“When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. 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, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).
My parents work and teach at a Lutheran school where about half of their students are from unchurched families. There are many opportunities for spiritual growth and learning.
From teacher to student and student to teacher, growth goes both ways.
A while back, they shared a story about a chapel service where a student was baptized with the whole student body in attendance. When the pastor baptized this young boy, there was a moment of silence and then—
Applause and cheering.
The uncontainable joy and pure excitement for this young boy at becoming a baptized child of God overflowed from his peers. These children got it. They had just seen God doing something incredible. They had to thank God with shouts of uncontainable joy.
If we’re not careful, it can be easy to lose sight of that uncontainable joy over what God does in Baptism.
After all, from an outward perspective, it doesn’t look like all that much is going on. A few drops of water are sprinkled on a person’s head. A few words are spoken. I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And before we know it, we’ve started singing the next hymn.
But what God is doing through those means . . . ah, that is life-changing. Life-giving. Life-renewing. With the water and the Word, God promises that he is there—and he is doing something incredible through those ordinary means. Something extraordinary. Something only he can do.
In Baptism, God forgives sins, rescues people—young and old—from Satan’s death grip, and brings them into his warm, loving embrace, promising life with him. God makes them his children, dearly loved. In Baptism, God saves.
Why?
As Paul wrote to Titus, God saved us not because we were lovable, not because of anything we had done or would do—or even could do—but entirely because of his mercy. His grace. His love.
Baptism is all about what God is doing for us. But sometimes, Christians wrongly think that Baptism is something we do for God. Perhaps thinking that being baptized shows that we love God and have decided that we want to live our lives for him.
It’s really the other way around. If we had anything to do with the amazing things going on in Baptism—the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit—then it would cease to be undeserved, unearned grace.
In Baptism, God shows that he loves us, and he has decided that he wants us to have life—eternal life—with him. So in his mercy, he graciously gives us that life freely through our Savior Jesus.
As Paul wrote elsewhere, “In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27).
God refreshes us—renews us—with Christ’s righteousness every day through the Holy Spirit working in our hearts. We know by Spirit-worked and Spirit-given faith that all of Christ and what he has done is for us. His righteousness. His perfect life. His innocent death. His triumphant resurrection. All so that we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Dear Christian, the next time you witness a baptism in church—or reflect upon your own baptism and its ongoing effects on your faith life—remember what God is doing in Baptism for that child, for that adult, for you, and cheer a little bit in your heart because God saves.
What is Baptism?
It’s all about the grace of God and what he is doing for us. He saves, just like he has promised in his Word. In an overwhelming display of grace upon grace, he doesn’t just say it—he shows it. He gives us visible, tangible means by which we know how he feels about us—how much he loves us: a few drops of water, a few words spoken by God’s command and connected with his Word. And everything changes.
That’s Baptism.
Want to learn more about Baptism? For many Christians, their walk with Jesus begins in the waters of their baptism. In The Baptismal Life, Rev. Dr. Michael Berg reflects on the power of water in Scripture, the impact of Baptism, and how this precious sacrament connects believers to Christ. This book will help you learn more about the special gift of Baptism and think about it in ways you maybe haven’t thought before.
Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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