“I Believe – One Baptism”

Scripture: Mark 10:35-45; Romans 6:1-4

“We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.”

Over the past 50 years or so, baptism has lost its significance for many people. It is no longer seen as a sacred commitment to follow in the way of our Precious Lord. It is no longer a plea that he would forgive us for the sinful lives we lead. It has been relegated to simply something that Mom or Grandma expects us to do for our newborn, and for some, they even think that by going through the ceremony – never mind what the vows we take are all about – that baptism itself, somehow, ensures our salvation. We have lost all sense of spirituality in this “washing” of sin, and the sacrament has become, for many, just something that we do.

Baptism is not a completion, it is not the accomplishing of some imagined set of requirements – in truth, baptism is a beginning, it is the first step in our journey toward eternity. Baptism is not something that we do by ourselves – it is experienced within the community of God, and this Christian community commits to being part with us throughout this life. Remember that the line in the creed that immediately precedes is one is “We believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic church.” The church is, and we are to become part with it.

Read Mark 10:35-39a

James and John wanted to receive the honor of sitting on either side of Jesus in eternity. This would be a sign that they were faithful above all others, and that they must be shown great respect by the entire assembly of heaven. But what had they done to deserve that honor? What had God done to offer them that honor? The answer to both questions is the same – nothing. Their request came, in all likelihood, out of their human pride, and out of a misplaced expectation of undeserved acknowledgment.

And Jesus asks them if they had really thought about their request. It would appear that not only hadn’t they thought about it, but that they didn’t actually understand what it signified! The Lord asks them “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” They think so, but what is this cup, and what is this baptism for??

The “cup” represents the blood that will be shed at Calvary, as well as all that Christ will have to endure leading up to, and including, his crucifixion. Remember that during his prayer time in the garden, he asked the Father to remove this “cup” from his life. (Luke 22:42-43) The cup represents all of the suffering, all of the oppression, all of the opposition that will come against him because of the passion that he felt for the people of earth. And regardless of the pain – physical as well as emotional – he never turned away. He knew that his acceptance of all the hatred, and all the wrath of earth was worth all that his life could bring to his beloved creation.

So if Jesus has accomplished all that needs to be done, why would his followers need to do the same? How could we possibly contribute to the salvation that the Lord has gained for us? It’s because our faith can never be sedate and inactive! James 2:26 tells us that we need both – faith and a well lived existence, that even though a disciple of Jesus Christ is called to live the same life that Jesus did, the world will always be trying to end the Lord’s ministry. They hate the message that Jesus calls us to share with others; they hate the people who bring his message of hope and life; they will always hate the church. And followers of the Lord must endure the same hatred and the same suffering, and the same opposition that our Master did,or we will be the cause of losing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And what about this baptism that he mentioned? Isn’t our water baptism already like the one that Jesus received? Or does he mean something different?
Part of our baptismal vows proclaim that we repent of our sins, and accept the freedom and power that comes from Christ, to resist sin and to endure the oppression that the world forces upon us. In other words, we need to release the hold that we have on worldly ways – those things that defy and deny God – and allow Spiritual power to enable us to stand against all that is not of the Lord.
But did Jesus really need to repent? Certainly not of his own sin, for he had none, but remember that he would one day take on your and my sin, as well as all the sin of the entire world, and the hold that it had on us would be destroyed. Jesus had to be baptized in forgiveness so that our sin would be broken forever.

Can we drink of his cup, and can we be baptized in his baptism?

We must if we are to truly be his disciple.

Read Mark 10:39b-45

Jesus confirms the fact that both John and James will, indeed, live a Christ-like life, and experience the world’s animosity, just as they said that they would. And Jesus’ word would be prophecy. James would be martyred at the hand of Herod Agrippa, the last of the Herodian monarchs to rule over Judea, and his brother John, as tradition tells us, would be banished to the isle of Patmos, never to return to his home. Suffering because of the world’s self-centeredness? You’d better believe it. And attacks on Christians and the Christian church will never end until the day of Christ’s return! And we must never think that we – any of us - will be exempt from having to accept the “cup” of Christ, or to be released from living within his baptism.

But never think that their confession on that day was their final word on faith. What were they doing while Jesus was praying at Gethsemane? Sleeping. (Matthew 26:36-41) Where were they after the crucifixion and while Christ was lying in the stillness of the tomb? Hiding. (John 20:1-3) And even after Peter and John examined the empty tomb, they still didn’t completely understand. But as we continue to read of their faith through the Book of Acts, we discover that they were drinking from Jesus’ cup, and were walking in his baptism.

But back to that day before Christ’s journey to Jerusalem. James and John’s request to be seated at the right and left of Jesus in glory implied that they believed that they were more worthy of that honor than anyone else was. The other disciples, however, disagreed – they weren’t all that sure that the brothers were that worthy! After all, the other 10 had been following Jesus, just as the brothers had been; they had been learning from Jesus’ teaching, just as the brothers did; they had given up their former lives to accept this new one with the Lord, just as the brothers did. Why weren’t they just as worthy?

And Jesus’ response? “You’re acting just like all the rest! Where is your humble heart? Where is your servanthood? If you really want to be great in the eyes of the Father, you need to first live as a servant for others! When are you going to begin living the lessons that I’ve been sharing with you for the past 3 years?”

The disciples were being prepared to pick up the ministry that Jesus had begun, and they would fail miserably if their hearts and attitudes didn’t change. The Lord would soon give his life to free the world from the destruction that sin brings, and the message would only be believed if the messengers lived and acted and spoke in a Christ-like way. The way of sin can only lead to destruction, and it has to be exposed for the lie that it is (Romans 6:23).

Read Romans 6:1-4

Shall our life continue to be based in the world’s standards so that the Lord’s grace can work within us? Grace is the power that comes against sin, but that fact should never be understood to mean that we should rejoice in sin so that God can work!
Paul writes that this thought is nothing short of ludicrous! Being baptized into the life of Jesus is a commitment to live and love as he did, not to continue to live in opposition to his teachings! Yes, that means that we may very well suffer at the hand of earth, and that if we continue in the ways of earth that they will, most likely, never come against us again. But that also means that the satisfaction of this life will only last during this lifetime, and that the Judgment will not go well for us!

Jesus went to the grave as a sign that our sin was buried with him, and that when he rose into the newness of eternal life, sin was left behind in death, never to imprison us again. But our temptation to sin will always be with us. What can we do? It seems that we just can’t win!

If Jesus caused the hold that sin has on us to die through his death at Calvary, then our death to the ways of this life, and our rising to a new life in Christ, must be our answer, too. On that night when Nicodemus came to Jesus under the cover of darkness, and Jesus told him that if he ever wished to see the Kingdom of God, he must first be born again. (John 3:3) New birth, that which leads us into a new life, can only come when the old is no longer in us, when our old self is dead. (2 Corinthians 5:16-19)

Glory only returned to Jesus Christ when he rose in new life, and so it will be for all who live in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.