Baptism: Counting the Cost

“If you want to identify yourself with Christ’s people

and expect them to identify with you, you need to first identify yourself with Christ, which is the purpose of baptism.”  Jonathan Leeman

  Have you heard of Brother Andrew? A few years ago in an Islamic country where Christians are persecuted, Brother Andrew baptized twelve men who had converted from Islam. One elderly man who’d suffered a stroke six months earlier emerged from the water and waved his right hand. Two years later this same man was martyred by extremists because he wouldn’t stop testifying about how Jesus had changed his life. Many of our fellow Christians around the world risk their lives to obey the Lord in this matter of believer’s immersion. What a powerful testimony that no threat, no law, and no terror can stifle the Holy Spirit! 

  One of the sad ironies of church history is that a subject that should unite all believers has caused great division. Paul wrote (Eph. 4:5) that there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Sincere and godly believers differ over many aspects of that one baptism! Some denominations believe that baptism effects the new birth. As they administer baptism to an infant, they believe that when they sprinkle water on a baby, that child is regenerated. Examine the Bible for yourself. Scripture is clear that baptism is to follow conversion. There’s no merit in being “baptized” prior to salvation. Tragically and unbiblically, many churches who practice infant baptism also believe that unbaptized aborted babies are sentenced to hell because they have not been baptized. It’s not only heartless but heretical. So, why do we believe that baptism is so important? 

  We believe that baptism is an act of obedience. Some of the last words Jesus spoke to His disciples were the threefold instruction: make disciples, baptize those who believe, and teach them His commands (Matt. 28:19-20). If for no other reason, we baptize because Jesus told us to. 

  Obedience is a characteristic of followers of Christ. Jesus instructed us to teach new believers “to observe everything I have commanded you.” Baptism is simply an act of obedience both for the new believer and the church. We baptize because we are seeking to obey Christ’s command.

  We believe that baptism is an opportunity to be a witness. Both the New Testament and church history indicate that baptism served as the initial profession of faith of early believers. After Philip shared Jesus with the Ethiopian, this new believer’s initial request was to be baptized (Acts 8). When the Philippian jailer responded to the preaching of Paul and Silas, he and the believing members of his family were baptized (Acts 16). The same is true of Lydia (Acts16), Cornelius (Acts 10), the Corinthians (Acts 18), and others. Baptism was a silent witness, an outward expression, of their new found faith and new way of life.

  How is baptism a witnessing opportunity for us? According to Romans 6:1-4 our baptism is a witness to the saving work of Christ - His death, burial, and resurrection. As a symbol, baptism visually reenacts His burial in the grave and His resurrection to life. When we see a new believer enter the water, go under the water and come up from the water, we’re seeing what Jesus did to save us. Baptism is a dramatic representation of Christ’s work of atonement (1 Cor. 15:1-4). It’s a witness of what takes place immediately at salvation. Romans 6:3 declares that in salvation we’ve been “baptized into Christ Jesus” and “into His death.”

  Baptism symbolizes that as Christ died, was buried, and rose again, so the believer has died, been buried to self and now has new life in Christ. It symbolizes that he or she is a new creature in Christ. Being a new creature in Christ is reflected even in the term baptism. The Greek term baptizo was commonly used in the 1^st century to describe dipping cloth into dye. The cloth came out of the dye vat looking very different than when it went in. Being a new creature in Christ means our lives have changed. As we adopt a Christlike character, the change becomes evident to those with whom we associate. Baptism symbolizes that change in the new follower of Christ.

  New believers often ask friends and relatives, some of whom may be nonbelievers, to come to their baptism. Questions naturally arise in those who are unfamiliar with this ordinance. A child may ask, “Why are they putting her under the water?” Others wonder about or even hear for the first time of the significance of baptism. The Holy Spirit can use the act of baptism as the initial entry point into the lives of those who will come to faith in Christ. The very act of baptism serves as a powerful witness of the saving work of Christ and the salvation experience of the believer.

  We believe that baptism is an open door into the local church. The early church took very seriously the concept of church membership for those who were born again. Acts 2:47 tells us that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Peter's preaching in Acts 2 resulted in that those who repented and received Christ were then baptized. The early church was made up of those who had been saved and were then baptized. In spite of some obvious cultural and social differences between the 1^st-century church and today’s church, the requirement for congregational inclusion should still be believer’s baptism.

  At baptism the new believer is making a commitment not only to Christ but to the local church family by identifying publicly with a particular congregation. The body at this point also is assuming a responsibility for the new believer. There is now a new member in the family.  Being part of that local church means the church family has a responsibility to include the new Christ follower, to encourage him/her in a personal pilgrimage of faith, and to support the new believer as a brother or sister and as a friend. If you’ve trusted Christ as your Savior but have not confessed your faith publicly through baptism, I urge you to be baptized as soon as possible! If you’ve never trusted in Christ as Savior, do not think that because you were baptized or even that if you get baptized, it will get you into heaven. Eternal life is the free gift God offers based upon Christ’s death for our sins. You can only receive it by faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, to confess your faith in obedience to Christ’s command, be baptized!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.