“Baptism”
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The following is from a USA Today article detailing the decline of water baptism in many American churches:
There are now baptism-style ceremonies where God is never mentioned by parents seeking to initiate their children into a world of all faiths, says Ema Drouillard of San Francisco, who runs the website Ceremonyway.com.
She conducted such an event for Kirsten and Farnum _______ of Marin County, California, for their baby, Greer, in 1998. "We just wanted a larger spirit to guide our daughter, but we didn't want to get specific. I wanted all her bases covered," says Kirsten.
The couple grew up Presbyterian, but now "we just do Christianity L-I-T-E" for Greer, who "believes in angels and fairies, leprechauns and Santa Claus."
I was a bit surprised with the decline in knowing what baptism is and why it is. I figured with our overall decline in theological acumen it would just go away completely, kinda like the decline in the practice of the Lord’s Supper in churches. Many churches just don’t do it anymore. But with baptism there are just bizarre and aberrant practices that cause one to scratch their heads. I have seen baptisms of children by parents who are not even Christian. I have seen groups of people getting baptised together with a person with a bucket of water and splashing water on them. Falling out under the spirit into a tank of water. People using pizza and coca cola as elements of the Lord’s Supper.
What I assume with all of this is that we do things like this because we do not know what it is and why it is and even who it is for. Because a simple understanding of what Baptism is will clear up a lot of this. Clear up the weird practices, the crazy practices, and even those of historic contention. So today let’s get it right and get it done.
For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.
What it is
Who its for
The first thing we will look at today is the basic meaning of what it is to be baptized in the local church, the what it is and why we do it. The second thing is a quick treatment of the subjects of baptism. Who is it that should be baptized. And the beautiful thing that happens before.
Thesis: Though sin, the patten of this world, and an increased minimizing of sin and the wrath of God, we misunderstand, confuse, and errantly practice baptism, but it is the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth of scripture that will guide us in right practice and belief of this wonderful means of grace given to us by our living Lord.
I. What it is
- a Sign of Fellowship with him.
A. Let’s get it all straight from our 1689 2nd London Baptist Confession. - a sign of his fellowship with him, in his death and resurrection; of his being engrafted into him; of remission of sins; and of giving up into God, through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life.
B. Baptist Theologian extraordinaire Augustus strong writes, “Christian Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, in token of his previous entrance into the communion of Christ’s death and resurrection,—or, in other words, in token of his regeneration through union with Christ.”
C. Christ desires us to experience this beautiful ordinance and make its institution clear. The sign of our regeneration through our union with Christ.
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
D. The Apostles under the authority of Christ Himself gave directives for us to be baptized. The sign of our regeneration through our union with Christ.
Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
E. It is is sign for all to see and even oneself, of fellowship with Christ. It is a sign for all to see and even oneself, of our fellowship with him in His death and resurrection. It is a sign for all to see and even oneself, of our fellowship with Him in that we are engrafted into Him or that we are united with Him. The sign of our regeneration through our union with Christ.
Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.
F. It is a sign of our remission of sins or our sins being washed away. A sign that we have turned to God for our salvation. The sign of our regeneration through our union with Christ.
This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.
What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’
G. Baptism is a sign of our fellowship and union with Christ and that we though Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit we rise and walk in newness of life. The sign of our regeneration through our union with Christ.
Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
H. Man Shane that is alot. I know but with all of it together… I like the way Augustus Strong writes, “in other words, in token of his regeneration through union with Christ.” I changed a couple of things… The sign of our regeneration through our union with Christ.
I. What do you mean by sign. Baptism is the sign of the thing signified. Its not the reality, but the thing that points to the reality. Or try it this way… Signs point beyond themselves to signify something else, but they are not in themselves that which they signify. For example, a sign on I-25 going south will read “Colorado Springs 25 miles” and it is pointing to the city of Colorado Springs 25 miles away. Clearly the sign is not the city of Colorado Springs. In the same way, baptism signifies something beyond itself but it is not the thing that is signified.
H. So what does it signify? What is it pointing to? Regeneration. It is pointing to the reality of being born again. We are talking about that you may have hear as the “new birth.” This is what happens right before we have faith and repent before the Lord. We are dead in our sins. In regeneration, God implants a new heart—together with a renewed will, affections, and desires—in the elect His people to enable them to walk in a manner pleasing to Him. A new heart and new spirit.
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.
I. And it shows this as happening in Christ or what we call union with Christ.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
J. Dr. John Murray writes of union with Christ, “the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation.”
K. So I would say that this understanding is pretty important. Dr. Michael Horton gives us a great illustration… As a husband and wife are united through marriage and a parent and a child are united through birth. Marriage is to be a revelatory picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church. One of the most impacting, joyous and intimate things in marriage is the consummation. When the two becomes one. It is a picture of our union with Christ. When we, the church, by the Spirit, become one with our Lord. Ingrafted like a branch cut into the tree body and now the branch is one with the tree.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
L. These are the wonderful things that happen to us when we become Christians and we practice the institution of baptism to be a sign of these things that have happened to us as new creations ingrafted in Christ.
M. The beautiful ordinance of baptism signifies that the Lord has done this for His people — He has regenerated our hearts. Water symbolizes the new life the Spirit brings, and its washing effect points to the cleansing from sin that results from faith in Christ.
And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
II. Who its for
- Those only who give some evidence that they have been regenerated.
A. I know that this is a huge debate, especially in Reformed circles. But when we understand what baptism is, I have a hard time seeing any reason why we should baptize someone in anticipation that they will possibly be regenerated in the future. This is why I disagree with by paedobaptist brothers. My infant baptism brothers who sprinkle infants on the basis of the faith of the parents.
B. If this is the sign we give because of the regeneration in a person, don’t you think we should have some kind of reason to believe this is the case? We should have some reason, no matter how small, to believe that regeneration has indeed happened before we baptize.
C. Now I could do several sermons on the reasons why we don’t baptize infants by sprinkling them with water. But let me try to hit just a couple today. One of the reasons they baptize infants is that it is essentially the New covenant circumcision. So in the Old testament when you were a part of the Covenant that God made with the people, you were circumcised. That was the rite, the sign of our connection to the Covenant that God made with the people of Israel. Now with the New Covenant, it is not circumcision, but baptism is the sign of the New Covenant. In the OT infants were circumcised. We we should baptize infants. Huh… makes sense.
D. But we see something different in the scriptures. Baptism is not related to circumcision, it is regeneration. It is the circumcision of the heart. The new birth, being born again. It is what the Bible calls the circumcision done without hands.
When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.
E. It is the circumcision of the heart.
And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
F. And a wonderful this is. From the time we were in our mothers womb we were infected with this thing called sin. We were by nature children of wrath. And in our nature we rebelled against the living God who created all in the universe. For humanity suppresses the truth in wickedness and rebellion. We all decide what is best for ourselves. We all choose our own path. We decide if the Lord is worthy of being worshipped. We desire and try to acquire our independence from the divine Lord. And in sin we are blind to the truth. And in sin we are deaf to the truth. And in sin, we suppress the truth. This is why unless we are born again we cannot see the kingdom of heaven.
G. The beauty and wonder of this great and powerful thing. Giving life to dead dry bones. Giving life so that we can see the kingdom. Giving us new hearts so that we will love the Lord our God with all of our hearts. Giving us undivided hearts so that we will fear the name of the Lord. Giving us eyes to see and ears to hear the beautiful good news of Jesus.
H. Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures and he was buried and he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. Christ came into this world to seek and save that which was lost. He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. He became sin who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
I. And the promises continue… If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. Yes… all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
J. And He continues to bless us all that in this wonderful thing called baptism. We experience the wonderful outward sign of the inward reality of our new life and union with Christ. We all are witnesses to the miracle of a new changed life in Christ. We receive grace upon grace… and we all receive more and more grace every-time a person in baptized. Baptism preaches and it preaches good.