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What’s Baptism Got To Do With It? 1 Peter 3:18-4:6
Today is the last message in the series we have been calling “Spiritual Growth for Dummies. I reminded you of the series title for the first few weeks, but since I have refrained from referring to all of us as dummies. But there is no shame in being a spiritual dummy. It simply means that we are totally dependent on the manual for spiritual growth—the Bible. If you need to know about Windows XP, you read “Windows XP for Dummies”. But once you are an expert in Windows XP, you no longer need to read the manual. There is no such thing as an expert in spiritual growth. It is not possible to grow beyond the need for our manual because the manual tells us about the one who wrote the manual. In fact, the more you grow to be like Christ, the more you realize you need him. To use our analogy of being dummies, the smarter you get, the dumber you realize you are. The more you mature, the more you realize you have even further to go.
Let me review what we have been studying the past 3 months from the books of 1 & 2 Peter. We have studied the various parts of spiritual growth by asking a lot of questions.
What Is God’s Plan For My Life? We will be talking about this a lot more during the 40Days of Purpose. I’m Not Strong Enough To Live the Christian Life! We answered this question by saying, “No, you are NOT strong enough to live the Christian life. You cannot do it by yourself. But God has promised that we have everything we need to live the Christian life: the finished work of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God constantly at our disposal. We have everything we need if we only put these things to use. When Do I Become A Mature Christian? The answer to this question is that you don’t ever become a mature Christian. The apostle Paul never quit—he was striving to the very last days of his life. There are no “mature Christians”, there are only “maturing Christians”. Aren’t Pastors Supposed To Do “Church Work”? This message was about the priesthood of all believers and the unity of the body of Christ. My job as a pastor is not to do all of the ministry, but to train and equip all of you to do the ministry that God has called us to. Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers? Many things hinder our prayers. We were reminded from 1 Peter 3 that something as simple as treating your husband or wife disrespectfully will hinder your prayers. Where Is Your Treasure? Jeff challenged us to make Jesus Christ our prized treasure as opposed to anything else in all the world. If we cling to Christ, then we can’t cling to other material things. Why Did God Become Man? Jesus humbled himself in the most extreme sense because it was the only way to save us from eternal death. Why Is There So Much Suffering? Does God love you and have a wonderful plan for your life? Indeed he does, and part of that plan is that all Christians will suffer for the sake of Christ. Do I Have To Share My Faith? No, you don’t really have to share your faith. If you don’t tell others about Christ, you won’t lose your salvation or anything like that. But you cannot possibly grow in your faith if you never share your faith with others. Should I Obey God or the Government? In this message we were reminded from Scripture that all governing authorities derive their power from God alone. Therefore, to disobey them is to disobey God. We are rebels who need to come under all kinds of authority. Is Satan Really That Dangerous? Yes he is, especially if we allow pride to rule our lives. Our pride exposes us to the devouring destructiveness of Satan’s schemes. Can I Trust the Bible? Yes, you can trust the Bible to reveal the accurate and authoritative word of God. And if it is trustworthy, then we must obey what it says. What’s Baptism Got to Do With It? This is the final question in the series which we will be answering this morning.
I hope you will remember that there is not one golden key to our spiritual growth. We must read and study our Bibles, but it is not enough to just read the Bible. We must share our faith, but it is not enough to share our faith. It is not the mastering of the individual pieces of spiritual growth, but rather the combination of all of these things which will bring about growth.
This brings us to our final question in the series, “What’s baptism got to do with it?” Is baptism really a vital part of our spiritual growth, or is it just one of those religious things that churches do? Is baptism a part of our salvation? What about infant baptism—does that count for anything? As I’ve thought about it, each of us can fit into one of these categories.
1. You have never been baptized and are not a believer. 2. You have never been baptized and are a believer. 3. You were baptized as an infant but are not a believer. 4. You were baptized as an infant and are a believer. 5. You became a believer and then were baptized. 6. You became a believer, were baptized and now you have questions about your children.
Part of my reason for teaching on baptism right now is that we will be having a baptismal service on April 18. I want us all to understand what the Bible teaches about baptism and challenge those who have never been baptized to do so. But I am also teaching on baptism right now because I have neglected my duty as a teacher and shepherd to give proper emphasis to baptism. Unlike Baptist churches, we don’t require baptism for membership. But in so doing, we subtly communicate that baptism isn’t all that important. It is important, and I want to apologize to you all for not giving this vital Christian belief its proper emphasis in our church.
There are many good questions and many possible applications of baptism. Before we answer any of these questions, we need to develop some principles. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 3. 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and 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, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. Baptism is based on the finished work of Christ. The mention of baptism in this passage is sandwiched between two important truths about the work of Christ. In v. 18 we are reminded of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for sin. It was a “once for all” kind of sacrifice. There is no need to repeat his death and resurrection. At the Lord’s Supper we remember his broken body and his blood that flowed, but we never repeat these actions. Every Spring when car dealers are unloading last year’s models, what kind of fantastic sale do they have? It seems that all of them hold a “once in a lifetime” sale. Tell me, how can you hold a “once in a lifetime” sale every year? But Peter’s words are no mere advertisement. Jesus’ death was “once for all.” So perfect was he, that the three days in history that spanned his death and resurrection will be effective for all eternity. His death was substitutionary—“the righteous for the unrighteous”. Guess which one we were? We were the unrighteous—the sinner. But he took our place—he became our substitute on the cross. When the Passion of the Christ movie is released, this would be a good verse to explain why Christ suffered so greatly. He only died once and he did it in our place—carrying on himself the sins of the whole world, the wrath of his Father as well as the whips of Roman soldiers. The other important statement comes at v.22. After his resurrection, Jesus went to heaven, took his rightful place at the right hand of the Father and now rules over earthly, heavenly and demonic powers. Now here is an interesting question. This verse tells us that after his death Jesus ruled over all powers, but did he rule over them before this? Jesus has always been and will always be the supreme ruler over all powers. But without his substitutionary death on the cross, Satan held the power of death. Because of our sin, we placed ourselves under the authority of Satan. We legally belonged to the devil. You know the old expression, “he sold his soul to Satan’? We didn’t have to sell our soul to Satan because he already owned them. Jesus had to buy back our souls with the priceless gift of his blood. The result is that after his resurrection, Jesus ruled over all things, including sin and death. Sandwiched in between these two great truths about Christ we have a truth about baptism. The problem is that baptism is surrounded by this mention of Jesus preaching to spirits in prison and Noah’s ark. What do these things have to do with baptism? I admit that this can be a confusing passage. Starting with verse 19, we are going to move from cloudy to clear. What I mean is this: I am not certain what v.19 means—that is cloudy. I am pretty sure what v. 20 means, and I am quite certain what v.21 means—that is clear. Immediately following his resurrection, Jesus preached to spirits. These spirits are linked to the days of Noah. In Genesis 6, we are told how bad things had become. Verse 5 says, The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. That is another way of saying, “It couldn’t possibly get any worse!” How did it get so bad? In part because of the deceiving spirits that blinded men and women and led them astray. It was these spirits that Jesus spoke to. But this was not a message calling for repentance. This was a proclamation of victory. Since his victory over death was completed by his resurrection, he spoke forth this message of victory to his chief opponents. The evil spirits had held the keys of sin and death and Jesus went to claim the keys that were rightfully his. I think the message he proclaimed could have been similar to rev. 1:18, where Jesus said, I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Jesus did not gain the keys of sin and death during the end times of revelation. He earned the keys immediately following his resurrection. I don’t want to give too much of the movie away, but there is a powerful scene in the Passion movie. Immediately after Jesus died, the Satan figure breaks forth in a blatant show of victory. Satan assumed he had final possession of the keys of sin and death. But Jesus is the Living One and claimed those keys immediately following his resurrection. Now to v. 20. Last year in our Jesus Journey series we learned that the ark of Noah was a type of Christ. Just as the ark saved the eight people from destruction who went in, Christ will save from destruction all who come to him. But this verse is emphasizing not the ark, but the water itself. To complicate matters a bit more, the water surrounding the ark is the link to the water of baptism in v.21. Even though for Noah the water was an instrument of judgment, for those who trust in Christ, the water becomes a symbol of burial and then resurrection to new life. We know that water symbolizes burial for at least two reasons. First, the word for baptism, baptize, literally mean to immerse. As you are immersed in water, this symbolizes being buried in the ground after death. Also, this is clearly spelled out in Col 2:12 where Paul said, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God. The symbolism expressed in baptism could not be any clearer than this. The immersion into the water symbolizes our identification with Jesus’ death—that he cleanses us from sin, and rising out of the water symbolizes our identification with the resurrection of Christ. As Romans 6:11 says, We are dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. The reason I said verse 21 is so clear because it spells out precisely what baptism represents. First it tells us what baptism is not. It is not a removal of dirt from the body. In other words, baptism does not wash away your sins. If you were baptized as a baby, then you need to know that your baptism in no way brings you salvation. Baptism does not save you. What saves you is your appeal to God for a good conscience. If you have a NIV Bible this verse says: the pledge of a good conscience toward God. I think this is a poor translation and instead would use the NASB which says: an appeal to God for a good conscience. We are not making a pledge to God, we are making an appeal to him. We are asking him to save us from our sin. As Romans 10:13 says, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This verse then is telling us that we are saved when we appeal to God, when we ask God to make our conscience clean—when we ask God to make us righteous because we know we are unrighteous. Now that we understand the principles, let’s apply what we have learned to various situations we introduced before. 1. You have never been baptized and are not a believer. Please don’t get confused by the symbolism of baptism. Baptism is not a mystical experience that magically assures you a ticket to heaven. Hundreds of verses in the Bible make it clear that the only thing that can save you is faith in Christ. If you are aware of the offense of your sin against God, then throw yourself at his mercy. Make an appeal to God for a clean conscience. After you have done this, then go and get baptized. Invite your family and friends. Tell the world that your sins have been buried with Christ and that he raised you into a new life. Baptism is the most powerful symbol of this new life. 2. You were baptized as an infant but are not a believer. I was this way for the first 16 years of my life! I was baptized as an infant, but I was far from God. I warn people in this category to be very careful. A great number of churches teach that infant baptism gives you eternal life. This is an extremely dangerous belief. It’s like having a terminal illness and taking the wrong medication instead of taking the medication that will cure you. No matter your age when you were baptized, it cannot wash away your sin. Appeal to God for a clean conscience—ask God to save you, then go and get baptized. Let everyone see this symbol of your new life. 3. You have never been baptized and are a believer. My question to you would be, “Why not?” As far as we know, every Christian in the New Testament was a baptized Christian. There was no such thing as an unbaptized believer. In Matthew 28 Jesus told us to: Make disciples of all nations. How are we to do this? How are we to fulfill what is called the Great Commission? Jesus said first you baptize them and then you teach them to obey. If you have already trusted Christ for salvation, then you already know that baptism was not necessary for your salvation. But in order to walk in obedience to Jesus’ command, I would strongly encourage you to let me know you would like to get baptized on April 18. I can guess that right now God is tapping some of you on the shoulder and saying, “Come on, do it. It’s time you obeyed this command and get baptized.” But if God is speaking to you in this way, you would like to ignore his voice. Maybe you think it would be too embarrassing to get dunked under water in front of a group of people. In a sense, maybe it is a little embarrassing, but so what! Are you not willing to suffer a little embarrassment in order to clearly identify yourself with Jesus Christ? If you are not embarrassed about Jesus Christ, then please don’t be embarrassed about showing others through your baptism that how you are now dead to sin and alive to Christ. 4. You were baptized as an infant and are a believer. Can infants make an appeal to God? Can infants call on the name of the Lord? Your baptism may have been meaningful to your parents or grandparents, but in the eyes of God, at best it was equivalent to a dedication. In the Bible, baptism always happened after salvation and belief. People believe in Christ, then they get baptized. So I would also say to you, “Why not?” I have known people who refused to get baptized because they knew it would upset their parents. They imagine having a conversation with their parents that sounds like this: “Now why did you get baptized again? Your father and I made sure you were baptized when you were just a baby. Was something wrong with that baptism?” Your parents might take offense at your decision to be baptized. Yes, the Bible tells us to honor our parents, but never at the expense of dishonoring or disobeying God. 5. You became a believer and then were baptized. If you fit into this category—great! I trust your baptism was a meaningful experience. You can help others understand the importance of baptism. 6. You became a believer, were baptized and now you have questions about your children. Since we have so many young children in our church, I have to believe this is a relevant question for many. Some of you are wondering how old a child must be before he or she is ready to be baptized. I think a 6, 7 or 8 year old child is too young and are not ready to be baptized. But age isn’t the only factor, because a 16, 17 or 18 year old may not be too young, but they may not understand their salvation or be prepared to identify with Christ in this radical way.
To help you sort out these questions, we want any child considering baptism to have a mentor to teach and guide them through the process. Probably the ideal mentor would be the child’s father, assuming he is a believer who is waling with the Lord. If not the father, then the mother, or some other relative or friend can serve as a mentor. Here is what we want you to do. Pick up the mentor guide called “Preparing Young People for Baptism”, which is on the back table. Read through this guide and if it looks good to you, plan to attend the mentor’s class on Feb. 29. This class will instruct mentor’s how to instruct their children in the meaning and importance of baptism and to help them discern if their child is ready to be baptized. This can be a great tool for discipling your children. Maybe there are some parents who have never been baptized as adults and would like to be baptized at the same time as their children. There may be whole families who are ready to be baptized together.
Some Sunday message you can go away and think to yourself, “Now that was interesting, maybe I will think about that later this week.” But this is NOT one of those messages. Either you are a Christian or you are not. Either you have been baptized as a believer or you have not. You can’t just ponder this message later in the week—you must make some kind of decision. Maybe there are one or two who are ready to trust Christ this very day. Please talk to me or another Christian as soon as possible about your decision. But certainly there are some here who have been challenged to obey the command to identify with the death and resurrection of Christ through their own baptism. Please don’t put off this decision any longer.
Rich Maurer February 8, 2004 |