Reflections on the Baptism of My Son
Photo by Ryan Loughlin on Unsplash
This coming Sunday, I have the immense privilege of baptizing my son, John. This particular sacramental administration is something I have eagerly anticipated ever since I wanted to be a father, and a pastor for that matter! I am sure others can agree.
As I’ve thought more about it, I wanted to share some reflections on why I treasure baptism so much, why I am so thankful to God for giving his church this sacrament, and what it means to have my son baptized.
What I do not intend to do here is provide a defense for the doctrine of infant baptism (paedobaptism). There is no shortage of resources available in print and online that admirably make that biblical case (which, yes, I wholeheartedly believe is biblical!). I have linked several resources, both short and long, at the bottom of this post that go through the biblical case for including infants in the administration of this sacrament.
What I wanted to do in this article is offer a couple brief reflections about baptism. I will not come close to exhausting all the theological richness and significance of baptism. But I hope that this post will help you to pause and reflect on your own baptism, or that of your own children’s, and the promises contained therein. Or, if you are reading this and you haven’t been baptized, I pray that you would consider Christ who is the sum and substance of this wonderful sacrament, and that you would put your faith in him and receive this wonderful gift. If that’s you—or if you have any questions about baptism—I would love to hear from you.
So, what’s so great about baptism? I have a couple thoughts I want to share.
Baptism Points to God’s Covenantal Love
At its core, a sacrament is a sign and seal (Romans 4:11). I want to reflect on both of those words, beginning with ‘sign.’
Simply put, a sign points to something. Think of a stop sign indicating to the driver that he needs to slow down and stop his vehicle. A street sign indicates the name of the road and differentiates it from the others. An ‘open’ sign on the business window instructs potential customers they are welcome to enter and shop.
In every case, the sign points to a reality beyond the sign itself. The stop sign is not the act of stopping itself. The street sign is not the street itself. And the open sign does not in itself cause customers to enter in and spend their hard-earned money.
The same is true of the sacraments that Jesus gives his church. They are signs that point beyond themselves to the fundamental reality found in Christ himself. Theologians often talk of ‘the sign and the thing signified’ to make this distinction. The sign is baptism, but the thing signified in baptism is something else. Well, what is it?
Baptism is a sign of God’s covenantal love toward his people. It is a sign that points us to God himself, who from his own free will entered into a gracious covenant with needy sinners that he would be their God, and they would be his people.
The outward washing with water signifies (that is, point us to) the greater reality of the Spirit’s work of washing filthy hearts clean by applying the redemption purchased with the blood of Christ. It points to the reality that God’s posture towards us is not one of wrath, but tender mercy. Indeed, it represents to us the whole Christ and all his benefits.
Maybe no other passage of Scripture best encapsulates all these benefits than the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. I encourage you to read through Ephesians 1:3-14 for yourself, but look at just a sampling of the blessings of our union with Christ that Paul lists in these verses. We are blessed in Christ with “every spiritual blessing,” Paul says. Namely, we are “chosen,” “predestined,” and “adopted.” And through his lavish grace, we have “redemption through his blood,” “forgiveness of our trespasses,” and an “inheritance” that is sealed by the Holy Spirit himself.
As I think about baptizing my son, I marvel that God would be so gracious toward not only me but my family as well. I remember that I have done nothing to earn his favor, and truly can do nothing to merit his love. Rather, every day I add to my list of sins and disobedience. But in his grace and mercy he has blotted those out and adopted me into the family of God. Baptism points me back to that reality, and it points me to the reality that God loves my son in the same way.
How can I be sure that these promises given to me are given to my son as well? Because God is a promise-making and covenant-keeping God. And he tells me that the promise is not just for me, but for my children (Acts 2:39; Genesis 17:7-8).
The Belgic Confession in Article 34 says that baptism gives us a “true assurance of his fatherly goodness.” That is certainly the case. If I, a broken sinner myself, can give my love and affection toward my own son, how much more does the perfect Almighty God have an even greater (infinite, even) amount of tender love that he delights to lavish upon his children? (Matt. 7:11; 1 John 3:1).
Baptism points to this unfathomable love.
Baptism Seals that My Son Belongs to God’s Family Even More than My Own
We’ve already touched on the second in our pair of words, but it is worth more reflection. Baptism is not only a sign, but it is a seal as well. This word refers to the instrument that was used as the stamp of authenticity on official documents. A seal is the mark that is left from the signet ring of a king on his correspondence or royal decree. When the king would imprint his signet into the hot wax and leave behind his seal, he had left his pledge of personal approval on the matter.
Through baptism, King Jesus leaves his seal upon the individual that he personally approves of and pledges himself to all the promises to which baptism points. In other words, not only does baptism show forth God’s gracious covenant toward me and my family, but it also guarantees that those promises are indeed for me and my family. They are mine. Christ is mine. He guarantees it with the imprint of his own signet ring upon me.
Baptism, then, is not merely a sign of a potentiality, but a seal of an actuality. It confirms that God is my God, and not only mine, but the God of son as well.
The Belgic Confession is helpful again, in Article 33 it says that the Sacraments are “pledges of the good will and grace of God toward us.” God is pledging himself in the sacraments, and baptism in particular. He doesn’t need to, but he gladly does for our benefit that we might have assurance of his love. Truly, baptism seals to me this wonderful truth: God loves my son more than I ever can and ever will. And this love is proven in Christ himself.
God has done what I never could: he willingly gave up his firstborn son. One of the most stirring narratives in Scripture is Abraham’s testing in Genesis 22. God instructs Abraham to “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love…and offer him as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2). At first reading it sounds so harsh, and almost like God is rubbing it in. “Abraham, I need you to take your son. You know, your only son. The only son that I gave you. Remember him? The son that you love dearly? Well, you must sacrifice him.”
But Abraham went in faith, telling Isaac “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (22:8). And, in time, God did provide the Lamb; his very own Son. Far from rubbing it in Abraham’s face, God was declaring to Abraham what ultimately became his grand plan of redemption. It was the Father who took his Son, his only Son, whom he loved (Mark 1:11; 9:7), and sent him to be the substitute and sacrifice for his people.
Baptism not only points to this great promise of the gospel, but it seals this gospel to my account. Not only to me, but to my family, and my own son. There is not a soul on earth that I would give up John for, and I would gladly give up my life for him in an instant. I could not trade his life for any other, and certainly not for an enemy or someone who hated me.
But, Scripture tells us that it was while we were sinners, hostile toward God and his enemies. It was under those circumstances that Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). When I baptize John on Sunday, it will be a testimony to all there, that just as John contributes nothing to his baptism, so too do none of us contribute to our salvation. It is all the free gift of God’s grace.
Thanks be to God that he has given us this beautiful picture of his gracious love toward us, that not only points us to that divine reality, but also guarantees for us that it is absolutely true.
Resources on Baptism
Church Confessions
There is no better place to start than with the Reformed and Presbyterian Churches’ own confessional documents about the sacraments in general, and baptism in particular. You can click the links below to read these documents online:
Books (Links go to the publisher’s website; no commission is earned).
Baptism: Answers to Common Questions, by Guy Richard. We give this book to all parents in our church who are baptizing their children. It is a great resource to start with.
Covenantal Baptism, by Jason Helopoulos. Another excellent and accessible resource.
Word, Water, and Spirit: A Reformed Perspective on Baptism, by J. V. Fesko. At 472 pages, it is not for the faint of heart! But for those who want an exhaustive resource for the historical, biblical, and systematic issues regarding baptism, this is a must have.
Other Articles and Resources
R. Scott Clark, “Covenant Theology & Infant Baptism” (webpage that collects several resources on baptism)
Kevin DeYoung, “A Brief Defense of Infant Baptism”
Iain Duguid, “The Promise Is for You and Your Children”
Dennis E. Johnson, “Infant Baptism: How I Changed My Mind” (this is a heartfelt letter written from a pastor to his college-aged daughter explaining her baptism)
