Baptism

1. Baptism: The Gospel with Your Name on It

Baptism is the gospel with your name on it.

Personal proclamation. Baptism is a personalized declaration of the gospel, addressing you by name and incorporating you into God's family. Unlike general preaching or biblical promises, baptism speaks directly to the individual, weaving their identity into the Triune name of God.

Tangible grace. Through baptism, God makes the gospel tangible and real in a person's life. It's not just an abstract concept or historical event, but a present reality that touches, cleanses, and transforms the baptized. This sacrament serves as a constant reminder of one's new identity in Christ and the promises God has made to them personally.

Ongoing significance. The power of baptism doesn't end when the water dries. It continues to preach God's love and claim on a person's life daily, offering comfort in trials, strength against temptation, and assurance of belonging to God's family. Believers are encouraged to regularly remember and reaffirm their baptismal identity.

2. The Church: God's New Creation Community

Sinners are out of tune with God, creation, and one another. The church is humanity restored to harmony.

Restored relationships. The church is not merely a religious organization but a new humanity reconciled to God, creation, and each other. It's the community where the effects of sin—alienation, discord, and brokenness—are being healed and reversed.

Visible salvation. In the church, salvation takes on a tangible, social form. It's not just about individual spiritual experiences but about forming a community that embodies God's intended shalom for creation. This community serves as a preview and instrument of God's ultimate plan to restore all things.

Trinitarian reflection. The church reflects the nature of the Triune God:

• Family of the Father: Adopted children under God's loving care
• Body of Christ: The physical presence of Jesus in the world today
• Temple of the Spirit: A living, breathing sanctuary where God dwells

3. Baptism as Effective Sign of New Creation

Baptism doesn't just picture preaching; it preaches. Prophets compared the coming kingdom to a bursting spring of living water, a flood of gentiles bearing gifts, a cleansing fountain.

More than symbolism. Baptism is not merely a symbol or empty ritual. It's an effective sign that actually accomplishes what it signifies. When someone is baptized, they are truly incorporated into Christ's death and resurrection, cleansed from sin, and given new life in the Spirit.

Cosmic significance. Baptism connects the individual to the larger story of God's new creation. It declares that the old order of sin and death is passing away, and the new creation in Christ has begun. The use of water in baptism links it to the waters of creation, the flood, and the promised rivers of living water in the new Jerusalem.

Present reality. Through baptism, the future kingdom of God breaks into the present. It's not just a hope for what will be, but a participation in what already is in Christ. The baptized person becomes a living sign and agent of God's new creation in the world.

4. Noah's Flood: Prototype of Baptismal Cleansing

Can we see why Peter thinks the baptism is greater than the flood? After all, which is greater, water that sweeps away cities and farms or water that purges the conscience?

Judgment and salvation. Like the flood, baptism represents both judgment on sin and salvation for believers. It symbolizes dying to the old self and rising to new life in Christ. The floodwaters that destroyed the wicked world also lifted Noah's ark to safety.

Cosmic cleansing. Baptism, like the flood, signifies a global renewal. It's not just about individual salvation but about God's plan to cleanse and restore the entire creation. The baptized person becomes part of this cosmic renewal project.

Conscience cleansing. While the flood physically cleansed the earth, baptism goes deeper, cleansing the human conscience from guilt and shame. It provides not just external washing but internal transformation, freeing the believer to live with a clear conscience before God.

5. Circumcision and Baptism: Sealing God's Covenant

Baptism is a ritual clock. Like the word, like the Lord's Table, baptism is also a ritual map, the X that indicates the place of God's presence, where he distributes his gifts.

Covenant sign. Like circumcision in the Old Testament, baptism marks people as members of God's covenant community. It's a visible sign of God's promises and the believer's new identity.

Universal inclusion. Unlike circumcision, which was limited to males, baptism is for all people regardless of gender, age, or ethnicity. It signifies the breaking down of old barriers and the formation of a new, inclusive people of God.

Spiritual circumcision. Baptism represents a "circumcision of the heart," cutting away the old nature and marking the believer as belonging to God. It's a sign of dying to the flesh and living by the Spirit.

6. Exodus and Baptism: Liberation from Spiritual Bondage

As the sea killed Israel's enemy, so baptism destroys our own enmity to God, while we rise from the water "alive from the dead."

Deliverance from oppression. Baptism, like the exodus, represents deliverance from bondage. For Christians, this means freedom from sin, death, and the devil's power.

Passage to new life. Just as Israel passed through the Red Sea to enter a new life of freedom, baptism marks the Christian's passage from slavery to sin into the freedom of new life in Christ.

Spiritual warfare. Baptism initiates believers into a life of spiritual conflict, equipping them to resist evil and live for God. Like Israel's battles in the wilderness and Canaan, the baptized face ongoing struggles but with God's power and presence.

7. Baptism as Priestly Ordination and Temple Building

Baptism makes a new priesthood. Every baptism adds another priest to the order.

Universal priesthood. Through baptism, all believers are ordained as priests in God's kingdom. This doesn't abolish special ministry roles but emphasizes every Christian's direct access to God and responsibility to serve Him.

Living sacrifices. Baptized Christians are called to offer their whole lives as "living sacrifices" to God. This involves:

• Worship: Offering praise and thanksgiving
• Service: Using gifts to build up the church and bless others
• Holiness: Pursuing a life set apart for God's purposes

Temple building. Each baptized believer becomes a "living stone" in God's spiritual temple. The church, as a community, is being built into a dwelling place for God's Spirit.

8. Baptismal Kingship: Anointed for Justice and Mercy

Baptism makes us kings. It calls us to fight with spiritual weapons of prayer, righteousness, faith, the sword-word of the Spirit.

Royal anointing. Baptism isn't just about personal salvation; it's an anointing to reign with Christ. This involves:

• Authority: Power to resist evil and promote good
• Responsibility: Stewarding creation and caring for others
• Justice: Working for God's righteousness in the world

Servant leadership. The baptismal kingship follows Christ's model of servant leadership. It's about using power for the benefit of others, not self-aggrandizement.

Kingdom building. Baptized believers are called to extend Christ's reign by:

• Proclaiming the gospel
• Pursuing justice and mercy
• Cultivating beauty and order in the world
• Resisting evil and oppression

9. The Prophetic Spirit in Baptism

By the Spirit of Jesus, the baptized become a prophetic community, given the words of God to speak and sing to one another, qualified by the Spirit to stand in the Lord's council.

Spirit empowerment. Baptism is intimately connected with receiving the Holy Spirit. This empowers believers for prophetic ministry, which includes:

• Forth-telling: Speaking God's truth to the present situation
• Fore-telling: Declaring God's promises for the future
• Intercession: Standing between God and people in prayer

Community of prophets. The baptized church as a whole is called to be a prophetic voice in the world, challenging injustice, proclaiming hope, and embodying God's alternative kingdom.

Ongoing inspiration. The baptismal gift of the Spirit isn't a one-time event but an ongoing reality. Believers are called to continually be filled with the Spirit, speaking God's words and living out His will in daily life.

Last updated: November 18, 2024