No. 489 "Celebrating Today's Baptism Service" 2026 07 05

No. 489 "Celebrating Today's Baptism Service" 2026 07 05 Many people view baptism merely as a "token of commitment"—an outward expression of a personal resolve to say, "From this moment on, I will living out my faith diligently." While this is not entirely incorrect, the Scriptures introduce baptism as something far more profound. Today’s text, John 13, captures the powerful moment during the Last Supper when Jesus washes His disciples' feet. What is truly striking here is the order of events. The disciples do absolutely nothing; they simply present their feet and allow themselves to be washed. Only after this does Jesus declare, "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (v. 17). First comes the washing; then comes the serving. If we reverse this order, the Gospel ceases to be the Gospel and degrades into legalism. Baptism follows this exact same sequence. People often mistakenly believe that one must be baptized to become a child of God. However, Scripture teaches precisely the opposite: we are baptized because we already are children of God. The very moment we place our faith in Jesus, a brand-new identity is bestowed upon us. We are no longer defined as sinners, but as the redeemed. We are no longer orphans, but sons and daughters. We are no longer wanderers, but citizens of the Kingdom of God. This identity is not earned through baptism; it is fully given the moment we believe. Baptism, therefore, is not a ritual that creates this reality, but a public declaration before the entire church of what has already taken place within us. In this sense, baptism is less about our personal resolve and more about a public proclamation. It is a declaration that says, "I belong to Jesus; I have been crucified with Him, and I have been raised to life with Him." This stands at the very heart of Romans 6. The entire New Testament consistently maintains this divine order: Grace (what God has done) always precedes obedience (what we are called to do). The Book of Ephesians proclaims the lavish grace we have received in chapters 1 through 3, and only then, in chapter 4, exhorts us to "walk worthy." Similarly, the Book of Romans spends eleven chapters detailing the finished work of God before appealing to us in chapter 12 to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice." Grace always comes first; obedience is our response to that grace. This theological sequence applies directly to our daily lives as believers. Before we ask the question, "What must I do?", we must first ask, "Who is Jesus to me?" When we truly behold who He is and are captivated by Him, that awe births repentance, repentance births obedience, and obedience births the life of true discipleship. The moment we reverse this order—thinking we must live a good life first to earn God's grace—we place ourselves right back under the heavy yoke of the law. Therefore, baptism is not the destination of a disciple’s journey, but its starting point. Romans 6 instructs us that having been baptized, we are now called to "walk in newness of life." That brief moment of passing through the waters is a physical confession of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and simultaneously, the first public step of obedience in a lifelong walk of discipleship.