One Word, Three Meanings

This past Sunday, our church celebrated Baptism Sunday, and as one of twelve participants who chose to be baptized, I can honestly share that my week has been overtaken with a renewed and enhanced connection with God. But, why does one choose to be baptized? In my case, it was a calling that God placed on my heart at the age of ten, and twenty-five years later finally came to pass. 

For those who have been baptized, do you remember the first time you witnessed a baptism and had an instant desire to be “washed of your sins?” For me, that moment happened at Brentwood Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. I was ten years old, and my father was the pipe organist for the church. 

One of Houston’s premiere-Black megachurches of the nineties, Baptism Sunday was a celebratory day held in a splendid pool that sat behind the choir stand. I can see it through the lens of my ten-year-old eyes today. A few of my friends from Sunday School were “dunked” as they jokingly said, and I longed for that intimate moment with God.

 “What was it like?” I remember asking one of my friends as her hair air-dried under the Houston sun.

“It was incredible,” she said.  

As a ten-year-old, I knew there was something waiting for me in the water, but it took decades for me to finally reach an understanding of what baptism is, and what this past Sunday’s glory truly meant to me.

 As I entered the baptismal pool, all I could do was smile. I even remember giggling, as I couldn’t believe it was finally happening. “We did it, God! We finally did it!” was all I could hear as I approached Deacon Ralph and Elder Burrell, tears flooding my eyes because I knew God was pleased. 

There is nothing like that sacred moment between you and God. Everything goes silent when you’re underwater, and for 2-seconds, it’s just the two of you – meeting and reconnecting for a powerful and fulfilling journey ahead. 

In Ephesians 4:5 the scripture references “one baptism” which some have interpreted as “one baptism for the remission of all sins.” However, one, or multiple baptisms can occur throughout a believer’s life. In fact, Paul, the author of both Ephesians and Acts, references baptism quite differently in each book: Ephesians refers to “one baptism” while Acts 19 refers to baptism as an act to receive the Holy Spirit. 

First, how complex is our God to not only have the same author of both books discuss baptism in two distinctly different ways. And secondly, Paul doesn’t refer to “one baptism” as a specific ritual or method, but instead, being baptized is the foundation of faith that unites all believers. It’s a bodily and spiritual gesture that not only physically cleanses but purifies our hearts in Christ. 

We serve such a complex, yet gentle, God that the word “baptize” not only references water, but one can be baptized by the Holy Spirit, and in Christ. It is an evolving action that should be carried with us long after we are “dunked” in the water. 

Therefore, why does one choose to be baptized? Quite simply: to grow closer to God. Being baptized serves as a vow between you and God, and ultimately reveals your commitment.