Sunday, September 22, 2013

"You Baptize Infants?" Sermon: Colossians 2:11-15


You Baptize Infants?

[Colossians 2:11-15]

September 22, 2013 Hope Reformed Church

            During our last evening study – which was on the doctrine of Hell – one of the people in attendance suddenly questioned, “You baptize infants?”  And I told him, “Yes, this is a reformed church.”  (Don’t worry – for now – about how we got from Hell to infant baptism!)

            This church is also a church in a reformed denomination, so you celebrate and administer the sacrament of baptism for infants – as well as adults.

            And we might wonder exactly where in the Bible it says that we are to baptize infants.  So, if you’ll turn with me in your Bibles to…oh, wait, there isn’t anywhere in the Bible that says we are to baptize infants.  That sounds like a problem, doesn’t it?

            Well, let’s talk about circumcision then:

            If we turn to Genesis 17 we read, “When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.’ Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, ‘Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.’
 
  “And God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant’” (Genesis 17:1-14, ESV).

            After God finished talking with Abraham, we read what Abraham did:  “When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him”

(Genesis 17:22-27, ESV).

            God made a covenant with Abraham.  Now, generally speaking, a covenant is an agreement with blessings, curses, and signs.  It’s an agreement that says, “I will do this and you will do this and if we do, this will happen, and it will be a blessing to both of us, and if we do not, this punishment will occur to the one who breaks the covenant, and these signs will represent what we have done.”

            What do we see here?  God promises to be the God of Abraham, to make Abraham the father of a great people – who shall be in all nations, and to give him the land of Canaan.  God requires of Abraham that he keep all of God’s commands.  And he also tells him that all the males in his family must be circumcised and from then on, all the newborn males are to be circumcised on the eighth day.

            Why?

            Or, let me put it this way, was it possible for Abraham or any of his descendants to keep all of God’s commands?  Did Abraham – or any of his descendants – keep all of God’s commands?

            If someone did not keep the commands of God, how could he be forgiven for his sin?  The author of Hebrews tells us, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22, ESV).

            Who was the covenant made with?  Abraham and all his descendants.  And notice that those who entered into the covenant were of all ages – from old men to infants – Abraham at 99 and infants at eight days old entered into the covenant.

            Now follow me:  what did circumcision do?  God tells us in Genesis 17 it functioned as a sign of the covenant – it pointed to the reality of the covenant in some way. 

How did circumcision point to the covenant?  Through the shedding of blood. 

How did the shedding of blood point to the covenant?  In two ways:  first, it showed that blood was necessary – in other words, God knew that no one would be able to keep the covenant – God’s commands – and God wanted every person who entered into the covenant through belief in the God of Abraham to understand that they were sinners who needed to be made right with God.  Second, it foreshadowed the coming of a Baby Whose shed blood would be effective in the forgiveness of sins for all those who would believe in Him – the Savior God promised in the Garden – Jesus Christ.

And so we see, first this morning, that circumcision didn’t save anyone – it did not reconcile anyone.  It was symbolic of the fact that there is only deliverance from slavery to sin and the wages of sin through blood, and it was symbolic of the fact that the Gospel – that God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, that He lived a perfect life under God’s Law, died – shedding His blood – for the sins of everyone who would ever believe in Him Alone for Salvation – and physically rose from the dead and ascended back to His throne – receiving that Gospel – receiving Jesus’ shed blood – by faith alone – is the only means of salvation.

Maybe we can talk about baptism this morning – let’s turn back to Colossians:

Now, let’s remember that Paul is writing to Christians – believers in the Gospel – and he is confronting those heretics who have come into the church and said that if you haven’t been circumcised, you can’t be saved – they didn’t get the point that circumcision was a sign of the need of salvation and a sign of salvation through Jesus and His work for His people, not salvation itself.

            “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,”

            Paul explains that – in salvation – there is another kind of circumcision – a spiritual circumcision – which, by the work of the Holy Spirit, cuts off our sin – and the Holy Spirit works in us to mortify – to kill – the sin that has been paid for by Jesus, which we still commit.  So, Paul is telling the Gentiles – those who had not been circumcised – not to worry about circumcision of the flesh – that physical act never saved anyone – it was a sign – rather, salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit Who applies the Work of Jesus – His shed blood – and cuts away our sin, so we are innocent, perfect, and holy in the eyes of the Father.  We are saved through the work of God, not a physical procedure.

            So, second, circumcision of the heart by the Holy Spirit frees us from our slavery to sin and our debt for sin.

            “having been buried with him in baptism,”

            Here, Paul brings in the parallel to circumcision which is baptism.  And we remember that Paul reminded the Ephesians:  “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:1-3. ESV).

            All mere human beings since the sin of our first parents are born with original sin – we are born sinners – inclined towards sin – and Paul tells us that since we are born sinners and inclined towards sin, we are born spiritually dead – following after the devil, seeking to sin with our heart and soul and mind and strength – “children of wrath” – people who are deservedly under the Wrath of God – just like the rest of mankind – before the coming of Jesus and after the coming of Jesus.

            Those who were circumcised in the flesh, but unbelieving, were dead and buried – spiritually, even though they bore the sign of circumcision, which pointed to salvation through the Gospel and deliverance only through blood.  Similarly, those who are baptized in the flesh, but unbelieving, are dead and buried – spiritually, even though they bare the sign of baptism, which is symbolic of the Gospel, the wages of sin, and the cleansing of dirt, which is symbolic of sin.

            What does this mean?  It means, third, that baptism doesn’t save anyone, though it is symbolic of the Gospel, the wages of sin, and the cleansing of dirt, which is symbolic of sin.  As The Heidelberg Catechism notes:  “Q. 72.  Is then the external baptism with water the washing away of sin itself?  A. Not at all; for the blood of Jesus Christ only, and the Holy Spirit, cleanse us from all sin.”

            So, baptism doesn’t save anyone.  It is a sacrament which points to the Gospel – to salvation through Jesus Christ Alone.  It is a sign or a symbol of the only way to salvation.

            “in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

            Fourth, baptism received by faith by the Holy Spirit indwelling all those who believe in the Savior frees us from our slavery to sin and from our debt to sin and transfers Christ’s Righteousness to us.

            What does “received by faith” mean? 

            We have already said that baptism does not save.  However, what baptism signifies – what it points to – faith in the Savior – does save.  So, if we receive what baptism signifies – if we believe in Jesus Alone for salvation, we will be saved.

            If the Old Testament believers were circumcised in their flesh or we are baptized in our flesh, but unbelieving, we are still dead and buried in our sin.  But, if the Holy Spirit gives us faith and we believe by faith in what the sacrament symbolizes – the Gospel – then God raises us from spiritual death to spiritual life – we are not left buried in our sin, but raised from our sin, by the “powerful working of God.”

            It’s important that we remember that we bring nothing to our salvation – we can do nothing to save ourselves.  Salvation is the gift of God – the work of God – all of God and by God and for God. 

            Paul writes, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:4-10, ESV).

            So, if we believe by faith in what baptism signifies – the Gospel of Jesus Christ – we will be saved – we will be raised from spiritual death.

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

Fifth, through faith, we are raised to life as Christ was – we are raised to new life through faith in Christ and receive – not just the sign of baptism in the flesh – but the seal of baptism in the spirit and the flesh, just as those who received circumcision in the flesh through faith received the seal of circumcision in the spirit and the flesh.

            What does this mean?

            All those who believe in the Gospel and receive salvation by faith are united with Christ in His death and Resurrection.  Through faith in what is symbolized in baptism – the Gospel – we receive the benefits of Jesus living a perfect life under the Law -- His Righteousness is credited to us – and we receive freedom from our slavery to sin and from the Wrath of God against us for our actual sins, because Christ took our sin upon Him and suffered God’s Wrath on the cross to free every one who will ever believe.

            We are now alive in Christ, because we are living the life that He merited for us through His life, suffering, death, and resurrection, and now, with the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit, we don’t have to sin – Christ has disarmed our enemies – He has put them to shame – He has trampled them under foot – we can take the way of escape the God has promised us and be faithful and walk in righteousness before God.

            Paul explains, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4, ESV).

            But we were going to talk about infant baptism, weren’t we?

            We ought to baptize infants, because –

            Sixth, in the same way that circumcision of the flesh in the Old Testament was a sign of the necessity of salvation, so in the New Testament, baptism of the flesh is a sign of the necessity of salvation.

            As we baptize an infant, we proclaim that this child is a sinner – dead in sin – who can only be made clean through being washed with the blood of the Savior.  Just as circumcision of the flesh – for infants – proclaimed that the child was a sinner – dead in sin – who could only be made clean through the shedding of the blood of the Savior, so we now baptize infants with water.

            Also, both with circumcision of the flesh and baptism of the flesh, it is a sign that we are bringing the child into the community – we are taken on ourselves the responsibility of making sure the child knows that he is a sinner and that he must be saved if he is to escape the wrath of God and the eternal death of Hell.

            We are also reminding ourselves and all those witnessing the sacrament that salvation is only through faith in Jesus Alone – through believing the Gospel.  There is nothing anyone can do to become right with God – Jesus has done it all – and He is the only way.

            So, in the baptizing of the flesh an infant, we proclaim the Gospel to all those in attendance, we proclaim the Gospel to ourselves, and we begin to proclaim the Gospel to the child – covenanting to continue to proclaim the Gospel to that child until he receives the seal of baptism and believes by faith in the Gospel.

            Does that make sense?

            Circumcision of the flesh was a sign – it saved no one.  Baptism of the flesh is a sign – it saves no one.

            Finally, seventh, Christ accomplished the work of salvation symbolized in circumcision and baptism.  Christ shed His blood for all those who would ever believe, as symbolized in circumcision.  Christ died and was buried – yet physically rose – as symbolized in baptism.

            That’s why we baptize infants – because baptism is one of two sacraments approved by Jesus to visibly present the Gospel.

            So, let us remember:

First, circumcision didn’t save anyone – it did not reconcile anyone.  It was symbolic of the fact that there is only deliverance from slavery to sin and the wages of sin through blood, and it was symbolic of the fact that the Gospel is the only means of salvation.

Second, circumcision of the heart by the Holy Spirit frees us from our slavery to sin and our debt for sin.

Third, baptism doesn’t save anyone, though it is symbolic of the Gospel, the wages of sin, and the cleansing of dirt, which is symbolic of sin.

Fourth, baptism received by faith by the Holy Spirit indwelling all those who believe in the Savior frees us from our slavery to sin and from our debt to sin and transfers Christ’s Righteousness to us.

Fifth, through faith, we are raised to life as Christ was – we are raised to new life through faith in Christ and receive – not just the sign of baptism in the flesh – but the seal of baptism in the spirit and the flesh, just as those who received circumcision in the flesh received the seal of circumcision in the spirit and the flesh.

Sixth, in the same way that circumcision of the flesh in the Old Testament was a sign of the necessity of salvation, so in the New Testament, baptism of the flesh is a sign of the necessity of salvation

Finally, seventh, Christ accomplished the work of salvation symbolized in circumcision and baptism.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, we thank You for the sacraments of the Lord’s Supper and baptism – and we especially thank You today as we consider the sacrament of baptism – what it does – and why we ought to baptize infants.  Help us to remember that the Sacraments are visible representations of the Gospel, not salvation in and of themselves.  Help us to see that baptizing an infant reminds all of us that we need a Savior and You Alone can be that Savior.  Help us to recommit ourselves to the raising of any child that is baptized in our churches, recognizing that though it is especially the work of the parents to raise a child, it is the responsibility of the whole church to make sure that every child that comes into our church hears and understands the Gospel, as You have mercy to grant understanding.  For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
        

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