"I indeed baptize you with water, but He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit." Mark 1:8
One result of today's technological revolution is to make man's activity increasingly mechanized. Much of what before was done by sheer physical effort is now carried out by mechanized and automatic equipment. Many of the calculations and correlations formerly done by the human brain are now taken over by the computer.
Few will dispute that the technological revolution has increased enormously man's capacity to work and so to fulfil God's creation mandate to subdue the earth (Gen. 1:28). On the other hand it has also brought very serious problems one of which is the temptation to view the whole of life in mechanical terms. All too easily we find ourselves thinking that every aspect of our existence can be diagnosed, predicted and organized.
Of course, insofar as our bodies are organized on the basis of motor function, human living has indeed a mechanical aspect. But, according to the Christian Gospel, there is infinitely more to human existence than the operating of a highly complex machine of flesh, bones and brain tissue. The essence of our manhood arises not only from our being created from the dust, but above all from being made in the image of God who is spirit. For this reason the centre of human personality is the spirit or soul, and the most basic elements in our experience--such as love and hate, good and evil--are essentially spiritual realities which cannot be mechanically manipulated, mathematically measured, or scientifically analyzed, except in a most superficial way. Motives such as ambition or revenge cannot be fed into a computer. There is this intangible, spontaneous and often unpredictable element in our make-up which defies any precise analysis or control.
It is this element which we tend to lose sight of today. Our obsession with the material and the mechanical at the expense of the spiritual and the spontaneous is seen in the popular attitude to the sacraments. What counts with so many is the mechanics of the operation--the water, the formula, the ritual. If they receive these they are content.
Therefore we do well to heed John the Baptist's reminder here that there are two aspects to this sacrament--the physical and the spiritual, water baptism and Spirit baptism. The clear implication of his words is that the second is far more important than the first. The Church can, and does, baptize with water, but only Christ can baptize with the Holy Spirit. A grasp of this distinction is crucial to a biblical understanding of this sacrament.
These memorable words of John define for us the power of this sacrament, and thus lead us into a deeper understanding also of the privilege of parents presenting their child for baptism and of the position before God of baptized people. We shall notice how our text illuminates all of these three aspects of the sacrament of baptism.
(I) The power of the sacrament
John indicates that while he baptizes with water, only Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit. He is warning his disciples that baptism by him, while highly significant, is not enough. It is preliminary to the great reality which it symbolizes--baptism with the Holy Spirit by Jesus.
Similarly the efficacy of Christian baptism does not derive from the Church, the Trinitarian formula, or the water, but from Christ and Christ alone. And so the Church must say to its people: "We baptize you only with water; Christ alone can baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
At this stage we must ask what John meant by the phrase "baptize with the Holy Spirit"? It helps us to answer this question if we remember that John probably spoke Aramaic, a language closely related to the Hebrew of the Old Testament where the word spirit, used to describe the Third Person of the Trinity, basically means "breath" and "wind". It implies both life and power.
The precise meaning of the verb to baptize is disputed, but there is little doubt that it was widely used in John's time in connection with initiation into a new religion, or the beginning of a new religious experience.
Therefore, to be baptized with the Holy Spirit is to begin life in the Spirit, or to be born again of the Spirit. In this experience the Holy Spirit imparts both life and power to our souls which, as a result of sin, are spiritually dead or cut off from God. The close association of water and washing with spiritual regeneration by our Lord (John 3:5) and by Paul (Titus 3:5) may well be allusions to Christian baptism--to the external rite (washing with water) and to the inner reality symbolized (regeneration or new birth).
All this leads us to conclude that it is not water baptism but Spirit baptism which communicates the saving power of God. The notion of baptismal regeneration--that one receives eternal life automatically through water baptism-is alien to the teaching of the New Testament. Water baptism is but the outer form. True, it is a means of grace, but not in the sense that it confers the grace symbolized in it. Rather water baptism is a means of grace in that it points us to the One who alone can confer that grace, to the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, unless Spirit baptism precedes, accompanies or follows our water baptism we have the form but not the power of religion (2 Tim. 3:5)·
(2) The privilege of the sponsors
Infant baptism is given to parents as the sponsors of their child. A sponsor is a person who acts on behalf of someone else. Parents act as sponsors of their children in a variety of ways. For example, in legal matters a child is represented by one or both parents because he is judged by the law either to be incapable (if an infant) or immature (if a minor). This fact of life operates in the religious sphere also. Because infants are incapable of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ their parents are asked to believe for them, and later, to teach them to believe for themselves.
The practice of infant (as distinct from adult) baptism is based upon both a biblical principle and a biblical promise. The principle is that the faith of believing parents brings their children into a privileged relationship with God; the promise, that if parents believe, their children will in turn believe.
These--the principle and the promise--are present in every covenant relationship God has entered into with men. For example, to Noah God promised: "And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you" (Gen. 9:9)· A similar promise is given to Abraham (Gen. 17:7, 8) concerning his descendants of whom God promises "I will be their God". And so we could go on and examine all the recorded covenants made by God with His people--with Jacob (Gen. 35), Moses (Deut. 29:10-I2), and David (2 Chron. 21:7); in all these cases this promise is central. Therefore it comes as no surprise on turning to the New Testament or Covenant, of which Christ is the mediator, to discover that both the promise and the principle are re-affirmed in the new dispensation. "The promise," says Peter, "is to you and to your children" (Acts 2:39). And the principle is illustrated in Paul's words to the Corinthian Christians: "Your children are holy" (I Cor. 7:'4) where holy is used in its primary sense of belonging to God.
The privilege of Christian parenthood rests upon the possession of this promise and the operation of this principle. It is these which enable Christian parents by faith to claim for their children the reality symbolized in this sacrament-engrafting into Christ.
The term sacrament, originally a Latin word meaning an oath or a pledge, was chosen by the theologians of the early Church to describe the two ceremonies instituted by Christ as a pledge of God's covenant promises to His people. Baptism is like the guarantee we receive with a product stating that the manufacturer will honour his promise concerning its reliability. Now one of the promises pledged through baptism is that the children of believers will be saved.
However, we must not forget that, like many guarantees, this one is not unconditional. Christian baptism is given on the basis of vows which are to be kept in order that the promise be fulfilled. Baptismal vows can be summarized by the words faith and obedience.
First of all, faith. Parents who present their children for baptism have a duty to believe because the promise on the basis of which the sacrament is given is made concerning the children of believers. Further, believers must believe, not only on their own account, but also for and about their children. They must actively believe that God will keep this promise, claiming it day by day.
Second, there is obedience. The vows of baptism not only include the faith that our children will be saved, but also our promise to work towards this end by bringing them up in the nurture and discipline of the Lord, teaching and showing them the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Those of us who are parents of baptized children need to ask ourselves regularly whether in fact we are actively and earnestly seeking to fulfil our vows. Are we appropriating this precious promise? Are we seeking to make our children disciples by teaching and showing them the way of Christ? Or do we forget just how great is our privilege and how solemn are our vows?
(3) The position of the spectators
The people involved in a baptismal service are not only the parents and children receiving the sacrament, but also all baptized persons present. Every Christian baptism we witness is a call to renew our baptismal vows. This is the duty not only of Christian parents among the spectators, but also of all baptized people, for the vows taken in the past on our behalf by our parents have, as we have come to the age of responsibility, devolved on us. Therefore, we must ratify or confirm these vows for ourselves. We are no longer young and dependent. Faith is now our responsibility.
Yet, is it not the case that, if we were honest, many of us would have to admit that we hang on to the "form" of water baptism much as others do to a lucky charm or mascot? We think that if we have been baptized and have not obviously repudiated our vows this is something that God will give us credit for at the end of the day.
The fallacy of this attitude is seen when we note what Paul says about a similar dependence by the Jews on the corresponding rite of circumcision. "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter" (Rom. 2:28, 29). Because of both the general correspondence between the Jewish nation and the Church and the particular correspondence between circumcision and baptism, we may legitimately paraphrase these words in Christian terms as follows: "He is not a real Christian who is one outwardly, nor is true baptism something external and physical. He is a Christian who is one inwardly, and real baptism is a matter of the heart, spiritual not literal.''
Or again, we can learn from Paul's insistence that circumcision is of value only if the law is kept. "For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law; but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision" (Rom. 2:25). By analogy, unless we affirm for ourselves the vows of baptism and keep them, then our baptism becomes un-baptism. I wonder has it ever struck us just how tragically possible it is for us to unbaptize ourselves ?
There is this very real danger that water baptism, given to be a blessing, may become a curse if we persist in distorting its functions by trusting in it rather than in Christ. Like all religious forms it is meant to lead us to Christ (Gal. 3:14), but when it, or any other worship form, becomes an end rather than a means, then rather than lead us to Him it cuts off from Him (Gal. 5:4)·
What is our position at this moment regarding our baptism? Have we fallen for the fallacy of trusting in the form? Or do we realize that it is only if we trust Christ as our Saviour that the promise of baptism will be fulfilled in our lives?
Conclusion
In conclusion let us never forget that water baptism is only a sign pointing to the reality of Spirit baptism and therefore substantially different from it. A road sign marked "London 500 miles" is not the city of London. In fact it is a long way from it. Similarly water baptism administered by the Church, while pointing unmistakably to Spirit baptism is something quite different. Let us not rest content with the sign! Let us press on to the reality! Having been baptized with water let us ask Christ to baptize us with the Holy Spirit!
