"Why Get Baptized?" (June 15, 2025)

Why Get Baptized_

9:32

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV)

Introduction:

Every Lord’s Day is joyful, but today we’ve been given a special joy as a church family. Just moments ago, we witnessed a young girl publicly confirm her faith and a young boy receive the covenant sign of baptism.

What we saw was not merely a touching family moment or a symbolic tradition. We were drawn into something sacred and ancient—something real. In those vows and in that water, we saw God Himself at work, sealing His promises and marking His people.

If you’re visiting today, especially if you’re here to support someone being baptized or confirmed, we’re so glad you’re here. You’ve just witnessed something that reaches the heart of the Christian faith: a visible sign of God's grace, rooted in thousands of years of covenant promises, fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Now, having witnessed that grace, we turn to God's Word to ask a relevant question:

Why should anyone be baptized?

Why does this matter, not just for those two individuals, but for all of us? What does baptism mean in the life of a believer, in the life of the church, and in the story God is writing through history?

Main

1. We are baptized because Almighty God commands it, and to obey is to honor Him.

Baptism is not an option; it is a divine command. Jesus Himself, with all authority in heaven and on earth, gave us this mandate: “Go… baptizing them” (Matt. 28:19). To be baptized is to submit joyfully to the kingship of Christ. When we obey His command, we declare, with our bodies and with our hearts, “Jesus is Lord.” This is not the first time God has given a covenant sign. In the Old Testament, circumcision marked God's covenant people. And when Moses, God’s chosen deliverer, failed to circumcise his son, God’s wrath was kindled against him.

Exodus 4:24–26 tells us: “At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, ‘Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!’ So he let him alone.”

It is a startling moment. Why would God nearly kill Moses, the very man He had just called to rescue Israel?

The answer is clear: God takes His covenant signs seriously. They are not optional customs; they are marks of belonging to Him. John Calvin rightly noted that “the neglect of a divine command, even by the best of men, is not a light matter.” To receive baptism in faith is not merely a personal choice—it is an act of reverence, declaring that we belong to the covenant Lord. Nothing pleases God more than obedience to His Word. In baptism, we do not elevate our own sincerity; we bow before His authority. Just as circumcision marked the people of Israel under the Old Covenant, so baptism is the covenant sign under the New. To delay or ignore baptism is not a neutral act—it is an active disobedience. To receive baptism publicly in faith is to bring honor to God and glory to His name.

2. We are baptized because God's command is also a blessing—who can fathom union with Christ?

What God commands, He also graciously gives. Baptism is not only a sign of obedience, it is a sign and seal of the most precious reality in the Christian life: our union with Christ.

Romans 6:3–4 says, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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.”

Through baptism, we are visibly marked as those who have died with Christ and risen with Him. It is the outward seal of an inward reality—the Holy Spirit joining us to Christ's death and resurrection. As John Murray said, “Union with Christ is the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation.” Imagine the gift: in baptism, God shows us that our sins are not merely forgiven—they are buried. And the life we now live is no longer our own, but Christ living in us.

3. We are baptized because it strengthens our assurance—the sacraments don’t save, but the saved receive them gladly.

Let us be clear: water does not save us. It is plenty symbolic, but it is not merely symbolic. Only Christ saves. But, the sacraments are means of grace, instituted by Christ Himself to strengthen the faith of those who believe.

They are visible signs of invisible grace—“gospel made tangible.”

The Westminster Confession of Faith says, “Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament… not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church; but also… for the strengthening and increase of grace.”

In baptism, we receive a divine marker upon our lives—a reminder that God has called us His own. It is the same with confirmation. As we affirm the covenant publicly, we are not improving upon our baptism, but responding in faith to what God began. The sacraments are not empty rituals. They are gifts from our Heavenly Father for our assurance, our comfort, and our perseverance. In a world that constantly whispers doubt and fear, baptism stands as a loud declaration: You belong to Christ. You are washed. You are not your own—you were bought with a price.

Conclusion: A Sacred Tradition, A Breakthrough of Eternity.

A young girl has confirmed her faith, and a young boy has been welcomed into the church through baptism. Christian baptism and confirmation are not empty religious rituals. They are the sign and seal of our union with Eternal God in Christ Jesus! From Abraham to Moses, from John the Baptist to the risen Christ, and from Galilee to Bergen County, God has been blessing His people with covenant signs for thousands of years. And every sign—circumcision in the Old Covenant, baptism in the New—points us to Jesus Christ, the one in whom all promises find their yes and amen. And not only do these sacraments point us to Christ, they also point us to eternity.

Baptism is a moment when the eternal breaks into the present, when heaven testifies on earth that this child, this person, belongs to God forever. It is a seal of belonging, a signpost of grace, and a down payment of glory to come.

So why should you be baptized? Because Almighty God commands it, and to obey Him is to honor His name. Because God’s command is a blessing, joining us mysteriously and truly to Jesus Christ. Because baptism strengthens assurance, reminding us visibly and tangibly that we are His.

Let's pray.