Got Baptism?
Explore God’s gracious washing of life
Don’t Jump in Every Mud Puddle
Rediscover God’s baptismal promise and power to you!
Mom was sick and couldn’t make church. So she was really sick. Of course she demanded that
dad and the kids bring her back a bulletin. She’d have to catch the sermon on the church
website on Monday when it got posted. But she wanted the scoop today when they came
home.
“How did church go? Anything special?”
Her 15 year old answered, “No, same old same old. Just had a baptism.”
“Is that what you learned in Catechism?” she asked him, “that baptism is just a baptism?”
Is baptism just a baptism to us or can it be something very special, a reminder of God’s
goodness and a call to a life renewed by the Spirit?
Don’t Jump in Every Mud Puddle
In almost every one of Paul’s epistles he points to baptism as he encourages his readers,
congregations and co-workers to lead a Christian life. In this study already we’ve had passages
from
Romans
Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
Thessalonians
Timothy
Titus
We only missed Philemon and with only 25 verses, Paul doesn’t mention baptism. So you can
see, he mentions baptism for a reason, not just out of mindless habit.
Obviously baptism was not “just baptism” to Paul.
The Baptismal Solution for Corinth
The congregation at Corinth was a mess. Gifted in every way, they were like a man who bought
a Lamborghini with his lottery winnings and wrecked it the very next day (it happens, just
Google “Lamborghini crashes.”). It got so bad that Paul would chide them, “Your meetings do
more harm than good (1 Corinthians 11.17).” They welcomed a man who had married his
stepmother, were taking each other to court and more than a few seemed to have loyalty cards
at the local houses of prostitution! And all the while they were saying it was all right, because,
“everything is permissible for me!”
Read 1 Corinthians 6.7-11
Does Paul give any commands to the Corinthians about how to live a Christian life in verses 710?
No, he simply states the miserable state of things and tells them that people who
live like that will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Is this Law or Gospel?
Law
What shocking statement does he make at the start of verse 11?
Some of you were these types of people.
Paul politely does not say that this is exactly the same activity they are now engaged in. Shame
can only go so far. He has a better tool at his disposal.
What changed in the lives of the wicked Corinthians?
They were baptized.
I don’t see the word “baptized” anywhere. Where are you getting that?
Washed.
Do you see some indication this “washing” was baptism?
In the name of Jesus Christ.
And who was the power behind that baptism of the Corinthians?
The Spirit of our God.
Is the last half of verse 11 Law or Gospel?
Gospel.
What does Paul accomplish with that little word, “but”?
In light of what God has done for them in their baptism, they should not lead
godless lives. He has condemned their sins and shown them God ’s grace.
Repentance will lead to a changed life by the power of their baptism.
And Paul expects this reference to their baptism to stop them in their tracks! Certainly he is
seeing something there that mom’s 15 year old missed.
The Baptismal Solution for the Liars of Crete
Paul had another tough crowd in the congregations on Crete. He had left Titus behind to
organize the churches in much the same way that he had left Timothy behind in Greece. The
case in Crete was perhaps even worse than that in Corinth, because the Cretans expected it. It
was what they were!
Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”
This testimony is true.
Titus 1.12
How does Paul expect Titus to make headway against such a bunch? By reminding them of
their baptism!
Read Titus 2.11-15
You will remember this as the Epistle reading for Christmas Day. Why do you think this is the
reading that was chosen?
The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared. Jesus Christ has been born.
How does God’s gift of salvation teach us to say “no” to sin and “yes” to righteousness?
Jesus has given us forgiveness of sins and heaven. Out of thanks for that, we want
to live godly lives. Jesus died to get us out of the wickedness of sin. The purpose
of his suffering and death was to purify us as a people who were his very own.
In order to be this, we need to say “no” to all that is set against Jesus, worldly
passions and ungodliness.
Jesus gave himself up for us. The implication is that we will give ourselves up and
not live to gratify the sinful human nature. We will live to please God.
Read Titus 3.1-8
What sin is pointed out at the beginning of chapter 3?
Disobedience to authorities, as well as enslaved by passions and pleasures.
Titus again is to use a “light hand” in getting these sins to stop. What word does Paul use to
show that gentle approach?
Remind
As in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes the same startling statement. What is it?
We were foolish and disobedient, just like all the others.
I temporarily inherited two dogs this Christmas. My children went home to see my folks in my
stead—I’ve got this job that demands I hang around for the holidays! But my youngest had a
black lab cross (a really well-behaved, even tempered dog), Jetson, and my daughter brought
home Barley, a four month old Scottish terrorist. That’s right. Terrorist. Every time Jetson
picked up a toy, that’s the one Barley wanted. She jumped at him and bit his ear, tugging at
him to get her way. At first he didn’t know what to do. He had been raised better! But then he
started taking whatever she had. And a quiet house was filled with howls, growls and flying fur!
How is the life of the unbaptized unbeliever, in Paul’s words, one of “being hated and hating?”
Have-not people either hate others for what they have or are hated in return by
those who do not have what they have. Most crimes are rooted in this. You have
the money, business, workers, spouse, reputation, that I want, so I am going to
either take what you have or ruin what you have so you are on my level.
Paul uses almost the very same words to introduce the Gospel. What are they?
When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared.
But this time we don’t think of the Christmas story. What does Paul point us to?
Our baptism!
Where do you see a reference to baptism?
He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom
he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, verse 6.
And what a picture we have of baptism! As the __water_ of baptism is poured out on us, God
graciously __pours__ out the __Holy__ __Spirit__.
How does Paul emphasis this?
This is a trustworthy saying.
What will stressing baptism to the Cretans do?
They will devote themselves to what is good.
The Baptismal Solution for Super-Christian Colossians
OK, you’ve been around this block before. What is the problem at Colosse, what is the solution
Paul applies and why will that work?
Read Colossians 2.11-23
The Colossians think they have to adhere to a higher standard of Christian living,
obeying Old Testament laws, seeking a higher worship of angels and a higher
knowledge and adherence to harsh treatment of the body in an attempt to
restrain sensual indulgence.
Paul applies baptism. He likens it to circumcision. You can ’t undo circumcision,
because you throw away that piece of flesh. In the same way you can ’t undo
baptism. You put away your sinful human nature in baptism and don ’t pick it up
again. It frees you from a false religiosity that deals with things instead of the
spirit.
Their harsh treatment of the body won ’t lead to godly living because the Holy
Spirit is not involved in that. Paul ’s appeal to baptism will work because Jesus is
active in it.
Pulling It All Together
What is the confidence Baptism give us?
We are children of God, members of God ’s family by faith. We are saved and,
relying on the Holy Spirit’s power, we will get to heaven.
How does reminding ourselves of our Baptism doubly help us in our struggle against sin?
We want to live a Christian life because of our baptism and the Holy Spirit will
help us resist sin. He lives in us through our baptism.
In the old days we had a photographer who had set up shop I the mall. It would happen on the
Saturday before Mother’s Day I would have a little time to kill. I set aside time from my visits to
get a Mother’s Day card and a present. But when I had that done, I couldn’t get home earlier
than usual, because my wife would know something was fishy. So I killed time sitting on the
bench opposite the photographer’s shop and watching the moms and their children come in for
their Mother’s Day pictures.
It was really a tribute to these women. Of course their little girls looked like angels, but even
the boys! I mean, it could have been the first time in their lives that their hair was perfectly
combed and parted. Their little bow ties were still on and the white shirts were still white. No
chocolate stains on their shirts, no lost shoe. How these moms had kept their young sons
looking good long enough to get them to the sitting was nothing short of miraculous.
But compared to what the Holy Spirit does through Baptism, well, he makes these women look
like rank amateurs.