What is the meaning of Baptism for us today?

Q: What is the meaning of Baptism for us today?

A: This is a question that I have been asked many times. While there are many variations in the specific practices of baptism throughout the history of the church and between different denominations, Christian baptism is a universal statement of a person's belief in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I will not be addressing the particular differences between Christian groups but will simply addressing the common symbolism involved.  

"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe 

will be condemned." (Mark 16:16 – ESV)

It is a Natural Thing to Do—Then and Now

Baptism for the Christian today is a wonderful symbol of God's saving work in our lives.  We are not baptized in order to be saved, but because we have been saved.  It is nowhere taught in the Bible that if you are not baptized that you are not saved.  Rather, baptism is referred to as the outward sign of an inward work of grace.  It is a believer's first public declaration of faith.  All throughout the Book of Acts, time and time again, we see that the first act of any new believer in the Scripture was baptism (Acts 2:41; 8:12-13,16,36-38; 9:18; 10:48; 16:15; 16:33; 18:8; 19:5; 22:16).

What should we as Christians do when we first believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died for our sins?  The Apostle Peter was asked this very question after his first sermon, and he answered, as it is written,

"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."  When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"  Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off‑‑for all whom the Lord our God will call."  With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."  Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." (Acts 2:36-41)

In addition to the historical record of baptism in the early church, we also have several wonderful passages in Scripture that deal with the doctrinal aspect of baptism. 

It is a Funeral Service for the Flesh

Baptism is like a funeral service for our "old nature."  It died with Christ on the cross and now in baptism we have the funeral service as the "old nature" goes down into the water, symbolizing burial with Christ.  Here are a couple of texts to consider.
 
Romans 6:3-4 "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." 
 
And also,

Colossians 2:11-15 "In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.  When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.  He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

It is in baptism that we identify ourselves with Christ's death for us on the cross (giving us the hope of victory over sin) and his burial, as well as with His resurrection from the dead (giving us the promise of eternal life).

It is a Celebration of the New Birth

So not only do we hold a "funeral service" for our sinful nature, we also celebrate the "new birth" as we come up out of the water, symbolizing the newness of life in Christ.  As it is written, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

There remains no trace of the penalty for our sins, once we have confessed and repented for Jesus has removed "the handwriting of requirements" and has cleansed us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).  Baptism therefore is a celebration of a birth, our new birth in Jesus Christ!

It is an Identification with the Church—Christ's People

Baptism's imagery goes beyond identifying ourselves with Christ to include identifying ourselves with the Church, Christ's people.  We not only identify ourselves with Christ and His people, but we are immersed in their life. We become a part of the "body" as it is written in the following passages,

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.  So it is with Christ.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free‑‑and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."

Galatians 3:26-28 "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

We are made "sons of God through faith in Christ," and through baptism we testify publicly and practically that we have "clothed ourselves with Christ."  No longer will we fear that our nakedness will be exposed for now we are clothed not with "the filthy rags of our own righteousness" but with Christ Himself, He is the Robe of Righteousness that never wears out!

A Simple 3-Word Summary of the Doctrine Of Baptism

Declaration—You are saying something.  In baptism, you are declaring that you are dead to sin and alive to Christ.  You are making public your decision to respond to the love of God by surrendering to Jesus Christ and leaving behind the sinful things of the past.  You are saying that you have determined that because of Christ's work on the cross, you will no longer allow sin to reign over you but instead will submit your life to Christ, actively living for Him.

Identification—You are relating to Someone.  In baptism, you are identifying yourself with the Savior, in both His death and His resurrection.  You are saying that if there is going to be any distinguishing feature, any recognizable traits in your life, it will be that people recognize by your life and your words that you are a follower of Jesus!

Obedience—You are following Someone.  In baptism, you are obeying God's Word, beginning your life with Christ in an appropriate way.  We are commanded to be baptized and Jesus has given us an example to follow.  In being baptized as a profession of our faith in Christ, we are beginning to walk with the Lord as we ought.

After the flood, how did the animals from Noah's Ark survive without starving or being eaten?

Q: “So if Noah’s ark had a male and a female of each species, then released to repopulate the earth…many species eat other species to survive. How did they all survive long enough to repopulate without nearly everyone starving or being eaten immediately? Is “pairs” to be taken figuratively then?”

 

This is a great question! There are several ways it could have happened, but we are not told specifically how it happened, but only that it did happen. So beginning with faith and seeking understanding we can ponder this question. In regards to your last question about whether we should interpret the Bible “literally” or “figuratively” the answer is “yes.”) The Bible uses both figurative and concrete language. So we need to interpret it literarily—when  it is intended to be figurative we interpret it figuratively, when literal or historical we interpret it literally/historically. In this passage we are reading narrative that has no need of a figurative interpretation to help out it believability. So I would see “pair” in its natural sense of one male and one female.

 

However, I do need to clear up an inaccurate assumption in your question. Contrary to popular opinion, the Bible makes it clear that there was actually more than one pair of many of the “kinds” of animals on board the Ark.

 

“Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. (Genesis 7:2-3)

 

There were seven pairs of all of the “clean” animals…and this wasn’t so that Noah and his family would have an easier time cleaning the ark! “Clean” and “Unclean” refers to how the people of Israel (Moses’ original audience) were taught by God to determine which animals were good for food and for sacrifice. (For more information on which animals were clean or unclean see Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14) This category of animals would have included all livestock and many of the non-predatory mammals.

 

It seems that God was concerned with this same question of the survival of the animals after the flood (7:3). Let’s consider several possible explanations that would serve to answer your question:

 

1.    The predatory animals were not solely carnivorous at this time.

The animals had originally been created vegetarian and there most likely would not have been enough loss of genetic material via mutation by this time (from Creation to the Flood) to have made vegetarianism physically impractical or impossible. While some animals began to develop carnivorous tendencies at some point after the fall of man, it would be reasonable that they were still mostly vegetarian at this time. According to the Biblical narrative, they had been fed from the stored food on board the Ark for over a year and so would not have immediately needed prey to survive (see #5).

 

2.    Very fertile plants and animals after the flood

Plants: Noah, his family, and the animals remained in the Ark for about 7 ½ months as the land dried (and as the plants grew) until God instructed him to leave the Ark. There was an Olive that had sprouted into leaf before they left the ark (8:11) and certainly the grasses grow even more rapidly having quite a head start in that warm sun and soft soil. It should also be noted that the soil would have had many water-borne nutrients deposited in it as a result of the flood. I can testify to how tall the grass in my neighbor’s backyard grew after 7 ½ months of not being mowed, even despite the bad soil!

 

Animals: As far as the animal population goes, I would assume that because of the length of time on the ark, and the animals being coupled in breeding pairs, it is likely that many either gave birth on the Ark or at least were pregnant upon leaving the zoological Love Boat! The command of God upon Noah’s family and by extension all of the animals was to, “be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and multiply in it.” (9:1, 7)

 

3.    There were other sources of protein available

The Bible does not say that all the fish and aquatic life perished in the flood, though much sea life would have been trapped in sediment (in fact this is the source of our fossil fuels today). Also as the waters receded and the land rose there would have been many fish, etc. trapped in lakes and shallow pools. So it is  likely that there would have been easy access to aquatic species as a source of animal protein for land based predators, and aquatic plants for the herbivores as well. In addition, it is also possible that there would have been a lot of flood-kill carrion deposits that were not covered by sediments that may have temporarily supported post-flood carnivores.

 

4.    The “fear of man” placed on the animals.

Up until this time it was not lawful for man to eat the animals, but given the moral conditions before the flood I am pretty sure that most did it anyway. I am not sure that this is now a new survival mechanism for the animals or simply the result of man now hunting them for food. In any event, this fear would make it harder for mankind to find and kill them.

 

5.    Remaining food supply in the Ark.

It is also reasonable to assume that the resources stored in the Ark had not been exhausted. Noah had no idea how long he was going to be on the Ark and certainly would have not only collected food for his family and the animals for as long as possible, but also to be able to plant crops following the flood.

 

I hope these five possible (but not exhaustive) solutions I have provided serve, if not individually, then collectively to answer your question. For further reading, the story of the world-wide flood is found in the Bible in Genesis 6:1 – 9:17. There are also a great number of scientific and theological treatments of the flood that are more comprehensive than I would attempt. Thanks again for your question.

If I am married to the wrong person can I divorce?

Q: If a person marries and then as they grow in Christ and realize they are married to the wrong person, can they divorce since they aren't who God intended for them?

Thanks for your emailed question. I could answer this on a number of different levels…so I will provide several options. If these answers don't resolve your question with adequate clarity I would be most willing to speak to you in person.

1.    Short answer: No.

2.    Medium Answer: No. Jesus makes it clear that marriage should not be terminated in divorce. "...What God has joined together let not man separate" (Matthew 19:6). The Bible tells us that the husband should love his wife not look for another one. (Eph. 5:25). Obviously the question you ask is about differences, not about a situation involving serious abuse, infidelity, or a concern for your physical safety.

3.    Longer Answer: No. There is quite a bit of teaching in the Bible about divorce. Jesus himself spoke about it on several occasions. Divorce was not an option. In fact his teaching in Matthew 19:1-10 (briefly quoted above) was so radical that even the disciples were blown away. Verse 10 records the disciples’ response, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” Yes, if you are not looking to love sacrificially someone other than yourself that is probably true. If someone is not willing to die daily to themselves and serve another, then it is better not to get married in the first place. And that doesn’t mean “living together” without getting married…that means celibacy.

Honestly, at some point almost everyone in any marriage becomes convinced they have married the "wrong one". If this were grounds for divorce then everyone would divorce. Our feelings in this are never a reliable guide. Marriage, as taught in the Bible, is not something that is to be ended willingly. As I describe “dying to self”, I am not suggesting that we endure marriage as we would suffer through a prison sentence. On the contrary, it is only when we learn to live like Jesus that we discover the real joy of love, and even a "dead marriage" can be made alive again. Invest in prayer for your spouse and sincerely ask God to kindle a deeper love and see how He answers that kind of faithful prayer.

A follow-up question to consider: Did God love us and “marry” us only then to decide that he had loved the wrong person? No. His love for us was not based on our lovability, but on his choice to love us as an expression of his character. Though we were unfaithful and arrogant and spurned his love he did not turn away. In his love he bought us back from the traffickers of sin with his own blood. Marriage is a very serious commitment. It is intended to depict for us all the love of God for his people. The issue we have to get past is our own “hardness of heart” that leads us to objectify our marriage…to fail to love. To use a financial metaphor, when our heart is hard we tend to sell a relationship short and reinvest somewhere else with a more attractive return rate. The bottom line becomes “my needs” rather than how can I love God by loving my spouse. Any time two people with their own thoughts, feelings, dreams, and desires not to mention all their habits and flaws come together to live as one, there will be a struggle. It is not for the cowardly or weak at heart. It involves a daily dying to your own agenda and personal preferences. But when two people can confess their own selfishness and pride and follow Jesus together it can be a glorious. 

I hope this helps. Please know that I, or any of our pastors here at the church, would love to talk with you about this further.

Pastor Greg