Tub Talk 1: Why Water Baptism Matters to Every Christian
The Protestant Church recognizes two vital acts as sacraments providing internal grace, but too many Christians don't understand how these acts apply to them. Today, we look at water baptism.
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The Sacraments
A few weeks ago, I participated in one of my favorite jobs as a pastor—water baptism. Beyond the actual function of dunking people under water, the role requires a short teaching on the meaning and importance of baptism. This led me to start this current series on the church's sacraments.
Historically, the church has promoted these outward or physical acts as an action that creates inward or spiritual grace. Different denominations and sects see different actions as sacramental. The Catholic church believes there are seven sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, and Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony), and the Protestant church believes there are only two sacraments — water baptism and communion — as Jesus himself prescribed these.
As I am not Catholic, I only include water baptism and the Lord’s Supper in this series. That said, I see the power of these different outward acts that the Catholic church considers sacramental. I may write more about these acts at a later date, too.
Last week, I covered the meaning and importance of communion. A quick recap is this: communion represents the covenant between God and man through Jesus. The bread symbolizes Jesus’ body, reminding us that Jesus sustains us. The wine symbolizes Jesus’ bloodshed as he hung on the cross, which reminds us our sins were forgiven through this act of grace. Finally, communion is meant to help us remember all Jesus has done for us.
This week, we turn to water baptism. This will be the first of a two-part series; I’ve split the two posts into why and what—why we need to be water baptized and what water baptism means. Choosing which of these two to communicate first is a little bit of a chicken-and-egg dilemma, so I’m arbitrarily choosing ‘why.’ But to adequately cover ‘why,’ I need to dip a bit into ‘what.’
Symbolism
Evangelical Christians don’t often refer to our faith as a religion. We often say, “It’s a relationship between God and man.” This is how Merriam-Webster defines a religion:
a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices;
the service and worship of God or the supernatural;
commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Christianity is a religion; like every religion, it has its own important symbolisms.
The symbolism in Christianity provides breadth and depth to our personal, individual faith and gives us parameters within which to work. Water Baptism is a great example of this. When water baptized, people communicate their state of heart to God, the church community, the world, and themselves. This is why water baptism is important.
So, what do you communicate through the act of water baptism?
B.A.R.F.
I spent the first couple of decades of my ministry working with children, so when it comes to teaching methodologies, I use many kid ‘skills’ I still have in my bag. Water baptism teaching is no different. Years ago, when I was a kid, my pastor had a teaching on water baptism called “Tub Talk” (hence the title of this article). I used that same teaching until I came across the B.A.R.F. acronym a little over ten years ago, and it is one of the best teachings I’ve heard on why baptism matters—for kids or adults. It is both theologically sound and very memorable.
These four concepts are vital to our Christian faith and embody what you say to the world when you are water-baptized.
BELIEVE
Water baptism is a physical confession of our faith…what we believe as followers of Jesus. Our Christian faith is built on two foundational ideas. The Romans Road is a famous scripture that explains salvation through Jesus. This set of scriptures begins in chapter three and contains the first concept needed to believe.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” -Romans 3:23
You are a sinner.
That is not a popular statement in 2024. Backed into a corner, most people would admit there are definitive actions that are morally wrong (murder, theft, cheating, etc). But this scripture in Romans declares everyone is a sinner. It infers that something broken within us leads us to live lives of sin. All of us have done things that fall short of God’s expectations of us. Further, these things are not just mistakes (i.e., “I didn’t realize I offended you”). Sin is knowingly doing wrong (i.e., “I was fully aware of the offensive things I spoke to you”).
This isn’t what normally comes to mind when discussing belief in Christianity. We think of trust in Jesus, but if you don’t believe you are a sinner, then why do you believe you need Jesus? Coming to terms with my own sin is where the Christian faith begins.
It begins with sin, so I recognize the need for salvation and the hope Jesus brings.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 6:23
This is the second foundational belief. Sin leads to eternal death, but God’s gift is eternal life. This life ONLY comes from faith in Jesus.
When explaining this to kids, I show them a paycheck. God keeps a ledger. The payment for sin is death. There is no way around this. But Romans 6:23 moves from hopeless (death because of sin) to hopeful (free gift of life through the death of Jesus). Jesus’ death was the payment for your sin. There is no way around the payment for sin, so Jesus made the payment.
Do you believe these things? You have sinned. Jesus made the payment for your sin.
If so, it’s time to move on to the next step.
ACCEPT
As a pastor for decades, I’ve found faith often has trouble moving from the head to the heart. This is how Jesus measured what was truly in a person’s heart:
“Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” -Luke 6:45
What people talk about is what they care about. The Apostle Paul built on this thought when he wrote (another part of the Roman Road):
“If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” -Romans 10:9-10
This is why some preachers will make people say a prayer of salvation out loud. And it is why, during baptism, a question of intent is typically asked — “Do you love Jesus with all of your heart?” followed by “Will you follow him all the days of your life?” (My favorite answer ever to these questions were from a brand new convert, “Hell ya I will!”)
Baptism itself is the ultimate form of confession. Yes, you speak something with your mouth, but communicate something even greater with your whole self. Getting into a tub of water before a group of people is vulnerable and intimidating. This is no longer just a head knowledge belief. Something has traveled to your heart.
God knows that when something gets into your heart, it transforms who you are—what you say, act, and even think about. This is when the third word begins to become important. So, let’s take this a step further.
REPENT
Repent is one of those churchy words that sounds much more intense than it really is. We read into it judgment because we hear street preachers calling it out on downtown corners. It’s not usually spoken in love or with much concern for the recipient, but it was Jesus's original message.
“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” -Matthew 4:17
This was after Jesus had been baptized, gone into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, and called his disciples. It was how Jesus started his ministry. He called for those around him to repent. So, what does it mean to repent?
Most simply, repentance means ‘turning’ or ‘re-thinking.’ Again, if the truth of Jesus dying for me has traveled to my heart, it should be my intent to change how I live so that I live as Jesus lived and instructed his followers to live. So, I should be eager to turn or re-think my former actions and thoughts.
Are those things pleasing to God? Do they uplift and encourage those in my life?
This is what the Apostle Paul preached to those who believed the message of Jesus in the first century:
“I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” -Acts 20:21
As a follower of Jesus for over 30 years, I’ve found that repentance is a way of life. I constantly see areas of my life that need to be rethought. I often find there are things I need to turn from. It could be something as deep as a habit that I can’t seem to shake or as simple as a television show that I recognize I should turn off after an episode or two.
The practice of repentance matters because it is what a follower of Jesus does.
FOLLOWER
Jesus’ call to his disciples was simple, “Follow me…” All of us are familiar with the children’s game Follow-the-Leader. We do what the leader does, and we don’t do anything she doesn’t do. This is why so many Christians don’t like the term religion. Christianity means following Jesus. We do what Jesus does. We don’t do what he doesn’t do.
So, what was the first thing Jesus did as he prepared to start his ministry? Jesus was baptized.
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.” -Matthew 4:17
This gets to the core of why we are to be baptized. It definitely concerns what baptism means (believe, accept, repent). It really displays your willingness to follow Jesus wherever he leads you. It means if Jesus was baptized, so I will be baptized, too.
Followers of Jesus are water-baptized.
A Final Encouragement
So, why is water baptism by immersion important? It shows that you believe you are a sinner and need Jesus to be your savior. Baptism symbolizes accepting this truth with more than just a head knowledge but deep into your heart. It is a sign of your willingness to repent from the sin that separates you from God. Ultimately, water baptism shows your intent to follow Jesus into all the places he leads you.
Next week, we’ll dive a little deeper into baptism. What does it symbolize when you go under the water and emerge completely soaked?
Finally, if you have never been water-baptized, I encourage you to consider this ancient sacrament. It’s possible you grew up in a Catholic church or mainline Protestant church that practices infant baptism, and you might feel a need to make an adult declaration of your faith. Some of you may have been water-baptized as a child or teen, but you now have a new understanding of your faith.
If you would like to talk with me about this further, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d love to talk it through with you.
Don’t be afraid to follow your heart in this matter. Talk to a pastor or spiritual leader in your life. Be obedient to where the Holy Spirit is leading you.
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