What Is Baptism

Baptize is not an english word. We just took a greek word and literally sounded out the letters.

Baptizo:

to be momentarily immersed in water as a cleansing, ceremonial, and initiatory rite.

Acts 22:16 NKJV

16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’

Mark 1:4–5 NKJV

4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 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.

Acts

Mark 1:

A baptism of repentance?

John the baptist said this:

Matthew 3:1–6 NKJV

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ” 4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

Matthew 3:1–2 NKJV

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

Matthew 3:1-

Matthew 3:1-

One more concept to understand: you can never be forced to serve God!

God has given us free choice from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden. He didn’t force Adam and Eve to not eat of the tree, but simply laid out the consequences if they did!

So we have to willingly choose to follow Him. He’ll never force you to if you don’t want to.

In it says we have to confess the Lord Jesus and believe God raised Him from the dead. , it says if we believe our faith is accounted for righteousness, and in it says that our faith must have fruit, or works, to demonstrate it. Those works don’t save you, but they *demonstrate* or *prove* you actually believe.

So to follow God, we must confess Lord Jesus, believe God raised Him from the dead, and our belief must have fruit that demonstrates it.

So what fruit would demonstrate we believe that God raised Jesus from the dead? That He’s alive right now in heaven? Watching us? Asking us to obey Him? What fruit would demonstrate that we believe He is Lord Jesus?

Only one way, renounce our ways, and accept His. Any other response, and you’re believing in some other Jesus, not Lord Jesus. You’re certainly not believing He’s alive right now, watching you! That’s called repentance.

The greek word for repetance is “metanoya” and it means this:

to reconsider (repent) v. — to have a change of self (heart and mind) that abandons former dispositions and results in a new self, new behavior, and regret over former behavior and dispositions.

Repentance is when we WILLINGLY acknowledge we did something sinful. We did something God asked us not to! We did something that displeased God, and we give up that behavior!

You cannot repent of something you won’t even acknowledge was wrong!

You cannot repent of something you have ever intention to keep doing!

He never asks us to be perfect! He never asks us earn His love, or earn salvation with the things we do. He’s looking for a heart of humility. A heart that acknowledges , where He simply says “My ways are higher than your ways.”

the attitude of humility says, “YOU’RE RIGHT! My ways are not as smart as yours! My ways result in problems, in stupid decisions, in uncertainty about the future, in loneliness, in hopelessness!” If He’s our creator, He designed all the intricately connected systems in your body, He created the planets and stars, He created the fundamental laws and constants of the universe that allow life to exist, I think He probably knows what’s best for you.

Isaiah 55:8–9 NKJV

8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

the attitude of humility says, “YOU’RE RIGHT! My ways are not as smart as yours! My ways result in problems, in stupid decisions, in uncertainty about the future, in loneliness, in hopelessness!” If He’s our creator, He designed all the intricately connected systems in your body, He created the planets and stars, He created the fundamental laws and constants of the universe that allow life to exist, I think He probably knows what’s best for you.

Matthew 7:24–26 NKJV

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:

All other religions are about works. Like a checklist. Do this, and you’ll be fine. Did you make a mistake? Go flog yourself and you’ll be fine.

God instead is looking at our attitude about His ways. Do we love sin or Him? Do we refuse to acknowledge His way are better than ours?

If you love sin more than Him, we’re all free to remain in sin. However, if you simply recognize, “Y’know what? The ways of the creator of the universe are higher than mine, He knows more than I do, and I love Him.” You’re also free to give up sin and follow Him.

What possible bad thing could happen by giving up sin and following Jesus instead? What’s so hard about this, really?

A lot of people have this picture that Christian’s are mean or evil, but guess what? Mean and evil people aren’t following Christ! They need to repent of that behavior ‘cause Jesus told to love not just our enemies, but even those who use us.

Christ came along and said this:

Baptism is public repentance!

what is repentance?

They are shouting in front of all of you, “I am a new person! I choose to act like Christ, talk like Christ, and think like Christ!”

In a lot of other countries, what they’re doing here would be a death sentence!

It’s hard to do this when your family and friends do wanna live for God.

Baptism is a picture of what happens every time you repent.

initi

God is calling us to a lifestyle of repentance! He’s given us this amazing ability to repent and be cleansed every single time we repent.

We’re supposed to do it *at least* daily according to the Lord’s Prayer. Why not live the whole day in an attitude of repetance?