Sunday's Message: The Meaning of Baptism

Baptism is universally recognized as part of our faith, but Christians often differ in when and how it should be done. And so, during our service on Sunday, we used Scripture to consider baptism, what it means and why it's important. 

Below is a copy and a video the message. You can stream all the services by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.

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As y’all might remember, last week we finished up a series of sermons dealing with some of the characters whom we associate with the story of Christmas. And the last of these folks were the wise men who, according to Matthew, followed a star from the east and were led to Bethlehem. And there, they presented their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Now, do y’all remember that? Well, the day on which Christians have traditionally celebrated the coming of the Wise Men or the Kings or probably best the Magi, that day is called Epiphany. Now, it’s always on January 6th, which, by the way, is the twelfth day after Christmas. And of course this meant that, on Friday, Debbie received twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree, and boy was she surprised. Now that was Epiphany. 

And traditionally, on the Sunday right after those twelve days, we remember the baptism of Jesus Christ as described by Matthew, Mark or Luke or as described by John the Baptist in the Gospel of John. Of course, this fact really makes the baptismal story pretty special, because it’s one of only a handful about Jesus that’s found in all four gospels. I mean, the birth of Jesus is only found in two. And the Transfiguration only in three. And Epiphany and the ascension only in one. But not the story of the baptism; it’s in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And even though it’s not exactly the same in each, they all involve Jesus being baptized, and then, as he’s coming out of the water, there’s a voice from heaven announcing that he’s God’s Son. Now that’s the story in a nutshell, one that I image you’ve heard before. And for that reason, this morning, we’re going to change it up a little bit, because instead of talking about what happened to Jesus in the Jordan, we’re going to talk about what happens to us when we’re baptized. In other words, we’re going to look at the meaning of baptism.

And I think that’s a pretty good thing to do, because I believe a lot of Christians are a little fuzzy about what this baptism business is all about. I mean, even though it’s one of the few things that all churches agree is important, we definitely don’t all agree about what it signifies or how to do it. And I’ll tell you, maybe that’s the reason most Christians really don’t understand what baptism means. 

And so that’s what we’re going to look at this morning, what is baptism for a believer living in or around Sligo, Pennsylvania on January 8, in the year of our Lord, 2023. And to shape our discussion, we’re going to use something that the great fifth century theologian, Augustine, said about sacraments, which includes baptism. He wrote that a sacrament is “an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace.”  You see, we’re going to use these words to sort of guide our discussion. Now that’s what we’re going to do. 

But you know, before talking about what baptism is, I think it’s important to spend at least a few minutes talking about three things that it’s not, at least not according to my reading of the Bible. And I’ll tell you, I believe that’s particularly important, because it seems as though every church has a slightly different take on baptism. But in my opinion, not all these interpretations are biblical. 

For example, first, I don’t think the Bible says that baptism is necessary for salvation. I remember, when I was in a church out in Montana, I had a couple tell me that, before they got their children baptized, his mother was driving them crazy, you know, saying things like, “I don’t know how you can sleep at night, knowing your girls haven’t been baptized.” You see, she thought her granddaughters were lost before their baptism. But I don’t see that in scripture. In fact, wouldn’t something like that limit God’s freedom and love? I mean, wouldn’t it run counter what Jesus himself had in mind when he said,

I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them together too, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd. [John 10:14-16, CEV] 

Frankly, I don’t think baptism can limit the freedom and love of God, just like, second, I also don’t believe baptism is all about our decision to repent and confess. Now granted, that was the kind of baptism offered by John the Baptist, something that he did to prepare people for the coming of Christ. But right now, we don’t have to prepare for this coming. Why? Jesus has already come, in fact he lived and died, was raised and ascended. And with his coming, the meaning of baptism changed. And that’s what I think Paul was getting at when he said this to some people in the city of Corinth who’d only received John’s baptism: 

Paul replied, “John baptized people so that they would turn to God. But he also told them that someone else was coming, and that they should put their faith in him. Jesus is the one that John was talking about.” After the people heard Paul say this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” [Acts 19:4-5, CEV] 

You see, I don’t think baptism is all about something that we choose to do. 

And I’ll tell you something else, I don’t think baptism is a ritual with all these specific rules that you have to follow and words you have to say. You see, for me, that’s the third thing it’s not. For example, some believers see the amount of water used as a huge deal, as though it’s not a real baptism if you haven’t been totally immersed. And some say that a church baptism is somehow better or worse than one in a stream or a swimming pool. And I’ve known folks who’ll debate the exact words that must be used, you know, like baptism involves reciting some kind of magic formula. Now that what some seem to say. But you know, when you look closer at these rules, these laws, well, generally we’ve created them ourselves. But that hasn’t stopped us from using them to separate one church from another and divide Christians into little franchises. That’s what has happened. In fact, it’s like we’ve completely forgotten that the Apostle Paul wrote this to the Galatians:

My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love. All that the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself. But if you keep attacking each other like wild animals, you had better watch out or you will destroy yourselves.” [Galatians 5:13-15, CEV] 

And so, in my opinion, I think the Bible is pretty clear about what baptism is not. It’s not necessary for salvation. And it’s not about our decision to repent and confess. And it’s not this rule-burdened ritual that we’ve got to follow.

No, I believe baptism is something else. In fact, again using the words of Augustine, I believe baptism is “an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace.” But let’s unpack that a little bit, starting with the second half of that statement. 

You see, first, like Augustine, I believe baptism involves an inward and invisible grace, which means that for us to understand what baptism is, we really need to get a handle on grace, you know, what it is and what it does. And I’ll tell you, I don’t think there’s a better definition of what grace is than the one that Paul offered to the Ephesians:

But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much he made us alive with Christ, and God's gift of undeserved grace is what saves you. God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. God did this so in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. [Ephesians 2:4-9, CEV] 

You see, grace isn’t a wage. It isn’t a commodity that we have to earn or deserve. I mean, if it were, then it would be the result of something we’ve done or said or promised; therefore, having done enough, man, we have every reason to brag. But that’s not grace. Instead, grace is a gift, freely given by the one who chose to love us before he laid the foundation of the universe. And the grace he’s given to us, without our permission or help, well, it becomes effective, you know, meaningful, when we trust that the gift has been given. You see, that’s what grace is. 

And when we trust that it’s real, when we have faith that with the coming of Jesus Christ, “the Word became a human being and lived here with us” [John 1:14a, CEV], and when we decide to believe that Paul was right on the mark when he said to the Romans, “God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.” [Romans 3:22-24, CEV], when this is what we trust, man, we change. The past no longer becomes an anchor, and suddenly we’re able to respond to God. As a matter of fact, Paul even used baptism to show how we’re changed by God’s grace. Just listen:

Don’t you know that all who share in Christ Jesus by being baptized also share in his death? When we were baptized, we died and were buried with Christ. We were baptized, so that we would live a new life, as Christ was raised to life by the glory of God the Father. If we shared in Jesus' death by being baptized, we will be raised to life with him. We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so that our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin. We know that sin doesn’t have power over dead people. [Romans 6:3-7, CEV] 

Now that’s what Paul wrote.

And that’s exactly what our baptism represents. It’s a gift from God; therefore, it involves an inward and invisible grace. That’s one, but that’s not all.

Because, again according to Augustine, the sacrament itself becomes an outward and visible sign of that grace. And that’s the second thing that I believe is true of baptism. You see, whether the water is poured or sprinkled or whether we’re at a church or in a pool or whether we’re recognizing God’s grace ourselves or claiming it on behalf of our children, baptism shows the world who we are. It provides for us an identity. Let me explain. It’s through our baptism that we celebrate the fact that we’re part of a new people, a new family, one that’s different from anything we see in the world. For example, while the world says that people should be divided and we should be leery and even scared of folks who aren’t like us, our perspective on the world is different. It’s like Paul wrote to the Corinthians, 

The body of Christ has many different parts, just as any other body does. Some of us are Jews, and others are Gentiles. Some of us are slaves, and others are free. But God’s Spirit baptized each of us and made us part of the body of Christ. Now we each drink from that same Spirit. [1 Corinthians 12:12-13, CEV] 

You see, that’s different. 

And while the world teaches that although everybody is equal, some are just more equal than others, our view of one another is also different. Just listen to what Paul wrote to the Galatians: 

All of you are God’s children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham’s family, and you will be given what God has promised.” [Galatians 3:26-29, CEV] 

You see, that’s another difference.

And while the world tells us to do whatever we need to do in order to come out first, our mission as baptized Christians is different. It’s like when, at the very end of Matthew’s gospel, 

Jesus came to [the eleven disciples] and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” [Matthew 28:18-20, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said, and I’ll tell you, I find that passage particularly interesting, because Jesus told them and tells us that the first step in making disciples isn’t teaching but baptizing. In other words, we’re called to pass on to others that outward and visible sign of that inward and invisible grace.

And to me, that’s exactly what baptism means. You see, it doesn’t force God to save us. And it isn’t about us doing something for ourselves. And it sure isn’t a ritual that must be done one way or it’s the highway. No, as Augustine said about sacraments, it really is an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace. And you know, maybe if we sort of claim this understanding, not only will our awareness and relationship with God grow but so might the possibility of greater unity within the Body of Christ.