The Biblical Example of Baptism
Notes
Transcript
Context
Context
Considered by most, baptism is one of the base topics and doctrines of scripture. It is considered to be one of the “Given Understandings”, that we grow up hearing very little about, while at the same time, thinking we know everything there is to know about it. Apostle Paul himself wrote:
1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Even apostle Paul calls the doctrine of baptism a “Foundational Principle.” What exactly does he mean by that comment? There are three things that come from that statement:
A Foundation is the Beginning of the Structure
When building a structure, the first thing that one must do, is lay the foundation. This speaks of the importance of understanding Baptism as soon as one is saved.
A Foundation is the Base of the Structure
Why is it so important that the doctrine of Baptism be learned right off the bat? Because it is what Paul said it was, a “Foundational Principle”. When you understand that the foundation is what bears the wait of whatever is built, this tells us that the doctrine of baptism is needed in order to build our knowledge and understanding of the deeper truths of God’s Word. Those deeper truths will stem from and build upon our understanding of the foundational principles.
A Foundation is the Backbone of the Structure
When we pour a foundation, what do we pour it out of? Do we pour our foundation out of sand, pebbles, or dirt, or do we pour our foundation out of concrete, stone, and mortar? We make the foundation solid, not so that it will hold only the weight of the structure, but so that it will hold a lot more weight than that of the structure and do so for a long time. The foundational principles of God’s Word are so desperately needed because not only do they hold the weight of more doctrine, but because they can weather the storm of doubt, dispute, lies, heresy, and so on.
Now that we understand the importance of Baptism, we need to understand what it is.
Content
Content
The Mode of Baptism
The Mode of Baptism
Different ways in which Baptism is initiated.
Immersion - Put completely under water. Completely submersed.
Aspersion - Water is sprinkled on the individual.
Affusion - The pouring of water upon the individual.
We baptize through Immersion - Complete submersion of the individual.
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
23 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized.
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
Not only do these verses seem to imply the proper mode of baptism as immersion, but the word itself literally means to do so.
The Greek word “Baptizo” means in a literal sense “to dip, plunge, or immerse”
The word can also mean metaphorically, “to experience completely; to be immersed in a thought or idea.”
This word in and of itself, cannot be taken really any other way. To be baptized is to be immersed.
Because of its relational aspect of Christ’ death, burial, and resurrection, we also immerse believers into water. If we are to be fully immersed, or related to, Christ at Calvary and participate in His burial and resurrection, the only mode of Baptism that fully encapsulates this is immersion.
We also baptize through immersion, because this has been the interpretation and practice of the Church since its beginning.
Many churches from the time of Jesus have been uncovered and discovered through archealogical digs, and guess what they have found at almost every one of those churches.....Baptismal pools. The practice of the early of the early church was to fully immerse believers into the water.
It was later on in the Catholic Church when the idea of infant baptism came about. They understood that every person was born with a sinful nature. This sinful disposition came to be known doctrinally as original sin. The idea was that we are all born into this life far from God. Though I would agree with that statement, they then justified the baptism of infants, which in their minds, held them over spiritually until they could mature enough to choose Christ on their own.
Once the practice of infant baptism came into play, other forms of baptism came with it. The infants were obviously not immersed completely under, but rather sprinkled, or had water poured on them. If that mode of Baptism was good enough for the babies, it must also be good enough for adults as well.
To start with, the other modes of Baptism were allowed only in certain circumstances, like babies, elderly, or sickly. But after a period of time, these other modes became an acceptable practice for all.
We hold to the Biblical example of baptism, which is a full immersion into the water, representing a full immersion into our new life in Christ.
The Origin of Baptism
The Origin of Baptism
Baptism is not a NT thing only. Though baptism is never directly mentioned in the OT, the thought of washing oneself for the purpose of cleansing was. Many times throughout the OT, one was told to wash Himself in a river to be cleansed.
10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”
We also see God’s clear command for the priests to be washed/cleansed before performing any form of sacrifice or worship before the people.
17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
18 “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it,
19 for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it.
20 When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die.
21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”
The Pharisees practiced this as well.
2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
John the Baptist was under the OT covenant.
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
The Meaning of Baptism
The Meaning of Baptism
There is an age long debate of whether baptism is necessary for salvation or not. Honestly, the answer is no and yes.
We must understand that the Word of God describes different types of Baptism throughout its many pages.
The Baptism of John
This is a baptism that identified the participants with the coming Messiah. It looked forward to Christ. It was a physical baptism into water that signified a spiritual repentance in the heart of the believer (Matthew 3:6-11). Acts 19:1-5 shows how this baptism has ended. People are not baptized for the sake of repentance today, but are baptized into the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples
2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”
4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
At salvation, we are placed into the body of Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
John’s baptism was a water baptism that identified people with the coming Messiah, but once the Messiah had come, this baptism was no longer necessary. Many people were baptized by John, under the belief that the Messiah would come and save them from their oppressors. But once Jesus actually came, they crucified the very one they had recently confessed in baptism.
This Holy Spirit baptism was the moment in which someone believed in Jesus as their personal Lord and Master. Once they had completely surrendered, or immersed, themselves into the belief of Christ, the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit cleansed them of all past sin and created a new person within them.
The Believer’s Baptism
We are placed into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit at salvation. After being saved, we now are baptized looking back to Christ and what He accomplished for us at Calvary and the tomb. We no longer look forward to a nameless Messiah whom we don’t fully understand. We look backward at the Christ named Jesus, who came to take away the sin of the world.
Our baptism now fully immerses us into the understanding and belief of Christ. As we put the person under the water, they are buried with Christ, and as they are raised back up out of the water, they are raised to walk in newness of life, which represents His resurrection.
Believer’s Baptism is an outward expression to all present of what has already taken place inside our hearts. Because of what Christ has done on our behalf, we have been saved by the grace of God and we want the world around us to know that we are different because of Him.
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The Representation
Identification
Believer’s Baptism is done so that we might be identified with Christ.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
We are different because of our salvation and we want the world to know that. It is the profound claim, “I am a child of God through Jesus Christ my Lord.”
Dedication
When we partake in Believer’s Baptism, we are not only indentifying ourselves with Christ, we are also dedicating ourselves to Christ. Many times in the NT, it is said to be baptized for the “Remission of sins.” This is speaking of a repentant heart that no longer wants to live in sin but rather one that now believes in Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It is an outward expression of inward emotion. It is openly proclaiming on the outside what has already transpired on the inside. You are telling the world what Jesus has done for you and that from this point forward, your life is going to be spent serving Him.
Initiation
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
Because of the nature of Believer’s Baptism and how it is the individual making a public announcement of their faith in Christ, baptism has become a requirement for anyone looking to join a Baptist Church.
After these people were baptized, they were added unto the church. Therefore, before one becomes a part of the church, they must first be baptized. After making their public profession in Christ, they are eligible for membership into the Church.
Commitment
Commitment
In closing, Baptism is the first act of obedience that we are to participate in after choosing to follow Christ. It is also our way of telling the world that we are unashamed to be called a child of the Most High God!
If you have not been baptized, you need to be. If you truly believe in Christ, then you want to be obedient to Him. We do this by following His command to be baptized in His name and then faithfully following Him from that day forward.
