In his next to last observation on the vanity of life apart from fearing God and keeping His commandments, the Preacher of Ecclesiastes says: "...of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh." (Ecclesiastes 12:12)

So much is written and so little is read. When what is written is read and studied it is often weariness to the flesh and provides little satisfaction to the soul. Much has been written over the years on the subject of baptism and it is anticipated that much more will be written. The purpose of this essay is not an attempt to add to the growing stack of paper on the subject of baptism. This essay is an attempt to bring a practical, pastoral dimension to bear on the subject and to get at the question: What is it that Christ would have us to understand about the practical importance of baptism? After all, as members of His church we have all received the sign and seal of baptism and we understand, to a greater or lesser degree, its theological signi­ficance. But what use can we make of it? That's the question in a nutshell.

Briefly stated, as a sacrament, baptism is an outward visible sign and a seal to us (HC #66; Belgic Article 33). But that's not all it is. As a sign and seal baptism points to the presence of inward invisible grace whereby the person who is baptized stands in a special reconciled relationship to God through Christ, having his sins forgiven through the blood and Spirit of Christ and is then bound to live in terms of that relationship as he is renewed and sanctified by the Holy Spirit (HC 70, Belgic 34). This is not to say, of course, that all that are outwardly baptised have received this inward invisible grace. But it is to say that where true faith is present, that which baptism signifies and seals to the true believer is indeed present. As our Heidelberg Catechism makes very clear in question and answer 72 the outward washing with water is not the washing away of our sins. The blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit only can do that.

The questions still remain however. Why is baptism important to us? What use may we make of our baptism? If we will step back from these questions for a moment and consider a principal truth of scripture, it may be helpful in preparing the ground for the final answer.

When we come, by the agency of the Holy Spirit (John 6:44), to the place of crying out as the Publican, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13) and truly believe and trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 16:31), and are justified (Luke 18:14), scripture tells us we are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). That seal is not outward but inward. It is an internal witness (1 John 5:10; Romans 8:16). It serves to secure to the believer all the benefits obtained by Christ (Ephesians 4:30). It is an authentication of God's ownership of the believer through Christ (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, cf. 2 Corinthians 5). To speak in covenantal terms, this sealing of the Holy Spirit, after we believe, means that God confirms to us that He is our God and we are His people.

Now the benefits secured for us by Christ in terms of justification and sanctification which are sealed to us by the Holy Spirit are thoroughly set forth in our confessional standards and do not need repeating here in this brief essay. But the reality of the Christian life is that while we believe all that we have received in and through Christ, there are times when we struggle. There are those seasons when sin seems to have the upper hand; when faith and love seems to decline, when doubts enter, when unbelief assails, when we find ourselves profoundly weak in our Christian walk. In those times it often appears to be a laborious thing to lift our hearts to cry to God for relief, for tokens of His favour, for the strengthening of faith and trust in His promises. All around appears to be sinking sand. The soul seems to be slipping into one of its dark nights.

It is precisely here that we may draw strength from the sacraments, particularly baptism. Baptism as the outward sign signifies what has been received inwardly and sealed to us by the Holy Spirit, "namely, the gifts and invisible grace; washing, cleansing, and purging our souls of all filth and unrighteousness; renewing our hearts and filling them with all comfort; giving unto us a true assurance of His fatherly goodness; putting on us the new man, and putting off the old man with all his deeds." (Belgic 34, Par. 3) As a means of grace baptism signifies and seals to us that we have put on Christ with all His benefits and visibly represents to us that we are reconciled to God, that we belong to Him, that no man shall pluck us from His hand and that all the promised blessings of the covenant — the washing away of sins and our participation in the life of Christ — are ours.

In other words the sacrament of baptism is a means of strengthening our faith, combating our doubts, allaying our fears, assuring us of our pardon by outwardly declaring to us over and over again, that we are indeed in union with Christ (Romans 6) and nothing shall separate us from His love. Our baptism is a God-given place for us to stand, a sensible sign and seal, enabling us to get a better grip on our union with Jesus Christ that the eye of faith might look upward from the visible outward sign and seal to Christ alone, who is the author and finisher of our faith.

In practical terms our baptism serves as the place where the "buck" of doubt, unbelief and despair in the face of indwelling sin, stops. Our baptism is the sign and seal that these things run into and can go no further. It is the place where the runaway heart is brought back to its senses as to what it possesses in Christ and what it is obliged to do. Our baptism outwardly signifies and seals — it declares to us — what God has wrought in our hearts and lives, through His Son. A consideration of our baptism puts us back on the pathway of love and duty.

In short, the practical importance of baptism lies, as the Belgic at Article 34, Par. 5 states, with respect to our baptised children "...indeed Christ shed his blood no less for the washing of the children of believers than for adult persons; and therefore they ought to receive the sign and seal of that which Christ has done for them."

There you have it in a nutshell. The questions are answered. Your baptism (and that of your covenant children) is the sign and seal of that which Christ has done for you. Baptism conducts you, as a sensible sign and seal, to the Lord of glory, your Redeemer King, Jesus Christ, in whom all the promises of God are yea and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20).