I love baptism Sundays. If you visit College Park Church on a baptism Sunday, you will notice everyone on stage wearing the same shirt with four statements on it: God is holy, I am not, Jesus saves, and Christ is my life. These four short statements summarize the beauty of the gospel and demonstrate its transforming effect on those who believe in Jesus.
The gospel isn’t just for non-believers; it’s what defines you as a follower of Jesus. Baptism Sundays are a celebration of ordinary people publicly declaring an extraordinary transformation of the soul—that the gospel has changed everything about them. It’s an outward expression of an inward change. But lest we start to view baptisms as commonplace or just another practice of the Christian faith, they also serve as a reminder of where we all started—dead in our sins—and now, in Christ, where we stand—made new because of the person and work of Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-7).
When life’s circumstances have you discouraged, may I remind you to regularly rehearse the beauty of the gospel. Otherwise, we forget and lose hope.
1. God is Holy
When College Park was walking through the book of Exodus, Pastor Mark said this about the holiness of God: “God likes you, but he is not like you.”
A common definition of holiness is being “set apart.” This is clearly on display in the book of Leviticus where God explains in excruciating detail how his chosen people are to live and conduct themselves. He does this because he says they are to be holy as he is holy (Leviticus 19:2), and this sets them apart from the other nations.
God is in his own category—separate in nature from us—and there is nothing similar that you can compare him to. When he speaks to man in the Bible, it’s always with a warning label (Exodus 19:23). Sinful man cannot approach a holy God.
It’s because of his holiness that sin is so offensive to God. Death is required to atone for sin. The sacrificial system, as laid out by God in the Old Testament, was a messy business, always involving death and blood because “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22).
2. I Am Not (Holy)
The Bible is clear on the state of all humanity in the presence of a holy God. It says “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and if you fail in one part of the law, you are guilty on breaking the whole law (James 2:10). Left to ourselves, we can do nothing to atone for our own sins. We are separated from our holy God by our sin, and there is nothing we can do on our own to remedy this. The consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
I have observed an increasing tolerance of sin in our modern culture. We think because we don’t experience immediate consequences for sin, it must not be that serious. So we keep pushing the limits.
But God, in his kindness, already set limits for us and how we should live. He is very clear in the Bible that we should aim to live a life worthy of our calling. Yet, our independent, self-sufficient mindset tells us we don’t need these boundaries and we are a better judge than an all-knowing God. In doing so, we set ourselves up to be God, defining what is right and wrong. God is the only one who can set these limits because he is God. But people live in defiance of what God says. The Bible says there is no one who is righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10-12).
No amount of giving, volunteering, or working will satisfy the record of sins you’ve committed in your life. All humans are born sinners, and because sin cannot stand before a holy God, the Bible calls us enemies of God (Colossians 1:21). This is how all humanity stands before a holy God.
Until Jesus came.
3. Jesus Saves
The defining moment in human history was the birth of a baby in a small town two thousand years ago. This baby was God in human form—fully God and fully man at the same time (Colossians 1:19). The coming of Jesus begins the fulfillment of God’s plan to bring sinful people near to a holy God. Jesus is God with us.
Jesus grew into a man, lived a sinless life, and died a sin-bearing death on the cross to pay the price for our sins, restoring the relationship that was broken in the garden (Genesis 3:23-24). This work of Jesus was for all sins, for all humanity, for all time (Romans 5:18-19). By placing your faith in Jesus and accepting his death on the cross as payment for your sins, you now have access to God and everything found in the riches of his fullness (Ephesians 3:14-19).
This radical change of relationship with God is only possible because of what Jesus did on the cross. And by trusting in Jesus’s death for the forgiveness of your sins, you are now free of the condemnation of sin, guilt, and shame (Romans 8:1).
4. Christ Is My Life
Jesus’s work didn’t stop on the cross. Three days later he rose from the grave, defeating death and bringing new life (1 Corinthians 15:3-4.) This is why Christians are so in love with Jesus. He saved us from our biggest problem—our sin! So, following him is now what defines our lives.
When you become a Christian, the Holy Spirit, which is God in us, begins to change you from the inside out (Colossians 1:27). He gives you new wants and desires, and he calls you to things you never imagined. You gladly listen to his voice because of what Jesus did for you.
This does not guarantee an easy life. Jesus never promises the absence of pain or suffering when you become a Christian, but he does promise to be with you through it all (John 16:33). Or as Pastor Mark once said, “When all you have left is Jesus, you have enough.”
You’re never alone as a Christian. God will help you; he will sustain you; he will strengthen you (Isaiah 41:10). He will provide for you (Matthew 6:25-34). He will protect you (Psalm 121:7-8). Because those who are in Christ are forever secure, there is no safer place for you to be than in Christ (John 10:28-29). You can be confident about this because he is always for you (Romans 8:31-39).
Don’t Let Go of the Gospel
This is why I love baptism Sundays. I get to hear stories of how ordinary people put their faith in Jesus and how that changed their lives. I get to rehearse the gospel with them.
My favorite part is seeing them emerge from the water with the biggest smiles on their faces. They know they are a different person, and it wasn’t because of anything they have done, only because of what Jesus has done for them.
God is holy. I am not. Jesus saves. Christ is my life. This is the gospel. This is what it means to be a Christian. May these truths sink in your soul when you’re discouraged. You are in Christ. He is your life. Don’t let go of the gospel.
