A
Celebration of Baptism
by John Piper April 18, 1982
Acts
2:36-42
Just
before Jesus came on the scene "preaching the gospel of God,
and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand;
repent, and believe in the gospel,"' (Mark 1:14, 15), another
man, John the Baptist, had been preparing the people of Israel by
calling them to repent, turn to God in faith and obedience, and be
baptized. What did the baptism of John mean?
The
Origin of Christian Baptism
It meant that the Messiah has arrived; he will be gathering a new
people for himself; the mark of this new people is not Jewishness
but repentance and faith. Therefore Jews should not say to John's
demand for repentance: "But we have Abraham as our father, and
we bear the marks of circumcision, the sign of the covenant."
What counts in the new people is not who your parents are but whom
you live for; and therefore a new symbol for the new covenant people
is given, baptism; and it is given in John's ministry only to those
who repent and believe. In other words, by calling all Jews to be
baptized, John declared powerfully that physical descent does not
make one part of God's family, and therefore circumcision which signified
a physical relationship will now be replaced by baptism which signifies
spiritual relationship. And so John the Baptist lays the foundation
for the New Testament understanding of baptism, which we in the Baptist
tradition today try to preserve.
Jesus
himself accepted baptism from John in order to identify himself with
John's teaching and with this new people of faith. Jesus' disciples
picked up John's practice and baptized as a part of Jesus' ministry
(John 3:26; 4:2). Then at the end of his earthly ministry Jesus commissioned
the church to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew
28:19).
Several
weeks later the apostles preached their first sermon to the Jewish
people gathered for Pentecost in Jerusalem. Peter closed with these
words: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name
of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your
children and to all that are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God
calls to him." Following in the footsteps of John the Baptist
and in obedience to their Lord's command, the apostles call the nation
of Israel to repent and to signify that repentance through baptism.
And the promise that they hold out is not merely for this generation,
but for their children also, and not only for those near, but those
who are far away. It is for everyone who hears and responds to the
call of God. Forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit is
offered to all who turn to follow Christ and go on to express that
transformation in baptism.
So
we can see how the ordinance of Christian baptism began with John
the Baptist, was accepted by Jesus at the beginning of his ministry,
was practiced by his disciples, was commanded by the Lord after his
resurrection, and was offered in the early church to all who would
repent and believe in Jesus Christ. And we can see the meaning it
attained. It was a sign of repentance and faith in Christ as the Savior
and Lord of a new people. Baptism symbolizes conversion to Jesus.
It represents a turning from the old life and an alignment of ourselves
with Christ. As St. Paul put it, "We are buried with him by baptism
into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory
of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans
6:4). It symbolizes death to the old, unbelieving way and the coming
alive of a new person who trusts and obeys Jesus.
Believer
Baptism Vs. Infant Baptism
One of the things that makes our view of baptism distinct is that
we do not think infants should be baptized. The reason is that, on
the one hand, infants are not capable of repentance or faith; and,
on the other hand, the notion that a person should inherit the blessings
of a Christian or be considered a Christian by virtue of his parents'
faith is contrary to New Testament teaching. The most credible and
respectable defense of infant baptism says that just as in Israel
circumcision was given to eight-day-old infants, so in the church
baptism should be given to infants of Christian parents. Now we argue
that there is a correspondence between circumcision as a sign of the
covenant with Israel and baptism as a sign of the new covenant. We
believe, namely, that just as circumcision was administered to all
the physical sons of Abraham who made up the physical Israel, so baptism
should be administered to all the spiritual sons of Abraham who make
up the spiritual Israel, the Church. And who are these spiritual sons
of Abraham? Galatians 3:7 says: "So you see it is the people
of faith who are the sons of Abraham." Since the only way to
enter the true Israel of God, the Church, is by repentance and faith
in Jesus Christ, therefore the symbol of that entry should only be
administered to those who believe. Believer baptism bears witness
to the teaching of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:9), Jesus (Matthew
21:43), and the apostles that "not all are children of Abraham
just because they are his descendants . . . and it is not the children
of the flesh who are children of God" (Romans 9:7, 8). A very
important change has occurred in the way God forms his people. In
the Israel of old God formed his people through natural offspring.
But in the Church, the true Israel, God is forming his people not
by natural kinship but through supernatural conversion to faith in
Christ. Yes, there is a correspondence between circumcision for the
Israel of old and baptism for the Church. Both symbolize membership
in the covenant community. But there is also a crucial difference.
With the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus and the apostles, the
emphasis now is that the spiritual status of your parents does not
determine your membership in the covenant community. The beneficiaries
of the blessings of Abraham are those who have the faith of Abraham.
These are the ones who belong to the covenant community, and these
are the ones (in line with Old Testament practice) who should receive
the sign of the covenant.
Therefore,
what we celebrate in baptism today is the mighty work of God in the
hearts of children and adults to bring them to repentance and faith
in Christ. When we ask if Jesus is their Savior and Lord, we celebrate
the eternally important truth that they have received him for their
own. When we baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit, we celebrate the involvement of the whole Godhead
in their conversion and their new relation to each Person in the Trinity.
When we immerse them in the water, we celebrate the death and burial
of Jesus Christ for our sins. When we raise them up out of the water,
we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and their participation in
it. And when they walk out of the baptismal waters, we celebrate the
newness of life in love and joy that Jesus gives.
My
prayer is that the baptismal candidates themselves and everyone who
witnesses their baptism will experience a rekindling of love to God
for all he has done for us in making us part of the new covenant people
through repentance and faith.
©
Desiring God
:
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org
Email: mail@desiringGod.org Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
