Page 23 - Microsoft Word - GBC ˜ new.doc

the professor, who was also a Lutheran, said, “Well, I think you’re right in the way
you interpret that verse. But the verse isn’t addressing the issue of families; it’s
addressing the issue of evangelism.”

I appreciated that concession. But my point was this: I think there is a principle
being mentioned here that covers all the cases. That’s what baptism is. It is a
demonstration of the burial and resurrection with Jesus, which happened through
faith. And so, we should only do it to those who can believe.

6. United to Christ’s Body

So, baptism is very important. It was uncompromisingly commanded and ordained
by the Lord Jesus until he comes. It was universally practiced and administered by
Christians in the early church, and has been all through the centuries. Paul took it
for granted; there are no unbaptized Christians in the New Testament. And it was
uniquely connected to conversion as an unrepeatable expression of saving faith.
We’re only justified once; we only die and are united to Christ once and
permanently.

And one last comment: it was closely connected to being a member of a local church.
In the mind of the apostles, to be united to Christ by faith through baptism was to be
united to the body of Christ. And local churches are the manifestations of the
universal body of Christ. To be a Christian, therefore, is to belong to a local church.
It’s right and fitting that you belong to a church.

Baptism wasn’t a fun climax to beach evangelism with everybody going their
separate ways with no reference to the church. Baptism was a sacred expression of
faith, a faith that unites you to Christ and his people — a particular people, in a
particular church, where you could be nurtured and held accountable as the New
Testament teaches.

John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of
Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist
Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books,
including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most
recently Providence .

23