What is Baptism?
What is Baptism? (Part A)
We’ve considered who baptism is for, but what is baptism? It is the main visible ceremony of inclusion into the Christian church. At The Billabong, it takes place in a worship service unless that’s impossible for practical reasons, and is often shared with other families. There is the wetting of the baptised person, usually by ‘immersion’ (dunking!) and some very important declarations are made. It is a cause for real celebration!
Some significant transactions are taking place between people and God in baptism.
The word baptism means literally "to wash with water".
Baptism symbolises the story of the baptised person entering into water to be washed clean of sin and to emerge from the water cleansed or renewed into the gathered family of God’s forgiven and embraced people.
The idea of "sin" causes problems for some people. This illustration might help. Most of us judge ourselves pretty good people. On the moral and ethical perfection meter let's agree that we fall short [even of our own standards] once, twice, 5 times a day. That's 35 times a week and 1820 times a year. Even exemplary people fall short. What if we gathered these short falls into a book - by the end of our life how thick would that book be?
If I want to play a 'good enough' game with God, his standard is moral and ethical perfection. He knows that no one is righteous, no, not even one. So this cloud hangs over all people and forms a barrier separating us from God. This is of infinite concern to Him. So much so that he determined to do something about it. This is where Jesus comes in. Jesus was and is morally and ethically perfect - no barrier between him and God his Father. But we.....? We have this charge sheet - and we are guilty! The Bible says, He [God] laid on him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all. Jesus paid our price at the cost of his own life. Now because of Jesus there are no impediments to us accessing God. Jesus is the way through which we can access God the Father.
This is the ‘gospel’ or good news.
So, another way of seeing baptism is that the baptised person is symbolically joining with Jesus himself, entering with Jesus into his death where sin [falling short] is dealt with and rising with Jesus into his promised resurrection life. This is why baptism often involves immersion into water, symbolising a death to that sin-marked life and a coming out of the water, symbolizing resurrection to your new life with God.
Questions for Reflection:
1. Baptism offers a picture of what Jesus has done. Do you have any questions about what Jesus has done for you?
2. Are you comfortable that you have believed and received his forgiveness and are an inheritor of eternal life with him?