Today we celebrate a very important event, the baptism of Jesus. This celebration is one of those events that have created a great deal of discussion and even dissention throughout the history of the church. The reason for this turmoil is because of two truths that the church has always affirmed, truths which at first glance seem to be opposed to one another. The 1st truth that the church affirms is the bible’s claim that Jesus was a sinless man, and in no need of being cleansed of evil; And the second truth we affirm is that baptism is for accomplished in for the cleansing of sin, and the destruction of evil.Obvious questions:
In the rite baptismal we even say: Almighty and immortal God, giver of aid to the needy, strength to the helpless, and everlasting life to those who believe, we pray for this child who is coming to your holy Baptism, that he may receive forgiveness of his sins by spiritual regeneration. You can imagine the line of questioning that these claims provoke: it goes like this, “if Jesus was a sinless man, why then did he need to be baptized?” Could this mean that Jesus was just a plain man & a sinner like the rest of us? Was he simply a person with shortcomings and weaknesses like us? Was he, just like we, unable to do even what we he knew was right? Or could it mean that Jesus was not a sinner, and that baptism is just an empty ritual, without any supernatural power to cleanse form sin? Maybe baptism is just a ritual by which we publicly confess our faith. Many have landed in both of these camps; however, they have done so to their own peril because they have ignored the whole counsel of scripture.
In the rite baptismal we even say: Almighty and immortal God, giver of aid to the needy, strength to the helpless, and everlasting life to those who believe, we pray for this child who is coming to your holy Baptism, that he may receive forgiveness of his sins by spiritual regeneration. You can imagine the line of questioning that these claims provoke: it goes like this, “if Jesus was a sinless man, why then did he need to be baptized?” Could this mean that Jesus was just a plain man & a sinner like the rest of us? Was he simply a person with shortcomings and weaknesses like us? Was he, just like we, unable to do even what we he knew was right? Or could it mean that Jesus was not a sinner, and that baptism is just an empty ritual, without any supernatural power to cleanse form sin? Maybe baptism is just a ritual by which we publicly confess our faith. Many have landed in both of these camps; however, they have done so to their own peril because they have ignored the whole counsel of scripture.
The peril of partial truth
I’m sure that you would agree that there is hardly any greater danger than to limit oneself to a little piece of the whole truth and then discard the rest. Unfortunately, it seems to be a natural part of life to fall into this error at some point in life. Live long enough & you will experience it along with its price tag. Perhaps some of us have already felt the cost of ignoring truth business partnerships. Even worse consider the cost of ignoring the whole truth when it comes to the raising of our children, or maybe the cost of ignoring truth regarding about our friends & our family. The fact is that partial truth at the cost of the whole is catastrophic.
Not wanting to be guilty of the same offense, this morning we are going to sample the various passages that the church has assigned to this day’s worship. And in them we are going to consider 2 important sides of baptism that drive home the whole truth of its power in our lives. Side 1, considers the power of God’s word and water, Side 2, considers the power of Jesus and water
I’m sure that you would agree that there is hardly any greater danger than to limit oneself to a little piece of the whole truth and then discard the rest. Unfortunately, it seems to be a natural part of life to fall into this error at some point in life. Live long enough & you will experience it along with its price tag. Perhaps some of us have already felt the cost of ignoring truth business partnerships. Even worse consider the cost of ignoring the whole truth when it comes to the raising of our children, or maybe the cost of ignoring truth regarding about our friends & our family. The fact is that partial truth at the cost of the whole is catastrophic.
Not wanting to be guilty of the same offense, this morning we are going to sample the various passages that the church has assigned to this day’s worship. And in them we are going to consider 2 important sides of baptism that drive home the whole truth of its power in our lives. Side 1, considers the power of God’s word and water, Side 2, considers the power of Jesus and water
Setting:
One of the greatest minds in the 2000 year history of the church once asked, “How can the waters of baptism do so great a thing as the church claims?” And he answered that question saying: “Certainly water alone cannot help one’s soul; however, the word of God in and with water can cleanse a sinner form his guilt before the living God, and give him new life.[1] That is quite a claim; it pushes the envelope of believability, however, it is completely accurate to say that this is what the bible clearly teaches, listen to some of these passages:
One of the greatest minds in the 2000 year history of the church once asked, “How can the waters of baptism do so great a thing as the church claims?” And he answered that question saying: “Certainly water alone cannot help one’s soul; however, the word of God in and with water can cleanse a sinner form his guilt before the living God, and give him new life.[1] That is quite a claim; it pushes the envelope of believability, however, it is completely accurate to say that this is what the bible clearly teaches, listen to some of these passages:
Paul’s legal testimony:
Acts 22:12 "And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14 And he said, 'The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'
Peter’s treatment of baptism as a saving ark
1 Peter 3: 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
The bible’s teaching here is clear, baptism washes away our sin and saves us from the guilt we deserve, & the only way to get around that truth is to say that the words of God cannot mean what he says because water cannot do that: However, there is no good reason for that conclusion, in fact, God has a long history of working with water, and it is at the earliest point of that history I want to begin.
Acts 22:12 "And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14 And he said, 'The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'
Peter’s treatment of baptism as a saving ark
1 Peter 3: 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
The bible’s teaching here is clear, baptism washes away our sin and saves us from the guilt we deserve, & the only way to get around that truth is to say that the words of God cannot mean what he says because water cannot do that: However, there is no good reason for that conclusion, in fact, God has a long history of working with water, and it is at the earliest point of that history I want to begin.
The aspect of baptism that we will consider 1st is the power of God’s word and water. In our first1st reading, we heard Gen 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
Primordial waters
The very first line of the bible tells us about this thing called “the formless and empty deep,” the Hebrew is the term is the tohu wabohu. This stuff, or lack of stuff, we are also told is what God calls deep waters; & it has come to be known as the primordial waters of deep nothingness. We are told that it is a formless emptiness over which the Spirit of God brooded much like a large bird who sits over a nest. That is the literal meaning of: And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And in the most evident feature of this primordial water, is that in and of itself does nothing, it just sits there. But then we read: 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
Primordial waters
The very first line of the bible tells us about this thing called “the formless and empty deep,” the Hebrew is the term is the tohu wabohu. This stuff, or lack of stuff, we are also told is what God calls deep waters; & it has come to be known as the primordial waters of deep nothingness. We are told that it is a formless emptiness over which the Spirit of God brooded much like a large bird who sits over a nest. That is the literal meaning of: And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And in the most evident feature of this primordial water, is that in and of itself does nothing, it just sits there. But then we read: 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
The power of the word in the water
Immediately the calm is interrupted by a source of power, a creative power, an unlimited power, yes! The power of God, even more specifically, it is the power of God’s word. St John speaks of this word of power in the opening lines of the gospel according to John gospel, where he writes:
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
This stands in direct opposition to today’s popular teaching that God is a myth, & that our beginning was a chemical-chance thing; both cannot be right. The correct view is abundantly obvious nothing has ever come to be without a designer or a maker- chance is simply a mathematical formula that measures possibility- chance never creates anything. Imagine taking and engine, placing all of the parts in large box, and then waiting for chance to assemble the engine. It is hard to believe that thinking persons would ignore the obvious just to flee for the hand of God. This is what St John means when he says: 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The word of God we are told overcame the waters of emptiness, deep and darkness, & created from it something good, dead waters come to life by the power exercised thru the word of God. This deep in which there is no value, was transformed by the word of God put into it, & it became a thing, and not just a thing but something able to sustain life. The power here was obviously not in the water, but in the word of God working in & thru the primordial waters.
Immediately the calm is interrupted by a source of power, a creative power, an unlimited power, yes! The power of God, even more specifically, it is the power of God’s word. St John speaks of this word of power in the opening lines of the gospel according to John gospel, where he writes:
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
This stands in direct opposition to today’s popular teaching that God is a myth, & that our beginning was a chemical-chance thing; both cannot be right. The correct view is abundantly obvious nothing has ever come to be without a designer or a maker- chance is simply a mathematical formula that measures possibility- chance never creates anything. Imagine taking and engine, placing all of the parts in large box, and then waiting for chance to assemble the engine. It is hard to believe that thinking persons would ignore the obvious just to flee for the hand of God. This is what St John means when he says: 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The word of God we are told overcame the waters of emptiness, deep and darkness, & created from it something good, dead waters come to life by the power exercised thru the word of God. This deep in which there is no value, was transformed by the word of God put into it, & it became a thing, and not just a thing but something able to sustain life. The power here was obviously not in the water, but in the word of God working in & thru the primordial waters.
The psalmist & the voice
The psalmist may not have known about the 2nd person of the godhead, but he knew about his power of God’s word; in psalm 29 we heard him say: 3The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters.4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. 5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. 8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
This witness of the bible is teaching us that when the word of God is attached to an object, yes even dead water, it can boast of great things, it can even give life and become the stuff that enables a new creation to be born. Water, be it primordial or baptismal, has no power of its own; the power exists in the word of God. But the obvious question then becomes when & how did this happen, when did the waters of baptism obtain such great power?
The psalmist may not have known about the 2nd person of the godhead, but he knew about his power of God’s word; in psalm 29 we heard him say: 3The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters.4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. 5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. 8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
This witness of the bible is teaching us that when the word of God is attached to an object, yes even dead water, it can boast of great things, it can even give life and become the stuff that enables a new creation to be born. Water, be it primordial or baptismal, has no power of its own; the power exists in the word of God. But the obvious question then becomes when & how did this happen, when did the waters of baptism obtain such great power?
When did the water get such power?
It is here that we must pay close attention to what Saint John just old us: He said that this word that made all things is actually a person, the second person of the godhead, the one who would take on flesh and become man- the Christ. Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Just like in the beginning, when this Christ & word, being the power of God came into the waters, he changed it and transformed it into something else altogether. The waters received this power when the word Jesus was baptized. This takes us to the second facet of baptism that we will consider: the event of the consecration of the baptismal waters.
It is here that we must pay close attention to what Saint John just old us: He said that this word that made all things is actually a person, the second person of the godhead, the one who would take on flesh and become man- the Christ. Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Just like in the beginning, when this Christ & word, being the power of God came into the waters, he changed it and transformed it into something else altogether. The waters received this power when the word Jesus was baptized. This takes us to the second facet of baptism that we will consider: the event of the consecration of the baptismal waters.
Jesus consecrates the baptismal waters
In our gospel passage-found in Mark 1: 9 we read: 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
In our gospel passage-found in Mark 1: 9 we read: 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
We find here that Jesus, the word of God made flesh was dispatched by God to go into the waters of baptism so that the same waters would become the place where the new creation begins.And this is most evident, especially in the original Greek, by the phrase: Immediately he saw the heavens opening. The literal Greek word for “opened” is a much more violent term: it is the word schizo, from which is where we get our word schism, & literally means rent or torn open. Mark is telling us that when Jesus came out of the waters, God the Father tore open the heavens and connected the heavens earth thru his son, and he did so by in the waters of baptism.
The baptismal waters reconnect heaven and earth
We see here that the reversal of Adam’s curse was launched at Jesus’ baptism. When God originally created heaven and earth there was no separation between them, God walked with Adam in the cool of the day[2], But when Adam rejected God, the heavens were closed to the natural creation, and angels were assigned the task of blocking it form our perception[3]. But here we find that the angels lay down their sword, and God says to man. "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
Baptizing into the name
This is the reason that in his final words to his disciples Jesus says;
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." The name of the Father the son and the Holy Spirit is the name of God and the name signifies the person. There fore what he is saying “go out into the world and do 2 things” bring people to me by speaking my promises to them. And then apply the washing of the waters in my name to them, and in this way I will unite them on earth to me in heaven forever. This water kills the old Adam in us, and gives the spirit to us along with faith. Yes you heard correctly, by the power of God’s word baptism gives faith.
We see here that the reversal of Adam’s curse was launched at Jesus’ baptism. When God originally created heaven and earth there was no separation between them, God walked with Adam in the cool of the day[2], But when Adam rejected God, the heavens were closed to the natural creation, and angels were assigned the task of blocking it form our perception[3]. But here we find that the angels lay down their sword, and God says to man. "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
Baptizing into the name
This is the reason that in his final words to his disciples Jesus says;
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." The name of the Father the son and the Holy Spirit is the name of God and the name signifies the person. There fore what he is saying “go out into the world and do 2 things” bring people to me by speaking my promises to them. And then apply the washing of the waters in my name to them, and in this way I will unite them on earth to me in heaven forever. This water kills the old Adam in us, and gives the spirit to us along with faith. Yes you heard correctly, by the power of God’s word baptism gives faith.
The faith of baptism
I know the question this raises, does baptism automatically save a person? & the problem with that question is the word “automatically.” Baptism is not magic; it is a means that provides the baptized with the blessing of God’s forgiveness and faith, and that faith that is to be nurtured. If faith is not nurtured by those in position to nurture it: parents, pastors, teachers, & especially the baptized individual himself, then the faith will starve and die. Jesus told us a parable of a good seed falling different kinds of soil, with different level of nutrition, & he explained that some thrive and others wither and die[4]. This starvation of the faith is the reason that we know many who have received the forgiveness of sins and faith in their baptism live as though they had not, and they reject the blessing of God. However that is not the intent!! Not at all!! All the baptized are to thrive in faith.
I know the question this raises, does baptism automatically save a person? & the problem with that question is the word “automatically.” Baptism is not magic; it is a means that provides the baptized with the blessing of God’s forgiveness and faith, and that faith that is to be nurtured. If faith is not nurtured by those in position to nurture it: parents, pastors, teachers, & especially the baptized individual himself, then the faith will starve and die. Jesus told us a parable of a good seed falling different kinds of soil, with different level of nutrition, & he explained that some thrive and others wither and die[4]. This starvation of the faith is the reason that we know many who have received the forgiveness of sins and faith in their baptism live as though they had not, and they reject the blessing of God. However that is not the intent!! Not at all!! All the baptized are to thrive in faith.
Living out of our baptism
This is precisely what we heard read from the epistle this morning, wherein St Paul writes:
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.
This is precisely what we heard read from the epistle this morning, wherein St Paul writes:
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.
Baptism is not automatic, yet it objectively accomplishes what it promises & at the same time requires that we live in our baptisms daily: By that I mean not that we do something, but rather that we understand and believe that our natural being is opposed to God and in need of dying each and every day. Baptism requires that we come to terms with the fact that we really are not good people- that story we tell ourselves is a coping mechanism for dealing our weakness and frailty.
The Gospel conclusion
But why would someone not believe this? Is this not the witness of the scriptures? I guess the reason some cannot accept this is because it is a real miracle; A miracle done by God alone thru water & words of promise, a miracle by which we are made clean and alive with Christ. The baptismal waters empowered by God’s word actually performed a miracle on us in the same way that God formed all of creation from the primordial waters. So that we might all understand this- is the reason we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. How wonderful this ancient teaching of the church is – It nurtures our souls, and feds our faith, and even it holds our hands as we live in faith the baptized.
May we all learn to love your baptism, and even more may we nurture it forever, AMEN
But why would someone not believe this? Is this not the witness of the scriptures? I guess the reason some cannot accept this is because it is a real miracle; A miracle done by God alone thru water & words of promise, a miracle by which we are made clean and alive with Christ. The baptismal waters empowered by God’s word actually performed a miracle on us in the same way that God formed all of creation from the primordial waters. So that we might all understand this- is the reason we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. How wonderful this ancient teaching of the church is – It nurtures our souls, and feds our faith, and even it holds our hands as we live in faith the baptized.
May we all learn to love your baptism, and even more may we nurture it forever, AMEN
