LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 62

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I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot enter the kingdom
of God” (John 3:3). My friends, Jesus Christ died for sinners. “In
Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19).
As much as it pains me to say this, if you are not a sinner, if you do
not recognize yourself in the scorching mirror of the Law, if you
are not a real, hard-boiled sinner like the rest of us, then you must
leave. Jesus is not for you. You see, Jesus Himself said, “I have not
come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).
Baptized sinners: That’s what you are. Oh boy, have I got great
news for you! Luther said—about Jesus’ own Baptism—that here
“Christ sticks Himself into the water,” and when we go into the
water in Baptism, we pull Him out with us. Ha!
Just think about what Christ sticks into the water.
“It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15), Jesus
told John.
“Born of a woman, born under the law” (Gal. 4:4), He “who knew
no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21) sticks His perfect obedience to the Law in
the water.
When Jesus is baptized, Mark’s Gospel says, “Heaven was torn
open” (Mark 1:10). So says Luther, “In baptism heaven is nothing
but doors and windows.” Open heaven into the water!
In Jesus’ Baptism, the Holy Spirit descends as a dove. The Holy
Spirit goes into the water.
In Jesus’ Baptism, the voice of God from heaven says, “You are
My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased!” (Mark 1:11). It goes
into the water.
Paul says, “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into
death” (Rom. 6:4), so Christ’s Passion, the death sentence, the
ridicule, the standing before Pilate, the beatings, the whippings,
the bloody crown of thorns, the King of the Jews, the nails, the
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34),
the “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43), the “It
is finished” (Luke 19:3), the last breath: all of it into the water.
And Paul goes on. There’s more—much, much more! “For if we
have been united with Him in a death like His—in the water—we
shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His—in

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the water. We know that our old self was crucified with Him—in the
water— in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing,
so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin—in the water. For
one who has died has been set free from sin—in the water. Now
if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with
Him—in the water. We know that Christ, being raised from the
dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.
For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He
lives He lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to
sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus—in the water” (Rom. 6:5–14).
Paul goes on in Titus 3: “But when the goodness and loving kindness
of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works
done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by
the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit—in the
water—whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our
Savior— in the water—so that being justified by His grace—in the
water—we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal
life”—in the water! (Titus 3:4–7).
Peter says, “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you
—in the water—not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an
appeal to God for a good conscience—[Baptism is the appeal. It’s
the good conscience!]—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ”
(1 Peter 3:21).
Christ has stuck all this into the water, and because you’ve been
stuck into the water, it’s all yours now.
Finally, let’s go about our business as the baptized. It doesn’t mean
we will agree on every strategy or resolution. We won’t. It doesn’t
mean we won’t have personality clashes with sin among us. We will.
But it does mean this: Paul says, “We were buried therefore with
Him (sunetaphēmen) by baptism into death” (Rom. 6:4). Together.
We’re in the water together, sink or swim.
And Peter goes on to preach, “The promise is for you and for your
children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our
God calls to Himself” (Acts 2:39).
You’re all wet! You’re baptized for this moment. Now, let’s get about
the business of getting the world wet. It’s all in the water!
In the name of Jesus … in the water. Amen.

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