The Baptism of the Lord

            Baptism is an important thing in the Christian life. We all were baptized at some point, many of us at too young of an age to even remember it. And for us and the baptism we receive, it easy to see they why of doing it. Scripture teaches us in Romans chapter six and Colossians chapter two that baptism unites us to the death of Christ. In other words, baptism is the delivery vehicle that God has ordained to give us what our Lord died for us to have so that, by His Word with the water used in baptism, we receive forgiveness and life and salvation. Baptism delivers these treasures, and faith receives them. Without faith, the gifts given in Baptism do us no good, that is, they are not being received for our benefit.

                And this is easy enough to wrap our minds around. We are sinners. We need help, that is, to be forgiven and saved from our sins. And our Lord Jesus not only has earned forgiveness for us, but has established ways to hand it to us so that we might have faith created and awakened in us by the Holy Spirit so that we would be beneficiaries of the saving work of our Lord on the cross. Baptism, as one of these means of grace, is a vehicle that delivers to us these great blessings.

                But what then do we make of the baptism of our Lord Jesus? Jesus is not a sinner. He does not need to be forgiven. More still, he does not have need of receiving everlasting life since He posses immortality by nature. He does not need to be saved. So what was the purpose of His baptism?

Find out more in this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!