The Real Meaning of Baptism

Romans 6:1-5

1. Baptism has assumed a halo around it that mystifies people. Let's look at some of the misunderstandings:

(1) One issue that is often debated is the modes of baptism. Many churches sprinkle, others pour, and othersimmerse. (They say in one drought in Texas that the water was so scarce that the Baptist had taken to sprinkling and the Methodists were using a damp cloth) This is not the most important question, for there is a more serious one. But to settle the issue for here, it is freely admitted that the early Christians immersed. It may surprise you that immersion was carried out in the West well on into the Middle ages. Only slowly did alternate ways come into existence. The eastern wing of the Church that spoke Greek still immerses. For us who stand in the Baptist tradition, we attempt to follow the meaning of the New Testament church, and they immersed.

(2) The real issue--not the mode--is the meaning of Baptism. What does it depict or do? There is a view that is expressed in the Roman tradition that an infant is born again when he is baptized. This view has caused a catastrophe in Christendom. An unknowing, an confessing infant comes to the baptismal fount and undergoes baptism. That which means nothing as an infant means even less as the child grows. Millions of youth on the Continent of Europe have grown up with only a legal commitment to Christ. A mystery has come to be centered on the water as having a power to convert the heart of the child. Having been baptized as an infant has led these people to have a false security about their spiritual welfare. Not only have they not known Christ, but they have no interest in finding him. They have been inoculated against a living relationship with Him.

(3) We Baptists have been maligned for our stand on Baptism. Because we are called Baptists by name it is assumed that Baptism has become so important for us. Just the opposite is really the truth. We have stressed the importance of being converted that baptism has lost something of its continuing importance for us as believers. Baptists do not attach a magical significance to baptism and for that reason we do not rush people into the water.

Let us look at the meaning of Baptism.

I. It is an act of obedience.

1. When Jesus gave his great commission to his disciples, he
said, "Go,make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Mt. 28:19.) A disciple is a committed one, a learner, one who follows another. Unless one is first a follower, he is not candidate for baptism. Only a knowing person can be the proper subject for baptism. The obedience involved is that of personal commitment and nothing less. There have been many distortions of baptism based on a obedience like obeying a legal command. Charlemagne massed-baptised the Saxons in the 9th century but this can hardly be called baptism. Roman Catholic missionaries in South America baptized whole villages of Indians with a kind of fireman syringe. All this may be likened to a man painting a house to cover up the rotten wood to deceive both himself and the world.

2. Baptism is an internal act of obedience to Christ and is expressive of our complete commitment to Him. One example of obedience is seen in the story of Balthasar Hubmaier, a brilliant Roman Catholic priest who, in 1516, began his independent study of the Scripture and included that only those who had believed in Christ should be baptized. Thus, he and other believers were baptized, thus, repudiating infant baptism.
After several years of living a Christian 1ife and writing
against the errors of infant baptism in 1527, he and his wife
were taken to Vienna and tried for heresy, or false doctrine. On March 10,1528, he was taken thru the streets of Vienna to the public squre and tied to the stake. As the fire from the smoke began to climb, he prayed for forgiveness of having faltered along the way. His wife stood by with tears streaming down her face, exhorting him to endure steadfastly to the end. When he saw the flames lick up, he cried, "0 my heavenly Father, 0 my gracious God. Even while his hair and beard burned, he prayed, 0 Jesus, Jesus." Then overwhelmed with smoke he died a martyr. Three days later his wife was held under water in the Danube because she believe that she must be obedient to the command of Jesus to be baptized.

3. There is no place for shame when it comes to following Jesus. In baptism we we fulfill our Lord’s command to be be baptized in his name. The Scripture says, “be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.” This applies to baptism also.

II. It embodies a sign under which we live. Rom 6:5

1. Paul says that we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. This likeness is expressed in baptism. In water we are entombed and out of our watery emtombment we come to life again. Now in Qhrist we are alive. Frequently, we Baptists think only in terms of having met the condition of being baptized, and not thinking of baptism as an ongoing element of Christian daily living.

2. Luther once wrote, "Their baptism should have been called to their minds again and again, and their faith constantly awakened and nourished. For just as the truth of this divine promise, once pronounced over us, continues until death, so our faith in it ought never to cease, but to be nourished, and strengthened until death by the continual rembrance of this promise made to us in baptism.”

How does this relate? What does baptism require? It requires
that one have forsaken sin and trusted in Christ. Baptism depicts this for the believer. Now when I turn from obedience in my life am commit sin against God, the meaning of my baptism comes to play. The meaning of my baptism instructs me that I once died to sin and was alive to God in Christ. When I come to the point of repenting of my sin, I turn to the meaning of my baptism--namely, I die anew to myselfishness, and re-affirm my aliveness in Christ. While I am not baptized again when I sin, nevertheless, I always turn anew to the meaning of that baptism--being death to sin and alive to Christ.

Put in another way, my baptism has a daily meaning for my life. Today as I begin the day the meaning of my baptism is that I am dead to sin and alive to God. I am dead to the world, and alive unto Him. Should I come to sin today, I will return to the meaning of baptism--that God has offered forgiveness and repentance in Jesus Christ.

3. It is related of Luther that he had hours during which he was confused about everything--about the Reformation, about his faith, even about the work of Jesus Christ Himself--how when he knew nothing else to help him (and help him it did) save the writing in chalk on his table of the two words: Baptizatus sum (I am baptzed.) This was a reminder of all that Christ had done for him, and under whose sign he lived.

III. It is a confession of identity

1. There is no such thing as a private or family baptism. Baptism means that I publicly confess myself as an obedient follower of Jesus. Men have frequently been fascinated with the use of signs and symbols. Some times these signs are ambiguous.
Public baptism in the presence of God's people is a confession of identity with them and with Christ.

2. Let's compare the matter to citizenship for a moment. It is quite possible for a foreigner to come to our shores and enter into much of our existence. He can enjoy the benefits of our ecomony, he is free to move about, be protected by our legal system, work, even pay taxes,
and enjoy many privileges of our way of life. But we cannot accord this person the status of citizenship on that basis. This person may be a better promoter of the American Way of Life than many of our citizens. He may be more loyal, and helpful than the natives. He may come to look upon himself as an Americaner! But all of this is totally inadequate if he wants to be a citizen of the states, he must take out naturalization papers. He must formally confess his identity with us as citizens.

In a sense this is the confession of identity that takes place in baptism. You are free to be a part of the fellowship of this church. You can worship with us. You are welcome here. You can enjoy the preaching of the gospel. You may even give to support the ministry of this Church. You may be a promoter of the church in many ways. But
one cannot be called a good Baptist, until you have been baptized into the fellowship of God's people. In baptism there is a confession of identity with Christ and his people.

3. The confession of identity is with Christ. It is Christ's
Baptism. There is only one baptism--that is Christ’s.
We must not forget this. There has been a controversy among
Baptist here and there about what is called alien immersion.
Some Baptist do not accept people who have been immersed
in other denominations for the right reasons, because they
fear a corruption of the purity of doctrine. This may be a coming issue among Baptists. We have assumed the wrong stance in all of this. We have presumed that all people coming from a Baptist church are baptized for the right reasons. This is not true. This won't guarantee purity of doctrine either. The only valid New Testament principle is to examine the candidate for membership regardless of where he comes from. There is only one Christian baptism--who administers it is not important. The important thing is the state ofthe heart of the person. Without faith in Christ on the part of the person, we could pour the Mississippi. River on the person and this would not be valid Baptism.

Conclusion:

What about you? Have you made public your discipleship of Jesus? Here are people public admitting that they are following Jesus as Lord. They are taking to themselves a sign of his life. What about you? Whose sign are you living under? Whose flag are you flying? Whose colors do you walk under? Jesus said, if a man would be
my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross and
follow me. What about you? Would you come to Jesus today?
Will you be baptized today? Will you confess your faith?