"And me, and me!" (A Communion Meditation)

(Matthew 18:2-3) And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Some time ago, in The LORD’s Service of one of our sister-churches, a wee-toddler; a small girl barely over a year old, saw the bread being distributed during this Supper, and began cheerfully saying, "And me. And me."

This is something we all need to learn how to say, because it is right at the heart of biblical faith. This is the child-like approach that Jesus required of us. It is relatively easy to believe propositions in the third person. Jesus died for sinners, and there are certainly sinners out there. They do this and that. God has elected certain sinners for salvation, and they certainly are blessed. They have come to Christ in truth, and have responded to the Word in faith. They are true believers, and we are glad for them.

This is all true enough, and quite proper to say. But we need to grow in the kind of faith that knows how to intrude itself. Christ died for sinners, the preacher says. "And me", you say. This is my body which is broken for you, the minister declares. "And me", you say to yourself, anchoring the point. This is the cup of the new testament, which is for the remission of the sins for many. And me.

But we do not stop there. Once we are assured that, yes, this includes the referent of “and me”, we learn to rest in this, growing in faith, and we learn to look around. I am not the only one. God has been kind to us, and I am only here as one of His people. It is not just me, but and me. This is for all the saints, not one solitary person. This is for all the saints gathered in this room. And… me.

Baptism III: Baptism and Testimony (cont.)

"Thou are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Mark 1:11)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)

As noted already (in Baptism and Testimony II) the testimony given at Jesus' baptism was a divine testimony wherein the Father declared to His Son, "I love you and you belong to me." And it was also noted that this benediction is given to every person who receives the water of baptism. For as Paul wrote to the Ephesians, God our Father gives us "all spiritual blessings...in Christ."

But note when this benediction was given to Jesus. Before Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. Before Jesus' temptation in the Garden of Gethsemane. And before every temptation in between the wilderness and the garden wherein he was "tempted in all points, even as we are, yet without sin."

Jesus, the perfect man and forerunner of our faith, was not required to prove himself before he received his Father's benediction. No, rather it was the Father's benediction faithfully received by Jesus that enabled him to stand up to the Devil in the wilderness and bow humbly before his Father in the garden.

God delights to frontload the Gospel equation with grace. Breathtakingly reckless grace. The Bible knows nothing of baptism contingent upon a "credible profession." Jesus baptized disciples in John 4 that he knew would desert him in droves a scant two chapters later in John 6. The apostles baptized individuals and entire households on the barest of professions of faith with zero time to examine the intensity, veracity or longevity of those professions.

Why? You ask. Because baptism was never intended to outwardly represent a pre-existing inward reality. Neither Jesus nor the apostles ever denied the water of baptism to anyone until they could demonstrate that their conversions were genuine. Rather, they were given the water and its ever-present benediction as a potent and abiding testimony for the initializing and strengthening of their faith. As Martin Luther noted:

"The anabaptists pretend that children, not as yet having reason, ought not to receive baptism. I answer: That reason in no way contributes to faith. Nay, in that children are destitute of reason, they are all the more fit and proper recipients of baptism. For reason is the greatest enemy that faith has: it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but - more frequently than not - struggles against the Divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God. If God can communicate the Holy Ghost to grown persons, he can, a fortiori, communicate it to young children. Faith comes of the Word of God, when this is heard; little children hear that Word when they receive baptism, and therewith they receive also faith." (Martin Luther, Table Talk CCCLIII, 1569)

So here's the good news Christian: God's dealing with you is frontloaded with grace. Long before your trials and temptations and irrespective of your performance, God's testimony to you in your baptism is this, "I love you child, and you belong to me." This testimony is not given to you as a reward for being intelligent, good or faithful; rather it is given for the inception and increase of these things. As always, you need only receive and believe what God is saying to you.

In the divine economy, godliness is never a prerequisite for grace, and intelligence is never a prerequisite for revelation. Rather grace gives rise to godliness, and revelation begets intelligence. And, as I say often, "If this is not true then I quit yesterday."

Baptism II: Baptism and Testimony

When you hear the words “baptism” and “testimony” what do you think of? Most modern Christians immediately think of the testimonies that people give shortly before or after they are baptized. But few think of the only testimony in all of scripture that accompanied a baptism.

Before I proceed I would like to make it clear that I am “pro-testimony.” I have often been edified by hearing the accounts of God’s grace to others, and the strange, ordinary and wonderful providences that brought those people to faith in Jesus Christ. However, having said that, I have reservations about the sort of testimonies that are given at baptisms that either obscure or replace altogether the only baptismal testimony for which there is biblical warrant/precedent. I am of course referring to the divine testimony that was given at Jesus’ baptism.

Directly following Jesus’ baptism a voice boomed from heaven, bearing testimony regarding Jesus’ relation to God. The essence of the Father’s testimony concerning His Son was this: “I love you and you belong to me.” Matthew and Mark have slightly differing accounts of this testimony, and the difference is both exceedingly profound and eminently helpful.

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17)

And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mark 1:11)

Matthew highlights the testimony given by God to the people, “This is my beloved Son…” While Mark highlights the testimony given by God to Jesus, “You are my beloved Son…” But note that in either case, God’s (not Jesus’) testimony was the central focus and therefore indicates the central meaning/import of baptism which is simply this: God’s sacramental declaration to the recipient of the water, “I love you and you belong to me.” And note that this declaration was given for the benefit of the one being baptized and for those who bore witness to the baptism. The testimony of baptism is vitally important for the recipient and for the community of faith.

Martin Luther was once asked what benefit a baptized believer had that an un-baptized believer did not. Luther replied, “Well, his baptism.” By which Luther meant the abiding testimony of God’s love and favor objectively and irrevocably applied to the body of the believer in the water of baptism.

Baptism I: How Many Baptisms?

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (Ephesians 4:4-5)

“One baptism, This does not mean that Christian baptism is not to be administered more than once, but that one baptism is common to all; so that, by means of it, we begin to form one body and one soul.” (Calvin’s Commentary on Ephesians 4:4)

According to Paul, there is only one baptism. And as John Calvin noted, when Paul wrote this, he was not declaring that people should only be baptized once, rather he was reminding us that there is but one baptism in which all believers are joined and united.

So where do we find this “one baptism common to all”? The answer, as with every good and perfect gift, is, in Christ! As the author of Hebrews reminds us, Jesus is our “forerunner” (Hebrews 6:20), the one who in all things goes before us. In other words, every blessing that God bestows upon His children is first given to Christ. We obtain every divine blessing in Christ, and nowhere do we obtain a single blessing outside of Christ. Every blessing, including baptism, comes to us by virtue of our union with Christ. Simply put, baptism is a blessing to us, because it was first a blessing to Jesus.

This being true, to properly understand the meaning and import of Christian baptism we need to begin with the baptism of Jesus, the “one baptism” into which all who receive Christian baptism are baptized by virtue of their baptism into Christ.

“But”, some will argue, “Jesus was baptized by John, and John’s baptism signified something altogether different than Christian baptism.” On this point I agree with John Calvin that the difference between John’s baptism and our baptism was not a difference of kind, but rather of degree. Viz:

“And even by this also are we taught that the baptism of John was a token of repentance and remission of sins and that our baptism at this day doth not differ any thing from it, save only that Christ is already revealed, and in his death and resurrection our salvation is made perfect: and so baptism was brought unto his [its] effect; because out of that fountain of Christ’s death and resurrection whereof I have spoken, floweth repentance, and thither is faith referred again that it may thence fet [seek] free righteousness. In sum, Paul showeth plainly that that was the baptism of regeneration and renovation as is ours.” (Calvin’s Commentary on Acts 19:4)

Although this may not seem all that important, this understanding of our relation to Christ and his baptism actually sets the stage for glorious revelations of God’s love and mercy.