Baptism comes from a Greek word meaning ‘dipping’, or washing by immersing something in water (Mark 7:2-4 gives an example). In the New Testament, John the Baptist baptised people as a sign of repentance (Luke 3:3) – i.e. a sign that a person’s sorry for disobeying God and wants to turn round and try to obey Him in future. Baptism into Jesus is still a sign of repentance, but it means much more besides. It’s a public statement of belief and faith in Jesus and his message; an acknowledgement that we’re astray from God and need his forgiveness; and a personal association with Jesus’ death and resurrection.
The New Testament puts it starkly – baptism is an end to a life that’s mainly lived to suit ourselves, and the start of one that’s devoted to God. The idea of being ‘buried’ in water and then ‘born again’, drives the point home. The imagery is quite deliberate – it’s death or life; with Jesus or against him.
There’s no halfway house. That means everyone needs to make an individual choice - however much you know about the Bible, whatever your morals or your lifestyle are, whether you’ve been brought up in a Christian environment or not. At some point it has to get personal. There’s no compulsion; no pressurising; nobody gets kicked into the Kingdom. It’s each person’s choice – their turn to answer the question Pontius Pilate asked:
“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:22)
Questions don’t come any more important than that.
In the Bible, baptism follows belief and repentance – it’s a considered decision by people mature enough to know what it means and what they’re taking on. Baptism is a beginning, more than an ending. It’s a start of a life that looks to Jesus as its role model; where all the barriers that divide and hurt people - race, gender, status, whatever – pale into insignificance compared to Christians’ shared allegiance to Him. It’s also the point when the promises of God become promises to us. When we’re baptised, we become ‘heirs according to the promise’ - the resurrection, the kingdom, the future that God has guaranteed his faithful servants since the dawn of history, become our inheritance, because we belong to Jesus.
| What baptism is | What baptism isn’t |
| Re-enactment of the death and
resurrection of Jesus
Acknowledgement that you deserve to die because you fail to obey God A public statement of belief and repentance Obedience – doing what God tells us A sign of God’s forgiveness and your acceptance of it A declaration that you’ll try to obey God The end of a life devoted to yourself and the start of a new life devoted to God Baptism into Christ Commitment to the values and ideals of Jesus A challenge to live up to An immediate change in who you belong to The beginning |
Just a
old fashioned ritual
A guarantee that you are always right afterwards A guarantee that you are always right afterwards An automatic follow-on to a Christian upbringing Magic The end of having fun A guarantee that you’ll never disobey God again Essentially a big social event at church Baptism into the Christadelphians Something that makes you a weirdo A reason to be sanctimonious from then on An immediate change in how you think and act The end |
[Home]
[Go Back to What do Christadelphians Believe?]
[Top of Page]