What's With Baptism?

The Bible contains a vast wealth of revelation and information and it is intended for us regular people to be received by faith, comprehended and obeyed.  While the tenets of the Christian faith can be  easily understood by a child, the most learned scholars can never plumb the depths fully.  Biblical doctrine is complex, but it doesn't need to be complicated.  This is where we can muddy the waters despite our best efforts and confuse rather than clarify.  Water baptism is one topic many people do not understand.

Occasionally there are people who express an interest to be baptised, and I find it important to ask them why.  Among those of the Christian faith there is diversity in practice and teaching concerning the significance of baptism for believers.  There are also many traditions and assumptions people have that are not always based on scripture.  While there is nothing wrong in itself with tradition, the Bible (that teaches us about baptism in the first place!) ought to be the ultimate authority in guiding our beliefs and practices.  The purpose of this post is to briefly discuss water baptism in particular.

The Bible teaches salvation by faith in Jesus alone, so baptism in water cannot save anyone.  Atonement for all our sin comes by the price paid by Jesus on Calvary with His blood, so baptism in water cannot cleanse us from sin.  Some shrug off water baptism as unnecessary because it is not required for salvation, but it is necessary for obedience to our Saviour.  Matthew 28:18-20 reads, "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen."  Like each person makes a conscious decision to place his or her faith in Jesus to be born again, disciples of Jesus are commanded to baptise and make disciples of all the nations, teaching to observe and obey all Jesus has said, following His example.

Being baptised in water in obedience to Christ's command follows His example when Jesus drew near to be baptised by John.  John preached a baptism of repentance, but Jesus was without sin.  He was baptised to fulfill all righteousness and be identified as the Messiah when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove.  Peter directed new believers to be baptised in Acts 2:38:  "Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."  The Ethiopian eunuch who believed Jesus Christ the Messiah in response to Philip's preaching from the book of Isaiah in Acts 8:36-38 requested to be baptised:  "Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" ³⁷ Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." ³⁸ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him."  Belief in Jesus Christ as God and Saviour is the sole requirement for baptism, and as we are born again once we only need be baptised once with understanding.

In addition to baptism being a step of obedience, it is personal identification with the death and resurrection of Jesus, that we have been raised to new life by faith in Him.  Baptism cannot add to what Jesus has done for we are complete in Him as it is written of Jesus in Colossians 2:9-12:  "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; ¹⁰ and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. ¹¹ In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."  Those who are Christ's are immersed in His life.  Even as Jesus died, was buried and rose from the dead, baptism is a picture of dying and burial with Christ and being raised up to new life with Him by God's miraculous power.  Baptism symbolises being born again and cleansing through the Gospel.

If you ever wondered why Christians are baptised, hopefully this sheds light on the matter.  When Peter saw the Holy Spirit come upon Gentile believers he exclaimed in Acts 10:47-48, "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" ⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days."  No one can earn salvation or forgiveness, but all who have received the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus ought to be baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Peter commanded the Gentile believers to be baptised, and all who are born again ought to heed this command in submission to our Saviour--as well as obeying all the commands of Jesus like loving God and one another.

Jesus Cares

God created human beings with limitations.  We can only carry or juggle a limited amount of items, and our bodies can only grow so tall.  The dimensions of our bodies are different yet all measurable by height, weight and volume.  There is only so much information we can retain in our minds from a conversation or movie.  Whatever can be stretched can also be broken or ruptured, and even the most fit professional athletes and labourers are no exception.

I have learned when I am easily provoked by a small thing it can be due to carrying a heavy mental load.  Unresolved conflict within me, awareness of troubles others are experiencing, bad news or unexpected obstacles--really any and every little thing--can give rise to overwhelming feelings that stir aggression, frustration and depression.  Peter exhorted believers to be submissive to God and one another, being clothed with humility because "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  He said in 1 Peter 5:6-7, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

Followers of Jesus are commanded to be casting all our care upon Jesus because He cares for us.  There are countless things we can care about:  we can be emotionally, financially and physically dependent upon them.  Peter urged believers to keep casting these cares upon Jesus, not like a fisherman casts out a hook or lure with intent to reel it back to himself, but to throw our anxieties and worries upon Jesus for good.  Why?  Because Jesus cares for us.  Jesus is not worried or anxious about us at all, for this "care" is a different word in the Greek that means "to be an object of care, concern."  Worry and anxiety is a symptom of our natural weakness and inability to do anything to help ourselves or others.  Instead of exalting ourselves we are called to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, knowing the smallest burden is too heavy for us to bear in our own strength.

It seems ironic to cast away our cares, for aren't cares evidence of us caring?  Aren't we supposed to care?  The truth is, carrying burdens we ought to cast upon Jesus is evidence of our carelessness.  It is evidence we have neglected to guard our hearts and chosen for a season not to walk by humble faith in our awesome Saviour who cares for us.  Instead of condemning us for our forgetfulness or rejecting us God remains merciful, gracious and compassionate towards us.  He knows our weakness, limitations and foolishness.  God's hand is mighty to save and deliver us by His grace.  Knowing God cares and does everything gives us great confidence to throw all our anxieties and worries upon Him.  We give Him all the feelings, things and circumstances we cannot do anything about, and thus we by faith invite Him to do His wonders concerning those things in His time and way.

Alienated No More

I was impacted by a passage of scripture yesterday by its profound insight and relevance today.  Because God's word is true it is always relevant, but some assume the Bible must be outdated since it is ancient.  There have been many advances in technology, medicine and industry, and the evidence of scripture declares mankind to be the same:  prone to enslavement by lusts of the eyes, lusts of the flesh and the pride of life.

God utilised an object lesson with the children of Israel of two harlot sisters named Oholah and Oholibah (Samaria and Jerusalem).  The people of Samaria and the northern kingdom committed spiritual adultery through idolatry, and the people of Jerusalem followed suit.  In following her sister's lead, Oholibah was corrupted even further in her lust.  Jerusalem should have been faithful to the LORD God who was "married" to her and dwelt with her, but she was unrestrained in her desires.  This sort of thing plays out every day in our world facilitated by apps and websites--and it is nothing new.  God exposed his people for swiping right and sliding into their DMs--when they imagined they had been faithful to Him.

Read Ezekiel 23:14-16 for yourself:  "But she increased her harlotry; she looked at men portrayed on the wall, images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, ¹⁵ girded with belts around their waists, flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like captains, in the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity. ¹⁶ As soon as her eyes saw them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea."  What happened next I found most intriguing in Ezekiel 23:17-18:  "Then the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their immorality; so she was defiled by them, and alienated herself from them. ¹⁸ She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness. Then I alienated Myself from her, as I had alienated Myself from her sister."

Oholibah liked what she saw and sent messengers to invite attractive, foreign men into her bed when she already had a husband.  As a result she was defiled and alienated from them.  She was left unfulfilled, dissatisfied and even disgusted by her encounters.  Because of her spiritual harlotry, God alienated Himself from her even as He alienated Himself from her sister Samaria.  To be "alienated" is to be estranged and isolated from someone.  Oholibah's soul was alienated from what she lusted after, and God was alienated from her due to her adultery.  The consequences of sin were unsatisfactory for both.  The problem was Oholibah in the illustration kept chasing after men she idolised, false gods that resulted in dissatisfaction and disgust over her illicit loves.

David wrote in Psalm 101:3, "I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me."  This is wisdom we ought to walk in.  There is nothing intrinsically wicked about images of captains in Babylonian attire:  the problem rested in the heart of God's people whose hearts were estranged from God.  Oholibah was like a sow returning to the mire, even as Israel had embraced idolatry in Egypt centuries prior.  God's people did not always remain faithful to Him, but He remained faithful to them and would pay the price to redeem all sinners to Himself through the Gospel.  The children of Israel would be taken into captivity in Babylon and Jerusalem would fall, but God would see it rebuilt and His people restored.  There is hope for people who stray from God, for our loving God does not remain estranged forever and draws near by grace with power to save and restore.  By God's grace may we be faithful to Him as He is faithful, now free from bondage to lust and pride.

Overcoming the World

Since moving to Australia years ago I have kept an eye on local baseball and football teams I supported from a young age.  The San Diego Padres have advanced in the playoffs through formidable opposition, some comparing their improbable victories to David over Goliath.  It is a common analogy employed when a big underdog beats a heavily-favoured opponent in sports, but it isn't a biblically accurate one.  

David was not an underdog:  he had no business being on the same battlefield.  The Padres and the teams they faced are all professional teams with players who honed their skills over a lifetime--and are paid handsomely for it.  Goliath was the giant champion of Gath and David was a teenage shepherd.  From a human vantage point, a true David and Goliath would be the Superbowl champion football team in a game of gridiron facing a team comprised of cheerleaders without any opportunity to prepare.  One combatant had state-of-the-art weaponry and protective equipment (with an assistant) while the other had 5 smooth stones and a sling.

The primary difference between David and Goliath was not their skill for battle, equipment or physical size.  What swung the odds of Goliath's victory to nil was his gods were powerless to help him and David fought by faith in the living God Who is mighty to save.  God had previously delivered David from the paw of the lion and bear, and David was convinced God would deliver him from the cursing Philistine before whom all Israel cowered from in fear.  David was not like a "Cinderella" team who had no business being at the Ball but was enabled to attend through the magical power of a Fairy Godmother who appeared in her time of need:  God had been with David all along.  God guided, protected and strengthened David for battle when he obeyed his dad to carry supplies to the front lines.

After David's brother insulted him in a rage 1 Samuel 17:29 reads, "And David said, "What have I done now? Is there not a cause?"  David was indignant Goliath had been permitted to curse God and his people and no one had done anything to stand up for Him.  David was not moved by national pride, the defense of his king, family or land, but saw a cause and opportunity to honour and glorify God by taking a step of faith to face the giant himself.  He would not be alone, for God was with him to deliver and save him.  David defeating Goliath is not the unexpected triumph of the underdog but a demonstration of how faith in God makes His children overcomers by faith, and this is the victory that overcomes the world.