Baptism Is Not A Heritage Token
Text: Matthew 3:12-17 In the name of Jesus. Amen. When you think about your baptism, do you think about it in the past tense or in the present tense? That is to say, if someone asked you, "Are you baptized?" would you answer, "Yes, I was baptized," or would you say, "Yes, I am baptized"? Now, this might seem like a small grammar detail - a technicality that only English teachers would care about. But, dear friends, don’t dismiss this as irrelevant or nitpicky theology. This is vitally important. Pay attention! You see, there is a common tendency to speak about baptism in the past tense. Perhaps the reason why, is that we do not baptize Christians over and over and over again. That is to say, there is only one baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One baptism. That's it. Unlike the Lord's Supper, which we receive every week, baptism is administered only once. And because we only baptize people one time, we often speak ...
