Throughout Christian history, martial imagery has been used to depict the battle that rages between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of God. It’s been applied to the Christian life, and history as a whole. This isn’t an instance of over-active Christian imaginations. Rather, it is a thoroughly biblical theme. To be baptized into Christ Jesus is a military act in the long war between the City of God and the City of Man. Baptism is a sign that the individual is now conquered territory. As such, he must live as a good soldier of the cross.
A good soldier marches in undying loyalty to the Captain of the Armies of the Living God. That is just another way of saying that those who are baptized are to walk by faith all their days. Baptism, then, is like enlistment papers, enrolling this one to fight the good fight of faith in this war which we know will have a certain outcome; for the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our God and of His Christ. So then, in the words of this little one’s OT namesake, King Asa of Judah, “We rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee (2 Chr. 14:11).”
So welcome our brother to Jesus Christ…
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