The importance of baptism

In your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 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, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 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, 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, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him (1 Peter 3:15-22).

Saint Peter was always quick to take action. When Jesus called him to be a disciple, Peter abandoned his life as a fisherman without a second thought. When Jesus asked the disciples who do you say that I am, Peter was the one who immediately spoke up and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew chapter 16). When Mary Magdalene came with the news that Jesus’ grave was empty, Peter took off at a full run to see for himself. Peter charged through life with boundless energy.

We also see this quality in Peter’s letters. He does not write long epistles like Saint Paul; Peter is brief and to the point. In the words we are looking at today, Peter rushes through five different topics in just eight verses! Your head almost spins trying to keep up with him.

One of the points he touches on briefly is a connection between Noah’s Flood and the sacrament of baptism. Peter zips through the matter as if everyone understands his point and nothing further needs be said. But I think we should slow things down a little and look at baptism more closely.

In the Old Testament, there are two major events involving water. The first took place at the time of Noah. Mankind had fulfilled God’s command to fill the earth; some estimate that by the time Noah was born, the world’s population might have been as large as nine million people, if not more. Yet among all those individuals, only eight people believed in God—Noah and his family. And as if that were not bad enough, the people of world reveled in every kind of sin imaginable; it was so bad that God’s heart was filled with pain. So He decided to do a reboot. God told Noah to build a vessel large enough to preserve his family and a breeding couple of every species. Then the LORD flooded the earth, drowning everyone except those who were sheltered in the ark. When the waters receded, Noah and his family began the task of rebuilding human civilization.

The other major event involving water took place during the life of Moses. God’s people had become slaves in Egypt. Moses was sent to demand their freedom, but was ignored by Pharaoh the king. God punished the nation with ten awful plagues, until the citizens of Egypt demanded that the Israelites be sent on their way. Pharaoh gave in and let the slaves go free. Moses led a sizable group of men, women and children—the men alone numbered about 600,000. But none of these men had training in battle, and not long after the slave force had left, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army in pursuit. At the shore of the Red Sea, the Israelites seemed to be trapped with nowhere to run. But God opened a path through the water, allowing His people to cross the seabed on dry ground. When the Egyptian forces came after them, God permitted the waters to rush back and drown Pharaoh’s army. The people went on to set up a nation that honored God as its ruler.

Two miracles involving water as a means of rescue. That is what baptism is all about—God using water to rescue us from evil. In 1st Corinthians chapter ten, Saint Paul connects baptism to the parting of the Red Sea: our forefathers…all passed through the sea…in the sea, they were all baptized into Moses. And in today’s Epistle lesson, Peter connects baptism to the Great Flood: 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, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you as well.

Baptism is a sacrament. It is a holy act commanded by Jesus that offers us forgiveness, faith, and eternal life. Baptism is linked to Christ; the Bible does not speak of baptism until after our Lord came to live among us. At the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, His cousin John said: the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel (John 1:31). Baptism reveals Christ to us. Baptism also connects us with the Savior, as we are told in Romans chapter six: don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We 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.

Jesus did not begin His ministry until after He was baptized. At that time, God the Father blessed our Lord with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as John tells us: I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him (John 1:32). Through baptism, Jesus was given the Holy Spirit to assist Him in doing the Father’s work on earth.

Jesus did not perform any baptisms Himself. Scripture tells us, Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples (John 4:1-2). But even though Jesus did not wash people Himself, He does bless every baptism done in His name. John said, I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8). When you are baptized, Christ gives you the Spirit of God to help you in doing the Father’s work.

Jesus commands us to baptize. He said, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Why was Jesus so insistent about this? It’s because we need the benefits of baptism—we need them desperately.

We need forgiveness. Paul writes, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We anger God constantly. We fail to follow His rules or ask His advice. We ignore Him so we can spend our time and money on ourselves. We say and do hurtful things, and much of the time we feel no guilt for our actions. Such behavior invites God’s punishment in hell. Every day of our lives, we need Christ’s forgiveness.

We need faith. Hebrews chapter 11:6 says, without faith it is impossible to please God. You can work your tail off, trying to be a good person. You can support a worthy cause by donating your time or money. You can be a loving parent or friend. You can be a top-notch teacher or boss. But no matter how hard you work at it, nothing you achieve in life will impress God—not if you don’t believe in Christ. In order to have God’s approval, we must have faith in His Son.

We need the promise of eternal life. The threat of death can rob you of joy, as you worry that there isn’t enough time to achieve all of your goals. Criminals and terrorists use the threat of death as a means of forcing others to give them what they want. People spend incredible amounts of money on medical procedures to put off death for as long as possible. But sooner or later, death comes for everyone. To have hope for the future when facing death, we need the promise of everlasting life.

Jesus commands baptism because we need the benefits that it offers. We ignore baptism at our peril; in Luke chapter seven we are told, the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized. These foolish people didn’t think that they needed baptism; they were confident that God loved them just the way they were. They didn’t think that they were saying or doing anything wrong. They didn’t feel a need for Jesus in their lives. They didn’t worry that death might lead to hell. They saw no need for baptism, and so they rejected God’s plan to save them from evil.

Baptism is God’s gift to all people. Every one of us is a sinner, children included. David confessed, without a doubt I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:5). Jesus welcomed children into His arms; Mark writes (chapter 10), People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples turned them away. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. When the apostles spread the Good News about Jesus, they would baptize entire households together, young and old alike. Peter said, 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. The promise is for you and your children (Acts 2:38-39).

Baptism not only gives us forgiveness, it changes our attitude towards sin. Baptism and repentance go hand in hand; someone who is baptized does not want to find joy in sin, and seeks to live a life that is pleasing to God. Listen to Luke chapter three: John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him…"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance"…"What should we do then?" the crowd asked. Baptism is about drowning evil so that good might flourish unimpeded. That requires a commitment to change. This is why Peter describes one aspect of baptism as the pledge of a good conscience toward God. We see what such commitment looks like in Acts chapter two: Those who accepted his message were baptized…They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ‘The pledge of a good conscience towards God’ resulted in a pattern of worship, Bible study, and prayer. It also brought God’s people together as a community, united through Christ. Paul writes, You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-28).

Baptism is a wonderful gift from God. But let’s not overstate its importance—listen carefully to Jesus’ words recorded in Mark chapter 16. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Did you catch that? God’s punishment is promised only for those who do not believe. As great as it is, baptism is not absolutely required for salvation. This is because faith comes through the word of God. It is God’s word that makes baptism effective, but God’s word can create faith just by listening to it. One example comes from Acts chapter ten: While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The [Jewish] believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles…Then Peter said, "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

It’s a sad thing, but many people reject God’s baptismal offer. For one reason or another, they just aren’t interested. If this doesn’t change, they will be treated like those who drowned in the Red Sea and during the Great Flood. Only a small number of people were saved by listening to Noah and Moses. Noah was a preacher who built the biggest conversation piece in all of human history, yet no one outside of his family took his message seriously. Moses was a prophet who demonstrated God’s tremendous power over and over again, yet most of the Egyptians were just glad to be rid of him. Those who listened to Noah and Moses escaped to safety, while those who preferred a sinful life without God found themselves drowning in His anger. We who are baptized have been given a wonderful blessing, yet our joy is tinged with sadness knowing that many reject God’s purpose for their lives. Don’t ever take the blessings of baptism for granted; you are among the few who have been saved through it.