Thus, the water of Baptism links us to the goodness of God's creation and to the grace of God's covenants with Noah and Israel. Prophets of Israel, amidst the failure of their own generation to honor God's covenant, called for justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream. In his ministry, Jesus offered the gift of living water. So, Baptism is the sign and seal of God's grace and covenant in Christ. Baptism is God's gift of grace and also God's summons to respond to that grace.
Baptism calls to repentance, to faithfulness, and to discipleship.
Baptism gives the church its identity and commissions the church for ministry to the world. By whatever mode, the water should be applied visibly and generously. There are many times in worship, however, when believers acknowledge the grace of God continually at work. As they participate in the celebration of another's Baptism, as they experience the sustaining nurture of the Lord's Supper, and as they reaffirm the commitments made at Baptism, they confess their ongoing need of God's grace and pledge anew their obedience to God's covenant in Christ. The Lord's Supper is the sign and seal of eating and drinking in communion with the crucified and risen Lord.