The Role of Baptism in Union with Christ - Research Paper Example

The Role of Baptism in Union with Christ Table of Contents Page Introduction 3 Main Body 4 Baptism and the forgiveness of sins 5 Baptism as an act of faith 7 Baptism as a powerful believer’s testimony of Christ 11 Baptism and spiritual blessings 13 Conclusion 15 Bibliography 15 A. Introduction More than two thousand years ago, there was a man named Jesus proclaiming the message of salvation into the land of God’s chosen people, the Israel. He found his twelve disciples and they began together spreading the good news about the forgiveness of sins and the coming Kingdom of God. Jesus was not an ordinary man in his time because some believed he was a teacher, a prophet and the Son of God. This was an indication that Jesus was indeed living a righteous life in his time. The account of Jesus in the bible tells more about his ministry. His ministry was said to be righteous because of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. There were many miracles that happened to Jesus’ ministry. Jesus was able to heal sickness, cast out demons, can bring back the dead to life, he can walk on water, he can calm the storm and other miraculous signs of him as the Son of God. The most triggering of them all was his death on the cross and his resurrection. Without this resurrection, there will be no salvation for the humanity through Jesus. However, such salvation cannot just come right away to everyone though it is intended for everyone in the first place. The Christian faith requires total belief on the account of Jesus on the cross and his staggering resurrection. However, for those believers, there is nothing astounding about the resurrection of Christ because he was the Son of God. Thus, everything is possible. What seems to be more surprising was the point why God has to give up his Son for all sinners. In the Christian faith, this is known as the message of God’s greatest love for mankind. It is a kind of love that until today it remains a great mystery. The only possible way to understand such great love is to make out the account of Jesus and know in its deepest sense how to become his follower. To be a Christian is to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ followers then must be baptized. What is baptism? What are its underlying principles and why a Christian’s intense faith in Christ Jesus starts from it? This paper addresses the underlying issues of baptism and its central roles in the Christian faith and way of life with Jesus. B. Main Body When one removes human tradition, the biblical role of baptism can be clearly seen. Baptism plays a significant role in the life of the church and the one who accepts Christ as his or her Savior. Our union with Christ has specific blessings for our lives. When we placed our faith in Jesus Christ, repent, and are baptized, our sins are forgiven. This is done through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Baptism therefore is an act of faith and a powerful testimony to the believers’ union with Christ Jesus. The above statements are what the proponent tries to expound in this paper. In the following subsections, the proponent discusses the following points: baptism and the forgiveness of sins, baptism as an act of faith, baptism as a powerful testimony of Christ and baptism and spiritual blessings. Baptism and the forgiveness of sins Everyone falls short of the glory of God because of sin. This is remarkably illustrated by the point in the first book of the Bible showing how Adam and Eve disobeyed God.1 Disobedience itself is the primary reason why the entire humanity has fallen short of God’s glory. Thus, one of the consequences of such disobedience is death of our physical body.2 God cursed the man to return to dust where he was formed from because the latter’s intimate relationship with Him was broken. However, God wants to restore such broken relationship. He gave up His only Son Jesus for our sins so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.3 This only implies that God is sending the message that there is real life after the physical death of the body. This was the concern of Jesus’ ministry more than two thousand years ago, before and after his death and continuing at present. However, prior to the ministry of Jesus, John the Baptist had been spreading about the grace of salvation and such can only be granted by God through repentance of sins. He was trying to spread the good news of salvation which can be achieved by a repentant heart. At the time of John the Baptist, one can distinguish a person repenting for his or her sins through baptism with water. John the Baptist baptized people with water, but he told them that someone will come to baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire.4 He was preaching a baptism with water for the forgiveness of sins.5 It is clear therefore that John was doing baptism with water for repentance. In fact, baptism connotes repentance.6 This was emphasized by John the Baptist when he was having his sermon on the dessert encouraging the Jews to repent for their sins and be baptized. Those who believed that God will forgive their sins were baptized with water. On the other hand, baptism is also a way when one is united with the family of God by dying to sin and rising to new life through Jesus Christ. This can be observed by how Peter and Paul convinced almost three thousand Jews to be baptized with Jesus.7 When Peter and Paul addressed the Jewish crowd, almost three thousand of them believed the good news about Jesus. On that day when they believed on the account of Jesus, Paul and Peter advised them to repent and be baptized so that they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. They will be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. Those who were baptized into Christ Jesus were dead to sin but alive in Christ. Because Jesus died on the cross and buried, those who were baptized into him have also buried their sinful nature and just as Christ was raised from the dead, those who were baptized into him will live a new life. United in the death of Christ means being united in him in his resurrection and baptism into him therefore is freedom from sinful nature by the grace of God.8 Thus, baptism with water is a representation of one’s sins being washed away and being dead from an old sinful nature because this is the time that God is with him or her. Jesus himself was baptized by John in the Jordan River.9 However, the baptism of Jesus with water does not connote about repentance. It was a way to fulfill God’s promise to John to show him the Son of God was with the people. The baptism of Jesus with water was a way in which the Holy Spirit will be upon him. In fact, Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit as a living testimony of John.10 Such baptism is a representation of Jesus’ righteous ministry and was pleasing to God because he was the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.11 It can be observed that after Jesus’ baptism, God was with him and he was anointed with the Holy Spirit and given with power. 12 This was a remarkable indication that Jesus will soon to have a powerful ministry since God is with him. Baptism as an act of faith So many things have been said about Jesus. He can calm the storm, he can forgive sins, he can heal the sick and he was no ordinary man in his time.13 He was the Son of God as how he proclaimed himself he was. He had such great authority and even the greatest men of his time had many things to agree with him. In fact, Nicodemus, a member of a Jewish ruling council believed that Jesus was a teacher coming from God because of his miraculous signs.14 Even Nicodemus, who was expert of the Law of Moses, still had significant things to learn from Jesus. Jesus informed Nicodemus that unless the man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.15 By this, Jesus meant that one must be born of water and the Spirit. As mentioned earlier, the baptism of water is about baptism for repentance. To be born of the Spirit on the other hand means being dead from the sinful nature and having eternal life which can be achieved by believing in Jesus.16 This is a very point of being baptized through Christ Jesus. There is a higher emphasis on the belief that he is the Son of God and in which all things were created through him.17 From the very beginning God knows that man will fall and thus, his Son will be the ultimate way to restore that broken relationship in the Garden of Eden. However, God is a loving God and so He continues to send the message of His love and righteousness through the prophets. The act of repentance was the ultimate way to come back into His Holy presence. However, Jesus death on the cross and his resurrection gives more meaning to the Christian faith. As Jesus himself proclaimed as the Son of God, the Word, the Truth, the Light, and the Good Shepherd and more, Christian faith must be remarkably and strongly built upon him. As mentioned earlier, salvation comes to those who have repentant hearts and those who strongly believed about Jesus and being baptized in his name. In this regard, those who believed Jesus will be baptized in his name and with water. 18 However, not all of those who are baptized and believed in him will be saved. As Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”19 By these words, Jesus was implying obedience. Obedience was the very true nature of faith with him. Obedience is the real manifestation of believing in his words and the very act of righteousness he showed to the humanity. He was showing the very example of genuine righteousness and obedience that are real pleasing to God. In fact, his acts of kindness and righteousness were deeper than the law and tradition of men. This was clearly emphasized when he continued to heal, cast out demons, and performed many acts of righteousness even on the Sabbath. In fact, he was confronted by experts of the Law of Moses on one of these actuations.20 However, Jesus simply gave the message of love and his compassion for the lost souls. At one occasion, he tried to emphasize how much the humanity matters to God.21 By this, he was implying how important it is for God to save the lost souls even in and out of seasons. Jesus was implying that the righteousness of God is every time and He chooses no time to work only for the best of mankind. Our faith and baptism with Christ are one. “There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”22 It is therefore clear that being baptized with Christ is an act of faith and such faith can be manifested by total obedience to God’s will through Jesus. In doing so, Jesus’ true characters will be imparted to those who are seeking for it since God said in his word that all of those who seek will find and all of those who ask will be given.23 If anyone is searching for Jesus, then he or she will surely have an encounter with him by faith. No baptism with Jesus therefore will happen without having an encounter with him in the first place. In the next section, the powerful testimony about Jesus is explained. It includes the spectacular conversion of Paul and Zacchaeus during their encounter with Jesus. Baptism as a powerful believer’s testimony of Christ The great commission is to spread the good news of salvation and message of love and reconciliation and make those who believe in them as disciples, but they must be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.24 All must undergo baptism in order to become followers of Christ.25 The baptism in here as stated earlier is the total conversion and death from old sinful nature. It demands total obedience to God because everything is for everyone’s own good and that is to be saved and have eternal life as strongly emphasized in the book of John. Jesus remarkably showed to everyone that life does not end in this world but there is more to it in the spiritual realm. Thus, he encouraged everyone who were baptized in his name to spread the good news about the Kingdom of Heaven and let those who believe in it become his disciples. The book of Acts shows remarkable details how Jesus’ disciples spread the gospel and continued Christ mission. The book of Acts continues in our modern time considering that many Christians today are continuing to testify the goodness of the words of Christ. All of those who are baptized must therefore proclaim that “Jesus saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”26 The death of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection is the only way the message of salvation can enter into one’s Christian life. This needs considerable amount of faith. By believing that Jesus died on the cross for our sins would mean total obedience of what is required by God to stay pure in heart and in spirit. To illustrate this, it is important to understand the conversion of Paul because of his encounter with Christ Jesus. Paul or formerly known as Saul was known as persecutor of God’s people. He did not know about this right before his encounter with Jesus on the road of Damascus because he believed that he was just executing the Law of men. Furthermore, the encounter with Jesus of the tax collector named Zacchaeus is another remarkable representation of a truly baptized Christian who can truly testify who really Jesus is.27 On the other hand, being baptized with Chris means total dependence of our lives into him. Jesus was able to use plenty number of emblems in the bible. Jesus used symbols to show to his disciples that life must come from him.28 This is evident in the last suffer when he used bread and wine symbolizing his body and blood to be given up for the humanity. He also used symbols to command obedience and that apart from him; everyone can be and do nothing. It is therefore an opportunity for everyone to bear fruit in union with Christ.29 Jesus showed to his disciples that he is the vine and they were the branches. The Father from above is the gardener. Jesus strongly and boldly emphasized that everyone who wants to follow on his steps cannot bear fruit if not connected with him. Thus, in order for someone to become a powerful testimony of the message of love and reconciliation to unbelievers is to become more like Jesus.30 Baptism and spiritual blessings The very acts of Jesus certainly were simply defying the traditions of men. It is by believing in him and obeying in his words that one is truly baptized in his name. Faith in Jesus is about obedience in the will of God and having the very character of Him. Those who totally accept Jesus have the power of the Holy Spirit and the true character of him. All those who heard and believe about Jesus as the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead will receive the Holy Spirit. 31 Jesus’ true characters are manifested by the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.32 It is emphasized in here that with all of these characters, the humanity is free from being slave to sins. Jesus was not a prisoner of sins because he was able to conquer the power of death. The very proof was his dying on the cross and his resurrection.33 Salvation is for all. In fact, the words of God said, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”34 This only signifies that baptism is for everyone. However, baptism is highly associated with a highly transformed or changed life.35 It is emphasized that a changed life receives the Holy Spirit. However, such will never be achieved without the baptism in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. No one therefore has the chance to receive the Holy Spirit without undergoing baptism through Christ. However, the Holy Spirit needs to be received and so the new Christians should be baptized with it after being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.36 In fact, the early church encouraged the whole household to be baptized after believing Jesus prior to being saved.37 When we are baptized into Christ, there is an assurance that we can ask in his name. In the epistle to the Ephesians the words of God stated, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free and we were all given the one Spirit to drink”.38 Every believer of Christ therefore shares the same spiritual blessings. C. Conclusion Baptism is a manifestation of one’s total conversion of life with Christ. Baptism as a Christian tradition is an emblem of being born in water and in Spirit. To be born in water and in Spirit is the only way to enter the Kingdom of heaven as what Christ Jesus tried to emphasize in its ministry. Being one with Christ therefore through baptism is about forgetting the old nature of life in the past and living in accordance to God’s will. Faith in Jesus therefore is about obeying his words for it is the deeper sense of believing him and God’s will for our lives. This is the significant role of baptism in one’s union with Christ. Bibliography Bryant, Rees, Baptism Why Wait? Faith’s Response in Conversion. USA: College Press., 1999. Esler, Philip Francis, Conflict and identity in Romans: the social setting of Paul’s letter. USA: Fortress Press, 2003. Gregersen, Niels Henrik, The gift of grace: the future of Lutheran theology. USA: Fortress Press, 2005. Kuula, Kari, The law, the covenant, and God’s plan. USA: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2003. Smedes, Lewis B., Union with Christ: a biblical view of the new life in Jesus Christ. USA: Wim. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1983. Swindoll, Charles, The Greatest Life of All: Jesus. USA: Charles R. Swindoll, 2008 Trueman, Carl R., Luther’s Legacy: Salvation and English Reformers 1525-1556. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. Vischer, Lukas, Christian worship in Reformed Churches past and present (USA: Wim. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003), 284. Read More