Baptism is the promise that blesses us.

 

Sermon for Trinity 5, July 5, 2026

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  By his great mercy he gave us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Amen.

Mark 16:16  ¹⁶ “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (EHV)

Acts 2:38-39  ³⁸Peter answered them, “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.  ³⁹For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call. (EHV)

Baptism is the promise that blesses us.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            Whenever we have confirmations, it can be tempting to imagine that the confirmands are renewing vows they made at their baptisms.  Yet, in reality, it is God who made a promise to them, and the confirmands are confirming their faith in His promise and forgiveness.  This morning, we look at the blessings of Baptism, and we say that Baptism is the promise that blesses us.

In our Gospel text, St. Mark reveals Jesus’ promise that “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.”  It is easy for the human nature to imagine (and throughout history many have taught) that this is a condition Jesus lays on the believer—that he must somehow come to faith and then be baptized in order to be saved.  However, other Scriptures make it clear that no one can come to believe in Jesus by his own power or effort.  Furthermore, it is only by God’s grace and election that any of us are brought into the Christian faith.

On the day of the first Pentecost of the Christian Church when God sent His Holy Spirit upon His apostles with flames of fire on their heads and the ability to speak in a multitude of languages, Peter preached law to a large crowd of Jewish believers at the temple in Jerusalem, and his preaching brought terror to their hearts for what they had done to Jesus in His crucifixion.  Those guilt-stricken men begged Jesus’ apostles, “Gentlemen, brothers, what should we do? (Acts 2:37)

Now, Peter’s answer sounds like he is giving instruction for the task at hand.  In contrast, however, he is inviting them to enter God’s mercy.  Peter answered them, “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.”  The command to repent is an invitation to turn around from trying to receive salvation through one’s own effort or goodness.  God is telling the sinner to change his mind, to give up on himself, and to trust in God’s mercy and kindness for the lost soul. 

This repentance doesn’t come to anyone naturally.  With our sinful nature, we are fully inclined to reject the accusation of sin, and to imagine ourselves less wicked and rebellious than we are.  This is why the Scriptures say that “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3)  This too is a gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism, that He makes us aware that we need a Savior and empowers us to reach for Jesus to pull us up out of the muck and mire of sin.  When the reality of our guilt is revealed to us by the law, it finally drives us to despair of any goodness in ourselves.  Thus, the Spirit has us prepared to receive the grace of God that brings us faith in Jesus.

Last Sunday, we looked at Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, but to refresh our memories, we again hear Jesus say to that man, “Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God!  Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh.  Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6)  Jesus instructed Nicodemus concerning entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.  Born of the flesh of our parents, we naturally inherit a sinful nature deserving condemnation.  Consequently, to enter into the glorious grace of heaven, we must be born from above.  This rebirth happens in Baptism. 

It is hard to imagine a greater gift of the Holy Spirit than to be reborn from above.  It is God the Holy Spirit giving new life to the formerly dead sinner and connecting that newborn with God through faith in Christ Jesus.  Recognizing God’s mercy in Baptism, we understand that many blessings are given through that marvelous work of the Holy Spirit.  In Baptism, God grants citizenship in His heavenly kingdom.  He gives forgiveness of sins for Jesus’ sake.  He grants to the believer life that does not end with physical death, and through the power of His Word, God gives us real comfort and a sure hope to carry us through any trial, struggle, hardship, loss, or pain.  Indeed, Baptism is the promise that blesses us.

In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul lamented his inability to live without sin, but he took comfort in the fact of forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ.  Through Jesus’ life and especially by His death on the cross, our sins were removed from us, and the just penalty for our guilt was paid for with the sacrifice Jesus made.  Then, in Baptism, we are cleansed of all our guilt, so that the psalmist could exult, “Yes, as high as the heavens are above the earth, so powerful is his mercy toward those who fear him.  As distant as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our rebellious acts from us.” (Psalm 103:11-12)  This led St. Paul to write in consideration of this divine cleansing of our souls, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For in Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)

As you may well have experienced, there are many in this world who imagine that the gifts of the Spirit here promised are the miraculous extraordinary abilities the Spirit granted to those apostles: the ability to speak in previously unfamiliar languages, to heal the sick miraculously, and to endure snake bites, flames, and other such torments.  Those unique powers were given to the apostles foremost to show their connection with Jesus.  Yet, those miraculous sings were not guaranteed to continue.  Indeed, the evangelists give no record of any of those signs continuing after the apostles were called out of this world.

But faith remains.  As does love and caring and kindness to strangers.  This really is God’s promise to all who believe, that His gift of the Spirit will change us.  It removes our stone-dead sinful, unbelieving hearts and grants us a living faith.  The gift of the Spirit moves us to have a sure and certain hope of everlasting life in heaven.  Whether we face blessings or hardship in this world, whether we have good health or approach the grave in sickness, we have a sure certainty that Jesus has prepared a place for us in His Father’s mansions and that He is working all things for our eternal good.  We remember His promise that He is with us, that He sends His  angels to protect and keep us, that the Father hears our prayers for Jesus’ sake, and that He knows our needs and provides for them before we even know what to ask.

We are baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ.”  What this also means is that we are baptized into the name of our Savior and Lord.  We are baptized into a connection with Him that cannot be broken by our guilt nor be stolen by the devil’s deceits and accusations.  In Baptism, God puts His name upon us as a seal of His love.  That doesn’t mean we can sin freely nor ignore the dangers the devil imposes.  Rather, it opens the door to return to our Lord in every repentance freely given. 

Being baptized into Jesus’ name makes us the equivalent of the Prodigal Son in Jesus’ parable.  Though we often sin much, and sometime quite gravely, the Father in heaven remains ready and willing to receive us when His Spirit brings us to our senses and draws us back home in repentance.  Though we then deserve only servitude, the Father welcomes the repentant soul back into His household in loving forgiveness.  Therefore, whether we are repenting in private, fellow sinner to fellow sinner, or in a general confession as in our worship services, God the Father is rejoicing with the hosts of heaven over every sinner who repents and returns to trust in His love.

Another gift the Holy Spirit gives us in Baptism is the blessed ability to share God’s forgiveness with others.  Peter explained, “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call.”  God places no limits on His merciful kindness.  He puts no obstacles in the way for those He calls to believe.  When Jesus met with His disciples in the upper room, after His resurrection from the grave, “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven.’” (John 20:22-23)  There is no age limit on either the upper or lower stage of life.  Infant baptism is equally as valid as a deathbed conversion and baptism. 

Every baptism relies on God’s mercy and grace, rather than in any merit or worthiness on the part of the person being baptized.  Baptism is God giving new life from above.  It is making the person a child of God, applying God’s name, and putting the Holy Spirit to work in that person’s life. 

What all this means is that through baptism, all of our sins are washed away and our guilt is forgiven.  It means we have peace with God.  We have His attention to our prayers.  Through the washing of water and the Word in baptism, we receive new life, new hope, new strength, and a new home in our Father’s eternal dwelling place.  In His peace, Baptism is the promise that blesses us.  Amen.

Now to him, who is able, according to the power that is at work within us, to do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!  Amen.