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word ordinance comes from “he ordained it.” He planned it. He said we should do it
in a way that gives it an ongoing practice in the church.
“In baptism, we dramatically portray what happened spiritually when we received
Christ.”

And the part of the Bible where it says that is Matthew 28:19–20. “Go therefore and
make disciples,” Jesus said, “of all nations, baptizing them.” Jesus told us to do this
until he comes back. He keeps going and says, “. . . baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. . . . And behold, I am with you
always, to the end of the age.” So, as long as this age exists before Jesus comes back
again, we are to be making disciples for him by teaching what he’s taught us, and
baptizing them in the process.2.

2. Baptism expresses union with Christ

Second, baptism, we believe, expresses union with Christ in his death and
resurrection. And the clearest teaching on this is found in Romans 6:3–4, where it
says this: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?” So, you hear the idea of unity there. “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.”

Now, in the wider context of Romans and the rest of the New Testament, I think it
would be a mistake to say that water baptism, the actual going into water, is the
means of our being united to Christ. I think that would be a mistake to say that. In
Romans, it’s faith in Jesus — faith, the Holy Spirit-given ability to love and trust and
treasure Christ. It’s faith that is the means by which we are united to Christ and
justified by him. But we show this faith, we signify this faith, we symbolize it, with
an act of baptism. Faith unites us to Christ; baptism portrays the union with Christ.

An analogy would be saying something like this: When you’re standing before the
pastor getting married and you say, “With this ring, I thee wed,” what do you mean
when you say that? When we say that, we don’t mean that the ring, putting on the
ring, creates the marriage, makes us married. No, no, no. It shows the covenant;
it symbolizes the covenant. But the covenant, the actual marriage moment and event

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