Some wonder what is the big deal with Baptism? It is not required for salvation and it does not change me spiritually, so isn’t just a church tradition that should not be taken to serious? There is truth in this question as Baptism is not required for salvation and does not change our condition with the Lord, but that is also not the reason Jesus commanded to go and baptize in his name.
Ask any good “Baptist” what baptism is about, and they will confess that it is the public proclamation of the new life one has received in Christ. It is representative of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and proclaims that the believer has died with Christ and has received salvation in his sacrifice. However, this is only the explanation of baptism and not the reason Christ commanded his followers to follow in his example. If the baptism of Christ is examined in 3:13-17 the story reveals the sonship of Jesus as the son of God. Just as important though is the fact that this is the beginning of Jesus public ministry as he directly goes into the wilderness to be tempted and then begins three years of travel and proclamation of the Gospel. This fact is often overlooked by those who speak of baptism.
There is a parallel here to why Jesus commanded to go and baptize and why it is only for believers who have made the choice to place their faith in Christ. When a person receives Christ as Lord and Savior, they are then told that they must “take up their cross and follow him” (Matt 16:24). The expectation is that when one receives Christ that they given up their old life with all its desires and wishes to follow the calling of Christ in their lives. For the first disciples that meant giving up their jobs, families, and lives to go after Christ. It goes further here to say that those who are unwilling to do so will not belong to Jesus “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matt 16:25).
The apostle Paul preaches this same idea when writing to the church of Philipi, he tells them “more than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ” (Phil 3:8). Here, Paul understands that to become a follower of Christ means the forfeiting of the old life and gaining a new life with a new purpose (Eph 4:22-23).
Therefore, going back to the baptism of Christ as the initiation of his public ministry the parallels can be seen. The reason a person submits to baptism right after they have been saved is because it proclaims their intention to die to the old life and begin living for Jesus. It is symbolic of the transformation that has taken place in them and begins by proclaiming as Jesus did with baptism that they have a new calling in life to follow him. The unwillingness to do this can be paralleled with the rich young ruler who wished to follow Christ but was unwilling to give up his old life and fortune to do so (Matt 6:24).
So, the question is why should a person be baptized? The answer is that a person should only be baptized if first they truly believe that Jesus came and died for their sins. Then, only if they are willing to follow the example of Christ and give up their old life, take up their cross, and follow him. It should not be an embarrassing moment, a submission to church tradition, or legalistic step of obedience. Rather, baptism is a celebration of the great sacrifice that Jesus made for them and the response of a humble heart that has submitted their life to Christ. If a person is unwilling to do this then the question must be asked whether they have submitted to Christ? If they have then why would they not submit to his command and willingly make the proclamation of the new life that they intend to live? Christ’s command to baptize is in essence his call to follow him and the believer’s response of “yes Lord” in action.
By: Pastor Christopher Arnold