that and it reminds me that God is in control – He is the one doing this work – not me! I think back to the day when the District Executive Minister prayed over Carol and I and commissioned us for this ministry. Those were milestone days in my life – and they give me perspective when things get tough.
You need those too. Can you look back to a day when you drew a line in the sand, and said, “From this point forward – All for Jesus!”?
THAT’S the significance of baptism! It’s being obedient to the Lord, it’s making a public statement of a personal truth, and it’s setting a spiritual marker in your soul. That’s what these people will do this afternoon – and it’s something ever believer should and must do. If you haven’t – or if you feel you have a new understanding and want to do it again – bring your swim gear and willing heart to Powers pool this afternoon!
Prayer