“What’s the Story With Baptism?”
This is an adapted excerpt from Square One, Session 8. Check out the full Square One series here.
If you grew up playing video games, you know the feeling of getting frustrated and hitting the reset button to just start over. In real life, those game-changing “reboot” moments are rare but even more important. As we’ll see, our most important reset comes in an act of spiritual rebirth, as we bury our old self and rise to a new life.
Let’s get into it and see how God washes our sins away. Jesus himself said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). But what does that really mean?
A religious ruler named Nicodemus once came to Jesus at night, and Jesus cut right to the chase: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Nicodemus was an expert in the Scriptures, but this confused him. He was already very religious, so being “born again” had to mean something else. Jesus explained, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). This isn’t two separate births; it’s one event where water and the Spirit work together to give us a new beginning.
The Big Idea
Baptism is both an ending and a new beginning, as we die to sin and are born again in Christ. Repentance is our decision to “die” to our old life. What comes next? A burial. We don’t bury people who are alive; burial follows death. In the same way, baptism is our burial with Christ after we have died to sin.
The Apostle Paul gives us the clearest picture of what happens in baptism. He explains that we become participants in Jesus' story. He writes, “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” (Romans 6:4). Baptism is where our old, sinful self is buried, and we are raised to a completely new life, united with Jesus in his resurrection. It’s the moment our story becomes intertwined with His.
This idea of being saved through water isn't new; it’s a pattern woven throughout the Old Testament, which is why Jesus expected Nicodemus to understand it. Think about Noah’s story: the flood waters brought judgment on a wicked world, but they also saved Noah’s family, carrying them through the danger to a brand new beginning (1 Peter 3:21).
Think about the Israelites escaping slavery in Egypt. God parted the waters of the Red Sea, drowning their enemies while leading His people through on dry land to freedom (1 Cor. 10:1-2). That passage through water marked a clear break from their old life of bondage and the start of a new life with God.
Or think about Naaman, a powerful commander with leprosy. The prophet Elisha told him to do something simple: dip seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman was initially insulted, expecting something more dramatic. But when he humbled himself and obeyed God’s specific instruction, his flesh was restored and he was cleansed (2 Kings 5:14). This teaches us that God’s methods for salvation might not be what we expect, but they require our humble obedience.
These are just a few of the pictures that point to baptism. It’s where God saves us like Noah, frees us from slavery like the Israelites, and cleanses us like Naaman. It is where we, as God’s priests, have our sins washed away so we can enter his presence.
The Big Question
Do you see how God changes our identity in the waters of baptism? May the Lord bless us with open our hearts to receive his invitation to have our sins washed away!