-BAPTISM-
-Why Baptism-
Like communion, baptism is what’s called a ‘sacrament,’ which has three special features:
It’s something Jesus told us to do.
It’s something we physically participate in.
It’s something with spiritual significance—God himself is present there with us in a special way.
Baptism is not just something that’s happening in the physical realm. And it’s not just a ceremony. When we’re baptised, we believe there’s something special going on in the spiritual realm as well.
The technical term is that God’s blessing is ‘mediated’ to us through the sacrament—in other words, taking part in baptism or communion is a ‘delivery vehicle’ to bring a blessing into our lives through God’s presence in it.
Jesus encouraged us to take part in the sacrament of communion regularly, but baptism is something we do just once. It’s a public statement of our decision to be a Christian, ideally at the outset of our Christian faith.
By going down into the water, we’re identifying ourselves with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection. Going under the water symbolises dying and rising again—dying to our old life without Jesus and rising to a new life with Jesus, exchanging life without him for life with him. It also symbolises being ‘washed clean’ from the stain of sin in our lives.
You were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life. Colossians 2:12
Jesus washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7
Baptism is one of three features that characterise becoming a Christian. In Acts 2:38, when people were asking, ‘What must we do?’ Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, answered: ‘Repent, be baptised and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’
‘Repent’ means changing direction—turning around, changing our mind, and going in a different direction in life. It includes ‘saying sorry’ for things that have been wrong in our lives, but it’s more than that as well. It’s wanting to bring our life story into God’s story. It’s wanting every area of our life to reflect his ways, his values, and his desires for us.
Receiving ‘the gift of the Holy Spirit’ is inviting God’s presence into our life through the Holy Spirit, who is one of the three Persons of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the active presence of God in the world today. It’s important to think of him as a Person, not as an impersonal force or power. Receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit is inviting him to take up residence—bringing God’s supernatural presence and life transforming power into our life. As we seek to submit ourselves to him, as we journey through life with him, welcoming more of his presence and power, we increasingly experience that change.
John the Baptist spoke of this ‘baptism of the Spirit’ alongside water baptism:
‘I’m baptizing you here in the river,’ he said, ‘but the real action comes next: The main character in this drama will ignite a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out.’ Matthew 3:11
And then finally, baptism is not just something that’s happening to us as an isolated individual. We’re being baptised into something—the Body of Christ. It’s marking our joining and commitment to a local expression of God’s people in a Church.
We’ve all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13
To ‘share the same Spirit’ means we have something very special in common. The Bible uses the picture of a body, with Jesus as its head, to emphasise how we’re meant to be joined to each other—just like fingers and toes and arms and legs are connected to our physical bodies. We become part of God’s family. We know God as our Father—and we have each other as brothers and sisters—sharing life together, not just Sunday mornings together.
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. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. Romans 6:4-5
-Questions about Baptism-
What if I was baptised as a baby?
Baptism in the New Testament is a personal decision in response to Jesus. Matthew 3:2 says that John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Clearly he was not addressing babies, and this was not something a baby either could do or needs to do. Jewish culture already provided ceremonies for babies and children; this was something more.
We believe that infant baptism is best thought of as a forward-looking expression of faith by the parents, made on behalf of the baby, that their child will come to know Jesus personally when they reach an age to make that decision. It’s therefore closer to child dedication than adult baptism. The key factor here is the inability of babies to make a decision for themselves.
Churches that promote infant baptism are either simply following their denomination’s tradition or inferring it from passages in Acts where the head of the household comes to believe: ‘Immediately he and all his household were baptised’ (Acts 16:15; 33 and 18:8). The ‘household’ in that cultural context would have included not just babies and children but also adult dependents, slaves, and servants. The decision as to which god or gods the household should follow was made by the male head on everyone’s behalf (something that is odd sounding to us but would have been considered obvious in the ancient world).
Does every Christian need to be baptised?
Jesus himself was baptised. If there was ever someone who didn’t ‘need’ to be in that sense, it was Jesus. He had nothing to repent of or be forgiven for.
When John the Baptist was reluctant to baptise him, the reason Jesus gave was that ‘It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.’ Matthew 3:15
If that was true for Jesus, how much more should it be true for us?
But it’s really embarrassing.
Yes, it is a bit. The Apostle Paul acknowledges that some of the things we’re called to be and do as followers of Jesus can be seen as ‘foolish’:
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18
We are fools for Christ! 1 Corinthians 4:10
The main founder of the Vineyard, John Wimber, is often quoted as saying: ‘I’m a fool for Christ—whose fool are you …?’
So yes, baptism might seem a bit foolish—and a bit embarrassing—but that’s why it’s so good to humble ourselves and be obedient. It’s ‘good practice’ for the Christian life!
What if I don’t feel it’s the right time?
If we’ve decided to follow Jesus, there is no reason not to be baptised at the earliest opportunity.
In the book of Acts, a man decided to make a commitment to Jesus while he was on a journey, with a disciple called Philip. Whatever Philip had talked to him about, it clearly included the importance of being baptised as soon as possible. The man said:
‘Here’s water. Why can’t I be baptised?’ He ordered the chariot to stop. They both went down to the water, and Philip baptised him on the spot. Acts 8:36
What if I’m not sure about it and I have other questions?
That’s not a problem. No-one will be pushing you or making you do anything. The first step is simply to express interest in learning more about what’s involved, including all the practicalities. Questions are not just welcomed but invited.
To register an intrest in being baptised, please email baptism@suttonvineyard.org
-Exploring Baptism-
If you would like to explore Baptism further, we would love to invite you to an informal evening at Stayton House. Steve, our interim Senior Pastor, will be explaining
a) the biblical background
b) why Christians practice baptism
c) what's involved practically in being baptised
There will then be an open Q&A time.
Signing up to this event does not commit you to being baptised. It is an opportunity to learn more about baptism and able to to ask any questions you may have.
When: Thursday 23rd March 19:45-21:00
Where: Stayton House - 93 Stayton Road, Sutton Surrey, SM1 2PS
Sign up: To sign up click the link below