Why public baptism?

Let me walk you through this morning a helpful understanding of the significance of baptism so as you observe baptism take place, you can do so with understanding behind it.

Baptism is a public step of faith.

Baptism is a public step of faith that an individual takes, having trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin, experiencing a brand new life in Him, and then step forward in faith, saying, “I am now a devoted follower of Jesus.”

Nothing magical happens during a baptism, but sometimes people can get very nervous about being baptized. Funny baptism story.

The Bible is where we get our marching orders. This is why we do what we do, being reflected this morning, from Acts 2.

Acts 2:41 sets forth the pattern for what a local church is supposed to be about. You can see that after Peter preached the very first message in what is called the church age, the people there realized their guilt, realized what they had done in rejecting Christ, and heard the good news of the gospel about what Jesus alone could do for them, at it says this ...

Acts 2:41 NKJV

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

Those who gladly received his word = literally to accept with satisfaction. There is nothing like the satisfaction of understanding the gospel, understanding its personal message for you, and to accept that truth and experience its life changing result. That is when they believe.

Then it says that next they were baptized. We’ll talk about that in a moment, but the New Testament pattern is to believe, to be baptized, then to belong. So baptism is central to what we see being taught here in the Scriptures.

3 reason why we go public in BAPTISM

Let’s look briefly at 3 reasons why we go public in baptism. Why do we do this? Why do we have this public time of testimony and baptism? Why can’t we just do this in private some place?

Here are the reasons why:

1. It’s a matter of obedience.

Baptism is a direct ask from Jesus to go public for Him.

Matthew 10:32–33 NLT

“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

Jesus asks everyone who comes to Him to go public for Him. Baptism is the way Jesus asks us to own our relationship with Him before others. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”

Baptism is when in obedience we stand up and are counted. It’s saying, “I’m not ashamed of Christ.” It’s not saying that I have my act together, or that I’ve arrived, or that I’m better than anybody else, but I have moved from one camp to the other, and I’ve come to Jesus for my forgiver and as my leader.

One of our goals is to minimize the number of people who will someday have to stand before God Almighty and confess that they spent their life in the camp of the uncommitted. We see that baptism is the step of obedience that Jesus calls us to. It’s when you declare to your community, “This is who I am! This is who I follow! This is what I believe!”

What’s interesting in the New Testament Christianity, the early followers of Jesus got this loud and clear. There is not one deviation in the New Testament from this pattern of people having trusting in Christ and then following Him in obedience to being baptized. It would have been unthinkable, and a direct act of disobedience toward the Savior whom they believed in and wanted to follow, because it really was a specific and direct ask from Jesus.

So baptism is a step of obedience. Secondly ...

2. It’s a matter of testimony.

It’s a testimony to reflect what has happened to you spiritually when you trusted in Jesus.

It’s an illustration. When you go down into the waters of baptism, it reflects how you have died to sin. When you are buried under the water, it reflects Christ’s death. When you raise up out of the water, it reflects His resurrection and the new life you have received having trusted in Jesus.

Nothing salvific happens when we baptize someone. It’s just a testimony of something that has already taken place. It’s a testimony of how Jesus has washed you from your sins so that now you belong to Him. It doesn’t save you, but it testified to the fact that you are now saved.

I like to give this illustration: it’s like my wedding ring, that says that I belong to Leanne Yuhnke. That’s what it says; it’s a testimony of that.

Or, when the Eagles play, it’s not surprising that half of the people in here are wearing Eagle’s apparel. Why? Because you are unashamed, followers of the Philadelphia Eagles. They’re your team. You’re identifying with them. It shows what side you’re on, and that’s the testimony of baptism.

Then the 3rd reason why we go public in baptism ...

3. It’s a matter of testing.

Baptism is the test to see whether or not your relationship to Jesus has teeth. It’s a test to see if you’re willing to be obedient, and willing to go public for Him, and testify that you are an unashamed follower of Christ. It’s a test right at the beginning of our professed relationship to Him, to see if we are serious about our commitment or not.

So the question is ...

“Who should be baptized?”

Everyone who has entered a relationship with Jesus Christ. We see later in Acts, in chapter 22 ...

Acts 22:16 (J.B. Phillips) And now what are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized! Be clean from your sins as you call on his name.

Baptism is a badge of belonging. It’s marking God’s people off from the world, and marks a decisive break from your pre-Christian life. It’s a testimony of responsiveness and desire to be a part of the camp of the committed.

And we praise God for what we’ve seen through the years here at Faith Bible Church, whom many people God has Sovereignly and wonderfully reached down into their life story, and has totally changed the trajectory of their eternity, by helping them to see what He did for them, in giving His life so that they could have all their sins forgiven, and have a home in heaven, and purpose in their life until the day that God calls them home.

And we praise God this morning for those who God has wonderfully worked in their lives, to bring them to this point of obedience, and testimony in their desire to be a devoted follower of Jesus.

Ending poem

“You’ve heard the Word,

And know it’s true.

For now it rings inside of you.

They’re calling you to come away,

Now will you come, or stay.

You want to, now will you?

You want to, now will you?

The truth that burns within you like a bed of fiery coals

Contains the power to liberate a 1,000 captive souls

But if the truth will ever set you free depends on you.

You want to, now will you?

You want to, now will you?”

The ball is in your court now. As you’ve heard from the testimonies from others, there comes a point in time when you’re either going to choose to own it or turn from it. We want to help you on that journey. There’s always an open invitation. We’d love to meet with you, to hear where you are, and hear your questions, and to help you navigate them through God’s answer book, the Bible. We want you to understand the hope that only the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring into your life. We encourage you to get in touch with as at your earliest convenience.