Here Is Water: The Results of Baptism

by   Rev. David Johnson                                                                                                                         Vol. V, No. 7, December 1992

We come now to the penultimate article in our brief study of baptism. So far we have looked at The Roots of Baptism, The Relationship between the Baptisms of the New Testament, The Ritual of Baptism, The Reasons for Baptism, and The Requirements for Baptism. In this article we look at one of the most positive aspects of baptism; what are its benefits? or:

The Results of Baptism

With this in mind, we could easily ask the question found in Malachi 3:14, "What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance?" The answer to such a question is found in Psalm 19:7-11:

The law of the Lord is perfect; it gives new strength.

The commands of the Lord are trustworthy, giving wisdom to those who lack it.

The laws of the Lord are right, and those who obey them are happy.

The commands of the Lord are just, and give understanding to the mind.

Reverence for the Lord is good; it will continue forever.

The judgments of the Lord are just; they are always fair.

They are more desirable than the finest gold; they are sweeter than the purest honey.

They give knowledge to me your servant;

I am rewarded for obeying them.

Throughout Scripture there are promises with conditions, where certain promises are given, but which can only be fulfilled when the conditions are met. Again and again we find that the one absolute standard set in order that the people of God might receive His blessing is the standard of obedience. We have already shown, in our article "The Reasons for Baptism, " that obedience is the prime reason for baptism, and because of this we find that there are very definite and specific blessings to be experienced as a result.

The Identification with the Spiritual Import of Baptism within the New Testament

The New Testament links baptism with certain aspects of the Christian life. In Romans it is likened to our newness of life in Christ. In Colossians, to place the emphasis on the leadership and supremacy of Christ in the believer's life. In Galatians, as being representative of deliverance from legalism through Christ. In Ephesians, as part of the picture of the believer's unity in Christ. In I Corinthians, it points forward to our resurrection in Christ. In the gospels it is part of the commission of Christ. Therefore to miss baptism is to miss all that is attached to it spiritually. For how can we claim the blessing if we have not met the condition?

1. BAPTISM: Symbolic of Victory

It has already been made abundantly clear that baptism by immersion is a clear picture of the believer's identity with the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord. Thus, as Calvary was the place of victory, so the believer, in going through the waters of baptism, clearly identifies with that victory (Romans 6:1-14).

2. BAPTISM: An Act of Identity with Christ's Death

It is at baptism that the believer acknowledges that by faith in Christ's death he died and that his death with Christ is indeed an historic fact. As the believer stands in the water ready to be immersed, he says as it were: "God reckons me to have died in the person of the Lord Jesus, my Savior and Substitute. Believing this to be true, and having trusted Him and owned Him as my Lord and Savior, I now submit to baptism as an act of testimony to all who witness it, of my identification with my Lord in His death for me."

The outcome of this truth is tremendous when applied to the experience of the believer, for in it we see a number of things:

a. The believer is dead to the consequence of sin. Rom. 6:7b. The believer is dead to the authority of sin. Rom. 6:6c. The believer is dead to the world. Gal. 6:14d. The believer is dead to the self-pleasing life. II Cor. 5:14-15e. The believer is dead to the claims of the law. Rom.7:4f The believer is dead to the dominion of sin. Heb. 2:14.

3. BAPTISM: An Act of Identity with Christ's Burial

Not only is the believer viewed as being dead with Christ, he is also described as being buried with Christ (Rom. 6:4). Burial is the proof of death. The imagery is striking, for the person to be baptized stands in the water and is then plunged beneath its surface, thus showing his identification with Christ in His burial. Thus as the believer allows himself to be immersed, he is enabled in some small measure to appreciate what the Lord passed through in order to be able to save him from the consequences of sin. Here he lays hold of the fact that the Lord of Glory allowed Himself to be put into the tomb to secure the believer's eternal salvation. Baptism is the confirmation of a finished work completed on behalf of the believer at Calvary.

4. BAPTISM: An Act of Identity with Christ's Resurrection

Baptism consists not only of immersion, but also of ascension and so completes the picture of the believer's union with his Lord. As Christ rose from the dead, to five in the power of an endless life, so now the Christian, the possessor of everlasting life, is to live a life worthy of the One to Whom he belongs. Thus baptism goes further than simply picturing Christ's death and burial. It proclaims with no uncertain voice His triumphant resurrection.

The baptismal experience has been summed up with these words:

"Buried with Christ, and raised with Him too; What is there left for me to do? Simply to cease from struggling and strife, Simply to walk in newness of life." Glory be to God.

The reward of baptism, then, is to grasp and enter into the full spiritual significance of all that it means in the believer's complete and full identification with Christ in His redemptive work at Calvary.