Welcome back to our lessons on Christian living. This week we have the privilege of seeing once again how the Holy Spirit works within us bringing us to face. This week we also take a closer look into one of the Means of Grace which is the sacrament of Baptism. So lets refresh ourselves on these terms real quick.
What is a sacrament? You don't often hear the word sacrament in daily conversation. That's because it's a church term meaning, "a sacred act." What then makes a sacrament sacred? Very simply, because it was instituted by Christ. Christ took visible elements, such as the water of Baptism and connects them to God's Word. Then He says, "do this..." Through these sacraments God gives us forgiveness, new life and salvation. Baptism washes away our sins. We will be looking very closely at Baptism over the next few paragraphs and in the next lesson we will take a closer look at the other sacrament, The Lord's Supper.
What is Baptism? In Ephesians 5, Paul instructs men to love their wives as Christ loved the church, citing Baptism as an example of Christ's perfect love for us. "25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, " Here we read what Baptism is, it is the applying of water(cleansing) in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Please note there is not really an incorrect way to baptize. There are only two things necessary as seen in the fore mentioned verse, water and the Word of God. You can wash, pour water onto, sprinkle, or fully immerse some one during the Baptism. There is no minimal measurement of water. Some have baptized in critical situations using only there spit.
We will read about how Christ instructs us to Baptize, and Paul says that Christ loves us through Baptism, but apart from that, what does Baptism do? Why do we Baptize? Baptism is not symbolic, it's not like a star on top of our Christmas tree, there are actual blessings that come with Baptism and in fact necessary blessings for that matter. Acts chapter 2, Luke tells us, "38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."" Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins. The book of Titus tells us in chapter 3, "4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." Baptism is a rebirth, we are lost in sin and on the day of our Baptism, we are reborn in Christ and we receive the benefit of Christ's perfect life and death and resurrection, Eternal Salvation. In the Epistle 1 Peter chapter 3, it says, "21and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him." Jesus' death covers all sins, believers and non believers, but the gift of Life is for the children of God and Baptism is how we are born as His children.
So if the gift of life is for God's children, who are born through Baptism, who is Baptism for? We read how Baptism became one of two sacraments in Matthew, chapter 28, "18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."" Jesus said do this, for all nations, everyone, the entire world. All need to become born again to become children of God. Galatians chapter 3 says, "26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." We receive forgiveness of sins when we take up our role as children of God. Twice in the Bible, once in Matthew 18 and once again in Luke 18, Christ reminds us that we are to be like children and to have child like faith to become like those in Heaven. Think about how children trusts an adult when they tell them something, be it a rule or Santa, that child believes because they trust that adult. We believe because we know we can trust Christ.
So who and when do we get baptized. Some churches won't let me until I'm 16-18, some when I'm born, others say I need to have an epiphany or some kind of other worldly out of body experience before I can come to be born again and be baptized. No, I suppose the Bible doesn't spell it out in legalese but for that matter, it does say who shouldn't be baptized, the answer is no one. Look what happens to the jailer, who came to faith in Acts 16, "29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household." 32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family." Right there it says the jailer had a family, probably a wife, some kids, maybe some parents, but his whole family was baptized, you'll notice that all he did was believe. You'll notice that it doesn't say that all of the adults of his family were baptized.
All of those benefits of baptism, even infants need to be born again. Remember, we inherit sin, we know we were sinful from the time we were conceived. Infants can be brought to believe in Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The WELS church does have some thoughts on how we should go about baptizing people as to make sure this Means of Grace is properly received however. You'll notice that in the verses from Matthew that Jesus says to instruct and baptize, and in Acts, they teach the word of God, then baptize. So adults are instructed first, then baptized. However infants and children are baptized then instructed. As adults raising born again children, it's our duty to instruct our children in the Word of God, Ephesians 6:4 says, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." All that said, there are emergency baptisms performed when someone who believes in Christ with a short time asks to be baptized, there's no time to instruct and they've already accepted Jesus as they're Savior.
Who can perform a baptism? I was baptized by my pastor when I was a child, my wife and children were baptized by our current pastor. Many people are baptized by pastors and certainly it makes since as the one who instructed or will instruct you would best know how to baptize, but anyone can baptize, remember our emergency baptism above, that can be you or me, perhaps in some part of the world, or some dreaded future, God's Word won't be as readily available to us, then we can baptist as well as instruct believers in whatever way stops them from receiving a baptismal service. So what about our emergency situation above, someone's on death's door and they've yet to be baptized, what happens to their soul? Assuming our example has still accepted Jesus as their Savior and repents for their sins and believes in the forgiveness of sins, they are saved. Only unbelief damns, anyone who consciously and unrepentantly rejects baptism is damned. We know that the other Means of Grace is The Lord's Supper and we'll go on to learn that we should take it whenever it is offered to us, say twice a month. How often should we be baptized then? Just once, no matter who did it, even if you've switched churches. If it was in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, then you have invited the Holy Spirit in and you have been born again in Christ.
One interesting, not biblically backed church custom is the practice of sponsors and/or godparents. Christ does not demand the need for godparents, but nowadays, the word and practice has somewhat lost its meaning. So if you're invited to be a godparent what should you do? The first thing is obviously to witness the baptism. The next is, should something happen to the parents, promise to raise that child in the area of Christian instruction. Between both the parents and the godparent should be an agreement of faith. When being a godparent you are saying to those in the congregation, this child's faith is important to me. That said and not that I encourage a lapse of Christian training, godparents can be just someone who the parents really like and just want to give the title. There's technically no sin in just being a witness to the ceremony. Try to tell the parent or godparent depending on your circumstance however what baptism means to you and what you would like this calling to mean for that child.
Baptism serves us with the incentive and source of power for Godly living. I'll leave you with a lesson from Romans 6, "3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We 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. 5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness."
Baptism is one of those miracles that we get to witness that happens every time. You literally get to see the Holy Spirit working in someone. Join us next time when we see the second miraculous Means of Grace in the Lord's Supper as we focus on the Holy Spirit. God bless your seeking out of Him and continuous practice of His Word.
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