The Baptism of Aaron Fairchild

We have gathered here this morning to see Aaron Fairchild baptized. The salvation of any person takes place as it says here in the text, “by faith in the working of God.” It is not faith in a ceremony called baptism that saves us. It is faith in the working of God. It is this working of God, as we come to understand it in relation to ourselves, that He has done something for us through Christ; He has forgiven all of our sins. He has done this gracious work in the one who believes, based upon Christ's perfect obedience and His sufferings. It is this finished work of Christ that we have believed in, and this is what saves our souls. Baptism is the outward picture and sign of the inward reality of this working of God. It pictures what has been done for us by Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. We have become united to Him through His death; united also with Him in His resurrection. We have the explanation of this in the verses that we have just read. Christ, in order to save us from our sins had to do 3 things for us as believers which are pictured for us in Baptism.