The Ceremony of Baptism in the Transaction—Our Baptism One of the Greatest Events in Our Lives
By H. G. THURSTON
OUR Saviour said that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations (Luke 24:47), and that the Christians of all nations should be baptized (Matt. 28:19, margin), and that the believing, baptized souls should be saved (Mark 16:15, 16).
“We are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Rom. 6:4.
FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF CHANGE
Baptism is a formal announcement that the individual has changed life partners, having renounced "the old man" of sin, "which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" (Eph. 4:22), and "put on the new man" (verse 24), thus accepting the Lord Jesus, that He may ever dwell in the heart by faith. Eph. 3:17.
This great change in human life and experience is proclaimed by baptism. Since baptism is a gospel ordinance, and since all men are sinners by nature, and if they ever receive the immortality promised to the righteous, it comes only through the gospel, does it not follow that all men need the work signified by baptism?
MARRIED TO SIN
Every man is born in sin, and by his very nature and birth is married to sin, is subject to sin; for sin controls his life. If ever he is released from sin, it must be by death. Sin is likened to a husband from whom we must be separated if we are to become servants of righteousness and bring forth fruit to God. Rom. 7:1-4.
This death experience is nothing short of supernatural, miraculous. When married to sin, men serve sin. They are much alive in hatred, envy, lying, deceit, Sabbath breaking, theft, and murder, and delight their husband of sin by pleasing themselves in practicing the various desires of the natural heart, until they become convinced that they are indeed serving a hard master, whose wages are most undesirable (Rom. 6:23), and that the only possible way of escape is through death to sin. It could be seen that this death would mean suffering; but seeing others who appeared much happier with their new Husband (Isa. 54:5), who did not offer the weak and beggarly elements of earth as a reward, but a life of joy and peace and true holiness here, and the end everlasting life, choice was made of this new Companion for time and eternity. The agonies of death over, condemnation was gone, and they were exceedingly happy in their new state.
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEATH
Baptism is a visible public testimony that we have actually experienced the agonies of this death. Without just that experience, baptism is meaningless, and but mockery; for if, while we are married to sin, and without this death to separate us from sin, we go through the ceremony of marriage to another, even Christ, our condemnation is written in the strongest language. Rom. 7:3; James 4:4.
This passing from sin to righteousness involves death, even to mortification; but by it we escape the wrath of God. Col. 3:5, 6. This is an experience each must have for himself, and not another.
THE DIVORCED HUSBAND STAYS AROUND
Although we die to our first husband, sin, apparently he does not die, but ever tries to recover his old place in the life as its ruler. The apostle Paul refers to his own Christian life, and to his continual warfare against sin, and writes, "I die daily" (1 Cor. 15:31); and also, "I keep under my body" (1 Cor. 9:27). This shows something of the continual warfare that must be kept up throughout this life, lest the old man again ascend the throne of our affections, and we become castaways at the end of the race. But faithfulness in this warfare maintains an intimate and happy relation in Christ, and insures in Him a continual abiding.5With such a prospect of being continually assailed by the devil through our old nature, we anxiously inquire, "Will this awful conflict be an uncertain one?" In regard to this we are not left to speculate. When a soul makes Jesus his choice, and unites his life to Christ, this new Companion, to whom is given all power (Matt. 28:18), and who has overcome sin and the devil in actual and deadly conflict (Rev. 3:21), promises His assistance to certain victory, assuring us that if we remain loyal to Him for a little while here, He will then forever secure us from any further trouble with this former husband, who seeks our ruin. We shall also forever bear His own "new name" (Rev. 3:12), and enter with Him into His great inheritance, of which He makes us heirs. All who accept Him, He accepts as joint heirs. Rom. 8:17.
The ordinance of baptism is an outward sign that this heirship is established, first by God's revealing the way of life to the sinner, and then by the sinner's acceptance of that way.
Baptism is one of the most solemn of all institutions of divine origin, bringing vividly to view the life of toil and love of our Master, and then that incomparable, incomprehensible death upon Calvary, and also His glorious resurrection from the tomb to a life of infinite glory and power.
A MOST IMPORTANT EVENT
The day of baptism is one of the most notable of man's whole life, ranking with one's birth, conversion, marriage, and death. And truly the significance of all the great events in spiritual life clusters around the memory of the day of baptism; for the sinner must die to the world in order to accept God's loving offer to be a Husband — accept His promise to love, provide for, protect, and defend — and in this manner become divorced from the former husband, sin.
As a means of making this death publicly known, God has provided a fitting burial ceremony; and the candidate for heaven arises from the grave of water to walk in newness of life, to render loving, pleasant service to the new Husband. By a diligent study of His wishes as expressed in His word, we ever seek to honor Him, to do His pleasure. We do not live as before, to please ourselves; for as in marriage resulting from true love, the wife ever seeks to please her husband, so in that union with Christ, the closest known to man, when the Saviour enters into the heart, and abides there, the converted soul is not seeking to please another, nor even himself, but the whole life's study and continual aim is to please Jesus.
For such an experience may every child of grace most earnestly labor, that his baptismal occasion may ever prove a precious and sacred memory!
