Baptized in the Name

What is Baptism?

A while back there was a George Clooney movie called “O Brother, Where Art Thou.” This movie is basically a modern-day retelling of Homer’s Greek classic “The Odyssey.” In the story there are three escaped convicts, Delmar, Everett, and Pete. Now, it’s important to set the scene for this movie—it’s set in the deep South—Mississippi to be exact, in the 1930’s, not exactly a progressive area, right? And so, escaped convicts might not be treated really well if they were found out. Well, like most escaped convicts, these three folks had it in mind to get as far away as possible. That is until they stumble upon a bunch of people dressed in white heading down to the river. Leading this procession is a minister and those others dressed in white are those that are about to be baptized. The convicts stop and listen to what is happening. But because of the beauty of the words and the sentiments, one of the escaped convicts, Delmar, runs into the water and gets himself baptized by the minister. When he returns to his fellow escapees he simply says, “neither God nor man’s Got anything on me now!” His friends are incredulous. Delmar is in prison for stealing a pig and he tells his fellows that even that is now covered over and his sins washed away. His friends are now confused because Delmar swore up and down that he hadn’t stolen that pig to which he says with a grin on his face “I lied, and that’s been washed away too!” Later in the movie the three men get really hungry and they decide that they are going to steal a pie from the windowsill that’s out to cool. The other two seem just fine with this act of petty pilfering but not Delmar. He feels convicted and goes back and places a dollar bill on the sill to pay for the pie. Something had happened to Delmar in those waters. Something happens to us at baptism, but what is it?

Baptism is one of the two sacraments that have been handed down to us directly from Jesus himself. The other sacrament is Holy Communion. Communion is found in the Gospel accounts during the Last Supper while the command to baptize comes directly from our Scripture Passage that grounds this series, Matthew 28:16-20

Matthew 28:16–20 NASB 2020

But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated to them. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Sometimes in other traditions, these things we Methodists call Sacraments are called ordinances. In the term “ordinance” you can hear the word “order.” In other words, these are things that have been ordered by Jesus for the church to do. Why do we call it a sacrament? Sacrament as a word comes to us from the same Latin root that we get the word “sacred” from. It is a Sacrament because we in the United Methodist tradition have always believed that the grace of God is given to us by means of these rites. Now, don’t get me wrong, we don’t have a mechanical understanding of God’s grace in that just because we dig out some bread and grape juice and a little water in Jesus’ name that the grace is automatically going to be there. No, that’s not it. But we do believe that through the Holy Spirit, God has chosen these two rituals as part of the ordinary means by which grace comes to us. That’s why before every time we pass the elements in Communion we ask for the Holy Spirit to come upon the elements making them be for us the body and blood of Christ. And when we baptize, the pastor asks the Holy Spirit to come upon the water in thanksgiving. These are ordinary parts of the creation that we set aside for a sacred purpose. Reserved from common use, the elements then become holy, not because of the “magic words” that we say over them but because we trust God the Spirit to respond to our prayers and pour out God’s grace as he has promised.

But that still doesn’t answer the question of “What is baptism?” We know it is a Sacrament, a time when ordinary material elements are set aside to holy use. We know it is an ordinance, something commanded by Jesus himself. And we know it involves water. That much most people know. But more importantly, why do it? What does it mean? What are the connections with Scripture? And what exactly happens when we encounter the water?

What does Baptism Mean?

The founder of our movement, John Wesley, had a great deal to say about God’s grace. For Wesley, everything in life was suffused by God’s grace. All people encounter God’s grace every day, even those who don’t know it yet. But for Wesley, there were some special things that God had given to us in which grace came to us in a more concentrated or direct way. Wesley called these the “means” or “channels” of grace. The two main ones are the Sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion. But there are others like fasting, prayer, studying the scriptures, worship, and more. Wesley deemed all of these essential for growth in life and growth in the depth of Christian discipleship.

So what of grace do we find in baptism? Well, let’s look at what some of our Scriptures say about baptism. Let’s start with the weird passage from Matthew 3 in which we find Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist. Why in the world would Jesus need to be baptized? We think usually of baptism washing us free of the dirt of sin, that’s one common understanding, and a right one, so why is it that Jesus is submitting to this ritual? Well, if you look at John the Baptist’s own consternation when Jesus comes to the water, you’ll recognize that it even stumped him. John was baptizing people for repentance—turning from their old life of sin to a new life dedicated to God and righteousness. Jesus was without sin, that’s something all Christians affirm—so what gives here?

Well, to understand why Jesus submitted to baptism, we have to understand what it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah of Israel. In Jesus, Israel gets a new start. Jesus becomes for the nation a representative. Jesus, in essence BECOMES Israel personified. Israel was still in the exile of sin and death, and even though in the land of promise, they were under the thumb of imperial overlords. They were not free, they were mired in sin and oppression. But in Jesus and through Jesus, Israel gets a new start. Jesus takes on himself all the sin and burden of Israel in that moment and goes under the water of baptism to have it washed away on Israel’s behalf.

And to fully understand this we need to go back—way back—to the Exodus. Remember that? Israel finds itself on the shores of the Red Sea scared out of their mind because Pharaoh’s army is right on their tail. They don’t know what to do. And like always, God makes a way where there seems to be no way. He commands Moses to raise his staff and the waters go back on either side leaving a channel for Israel to escape. Israel goes through the waters—a kind of baptism—and enters into the land a cleansed people dedicated to God’s service. And this early story has echoes of an even earlier story—the Flood story—in which God cleanses the world of filth, sin, and degradation by water saving only the righteous Noah and his family in a boat—the ark. But we’ll come back to that.

So that’s why Jesus was baptized. Jesus was baptized, as he said, “to fulfill all righteousness,” that is, to do for Israel why she could not do for herself, to be cleansed of her sin and get a fresh start. And if you doubt this representative role of Jesus, just look at what happens next in the stories. Jesus is sent to the desert to be tempted by Satan for forty days and forty nights. What about Israel? Tempted in the wilderness for forty years? It’s another obvious parallel between Jesus’ story and that of Israel.

But what about us? I think we can understand why Jesus was baptized but what happens to us? Well, the Apostle Paul, in his letter to Titus, gives us a succinct picture when he writes in Titus 3:5-7

Titus 3:5–7 NASB 2020

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Jesus saves, can I get an Amen? But how does Jesus save us? Well, part of it is found in baptism. By grace we are saved and not by works so that none may boast. So, is it possible to be saved without being baptized? Yes, it is. But is it in right that we should be baptized? Yes, it is also, because Jesus commands it. Baptism is one of the ordinary means by which the grace of salvation is applied to us. And this outward water symbolizes a spiritual fact that occurs at the same time as our physical washing.

When we encounter the waters of baptism, we are renewed and regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit. I think we can understand renewal plain enough. But what is regeneration? It’s one of those five dollar theological terms that pastors use but don’t often explain. So, I’m going to actually take a moment and explain it.

Lexically, the word “regeneration” is made up of two parts the word “generation” which in the context of human reproduction means to be born and to the word generation is added the prefix “re” which means to do again. So, in short, to be regenerated is to be born again. And that’s something that is more familiar. Literally, when we are baptized, that is part and parcel of the fact that we have been born again. We are born again and made new by the power of the Holy Spirit. And then, what’s more, we have the power through God’s grace to resist evil, wickedness, and sin to the point that when God looks at us he no longer sees a sinner, but a saved person justified (made right in God’s eyes) through God’s grace. And that leads us to inherit eternal life from God. That’s a lot of things happening by one trip to the water don’t you think?

But wait! There’s more. Listen to what the Apostle also tells us in Romans 6:3-7

Romans 6:3–7 NASB 2020

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for the one who has died is freed from sin.

There’s much more than merely being saved (as if that was not enough, right?). No, there’s much more. To be baptized is to spiritually and mystically to be united with Christ. To those of us who have been baptized it is just as if we died with Christ. It is just as if we went to death with him on Calvary. That’s why Paul can say “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I that lives, but Christ that lives in me.” But Paul doesn’t stop there. It would be no good to remain dead right? So Paul goes on to tell us that we also, through baptism were raised with Jesus in the resurrection. It’s just as if we too were raised on the third day.

And let’s add some confirmation and nuances to this from 1 Peter 3:18-22

1 Peter 3:18–22 NASB 2020

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which He also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison, who once were disobedient when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

Baptism leads us to a place of safety. Baptism now saves us—through the resurrection of Jesus. It is a promise and a seal that the believer will have no fear of death because for the baptized Christian who lives into that sacrament, our future resurrection is guaranteed. The sign of baptism is a sign of the inner witness of the Holy Spirit given to us as a deposit that we will be raised again to new life when Christ comes again.

But notice how Peter makes the image of Noah’s Ark explicit. In the Ark, just a few people were saved out of the world. But from the very early days of Christianity, this image has sparked the imagination of Christians and even inspired how we build our buildings. You see, in the earliest days of Christianity, most Christians either met in small to medium sized homes or they met more rarely in a more public space like the Temple Courts in Jerusalem. But when Christianity became an accepted religion and were allowed to construct their own buildings, they took a certain shape. Have you ever notice the wide and high ceilings of a cathedral? How the roof is very high—almost like a boat turned upside down. And do you know what the part of the church in which the people sit is called? It’s called the Nave. This comes from the Latin word for “ship.” You see, for the early church, the church itself was the ark in which the people who were being saved came into for safety. The church was the place of Salvation. Jesus being the Savior. and that was even symbolized by the building itself which looked like a ship. Oh if we could recover some of that ancient imagery in our churches and a renewed understanding of baptism

Living Into Our Baptism

So where does that leave us? I think we can say a number of things. First, it is essential that we be baptized. It’s not only very closely connected with salvation and being born again, but like taking communion, it’s something Jesus very explicitly commanded. To be a Christian and yet to refuse to undergo baptism is almost a contradiction in terms, it’s living in disobedience.

But moreover, baptism is our entry into ministry. If we died to sin and self and all of its ways in baptism and are raised with Jesus to new life, then our lives out to be one of service to others. That’s why baptism is part and parcel of being called to ministry—and not just ordained ministry either—but all ministry. As baptized Christians, you are all called to be a part of the ministry of the church, not just in these four walls, but wherever you find yourself. You are to act and speak and do all things you can in Christ’s name and for Christ’s sake.

Today, I invite you to take a moment and pause to remember your baptism. I’ve placed some water in fount here for your use. Let us pray that as you encounter this water, the import and impartation of your own baptism is recalled to your mind and you leave this place renewed in ministry to all the world. Amen.