"GOD'S CLAIM" The Baptism of Our Lord January 12, 2020 Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church Glenshaw, Pennsylvania TEXT: When Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a Voice from heaven said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:16, 17 (ESV)
I once saw a cartoon in a religious magazine featuring a Lutheran and a Baptist discussing the sensitive subject of infant Baptism. During the course of the conversation the Baptist asked: "Do you really think it's possible for a newborn infant to have faith?" "That depends," replied the Lutheran, "on whether faith is an act of man or a gift of God." In this silly cartoon we find the crux of the entire debate over infant Baptism. The basic question is this: Is Baptism something that you do to express your faith in Christ or is it something that God does to you to give you faith in Christ? If Baptism is merely an expression of one's faith, obviously the one being baptized must be able to understand and verbalize that faith, and it logically follows that an infant, since he cannot do that, should not be baptized. On the other hand, if Baptism is a gift of God through which He bestows the gift of faith, then everyone should be baptized--and as soon as possible--since God through His Son Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit is able to work faith in the hearts of whomever He chooses. Now if God does something to you in Baptism, just what is it that He does to you? Believe it or not, when you were baptized in the name of the Triune God, He did in your life exactly the same thing He did to His Son Jesus Christ in the Gospel for today. That may sound like a radical thing to say at the outset, but think about it. This is the very essence of faith and the very essence of Baptism and the very essence of being a Christian. In Baptism God identifies us with His beloved Son, our Savior and Lord, in such a way that our damning sin becomes His and takes Him to the cross while His perfect righteousness becomes ours and takes us to heaven. Comparing His Baptism with ours, let's consider today how God has claimed us as His own in Baptism and how God has pronounced His favor upon us in Baptism. In Baptism God has claimed you as His own. He claimed you in Baptism just as surely as your parents claimed you at birth. Even if you were adopted you were nevertheless claimed by people who loved you, wanted you, and in one way or another made you their own. This is what God did to you and for you when you were "born [again] of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). Isaiah the prophet speaks the Lord's words to His chosen people, the Israelites--words that the Lord speaks also to us in our Baptism: "Thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine'" (Isaiah 43:1). In claiming us as His own God is bestowing upon us the greatest honor that we could possibly know. At the risk of being accused of using sexist language, let me emphasize that God claims us not merely as His children, but specifically as His sons, signifying thereby not only our relationship with Him, but also the fact that we are heirs of His glory in very much the same way that in royal families the oldest son is the heir to the throne. Whether you are male or female, through your Baptism into Christ you are a son of God, for you are an heir of His grace and of the glory of heaven. But belonging to God also involves responsibility. Because we are called to be sons of God, we are also called to be a family--the household of God--the Church of Jesus Christ. As such, we have a name to live up to--an image to protect. The apostle Paul writes to the Ephesian Christians: "I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3). To live otherwise is to contradict our relationship with God--to deny our sonship--to walk out on our inheritance. It's not a very comfortable thought, to be sure, but the fact of the matter is that if we contradict that relationship--if we deny that sonship--if we walk out on that inheritance--we are in essence saying that we have nothing to do with Christ, nor He with us. In Baptism God has also, for the sake of His Son, declared you and me to be acceptable and even perfect in His sight in spite of our sin. This is an unconditional acceptance--His unconditional favor, which He extends to us where we are and as we are--not because of anything good within us, but for no other reason than that He loves us and sent His Son to redeem us from sin, death, and hell. This unconditional, objective grace and love of God is something that we cannot buy or earn--something that we cannot in any way make ourselves worthy of. It is given to us freely, period. We can't even begin to figure it out. It is that far beyond our comprehension. Love always commands a response of some kind. This is especially true of God's love in Jesus Christ. You cannot be indifferent to the love of Christ, and no one really is, despite what anyone may say. Nobody encounters a love like that and then just walks away unscathed. If they do, they have in reality rejected that redeeming love of God in Jesus Christ. It has often been said by many people that we have been saved to serve. To refuse to live the New Life in Christ that is yours by virtue of your Baptism into His death and resurrection is to refuse that New Life altogether and to deny the power of Baptism. The God who in Baptism has accepted you as His and declared you to be pleasing to Him at the same time has called you to respond to this acceptance and declaration by living a life that is also pleasing to Him. What this means is that we are to be responsible as the people of God in Jesus Christ--that we should make every effort to glorify our Savior and share His Gospel, in our words and in our actions, with everyone who needs it. Baptism is a miracle but it's not magic. It gives to us the gift of New Life in Christ but it does not necessarily guarantee us that we will remain faithful until death and thus receive the crown of life. Faith in Jesus Christ is a living thing and, like all living things, it can die if it is abused or neglected. The power of Baptism is the power to be the sons of God--heirs of His kingdom--but at any point along the road of life a person can (and unfortunately many do) turn away from that New Life in Christ--from its blessings, its responsibilities, and ultimately its everlasting life. The devil constantly uses all the distractions of our busy lives in his relentless attempt to get us to do just that. But God Himself--the God who has called us in Baptism--gives us the motivation and the strength that we need to remain faithful and to serve Him. That motivation and strength come to us freely in His chosen means of grace--the Word and the Sacraments--through which the Holy Spirit constantly gives us the Gospel of Christ and with it everything that we need to live as the sons of God that He has declared us to be. Amen. May the God who caused light to shine out of darkness cause you to increase and abound in love toward one another and toward all people, as His love abounds for us; and may the glory of His Son be manifested to you and in you, that you may be witnesses to all nations now and until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, and He will do ~