2 Kings 5:1-15a
1 Peter 3:18-22
John 3:1-8
Before there can be any serious discussion about baptism, it is important for man to consider a couple of important theological truths:
1) man alone cannot cleanse and restore a soul by any means, and
2) the power and might of the Lord’s hand cannot be defined or restricted by any amount of water.
Exploring baptism, then, must necessarily revolve around what baptism is and who the Major Player is. There are obviously contrasts between denominations and traditions as to how baptism is practiced – and I hasten to add that NONE are “wrong” - but regardless of the chosen method or timing it must always be remembered that baptism is a time of celebration because it is the regeneration of life itself. It is also the very best that we can give to the Holy Father, most appropriately on this Father’s Day because we are taking those who once belonged to the world and are offering them back to the Him.
In and of itself baptism is a mystery which theologians have tried for generations to explain, but it does have profound significance in what it means to the life of Christ’s Holy Church because baptism is not necessarily an “individualized” event; it involves – in fact, REQUIRES – participation from the whole church because of what the whole Church represents: the very Body of Christ. Baptism, like so many other elements, is an act of worship as a Sacrament because it involves the spoken Word of the Lord our God AND our response.
Baptism is an act of initiation in which those who step forth voluntarily or those who are presented in faith are offered to the Lord in His Holy Church and in the presence of the entire congregation. Regardless of whether these who are presented can speak for themselves or will have someone speaking in their behalf, baptism as a Sacrament of Christ’s Holy Church brings them – BY AN ACT OF THE LORD GOD – into the fold of the faith and Christ’s Holy Church Universal which knows no denominational or geographic boundaries.
But when we try to determine for ourselves the appropriate age for baptism or the “proper” method by which man baptizes or restricts from the covenantal Sacrament those we determine are not worthy or ready or able, the essence of the Sacrament is diminished and we are left with more confusion than comfort, more division than unification. And when we try to determine for ourselves the precise prescription by taking what is only inferred in Scripture, we actually move further away from the Holy than we draw near by becoming bogged down in senseless arguments about rules man has created along the way.
Baptism is, now and always, an act of the Lord God. Our stepping forward is an act of faith. I think maybe it is important to understand the nature of the Covenant we enter into at baptism by looking back at the Covenant the Lord made with Abraham with circumcision as a sign of that Covenant. Listen carefully to the words of Genesis 17:9-14: “The Lord said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you shall keep My Covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is My Covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between Me and you. Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old, including the slaves born in your house and the one bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. Both the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money must be circumcised. So shall My Covenant be in your flesh an everlasting Covenant.”
Take care not to get hung up on circumcision itself because in exploring the NATURE of the Covenant we must also remember the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:25-33. Paul and Silas had been imprisoned after casting out a demon, and while they were there they began signing hymns and praising the Lord God in the presence of the other prisoners. Then there was a great earthquake; chains were broken and the doors of the prison were opened. The jailer awoke and saw all this and was about to kill himself because he thought all the prisoners had fled, but then he heard Paul call out to him. The jailer came to believe and as a result of his own faith, “he and all his family were baptized” (Acts 16:33b).
Scripture does not tell us how many members the jailer’s family had nor are we told the ages of those who were baptized. What we can take from Acts and from Genesis is the very same message we can take from the life of Christ: we who know the Truth are responsible for the spiritual well-being of those who do not. Baptism is a sign of the Lord’s New Covenant just as circumcision was a sign of the Lord’s Covenant to Abraham. And just as Abraham was responsible for all those in his charge, child or slave or child of a slave, we are also responsible for those in our own charge especially when they cannot speak for themselves.
Most importantly of all is the Word which comes from Christ Himself: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:5) but take heart because this is not a threat of condemnation but is, instead, a PROMISE of LIFE! Baptism is a rite of passage, an initiation into the New Covenant by which all of mankind is invited to enter. There is no word of restriction as to who may come or who may be presented. The Word of the Lord God calls all of humanity into the New Covenant which is Christ the Lord. The initiation into this New Covenant is Baptism, and it begins the journey for all who desire the Peace and the Life of Christ not only for themselves but also for those whom they love. And it is an ultimate act of love and faith to give back to the Holy Father those who have been entrusted to us.
Baptism is an act of the Lord God Himself in His fullness and mercy. Let not man, by his finite wisdom and limited understanding, attempt to diminish the Lord’s mighty Hand. Amen.
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