Seven Things about Baptism (Matt. 28:18-20)

This sermon was preached on 11/8/2013

Baptism is a common practice in today’s world, even although it is one of the most disputed of practices in the Christian church. Many books have been written and many hours have been lost discussing it. Most people within and without the Christian church, if asked, would have an opinion on it. No doubt many of us have witnessed several baptisms, perhaps even in this building. In the four years I have been here there have been about twenty baptisms. Probably, most of us have been baptised, but perhaps we do not pay much attention to it. Should we pay attention to it if it happened such a long time ago? What is the point of what we are doing here this morning?

Before we look at seven aspects of baptism, I would urge you to be in the right spirit as we make our way through the service. In our hearts there should be a spirit of praise to God for this marvellous provision that he has given to us. And we should be in a spirit of prayer as we listen and as we watch what will take place. Moreover there should be confession related to the fact that we have not lived up to what baptism means, because it is serious, not merely at its occasion but for the remainder of our lives.

1. Baptism is a badge of discipleship

Every organisation has its emblems or initiation practices. The Christian church too has its badge of discipleship. People often discuss what the church of Jesus is. The answers can be many depending on the aspect under discussion. So we can speak about the invisible church, which describes every truly converted person. Although we can speak about the invisible church, we cannot see it. In addition to the invisible church, we speak about the visible church, which concerns aspects of the church that we can see.

How do we describe people in the visible church? One word is ‘disciples’. A disciple was a learner who attached himself to a teacher in order to be instructed and to have a life to imitate. That is why people are linked to a congregation. It is useful to remember that discipleship does not equate always with conversion. Jesus had false disciples who stopped following him when they discovered that his plans were different from theirs. False disciples, such as Simon the sorcerer, were baptised in the book of Acts.

How old does one have to be in order to be a disciple of Jesus? It is evident from the Gospels that he wanted children, even young children, to come to him for instruction. He even rebuked his disciples for trying to prevent them from doing so. I can see no reason why infants cannot be baptised. Of course there is the danger of superstition that if an infant is not baptised then God will be angry. Superstition is no basis for this activity. It is all about discipleship from as young an age as possible.

2. Baptism is authorised by Jesus Christ

Why can we have a baptism here today? The main answer to this question is not that the church authorised it or that the parents wanted it. Obviously, both of these aspects are very important, yet they are not the most important. The most important aspect is that Jesus Christ commanded his apostles initially to baptise disciples and from then on the church has done so. So we can see that baptism is an acknowledgement of the authority of Jesus Christ. Moreover it is a reminder that there is no such creature as an unbaptized Christian disciple. Baptism is the first public step in the life of discipleship, as many a disciple in places hostile to the gospel will tell you.

3. Baptism is a picture of cleansing from sin

Jesus commanded his disciples to baptise in water because it signified that sins could be washed away. This is a reminder that only sinners can be baptised. It is also a reminder that we are sinners from conception and need to be forgiven our inherited guilt from Adam and our actual sins. Of course, baptism itself does not wash away even one sin. We have to confess our sins to God. Indeed that truth is one of the basic aspects of discipleship.

4. Baptism is into the name of the Triune God

Jesus when he sent out his apostles commanded them to baptise in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The fact that it is only one name reminds us that there is only one God, but the fact that three are mentioned reminds us that there are three equal divine persons. This is a great mystery far beyond the ability of a human to explain. Nevertheless the reality of the three persons opens up for us the riches of God’s grace. At the very least, it tells us that we can relate to each of them in different personal ways.

When we think of God the Father, the great truth that comes to mind is the doctrine of adoption. No baptised person is a child of God by nature but baptism reminds us that we can become so by grace when we first believe in Jesus as the Saviour. Belonging to the family of God is a massive experience that includes prayer and spiritual provisions. Yet for now, we can rejoice that baptism reminds us of the Father’s desire that forgiven sinners should be in his family.

When we think of God the Son, we can select from many ways that he is described as the Saviour. He is our Righteousness who has provided for those who trust him a perfect life of obedience. He is the Redeemer who paid the price for our deliverance and made it possible for us to be forgiven by his Father. He is our Representative now in heaven, ensuring that those who trust in him will receive great spiritual blessings. He is the Ruler over all things governing everything throughout history for the benefit of his people. And he is the Resurrection who will one day raise them from the dead.

When we think of the Holy Spirit, then we are reminded of his work as the Sanctifier of those who follow Jesus. He regenerates them at the commencement of their spiritual journey and renews them throughout it in the image of Jesus. And he creates within them longings for holiness and for the perfect world of the eternal state in which sin will be gone.

5. Baptism is an illustration of the Christian life

There are many ways of describing the Christian life. For the moment we can describe it as receiving grace from above and responding to it. The sprinkling of water illustrates this receiving from above and it is followed by ongoing response to what heaven gives. We have already thought about some of the blessings that the Trinity give freely. The life of discipleship is entering into those blessings so freely given. Baptism is a promise from God to give and give and give all along life’s journey, and in a sense baptism is a promise from us to respond and respond and respond all along life’s journey.

6. Baptism is a sign of faith

Of course, we can see this very clearly with regard to adult disciples. For them, it is a sign of present and of future faith in Jesus. As we noticed earlier, it does not guarantee that the faith is there or that the faith they have is the real thing. All it is for adults is a sign that they belong to the disciples of Jesus. With regard to infants, it can only be a sign of future faith. It does not guarantee that there will be faith. Sometimes people ask if God would require a sign of those who are too young to understand what is happening? The answer to that question is yes because he required it of all the children who were circumcised in Old Testament times. None of all the millions of Jewish boys had any awareness of the significance of that sign, yet God still required it. It is obvious from the New Testament that households were baptised and it requires a great deal of imagination to assume that the only households God blessed were those without infants. Children received baptism right from the beginning of the Christian church. With them, it was a sign of possible future faith.

7. Baptism is a moment of change

The occasion of baptism is a moment of change for the infant being baptised because through it he becomes a member of the visible church. This is a status he can never lose, even if in the future he decides to walk away. He can never delete from his bio that on Sunday 11 August 2013 he was brought by baptism into the visible church of Christ. The occasion of baptism is a moment of change for each person in the Greyfriars congregation – from now on, we are under obligation to pray for and help in every way possible the spiritual development of the child. And the occasion of baptism is a moment of change for the parents because they are about to take vows that they will give an account about on the Day of Judgement. So may the change do us good!