This Is Not That: Baptism
Celebration. Not Transaction.
People have made a big deal out of baptism. And for good reason. It’s a picture of dying and rising—a celebration of life.
But somewhere along the way, people stopped treating it as a celebration and started treating it as a transaction. Like a magic key that unlocks God’s approval. As if the water does what Jesus didn’t already do.
That’s not the story the Bible tells.
When Jesus steps into the Jordan River to be baptized, He’s not performing a ritual to become holy. He’s stepping into our story.
When John the Baptist hesitated—“I should be baptized by You!”—Jesus said, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).
In other words: Let’s do this so everyone can see what’s already true—that I’m one with them, and they’re one with Me.
Jesus’ Baptism Was Ours Too
That’s the heart of it: Jesus didn’t endorse baptism to show us how to become one with God; He came to show us that we already were. This is the mystery Paul later names: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
I say that, because there was never a time when you—or creation itself—existed outside of Jesus.
So when Jesus went down into the water, He took all of creation with Him.
When He came up, so did we. His baptism, like His death and resurrection, was ours (Romans 6:4–5).
It was heaven’s way of saying, This is who you’ve always been—My beloved.
Therefore, our baptism isn’t an act by which we make something true; it’s something we do when we’ve awakened to what’s been true all along.
When Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens tore open. The Spirit descended like a dove. And the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16–17).
That segment wasn’t just about Jesus—it was about you.
Because the same Spirit that rested on Him rests on you (Romans 8:11). And the same voice that called Him beloved calls you the same (1 John 3:1).
Baptism doesn’t create that truth. It announces it.
Celebrating What’s Already True
Paul says, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Romans 6:3).
It’s not a formula—it’s a reminder.
We were buried with Him, yes. But we were also raised with Him. And again—here’s the kicker: Paul says this about everyone.
“All died in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:14). Which means the whole world has already been included in that death and resurrection.
In short: baptism doesn’t start the story—it celebrates it.
That’s why Peter could stand up after Pentecost and shout, “Be baptized, every one of you!” (Acts 2:38). Not so that they could finally belong, but because they already did.
The Spirit had been poured out on all flesh (Acts 2:17), and Peter wanted them to know it. Baptism was their chance to join the celebration—to name out loud the life that had already named them.
And sure, if you keep reading that verse, you find where some translations use the phrase—“for the remission of sins.” But the Greek word there, eis, means because of, or in light of.
So Peter isn’t saying “be baptized so you’ll be forgiven.”
That would contradict all that Jesus taught and John’s words: “your sins have been forgiven on account of his name” (1 John 2:12). Instead, Peter is saying “be baptized because you already are.”
In short, baptism isn’t the condition for grace—it’s the celebration of it.
Wherever There’s Water
Even Jesus points to this when He feels everyone who believes Him to, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
That phrase “in the name” means into the reality of. It’s not an initiation ceremony. It’s a welcome into what’s always been true: you already live and move and have your being in God (Acts 17:28).
And Mark’s Gospel puts it simply: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).
Not because the water performs the saving, but because baptism reveals what belief has already discovered—our union with God.
To see what I mean: notice the contrast Jesus draws: disbelief, not unbaptized bodies, is what keeps people from seeing what’s true.
This is why the early followers of Jesus didn’t wait for a class, a certificate, or a church service. They baptized one another wherever there was water—rivers, lakes, even roadside puddles.
It was that simple. A friend finds life in Jesus, another friend says, “Let’s celebrate,” and down they both go.
Wherever water was, grace found a way to use it.
Perhaps the best example of this is the Ethiopian official in Acts 8. He hears the good news from Philip and shouts, “Look! Water! What’s stopping me from being baptized?”
Nothing. Because baptism isn’t about earning—it’s about enjoying. It’s the exhale of grace.
Like a kid at the beach, racing into the waves, laughing and dunking under. There’s no fear there. Just joy.
That’s baptism—letting love wash over you because you finally stopped trying to stay dry.
Or maybe it’s like walking through a thunderstorm after years of drought. You can’t control it; you just stand there and soak it in.
The water doesn’t make the sky generous. It just reveals it always was.
Let the Celebration Begin
So if you’ve been baptized—beautiful. If you haven’t—find a friend who believes and a spot to celebrate your faith.
Just remember: like a wedding ring doesn’t make you married, baptism doesn’t make you God’s. It’s a sign of the covenant that’s already in place (Eph 1:13).
God didn’t wait for your permission to make peace with you.
He did that in Jesus (Colossians 1:20).
And Jesus didn’t wait for you to come find Him.
He came looking for you (Luke 19:10).
Baptism is the moment we stop pretending we’re separate and say what’s always been true: “I’m home.”
The love that fills Jesus fills us all.
The water just helps us remember:
You are mine.
You’ve always been.
Now let’s celebrate.
And let’s not let it stop there.
Because once baptism is seen as naming what’s already true, worship turns out to be something very different than we were taught.
That’s where we’ll go next.