Baptizing

Yesterday (on Sunday), I had the pleasure and privilege of baptizing three children from the same family. These three children (there is a younger one I hope to baptize some day in the future) have grown up in a fine Christian family, and each has made the decision to follow Jesus in their lives. For each of them, it was a very natural step. This family recently came into the life of our church. They had worshiped with us for about a year and made a decision after attending our Cornerstone Class (for those exploring the idea of church membership) to become a part of us.

(Membership in a church, by the way, is supposed to be more than a having a name on a roll. It means belonging to one another in a community of faith, hope, and love. The Bible says it this way: Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others (Romans 12.4-5 NIV). We join together as "members" of the body of Christ, giving Him hands and feet to accomplish His mission.)

Although these three children had made a decision to follow Jesus already, none of them had yet had a believer's baptism. A few weeks ago, I was invited to their home to discuss the idea of baptism, with the result of yesterday's baptism as part of our worship service.

As meaningful as that was for the family, those they had invited to share in it, for me, and for our church as a whole, there was an unexpected blessing to come.

That afternoon, my son-in-law Rick, a fine Christian young man (he turned 23 last week), asked me if I would baptize him today (Monday) in our neighborhood pool. Now, you may need a little background.

Churches with different traditions baptize at different times and in different ways. Most of our discussions of baptism in the body of Christ concentrate on the meaning (what it is about) and the mode (how you do it.)

The meaning of baptism has been debated for many centuries: Is it necessary for salvation? Is it a symbol? Is it a promise (so that infants are baptized)? Is it for believers?

There are also a variety of modes used for baptism: sprinkling, pouring, and immersion.

While both of these are important, in my mind, the meaning is the most important.

So, what is baptism? The only place to get the definitive answer, in my mind, is from the Bible. Any other source (church tradition, etc.) can only inform the decision. What do we learn about baptism from the Bible?

Baptism is a symbol—an important symbol—of the Christian faith (rather than a means of grace). In other words, it a sign that someone is a believer, not a magic elixir that confers eternal life. Peter writes, "...this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God" (1 Peter 3.21 NIV, emphasis mine).

Baptism is also for believers. The command that Jesus left his disciples that is the end of Matthew's gospel, says, in part: "Therefore go and make disciples, baptizing them..." (Matthew 28.19 NIV). Note that you make a disciple and then baptize him. That is also the pattern of the New Testament--people believe and then they are baptized. There are no infant baptisms in the Bible, because infants cannot believe.

The Bible also says, "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" (Romans 6.4 NIV). It speaks of baptism symbolizing a new life, which shows repentance and faith have already occurred. Baptism, in the Bible, is for believers.

Why, then, do some baptize infants? While I could go into that, let me not make this post any longer than it needs to be. Let me just say that none of the defenses of the practice use the Bible. (Well, some use a creative parallel with circumcision, which is for infants, but note that in this passage, it really doesn't fly to make baptism for infants: "In him you were also circumcized, in the putting off off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 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" (Colossians 2.11-12 NIV). Isn't it clear that the circumcision here comes when we believe have our sins forgiven?

The mode is also important and is related to the meaning.

How should we baptize? We do so by immersion, that is, by dipping one totally in the water, as opposed to sprinkling or pouring water on the person. You see, baptism is a wonderful symbol that communicates on three levels. Only baptism of believers by immersion encompasses all three.

First, baptism symbolizes the washing away of sin. As you can see, any mode of baptism can adequately show sins being washed away. However, the other two meanings can only be clearly communicated through immersion. Let's see how...

Second, baptism tells the story of Jesus—specifically his death, burial and resurrection. When one is placed under the water, it is symbolic of burial. When a person is brought out of the water, it proclaims the glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ! No other mode of baptism can convey this beautiful portrait of the gospel of Jesus.

Third, baptism tells the story of the new believer: the Scripture says (as previously quoted), “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” (Romans 6.4 NIV). When one is baptized, he or she is proclaiming, “The old me—who did not yet follow Jesus—is dead. There is a new me! I have been raised with Christ and am now following Him!” Again, the Bible says it best (in 2 Corinthians 5.17): “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” It’s kind of hard to see how others could understand baptism differently when they read the words of the Bible.

Now, back to my son-in-law Rick. He had become serious about being a believer in Jesus when he was a teenager. And he was baptized after that time. However, he was baptized by sprinkling and not by immersion. So, he had the meaning right--a believer's baptism--but the mode wrong--it wasn't by immersion.

As I said earlier, while both are important, the meaning (to me) is the more important.

Some people want others to be baptized just to conform to the teaching of the church they lead. I always want people to be baptized in the correct mode (and meaning, for that matter) because they are convinced that it is biblically correct. I am, therefore, patient, believing that baptism is best when done out of conviction that it is what God has in mind. The Ethiopian in Acts 8 asks to be baptized. Now, baptism is a command--make no mistake about that--but with different ideas, it makes sense to let people study the issue to be sure what it is all about.

I most times end a baptism by saying, "This is but water. What prevents you from being baptized?"

I am not sure how God motivated Rick to request baptism, but I know that it was born of his own decision that he wanted to have the right meaning and the right mode.

I mentioned that he wanted to know if I would baptize him in our neighborhood pool. I would have been privileged to do so. A cloudy and relatively cool Labor Day made us rethink. Knowing that the water from the previous day's baptism would still be in the baptistry at the church building, a group of us convened there. It was a special time.

Some wonder why such a big deal about a symbol. I guess I can ask why some people make such a big deal about a wedding ring. It's only a symbol, too! And as I often tell people when discussion the subject of baptism comes up: "Baptism is the wedding ring of the Christian life--a symbol of the commitment between Jesus and His 'bride,' the church."

Thanks, Rick. To paraphrase God the Father at the baptism of Jesus: You are my son-in-law, whom I love. With you I am well pleased!