BD #12 - Two Ordinances (Baptism) | Matthew 3:13-17

Opening Remarks: Last week we looked at the Baptist Distinctive of Two Ordinances: Baptism & Lord’s Supper. We’ve already covered Lord’s Supper and last time we simply did an overview on the ordinances.

An Ordinance is a divinely instituted rite which conveys truth through symbolism.

The Ordinances came from Jesus to us as a way to remember His redemptive work until He returns.

The Lord’s Supper points to the cross. Baptism points to Gospel - which is Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. It also points to the difference the Gospel has made in the lives of sinners like us.

We were placed in Christ and we rose with Him in new life at salvation.

But tonight, we’re going to look at 5 Elements of Scriptural Baptism:

A Scriptural Candidate (subject) – a born again individual

2. A Scriptural Method (mode) – immersion

3.  A Scriptural Motive (purpose) – to picture Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection; to confess our discipleship

4.  A Scriptural Authority (administrator) – a New Testament church

5.  A Scriptural Identity (doctrinal) – NT doctrine

I.    A Scriptural Candidate

A.  Who is the proper candidate for baptism? We’ve already spent some time on this, but here’s a quick review.

Acts 2:41, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized.”

This implies that baptism is the first step of obedience in the Christian life.

If you’re unwilling to take that first step, then you have not truly submitted yourself to Christ. One might even question the validity of your decision to be saved.

Acts 8:12, “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”

And in Acts 10:47, Peter asks, “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?”

B.   Salvation precedes baptism. This is the plain teaching of Scripture.

The Roman Church and several Protestant denominations practice the baptism of infants. Some believe that baptism of babies contributes to their salvation.

But there is no evidence of that ever being practiced in the Bible.

First, there is evidence that infants are safe in Christ and are not yet held accountable for their sin. Even though they have a sin nature they’re not yet under God’s wrath. (Rom 1:18-19 that God’s wrath is revealed to those who have an understanding and still choose unrepentance.)

After his infant son died, David said in 2 Samuel 12:23 “But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”

David said that he would go to his son, but that his son would not return to him. That implies that babies aren’t judged for sin until they reach a certain age of understanding.

Second, if the parents have a correct view of baptism (that it is only a symbol of salvation), infants are still not candidates because they are unable to express repentance of sin and faith in Christ.

The only candidate for true baptism is a believer in Christ who comes of his own will with a sincere profession of faith and a clear understanding of the Gospel.

C. So why was Jesus baptized? He had no need to be saved.

True, but He was already righteous before God, making Him a proper candidate.

Second, Jesus being baptized is further evidence that it doesn’t wash away sins because Jesus had no sin.

Third, it’s primarily a symbol of His death, burial and resurrection. His baptism looked ahead to that.

Fourth, Christ’s baptism is yet another instance of Jesus leading by example. He doesn’t ask us to do something that He’s unwilling to do Himself. He came and walked in our flesh. Was tempted like we are. Felt hunger and pain and death, just like we do.

II.  Scriptural Method – Immersion

A.  Reason #1 – The Bible teaches immersion.

Matthew 3:4-6 – John baptized “in” the river Jordan. This would be unnecessary if sprinkling or pouring were the mode. It’s obvious that immersion was the practice.

Matthew 3:13-17 – “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water… (16)” Jesus and John the Baptist had to have gone down into the water in order to come up out of the water.

John 3:23 – “And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.”

Acts 8:36-38 – “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”

B.   Reason #2 – The meaning of the word itself points to immersion.

In the New Testament, whenever we see the English word “baptize” we are looking at a transliteration of a Greek word βαπτίζω (pronounced “bap-tid’-zo). It means to “whelm,” or “make fully wet.” It is from a root word that literally means “to dip.”

Christian baptism, then, if it is faithful to the New Testament, is immersion into water. That is the only proper mode the Bible allows.

C.   Reason #3 – That which baptism pictures requires immersion.

This is the symbolic argument. Baptism is a burial—it symbolizes the burial of Christ. Romans 6:4-5

A corpse isn’t laid out on the ground and sprinkled over with dirt; it is buried. Infant sprinkling does not picture the gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection. Only immersion pictures that.

D. Reason #4 – History supports immersion.

You might call this the historical argument for immersion.

The original mode of baptism was immersion. Even experts agree to this.

Dollinger (Old Catholic): “Baptists are, however, from the Protestant point of view, unassailable, since for their demand of baptism by submersion they have the clear Bible text.”

The Method is Immersion  

III.  Scriptural Motive (what it symbolizes)

A. The symbol of Baptism is to commemorate Christ's death, burial and resurrection. It is a picture of the gospel.

Baptism is not to be performed as a means to earn saving grace. It doesn’t absolve us of the guilt of our sins. Jesus' death does that!

At the same time, baptism is a picture of saving grace.

Paul said that believers are “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12) Baptism pictures us being placed into Christ at salvation.

Baptism is not the grounds of our salvation, but it is a symbol.

1 Peter 3:21 — Baptism does not wash away our sins but is the answer of a good conscience.

Eph. 2:9 states that salvation is not of works lest any man should boast. If you can see it done, it doesn’t help with salvation. Now, good works certainly point back to salvation according to the next verse, but they’re not in order to obtain salvation.

B.  So Baptism’s motive is to reveal the Gospel – the death burial and resurrection, but not just in an overview sense – in a personal sense.

It reveals the effect of the Gospel in the life of the one who being baptized.

It’s an outward expression of an inward faith.

Illustration: Wedding ring doesn’t make you married but it shows you are. As a Christian, living for and like Christ doesn’t make you a Christian, it reveals that you are one.

IV.  Scriptural Authority – Mt. 28:18-20

A.   The only proper administrator of Scriptural Baptism is a NT church.

This deals with the question: Who has authority to baptize? This can be divisive and it has separated Baptists from others.

Plenty of good people don’t see the importance of having proper authority to baptize, and so they will accept into membership anyone who has been immersed, no matter where it happened or administered it.

On the other hand, plenty of Baptists hold a tighter view, believing that the authority to baptize takes place through a proper New Testament church. Therefore, they will only receive into membership those who were baptized by a Baptist church of like faith and order.

Even though that’s where we stand, it’s not to discount someone’s baptism. It’s because we believe there was a transfer of authority from Jesus to that first church in Jerusalem, which means that only a church can be an administrator of baptism.

The Great Commission Christ gave to that first church should help us understand this:

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

There was a heavenly transfer of authority through Jesus Christ to that first church in Jerusalem. And we believe, now, to every genuine, NT church, down the line.

B. Some ask, “Who was Jesus telling ‘Go ye therefore’ too?”

The apostles: But if they died, the authority died with them.

Individual Christians: That doesn’t make sense, because it means individuals are responsible to go into the all the world, teach, and train personally. Which is impossible. It’s a huge task.”

The commission was given institutionally. Authority was given to Christ’s churches. This is the only practical answer, because it allows the work of the Lord to proceed unbroken until Jesus comes again.

Authority in Baptism should matter to us because it certainly mattered to the Lord.

C. We know this because of Jesus’ baptism.

Jesus Christ walked about 70 miles from Galilee to Jordan to get baptized by John the Baptist.

There were many streams in Galilee. There was the Sea of Galilee. And there were other believers around Him. apostles could have done it. But He went to John. Because authority in Baptism mattered. That was God’s plan. Christ did it to fulfill all righteousness.

John the Baptist had heaven’s authority to baptize, so that’s where Jesus went. John 1:6, John 3:26-27

When Jesus planted the first church in Jerusalem, they had divine authority to baptize. Jesus authorized His disciples to baptize. (John 4:1-2) So the first church had authority to baptize.

When Philip went out to witness to and baptize the Ethiopian eunuch, he wasn’t doing it as a lone wolf. He had been a deacon in the church at Jerusalem, according to Acts 6:5. He went out to places like Samaria, Gaza, and Caesarea. Acts 21 calls him an evangelist and we know he was sent out of the church at Jerusalem.

In Acts 9, God authorized Ananias, a member of the church in Damascus, to baptize Saul.

Peter and Paul and Barnabus and all the others in the book of Acts were sent out carried with them the proper authority.

D.  So we value the authority of baptism.

And because of that, we try to discern where to draw lines when it comes to baptisms that we accept.

And whether or not we all agree, I think we all agree that we have to draw lines somewhere:

Most of us would agree there are certain religions we wouldn’t accept baptism from. So we all draw lines.

I might draw mine a little tighter in that I believe it’s safest to start with the name Baptist.

We’ll go from there when it comes to examining doctrine and those things, but that’s the first qualification. Immersion in a Baptist church.

Some may say that’s too tight, but if Christ walked 70 miles, then it must matter. And because we’re not given a filter, we have to decide based on what seems the safest.

There’s one more element of Scriptural Baptism.

V.  Scriptural Identification

A.  Baptism is a public declaration of personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, baptism is an identification with Jesus Christ and His Gospel.

That’s why it’s done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

But there’s even more to it: Baptism identifies one with a particular congregation and the body of doctrine that congregation holds to.

NT Baptism was a public declaration that you accept all of Christ’s and the apostles’ doctrine.

B.  Remember Acts 2:41-42

“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

To be baptized at EBC means you’ve not only made a public profession of your faith, but you have identified with this church and its teaching.

That’s why Baptists have historically taken it so seriously. Baptism identifies doctrine. 

So in summary, baptism is the immersion in water of a genuine believer by a NT church to symbolize the Gospel and identify an individual with that church.

1.     A Scriptural Candidate (subject) – a born again individual

2.     A Scriptural Method (mode) – immersion

3.     A Scriptural Motive (purpose) – to picture the Gospel and discipleship

4.     A Scriptural Authority (administrator) – a New Testament church

5.     A Scriptural Identity (doctrinal) – NT doctrine

Conclusion: 

1.    Have you received Scriptural baptism?

2.    If not, would you be willing to submit to it?

3.    If you’ve been Scripturally baptized, your first public act of obedience was a picture of Jesus Christ. So let me ask, how clearly has your life revealed Jesus Christ since then?

4. Think about it – your first step of obedience was a public testimony of Jesus Christ. That’s supposed to set the tone for the rest of your life, but sometimes we forget and our lives become more a reflection of ourselves or our culture than the One we’re supposed to reflect.

5.    Baptism sets the tone of our lives as being submitted to Christ and to reflect Him in every way.

A spirit of humble submission is a picture of Christ. Do we have that spirit toward each other? In our dealings with each other? That spirit that says, “I die to myself so that Christ can be seen in me.” Is that a daily choice in your life? To die to self so that others can see Christ in us?

That’s the tone that Baptism sets for the rest of our lives. Is that happening in yours?

Baptism makes a difference:

It points to Christ’ Gospel

It reflects what has happened in our lives

It points to a submissive spirit of humility

And it is a picture of us dying to self so Christ can be seen