William Willimon, from his book, Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry, on baptism and grace:

Part of the point of becoming a Christian is that it is something done to us, for us, before it is anything done by us. What we might have done different, had it been our action alone, is not as important as what Christ and his church does for us in baptism. As an infant, I was the passive recipient of this work in my behalf. Someone had to hold me, had to administer the water of baptism, had to tell me the story of Jesus and what he had done, had to speak the promises of what he would do, had to live the faith before me so that I might assume the faith for myself. In other words, by water and the Word, it was all gift, grace.