Teaching Tuesday: Washed

Series: Be the Church
Sermon: Washed (12.1.24)

For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. - Romans 6:4

Baptism is as old as the Christian faith itself. Since the time of Jesus, believers have elevated baptism and The Lord’s Supper (communion) above every other aspect of Christian discipleship; we believe these are the two most important and spiritually-meaningful practices in the life of Jesus-followers and the ministry of the church.

In the act of baptism, God enters into a covenantal relationship with the person being baptized, and this person willingly accepts God’s offer of restored fellowship. The believer is immersed into the water, washed clean of sin by the sacrificial blood of Jesus and the grace of God, and emerges new and whole, righteous and holy before God. 

The Christian understanding of baptism is both symbolic and actual:

When a believer is baptized, he or she is symbolically representing their newfound faith and commitment to the Lord. Faith is made public, the church members are made aware that their family has grown, and God is glorified. 

When a believer is baptized, he or she is actually receiving salvation and the indwelling gift of God’s Holy Spirit so that the old life can be left behind and the new life established. 

In Luke’s story of Jesus’s closest followers and their actions in the days, months, and years immediately after his ascension, we are given the answer to this very question. 

Paul and Silas are in prison, worshiping, when the guard was woken up by an earthquake. The earthquake was so strong that it broke all the prison doors and even the chains binding the prisoners. Distraught at the thought that all the prisoners had fled and that he would be held to account, the guard was preparing to kill himself. We join the story in Acts chapter 16, verse 28: 

But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized (Acts 16:28-33).

The New Testament understands belief and baptism to go hand-in-hand. We do too, though different churches practice baptism in different ways and for somewhat different reasons based on their tradition and interpretation of scripture. While there is a diversity of views and approaches, nearly all groups that consider themselves to be Christian believe baptism to be important and meaningful. 

MCC is a church in the Restoration/Stone-Campbell Movement tradition. Historically, we have believed (and I do believe) baptism to be part of the salvation process for repentant believers, and that it requires full immersion following a public confession of faith (“public” doesn’t mean it requires a ton of people - but you do have to tell somebody!). 

I’ve been asked before for my opinion on “re-baptism,” meaning the practice of baptizing a believer a second (or third, or fourth…) time due to a significant amount of waxing and waning faithfulness. We do not generally believe re-baptism is necessary or warranted for a believer who was baptized, walks away from the faith for a time, and has returned. When we read the Bible and see how the earliest Jesus-followers handled things, we have no evidence that this was a practice they utilized. 

I also think this is important to note: being baptized isn’t the end of sin in our lives, but it is the end of being a slave to sin. Being saved by Jesus doesn’t mean we no longer sin, it means we are actively waging a war against sin in general and against the temptations in our life specifically. We will not be perfect on this side of Heaven, but through God’s gift of grace we are saved and given a new life. 

When we are baptized, the Spirit of God enters our souls and helps empower us to follow the way of Jesus, to participate in the church with an attitude of unity and peace, and to fight off sin. 

If you were sprinkled or baptized as a baby, or you’re a believer who hasn’t been baptized before, I invite you to contact me. Let’s get it done! 

Baptism isn’t the finish line but the starting block of the believer’s spiritual race. We don’t have to improve ourselves to a certain point of worthiness or earn God’s favor and approval in order to be baptized, we come as we are right now and through the power of God’s presence in our lives after baptism we are made to be more like him over time. 

In other words, come as you are but be ready to be changed!

To know Him and make Him known!
- Pastor Brady