SAVED BY BAPTISM? SAVED BY GOD’S LOVE!
1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21
6th Sunday of Easter, May 14, 2023
Pastor Ritva H Williams
I am often amazed by how the Holy Spirit works. Today is Mother’s Day and we are celebrating the baptism of Theodore Schreiner. The gospel reading talks about about love and the Holy Spirit. 1 Peter declares that “baptism now saves us.”
Baptism saves us is one of those Bible verses that generates endless debate. And yes, in some circles it is even used as a clobber verse to promote the idea that persons, and even infants, who are not baptized will be condemned to hell. As I said last week, it really cheeses me off when Bible verses are used to shut people out, and put them down. And it delights me to show how these verses don’t mean what people think they mean.
So … does baptism save us? For Lutheran Christians, the short answer is “no.” God and God alone is the source of life and salvation. As scripture teaches, “you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God - not the result of works … For we are what God has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:9-10). Salvation is a gracious and generous gift given to us by God, which we receive in faith and trust for the purpose of empowering and energizing to do good works. Baptism is important for us because it points to and reminds us about the what and how of salvation.
Jesus was baptized and heard a voice from heaven declare, “you are my son, my beloved, in whom I delight” (Matthew 3:17). Jesus instructed his disciples to baptize all peoples — recognizing and proclaiming each person to be a beloved child of God. Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch, Ananias baptized the Pharisee Saul, Peter baptized Cornelius, the Roman centurion, Paul baptized Lydia and her household, and many others. But so what? What difference does it make?
Our reading from 1 Peter urges us to be eager to do good. To do what is right even if we suffer for it, not to be afraid or intimidated, but to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts. When called to account, we are urged to explain ourselves with gentleness, respect and reverence for the other even when facing lies and abuse. Behaving like this enables us to have good or clear conscience. This is a tall order!!
We usually think of our conscience as the inner voice that tells us whether some action is right or wrong. It’s bound up with ideas about morality and scruples. But literally, the word conscience means “knowing together with.” The operative question is knowing together with whom? For Christ-followers, a good conscience is “knowing together with” Christ: thinking, speaking and acting as Christ would. As we will see the writer of 1 Peter associates baptism with this idea of conscience.
But first, they have some things to say about Christ that may surprise us.
Christ suffered and died because of sin once for all — “for all” means all people without exception — in order to bring all people including us to God.
Having died in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, Christ ministered to and liberated the spirits of the dead from their prison in the underworld, a.k.a. hell. These were people who did not obey God, and may not have even consciously known God.
God saved Noah and his family — eight living souls — from the flood waters by instructing them to build an ark that carried them through the water. 1 Peter claims this saving act foreshadows or prefigures baptism.
These three things emphasize God’s determination to save, not just us, not just some people, but all people — even people who died long before Jesus entered the human story. 1 Peter highlights that no one has been, or is, excluded from God’s saving activity — not even the dead.
But back to baptism … our reading of 1 Peter says baptism is an appeal for a good conscience. It could also be translated to read “baptism is the pledge of a good conscience.” I prefer this second reading since it makes the source of the pledge God not us, and a good conscience is something that emerges as our thoughts, words and actions become more and more aligned with those of Christ.
We find the same idea in our gospel reading where we hear Jesus say, “If [or since] you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Remember, in John’s Gospel Christ gives only one commandment:
love one another. As I have loved you you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciple, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).
A good conscience emerges as we accept that Christ loves each and every one of us, and then learn to love all people just as Christ loves us.
Jesus tells his disciples that after he leaves early life, God will send them another advocate who will come alongside them to give comfort, counsel, and help. Jesus calls this divine companion the Spirit of Truth who abides with and in each human being. Just as the Holy Spirit lives in each of us, the Holy Spirit lives in the Christ, who in turn lives in God. The resurrection of Christ inaugurates a renewing spirit-filled and spirit-led way of life within the embrace of God’s love for all people. The choice to embrace that way of life remains with the individual.
Even as Christ goes ahead, Holy Spirit walks alongside and within guiding us to align our thoughts, words and actions with the love of Christ. We can recognize Holy Spirit’s presence by the love we receive. Where and how that love shows up is likely to surprise us. Those who welcome, care for, and lift us up may be persons who look, sound, love, or worship differently. That’s okay. If there is love, Holy Spirit is doing her work, Christ is present, and God’s dream for the world is unfolding as it should. When anyone of us responds with love in the midst of life’s ups and downs, disappointments and disasters, Holy Spirit is doing her job nurturing and nourishing us to grow into the image of God that is already embedded in our DNA.
Baptism is a public recognition and proclamation that a person is a beloved child of God, created in God’s very one image to be nurtured in love so that they will learn to love like Jesus. Now it is true that each of us is a beloved child of God, created in God’s very own image, but without baptism would we know it? Would we know that God, Christ and Holy Spirit love us? Would we have the courage to be ourselves? Would we dare to speak up when we are verbally abused? Would we act with integrity? Would we have a good conscience? Knowing we are beloved children, created in the image of God, gifted in unique ways to be make a positive contribution to the world, just might make a difference.
Beginning with Beloved (Jan Richardson)
Begin here:
Beloved.
Is there any other word needs saying,
any other blessing could compare with this name, this knowing?
Beloved.
Comes like a mercy to the earth hat has never heard it.
Comes like a river to the body that has never seen such grace.
Beloved.
Comes holy to the heart aching to be new.
Comes healing to the soul wanting to begin again.
Beloved.
Keep saying it, and through it may sound strange at first,
watch how it becomes part of you, it becomes you,
as if you never could have known yourself anything else,
as if you could ever have been other than:
Beloved.
