WHY WATER BAPTISM?
INTRODUCTION
One of my greatest privileges as a pastor is baptizing new believers in water. There is just something so special about that moment when a person goes under the water and raises to new life (Rom 6:4). As a pastor, I am often asked what baptism is and why we do it. I think that is a fair and good question. I also believe that every believer must give an answer to this important question.
That said, let’s jump into Luke 3:21-22 and the story of Jesus’s baptism by John. Most of you have probably heard about or read this passage many times before but there are some important truths here to answer the question, “Why believers should take the step of water baptism.”
When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Lk 3:21-22).
First, let’s set the stage. I’ve been writing about the ministry of John the Baptizer. He preached a focused message of repentance from sin. He commanded his listeners to turn from sin and to God for salvation. Over the last couple of weeks we have been talking about John the baptizer. He then instructed the repentant to be baptized in water as a sign of their repentance.
One day while John is baptizing people in the river Jesus shows up and asks for baptism. Other gospels record a conversation where John tries to get out of baptizing Jesus. He points to his unworthiness and Jesus’s sinlessness. John could not understand why Jesus, who had never committed a sin, would submit to baptism. After all, baptism was to show the world that one had turned from sin and toward God. Jesus was perfect! He was God in flesh! Why should the Christ want water baptism? He and the Father are one in mission and united in the Godhead. There is no reason in Jesus’s past, present, or future requiring Him to repent and turn to the Father.
There is no shortage of teachings about why Jesus submits to baptism. Some teach Jesus was unaware that He was the Son of God until His baptism. That’s not a view I subscribe to for a multitude of reasons. Scripture does not seem to imply Jesus is unaware of His uniqueness in this world. So, if that’s not why Jesus was baptized, what is the reason?
THE GOD-MAN
All true Christians believe Jesus is both God and man. He was fully human feeling the joys and pains of being a human. Jesus was also fully and completely God. In His humanity He was thirsty, hungry, felt pain, and much more. As God, He healed the sick, knew the thoughts of men, received worship belonging only to God, and more.
Luke’s writing emphasized Jesus’s humanity. Luke wants you and I to see Jesus as one who identifies with us. He knows our joys. He is well acquainted with our suffering. Luke highlights that Jesus is born to human parents. He underscores Jesus’s humanness when angelic beings announce to ordinary shepherds that the Christ is born.
Luke’s narrative of Jesus’s baptism is an interesting matter. At His baptism Jesus is about 30 years old. In Jewish tradition, a rabbi began his ministry at the age of thirty. To announce his entrance into the rabbinical life, a man presented himself to the religious leaders in the Temple for approval before going public with his ministry.
Jesus, however, doesn’t get His approval from the Temple leaders. Instead, Jesus shows up at a river where ordinary people are repenting of sin. We’ve already seen Jesus present Himself to the religious leaders at the age of twelve (Lk 2:49). He wasn’t 30 but He astonished the Temple leaders with His wisdom. I find it interesting that Jesus wants to be where hungry people gather.
By submitting to baptism Jesus, in my estimation, does two important things: 1) He announces the beginning of His public ministry, and 2) He identifies Himself with the people. His ministry center will not be the synagogue. His ministry domain is in the streets of villages, towns, and cities.
There is no doubt Jesus has God the Father’s approval rests on Jesus the person and His ministry. God thundered His approval from the skies, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Mk 1:11; Lk 3:22).
What a powerful image of God breaking into the world through His Son, Jesus. Somehow Heaven opened itself for all to see that day and God showed His people that He heard their cries for a savior. One who will, once and for all, take away the penalty of humanities sin.
The dove descending on Jesus tells us His ministry will be marked by the gentle power of the Holy Spirit. The Trinity acted in concert: God the Father spoke, God the Holy Spirit appeared, and God the Son began the mission He came to fulfill.
Many believe the Holy Spirit’s presence at this event is a Messianic signal to John. It is an indicator that the age of the Spirit has come. Personally I think we focus to much on the idea of the dove portrayed in this scene. The symbolic dove appears in paintings and that’s OK. But I think the image of a dove is not nearly as important as the idea of descending.
Let me explain what I mean. The Holy Spirit coming down from Heaven clearly shows God’s activity in life and ministry of Jesus. I believe it also reveals the character of the God in Whom we place our faith. He is involved in our lives. The descending Spirit reveals God as present and active among His people.
Jesus’s dual nature and God’s activity in His life does not necessarily answer the question of why He wants baptism. But it does set the stage to move deeper into our primary question of why.
THE BIGGER QUESTION
Here is the question we must ask, “If baptism is for repentant sinners, does that mean Jesus committed sin?”
Well, the short answer is no! Jesus is sinless. He does not possess a sin nature. He never committed a sin against the Father or others. The Old Testament gives us insight into some of the greatest prophets and kings the world has known. Men like David, Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, and Amos are great but also guilty of sin. Jesus (prophet, priest, and king) committed no sin to confess or repent of, so what is happening here?
The mission of Jesus is much different than our mission. Our mission is to spread the Gospel – the good news. Jesus is the good news. His mission is bigger and more important than just making Himself famous.
Matthew 15:24 tells us that Jesus “was sent to the lost sheep of Israel.” In other words, Jesus’s primary mission was to restore the covenant people of Israel to a right relationship with Jehovah. He came so that Israel might be saved. Because of this, the baptism of Jesus was not to wash away His sins – it is a baptism for an entire people. This is exactly what the Old Testament prophets mentioned earlier did. They confessed their personal sins but also the sins of the people to whom they prophesied (chiefly Israel).
By being baptized, Jesus is sending a message to the Jewish people of their need to repent and turn to God. Jesus is calling Israel back to a fresh, vibrant, and right relationship with God through His ministry.
Jesus is also baptized to set an example for all who would come after Him. Jesus teaches those who follow Him that a public declaration of personal repentance and faith in Him as savior is right.
SO WHY DO WE BAPTIZE?
I am often guilty of saying “baptism is just a symbol of our identification with Christ.” As I study baptism more, I realize that speaking of baptism in this way takes away from its beauty and power. Yes, in a technical sense it is a symbol. But the Scriptures indicate it is so much more.
When you and are saved, we are spiritually baptized into the body of Christ – the Church (Gal 3:27; (1 Cor 12:13). Baptism in water is an outward representation of these inward realities. In Biblical symbolism, water represents an inner cleansing (Eph 5:26, Heb 10:22) and spiritual rebirth (John 3:5). Both inner cleansing and being born-again are central themes of baptism.
Water baptism is, in essence, a funeral. It is an act of faith in which we testify, both to God and to the world, that the person we were before repentance is dead and buried. But now there is a new man raised from death to life to live in the new life granted by Christ. I love how Paul describes baptism in Roman and Colossians:
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 (Rom 6:4).
[…] having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead (Col 2:12).
Paul clearly teaches us that the act of baptism in water symbolizes the burial of the old sinful man under the water. Coming up out of the water symbolizes the rising of the new man in Christ. WOW! That is powerful.
As a pastor I committed t baptizing people by submerging their whole body under the water. The old man is buried, and the new man comes forth victorious from a watery grave. Through baptism we identify with Jesus who was buried and resurrected. That is some beautiful stuff! To see the power of Christ making a new man or a new woman is nothing less than miraculous. When we repent of sin and put our faith in Christ, we personally celebrate our new life. Baptism permits the born-again believer the opportunity to announce to others his or her commitment to Christ. It also brings a healthy sense of accountability to live out the faith we have just declared in our baptism.
Being baptized in water is not your salvation but that doesn’t mean it is not an important step in your walk with God. All through the New Testament we see people who have out their faith in Christ being baptized in water. Baptism is an IMPORTANT step in being obedient to the example of Christ.
WHAT ABOUT YOU
In the book of Acts there is a story about a preacher named Philip. He met a man from Ethiopia who was reading the Old Testament Scriptures while riding in his chariot but did not quite understand what he was reading. Philip explained the Scriptures to him and showed him Jesus. The Ethiopian puts his faith in Christ, then, listen to the rest of the story….
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized (Act 8:36)?
Philip baptized the man at that very moment! Have you declared your faith in Christ publicly through baptism? I urge you to follow the example of Christ and do it. Take the opportunity to speak to your pastor and let him or her know your desire.
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