In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Saint Paul tells us in our Epistle lesson today from Ephesians chapter 4 that there is “one Lord, one faith, and one Baptism.” There are so many different things that we could say about this verse, but since we had the privilege of getting to see a real-life Baptism take place this morning in Church, I thought it would be a good idea for us to reflect a little bit more on that aspect of the text. What can we take away from the fact that, according to God’s Word, there is only one Baptism?

First of all, the fact that Saint Paul tells us that there’s only one Baptism, obviously means that only one exists and that there’s only one that we Christians should seek after. Lots of times today, especially in Evangelical and Pentecostal circles, you will hear people talking about more than one kind of baptism. They’ll say that there is “the baptism of the spirit” and then there’s this thing called “water baptism.” The baptism of the Spirit, they argue, is when a person has an intense spiritual experience which culminates in them giving their heart to Jesus, and sometimes manifests itself in the speaking of tongues. Water baptism, on the hand, is what they refer to as the first act of Christian obedience. In their minds, it is a ceremony where a person shows that they are dedicated to God by being submerged in water while a religious leader speaks the Trinitarian formula.

The problem with this line of thinking though, is that the Scriptures a very clear that not only is there just one Baptism that we need, but also that our Lord Jesus Christ has only instituted one for us to receive. In Matthew chapter 28, Christ Himself tells us, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” That is how a person becomes a Christian. That is how they get adopted into the family of God. It’s not through some special conversion experience, that culminates in doing something that the Bible says not every has the ability to even do. It is through water and the Word. Remember what Jesus also said to Nicodemus one time in John chapter three. He didn’t just say to him that “unless one is born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” He added that, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, He cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Where does God join together the physical element of water with the Spirit filled Words of the Scriptures? There is only one place. And that is when a person gets baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit like little Gregory did this morning. That is the only Baptism that God tells us to receive and that is the only baptism that we need.

I’ve always found it to be ironic that some people will pressure others to receive the so-called “baptism of the spirit,” which again, is not something that we recognize as valid, when on the very day that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Apostles in a miraculous way, Saint Peter got up and said this, “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.” Notice that on the day of Pentecost, when the people asked what needed to happen for them to have the assurance of their salvation, Peter told them to get baptized. And He told them that when they got baptized, they would actually receive the Holy Spirit. Peter didn’t tell them to get “water baptized,” and then wait for some special conversion experience later on when they would get really baptized. He just told them to get baptized. He pointed them to only one Baptism, the Baptism of water and the Word.

The reason why Baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit has the power give a person the Holy Spirit and save us is not because the water in Baptism is special, but because the Word of God in the water is. The Bible tells us that God’s Word can do amazing things. Through His Word, God created the heavens and the earth. He literally spoke it into existence. Through His Word, Jesus raised people from the dead and cured them of incurable diseases. And through His Word, the Holy Spirit calls us to faith and makes us Christians. As Saint Paul alludes to in our text, “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” 

When someone gets baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, they hear the Word of Christ are called by the Gospel. They hear the same Words that came out of Christ’s own mouth right before He ascended into heaven. And those Words are particularly important. Those Words are none other than Name of God itself. Even when we put our own names on things that means something special. If my name is on the deed to the house, that means that legally I own it. If my name is on the check, good luck cashing it at the bank without me. And in Baptism God puts His Name on us. God gives us His Name so that now we can rest assured that we are actually part of His family. The forgiveness that Jesus secured on the cross, now belongs to us. The salvation that He procured when was forsaken by God in our place, now is laid into our lap. The perfect obedience that avails before God as righteousness, which Christ alone achieved, now covers us like a garment. Baptism is the Gospel. Saying that Baptism cannot save is the same thing as saying the Word of God cannot save. But that is ridiculous. Of course, the Word of can save. It is the only thing that does save.

Yes, a person can come to know of the salvation that is theirs in Jesus simply by listening to message of the Scriptures. And yet, in Baptism God goes out of His way to give us something even more personal and more tangible so that there will be no doubt in our minds that everything that Jesus did, He did for us. And we get all of it through this one Baptism, the washing of Water and the Word.

Now, besides reminding us that there is only one Baptism that we need, and only one Baptism for us to seek after, the words of Saint Paul in our Epistle lesson from Ephesians chapter 4, also remind us that we only need to receive that Baptism one time. Again, there is “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

It has become increasing popular these days for Christians to get baptized on more than one occasion. Sometimes this happens when an individual who was baptized as a baby gets involved with a group of people who deny infant Baptism and convince them that their first Baptism didn’t count. In other instances, people try and get rebaptized when after getting baptized in the past, they start living a godless life in the present, and then come to realize just how far they have strayed from God’s will. So, in an effort to fix it, they go back to Church and try and do it over again.

All of this though, stems from the same sad misunderstanding that Baptism is something that we do to show our commitment to God. But where in the Bible do we learn that Baptism is something that we do to show our commitment to God? It doesn’t teach us that anywhere. Rather, it teaches us that Baptism is God’s work through which He shows His commitment to us. That is why almost every time the word baptism is used in the Bible, it appears in the passive voice. It’s always “be baptized” not “baptize yourself,” because baptism is something that happens to us, not something that we are accomplish for ourselves. Remember what Jesus says in John chapter 15. He says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” And what does it say in Isaiah 43, “I have called you by name, you are mine.” Just like God called the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and led them through the Red Sea on dry ground, which the Scriptures teach us elsewhere was a pre-figurement of Holy Baptism, when we receive the washing of Water and the Word, God calls us out of slavery too. He calls us out of bondage to sin, by giving us the forgiveness of our sin. He chooses us and sets us apart as His own son or daughter. As we read in Galatians chapter 3, “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

Teaching someone that they need to get rebaptized because at one point in time they fell away from their Baptism, is like if a child who got adopted, and ran away from home because he found out about it, then came to his senses later on and returned back only to tell his parents that they needed to re-draft the adoption papers. Not only would that be unnecessary, it would be insulting. And the same thing is true for those who try and get rebaptized. It is unnecessary and it is insulting to God.

The work of God cannot be undone. The promises of God cannot be revoked. Yes, it is possible for a person to turn their back on their Baptism and reject it. Sadly, that happens all of the time. But it doesn’t mean that their Baptism is destroyed. It doesn’t mean that their Baptism is not still there waiting for them to make use of it again. In John chapter 4, Jesus told the woman at the well that He has to power to give us a drink of water that will make us never thirsty again. Baptism is like a drink of water that takes away out thirst. It is like a well dug into the very heart of God, which we can draw from whenever we need His forgiveness. The water never runs dry. The well never needs to be dug again.

The is not greater comfort in our life as Christians than the gift that God gives to us in our Baptism. Many people today limit that gift, and say that you should only give it to adults. They say that little children cannot understand what is happening in their Baptism, therefore we should not let them have it until they are older. But you tell me what parent or grandparent doesn’t give gifts to their kids until they can appreciate them? You tell me what one year old, or even what new born baby, doesn’t get presents long before they can explain them. That’s not how it works. You give the gift and then you show the child how to use it. You baptize your kids, and then you teach them to love it more and more.

There will never be a time in little Gregory’s life when he will not have something to remind him that Jesus loves him. He may have to go through some very hard things as he gets older. I look around at the world we live in today and I would be lying if I said that I was not concerned for my boy. But now I know that my boy belongs to Jesus. Now I know that He is not just my son, He is a son of His heavenly Father. Now I know that no matter that happens him, He has been joined to Christ.

And so have all of you. If you have been baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, you are God’s beloved child. Even if you don’t feel like it sometimes. Even if you can’t see it sometimes. Even if the devil, the world, and your sinful nature tell you otherwise. You can be certain that it is true. For as Saint Paul tells us, there is “One Lord, one faith, one Baptism.” In Jesus’ Name. Amen.