What's the Big Deal with Baptism?

Here is another guest blog entry I did for Doug's blog (www.teachthemdiligently.blogspot.com- a blog for the parents at Grace Church) on the Heidelberg Catechism.

Did you ever wonder why Jesus made a big deal out of baptism by including it in the great commission? The main command in that passage is to "make disciples." So, why not just include the command to baptize these new disciples in one of the pastoral epistles (not to say that the commands in these epistles are less important; my point is just that Jesus, in his final instructions to his disciples, seems to draw special attention to the importance of baptism). It is because baptism serves the cause of the gospel and of making disciples in a vital way.

It is so important because it marks a person as a follower of Jesus. It visibly portrays the inward realities of the gospel that a believer partakes in when he or she becomes a disciple. The waters of baptism remind the believer, and testify to the non-believer, that salvation is by faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It pictures the reality that the believer is united with Christ in his death and resurrection and that his or her sins have been washed away.

Sometimes we can downplay the importance of baptism because we fear of sounding like we are saying you must do something to be right with God. But the reality is, Jesus saw baptism as a vitally important work in gospel ministry and we should too. It doesn't get us favor with God, but it vividly portrays the work Christ did to earn us favor with God. Therefore, we must not fail to emphasize it's importance.

I hope you see baptism as important for your ministry to your children. Tell them why it is important and what it represents. Take them to baptismal services at Grace Church and talk about it with them afterwards. If you have questions about baptism, check out the booklet, in the church foyer, on "Baptism and Communion" which addresses issues like, "How old must a person be for baptism?".

Lord’s Day 26

69. Q. HOW DOES BAPTISM REMIND YOU AND ASSURE YOU THAT CHRIST’S ONE SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS IS FOR YOU PERSONALLY?
A. In this way: Christ instituted this outward washing and with it gave the promise that, as surely as water washes away the dirt from the body, so certainly His blood and His Spirit wash away my soul’s impurity, in other words, all my sins.

70. Q. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WASHED WITH CHRIST’S BLOOD AND SPIRIT?
A. To be washed with Christ’s blood means that God, by grace, has forgiven my sins because of Christ’s blood poured out for me in His sacrifice on the cross. To be washed with Christ’s Spirit means that the Holy Spirit has renewed me and set me apart to be a member of Christ so that more and more I become dead to sin and increasingly live a holy and blameless life.

71. Q. WHERE DOES CHRIST PROMISE THAT WE ARE WASHED WITH HIS BLOOD AND SPIRIT AS SURELY AS WE ARE WASHED WITH THE WATER OF BAPTISM?
A. In the institution of baptism where He says: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” This promise is repeated when Scripture calls baptism the washing of rebirth and the washing away of sins.