Baptism Part 2
Sunday School • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 6 viewsNotes
Transcript
Truth about Baptism and its relationship to Salvation Part 2
Truth about Baptism and its relationship to Salvation Part 2
Let us move on to our next verse
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
In our verse, our Lord uses the phrase “born of water” in answer to Nicodemus’ question about how to enter the kingdom of heaven. He told Nicodemus “he must be born again”.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus questioned how a person could be born again. How could an adult be born again by his mother?
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
Jesus answered with our verse we are studying today.
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Now let us take a closer look at this verse so we can understand what Jesus meant by saying this and how we could answer this question presented to us. Remember my goal is not to get you to believe what I believe, but for you to get the information on your own by presenting the facts.
Being “born of the Spirit” is very easily interpreted , this means a new life that only the Holy Spirit can produce, what we know as salvation.
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
Where we may run into some disagreement is the meaning of when Jesus said “born of water”. There are a couple of different schools of thought.
1. One perspective is that “born of water” refers to physical birth. Unborn babies float in the amniotic sac of the mother for nine months. When the time of birth arrives, the amniotic sac bursts, and the baby is born in a rush of “water” , entering the world as a new creature. The birth parallels being “ born of the Spirit” , as a similar new birth occurs in our hearts.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
A person once-born has physical life; a person twice-born has eternal life.
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Just as the baby contributes no work during the birthing process, the work is done by the mother, so it is with spiritual birth. We are merely recipients of God’s grace as He gives us new birth through His Spirit.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
According to this view, Jesus was using a teaching technique He often employed by comparing a spiritual truth with a physical reality. Nicodemus did not understand spiritual birth, but he could understand physical birth so that was where Jesus took him. Before anyone asks , this is the view I personally think is true. However I am not saying that the other perspective is false and I can see the truth in the other perspective. So if you believe in the other perspective, I am not saying you are wrong. It does not change the message Jesus was trying to teach.
2. The other perspective is that “born of water” refers to a spiritual cleansing and that Nicodemus would have naturally understood it this way. According to this view, “born of water” and “born of the Spirit” are different ways of saying the same thing, once metaphorically and once literally. Jesus’ words “born of water and the Spirit” describe different aspects of the same spiritual birth, or of what it means to be born again.So, when Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be “born of water”, He was referring to his need for spiritual cleansing. Throughout the Old Testament, water is used figuratively of spiritual cleansing.
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
17 And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel: 18 And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave: 19 And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Nicodemus , a teacher of the law, would have been familiar with the concept of physical water representing spiritual purification.
The New Testament, too, uses water as a figure of the new birth. Regeneration is called a “washing” brought about by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God at the moment of salvation.
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
Christians are washed , sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
The “washing” Paul speaks of here is a spiritual one.
Whichever perspective is correct, one thing is for certain, Jesus was not teaching that one must be baptized in water in order to be saved. Baptism is not mentioned nowhere in the context, nor did Jesus ever imply that we must do anything to inherit eternal life but trust in Him in faith.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The emphasis of Jesus’ words is on repentance and spiritual renewal, we need the “living water” Jesus later promised the woman at the well.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Water baptism is an outward sign that we have given our lives to Jesus, but not a requirement for salvation.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Let us go to our next verse
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
It is likely that many in Peter’s audience know of John the Baptist and even heard him preach. Those who accepted his words would have repented from their sins and been baptized to show they affirm his message. And they would know that he did not claim to have any significance in and of himself, but that he was proclaiming that the Messiah was coming. In addition, John prophesied the Holy Spirit would come with fire, as He did that morning,
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
and the Messiah would give the Holy Spirit to His followers and destroy those who rejected Him.
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
So, Peter’s words are familiar to any Jew who spends time in Jerusalem. the call to repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit is the same as that given by John, but the addition of Jesus’ name is new. It marks the fulfillment of John’s prophecy.
16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
It seems that anywhere baptism is mentioned in the New Testament, there is always confusion that follows. So it must be clear that baptism is not required in any way to be saved. We are saved by grace through faith.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Baptism, is an outward public sign, not a requirement in and of itself.
“Repent” is from the Koine Greek word metanoeo. It means to completely change one’s pattern, to admit error and accept the truth. In Christianity, it means to accept the viewpoint of God about the world, Jesus, and oneself, and act accordingly. “Forgiveness” is from the Koine Greek word aphesis. It is a pardon, granted by the victim of a crime or offense, whereby the victim agrees to relinquish his/her rights to recompense from the perpetrator. In this case, God forgives our crimes against Him and places the burden on Jesus.
So it is that Peter calls the Jews to admit they are wrong , accept God’s correct view of things, and trust that Jesus has paid for their sins. What was the result that day?
Let us look at our last verse today
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
In the course of a couple of hours, the infant church of Jerusalem has grown from 120
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
to three thousand. Jesus promised His followers they would receive the Holy Spirit and be His witnesses, starting in Jerusalem.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
This verse brings up an interesting question of when a new believer should be baptized. In the New Testament church, people are baptized immediately upon accepting Christ as their Savior, in one special instance even before receiving the Holy Spirit.
9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. 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. 13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. 14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: 15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: 16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
How much do new believers need to understand? While many of the Jews and people who lived around Judea know about Jesus and how He fulfilled Judaism, the Philippian jailer and his family don’t, and Paul and Silas see to their baptism right away.
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
The early believers are baptized right upon their conversion, and then trained in their doctrines of the faith. Over the course of history, as more false teaching assaults the church, training has been shifted to before baptism. This is intended so people understand their faith before publicly committing to it. Once someone claims to be saved, and has demonstrated they understand what salvation is and the purpose of baptism, there is no theological reason to wait. Baptism is not required for salvation. It should be performed as soon after conversion as reasonable. Bear in mind that a core group of 120 believers baptized three thousand converts. So we did we learn from this, neither the baptism nor the training needs to be a complex production.
