Baptism is God's promise to and claim on the baptized. It demands response, a response of faith. Anything else is an insult to God.
God tells the baptized, “You belong to me,” but some will say, “No, we don’t want to belong to you. We want to be our own men.”
God speaks through the water, “I forgive you sins,” but some say, “We’d rather wallow in our guilt.”
God says, “I offer you all blessings in Christ. Trust me, and you’ll have them,” but some say, “We think we can find a better deal elsewhere.”
The faithless baptized insult God with their every breath, and condemn themselves to hell because they refuse to trust the utterly trustworthy God, to respond to His gift with gratitude.
On the other hand: The proper response to baptism is to believe what it says. “I am baptized, therefore I belong to God, who has forgiven my sins and joined me to Christ so I may share His abundant life.”
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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