Washed in Christ(Titus 3:5; LD 26)
Introduction: What Does Baptism Mean? A Reformed, Heidelberg Catechism View
Baptism can be difficult to understand because we do not want to fall into either extreme. We do not want to say that baptism is merely sentimental. This would reduce baptism down to a sentimental reminder of Christ’s work. The Lord gives us the sacraments to strengthen our faith. The Lord works to build us up through the sacraments.
On the other hand, we do not want to say that everyone who receives the sign is necessarily regenerate. This would contradict John 3, where the Spirit is free like the wind.
The Heidelberg Catechism helps us here. Baptism is a sacrament instituted by Christ. It symbolizes the washing away of sin, and it confirms God's covenant promise. Through this visible sign, the Lord calls our attention to what Christ has accomplished and assures his people that his promises are real and certain.
Christ instituted baptism to call our identity in him to our attention
Baptism is a sacrament instituted by Christ. When Christ gave the Great Commission, he commanded his church to make disciples, preach the gospel, and administer baptism. Baptism identifies a people who have been set apart as the Lord’s people. Christ has completed his work. This is a sign of people set apart as a community of disciples washed in Christ.
This does not mean baptism is merely a sentimental reminder. The catechism uses stronger language. The catechism reminds us that Baptism assures us. It visibly presents God's promises to us. This is a sign that testifies to the certainty of Christ’s work.
When we take hold of Christ by faith, he is truly our redeemer. We believe because the Spirit works it in us by regeneration.
Baptism calls our attention to these realities. It presents before our eyes the truth that we belong to a people who are set apart in Christ. It is a sacrament, so it nourishes and strengthens our faith.
Life under the sun is plagued by uncertainty. We are called to walk by faith. We are called to look through the struggles of this age and see our Lord as our shield and defender. We can look at ourselves and wonder whether Christ truly is at work in us. Baptism directs our attention away from ourselves and back to Christ and his promises.
The sacrament says, in effect: Christ’s people are established in him. Christ has promised redemption. Christ is faithful. His Spirit is at work in the midst of his people and his community. Baptism calls us to look to our faithful redeemer.
Baptism symbolizes the washing that Christ alone accomplishes
As water washes the body, baptism presents the deeper cleansing that is found in Christ's blood and Spirit. Baptism assures us that Christ’s work is real. He takes away our sins, and his cleansing goes clear to the soul.
It is true that we are sinners because Adam fell, but we commit actual sins. We sin against our God. We need to be assured that we can draw near in times of temptation. We are set apart to him. He is our priest, and we are his people. Baptism assures us that Christ, as our priest, cleanses us so we can draw near to God. Christ has removed and cleansed us from all our sin and Adam’s sin. Baptism communicates that Christ continues to sanctify us.
Titus 3 reminds us that we are saved not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to God's mercy. The washing associated with regeneration is not teaching us that water itself possesses some magical power that forces the Spirit to act. Paul’s point is that baptism communicates and pictures the cleansing that Christ accomplishes through his Spirit.
Paul reminds Titus about the church he serves. The church was comprised of foolish people, disobedient, led astray, enslaved to passions, and characterized by sinful desires.
And Paul does say, “Remind them.” This means that it is their problem rather than our problem. However, Paul drives home that we are sinners. It is not just “they have a problem.” He says, "We ourselves." It is easy for us to see sins in other people, but not so much our own sins.
The Gospel calls us to be humble. Baptism is showing us that Christ has set us apart. It teaches us that God knows the people he redeemed and consecrated. Our fundamental drive is not pointing out others’ sins, but primarily being concerned for our own. We are all set apart in Christ.
Titus 3:4 calls us to see that we are informed by the Lord’s appearing. But then comes the appearance of Christ. Christ is our epiphany (translated as appearance). Christ enters history, secures redemption, passes through death, and emerges triumphant. And those who belong to him are called to understand themselves in light of what he has accomplished.
We have passed from death to life in Christ. This is why baptism is connected to the exhortation to die more and more to sin and live a holy life. Not because we are trying to prove that we deserve Christ, but because Christ has already made his people his own.
Sin is not where life is found. Sin destroys. It divides. It promises freedom while bringing bondage.
God does not call us away from sin to deprive us. He calls us to himself because life, joy, peace, and fullness are found in him. We are created to enjoy God. Baptism exhorts us to continually be who we are: a people set apart unto Christ.
Baptism confirms and assures us of God's covenant promise
The sign itself does not save us. Christ saves us. The sign is pointing us to our savior, and away from ourselves. This is the point Paul makes so clearly in Titus 3. "He saved us." It is not baptism that saved us. We are not saved by our works. It is not our righteousness that saved us. Christ saved us according to his mercy.
Baptism assures us that God's covenant promise is real. Christ truly has established a people for himself. He truly does wash away sin. He truly does give life by his Spirit. And he truly is faithful to accomplish what he has promised in Christ.
This is important because covenant assurance is not the same thing as saying that everyone who receives the sign necessarily possesses everything signified by the sacrament. Baptism identifies and sets apart a people unto the Lord. It marks out the covenant community. It visibly declares, here is a people who belong to Christ and who are called to live in the reality of his promises.
We want to avoid the extremes. On the one hand, we might say, "This is a nice reminder."
We also want to avoid saying, "Because the water has been applied, regeneration has necessarily taken place."
Rather, we say that the Lord is placing his covenant sign before his people. He is testifying to the certainty and faithfulness of his promise. He is calling his people to believe what he has said and to live consistently with the identity that he has given to his covenant community.
In terms of the covenant of grace, we should be reminded of Christ’s judgment. Sometimes people think that free grace means we can push the boundaries of grace. We can have our sin and Christ too. Baptism warns against such thinking.
We can be assured that in Christ, we have passed through death. He has entered into death and judgment for his people. He has emerged victorious in his resurrection. And baptism presents this covenant reality before the church: Christ has passed through the waters of judgment, and all who are united to him by faith share in his victory. Those who walk away receive the baptism of death. Baptism, as a sacrament, pictures the twofold warning of the Gospel. Embrace Christ, and you have nothing to fear. Turn away from Christ, and you will be overwhelmed by the final judgment.
Baptism calls us to look at Christ and ask: Who is he? What has he done? What has he promised? How has he preserved me? How has his mercy carried me? We are invited to think on the Lord’s faithfulness. He has led us through the death waters. We need to offer ourselves as living sacrifices called to live in Christ. We die to self and live in him. Baptism communicates that we have passed through death in him. We are part of his community.
Conclusion
So what is baptism communicating to us?
The Lord builds up our faith through the sign. Baptism is not empty, but neither does the water itself force the Spirit to work. Rather, the Lord visibly testifies to his faithfulness and places his covenant promises before his people.
We cannot answer exactly how much the sacrament builds up our faith. We cannot answer exactly when the sacrament builds up our faith. The Spirit blows and works as the Lord wishes. We cannot control the Spirit.
However, the sign of Baptism assures us that the Spirit works in the life of the Lord’s church. The Spirit works in the life of God’s people. We are assured that the Lord has set apart a people unto himself. We are called and exhorted to live as living sacrifices before the Lord as we undergo his transforming metamorphosis (Romans 12:1).
So let us look away from ourselves and back to our redeemer. Let us take hold of his promises by faith. And let us desire to bring glory to him as those who have been set apart unto him.