Baptism

BAPTISM

This past month we’ve been discussing the all-important question What must I do to be saved?  How can I know that when I stand before God at the end of my life that  my sins are forgiven and I have the promise of eternal life?  Almost all Christians agree that the first step is faith.  Paul said to the Philippian jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.”  We also concur that a person coming to Christ must repent of sins.  Jesus said, “If you don’t repent, you will perish.”  Christians aren't expected to be perfect, but we are expected to turn from our sin and walk toward Christ in behavior and attitude.  We also acknowledge that the Bible commands us to publicly confess our faith in Christ.  Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” 

But there is some disagreement about the role of baptism as it relates to salvation. 

• There’s a controversy about who should be baptized.  Should infants be baptized, or only those who are old enough to make a personal decision? 
• There’s a disagreement about how a person should be baptized.  Some groups, such as ours, completely immerse a person in water.  Other groups just sprinkle a little water on the head. 
• But the greatest disagreement is over the purpose of baptism.  Some will say that baptism saves you.  Others insist, “No baptism is just a symbol of what has already taken place in the heart.”  That controversy really arose because the significance of baptism was exaggerated in the past.

During the dark Ages when it was believed that people were born with Original Sin, it became the practice of the church to baptize infants immediately after they were born so their sins would be forgiven and they would have the promise of eternal life should they die.  And people began to trust their baptism for salvation.  And it didn’t matter how they lived later on in life or what they believed; after all, their parents had them baptized as Christians when they were born.

Today, let’s examine what the Bible has to say about baptism as it relates to our response to God's offer of salvation thorough grace.

I. WHEN DID BAPTISM ORIGINATE?

When did baptism originate?  Well, the practice of immersing a candidate in water began with a man named John who was a predecessor of Jesus.  The Gospel of Mark 1:4 reads, “John came baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”  In the Greek language, in which the N.T. was written, the word baptizo simply meant to immerse in water.  John was dipping people in water as a sign that they were going to change their behavior, they were repenting.  John 3:23 reads, “Now John was also baptizing at Anon near Salem because there was plenty of water there and people were constantly coming to be baptized.” 

Now, there were some religious groups of that day who practiced a sort of ceremonial washing in order to be a part of their sect.  But baptism was so unique to John's ministry that they nicknamed him “John the Baptist”; one who is noted for immersing in water.  Jesus later asked His enemies, “The baptism of John, was it from God or from man?”  And if John the Baptist had just copied it from somebody they could've just said, “Well, he got it from man.  He’s copying the practice of this other group.”  But they couldn’t say that.  Baptism was so unique to John’s ministry that he was the one who popularized it.  And John kept telling his followers that there was going to be Another who would follow him who was going to do more than just immerse in water.  in Matthew 3:11 John said, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come one who is more powerful than I; whose sandals I'm not even fit to carry, and He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

John was stunned one day when Jesus of Nazareth came to be baptized by Him, because Jesus had no sin that he needed to repent of.  So John said, “Jesus, you ought to be baptizing me, rather than vice-versa.”  But Jesus said, “Let it be so.  For it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”  Jesus wasn’t baptized to repent of sins, but He was baptized to set an example and to demonstrate to us how important baptism really is meant to be.  Now, at the end of His ministry, Jesus commanded His followers, “Go and make disciples of all nations, and baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit...”   Now, in the bible, “in the name of” simply means, by the authority of.  Now, we are commanded to make disciples of as many people as possible and baptize them by the authority of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  That’s why baptism plays a prominent part of our worship service each Lord's Day.

II. HOW WAS BAPTISM PRACTICED IN THE N.T.?

Well, how was baptism practiced in the N.T. church?  The book of Acts in the Bible contains the history of the church.  I’d like to take a few moments today to survey with you some of the conversions in the book of Acts, and I want you to pay particular attention to the role that baptism plays in each of these conversions. 

Turn in your bible to Acts 2.  120 disciples were waiting in the Upper  Room praying and fasting and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2 says, Suddenly there was a sound in the room as of a rushing, mighty wind.  And, mysteriously, cloven tongues like fire sat on their heads and they began to speak in foreign languages they had never studied.  It was a miracle.  They were empowered to preach and they went out into the streets of Jerusalem and boldly began to proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth had risen from the grave.  Peter lifted up his voice and began to preach.  He said, “People of Israel listen to me.  Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God and you have crucified Him.  But God has raised him from the dead and one day you're going to have to stand before Him as your judge.”  And in verse 37 we read, “When they heard this they were cut to the heart.  And they said to Peter and the others, What should we do?  Peter replied, Repent and be baptized every one of you for the remission of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Look at verse 41, “Those who accepted his message were baptized and about 3,000 were added to their number that day.”  You see they believed the message, they repented of their sins, they confessed their belief and they were baptized that day.

Turn with me to Acts 8.  There we read about the conversion of a group of people in Samaria.  Phillip the evangelist was telling them about Christ and verse 12 of Acts 8 says, “When they believed Phillip as he preached the good news about the Kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”  Acts 8 also records the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch that we touched upon last week.  Philip along the road, saw this man in a chariot reading from Isaiah the prophet.  And he asked him, “Do you understand what you're reading?”  And the Eunuch replied, “No, I need some help.”  Phillip got into  the chariot and began to explain to him the scriptures.  Verse 35 reads, "Phillip began at that passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.  And as they went along the way they came to water.  And the eunuch said, See, here is water.  Why shouldn’t I be baptized?  And he commanded the chariot to stop and they both went down into the water, both Phillip and the eunuch and he baptized him.  And when they both came up out of the water, the Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing.”  Notice that they went down into the water, and came up out of the water.  That's significant because baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Acts 10 records the first Gentile convert.  Peter went to visit a Roman centurion by the name of Cornelius in the city of Caesarea.  Now, Cornelius was a God-fearing man, but he didn’t know about Christ.  So Peter, even though this man was a Gentile, began to preach to this man about Jesus.  As Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit came on Cornelius and all that were in his house.  I take it that cloven tongues like fire sat on their heads and they began to speak in tongues.  Because Peter said, "The Holy Spirit fell on them like it did on us at the beginning.”  And in Acts 10:47 we read, ”Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water?  They’ve received the Holy Spirit just as we have.  So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”  As soon as Peter was convinced that God was going to admit Gentile directly into the Kingdom of God, he commanded them to be baptized.

Acts 16 records the conversion of Lydia.  While in the city of Philippi, Paul went down to the river, found a group of women who were studying and praying and he began to tell them about Jesus.  Verse 14 reads, “One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshipper of God.”  The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message and when she and the member of her household were baptized, Paul writes, “she invited us to her home.”  Also in Acts 16 there is the conversion of the jailer in Philippi.  Paul and Silas were thrown in prison.  The earthquake released them.  The jailer was about to commit suicide thinking they had all escaped.  But Paul said, “Don’t harm yourself, we’re all here.”  And the jailer called out, “What must I do to be saved?”  Paul said, “You believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”  And verse 33 reads, “At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds, then immediately he and all his family were baptized.”

I want to look at one other conversion in the book of Acts.  Acts 22, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus.  Saul hated Christians.  He was persecuting them to death.  He headed to Damascus to arrest more of them.  But just outside the city a bright light struck him to the ground, and Saul cried out, “Who are you, Lord?”  And a voice said, “I’m Jesus, the one you’re persecuting, the One you don’t believe has risen from the dead.”  He said, “What do you want me to do Lord?”  And Jesus said, “You go to Damascus and you'll be told what to do.”  Now, Saul believed.  He couldn’t deny the evidence now.  He repented of his sins.  And he arrived in Damascus, not to persecute Christians any longer, but he arrived humbled in spirit.  And he confessed, he said, “Who are you, Lord?”  But in Damascus, a Christian by the name of Ananias came to Saul and told him why the Messiah had to die.  And in Acts 22:16, we read that Ananias said to Saul, “Arise, be baptized and wash away your sin, calling on the name of the Lord.”

Now, people, there are 9 recorded conversions in the book of Acts. They all begin with faith in Christ, and they all conclude with baptism into Christ.  Harvey Tasker, in the Tyndale commentary said, “It is clear in the days of the Apostles that baptism followed immediately upon confession of faith in Christ.  Faith in Christ and baptism were not so much two distinct experiences as part of the whole.” 

III. WHY DID GOD ORDAIN BAPTISM?

Now, why did God ordain baptism?  Why did God design this ordinance of immersion in water as a channel of His grace?  Why didn't God say, “Well, if you want to become a Christian, you need to write the name of Jesus 100 times on the blackboard, or carry a 100 lb cross for two days, or something like that?”  I can think of 3 distinct reasons why God, in his wisdom, gave us baptism.

First, it’s a meaningful expression of faith.  Have you ever thought of the fact that on almost every occasion in which Jesus healed someone, He always asked them to express their faith?  He was the One who healed them, but he would say to the man with the withered hand, “Stretch forth your hand”; to a leper, “go show yourself to a priest and you'll be healed”; to a blind man, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam and you'll be healed.”  Jesus healed them, but He asked for some expression of faith.  Psychologist William James said, “An impression without an expression leads to depression.”  When we’re impressed with something there needs to be an outlet of expression.  If we grieve, God has given us tears.  If we’re tickled about something, God has given us laughter.  Or, if we’re startled, the expression is a gasp or a scream.  If we fall in love with somebody, God has given us intimacy in marriage to express our love.  An impression without an expression leads to depression. 

Now, when we believe the Gospel and we’re convicted of sin, there needs to be an expression of faith.  And baptism meets that need for expression.  When the people asked Peter, “What should we do?”  He didn’t say, “You don’t need to do anything.  If you believe you’re already saved.”   He said “You need torepent and be baptized.”  Now, some people try to substitute other acts for that response that are less demanding and maybe more dignified; just sign a card, kneel and pray, raise your hand if you want to be saved.  But none of those quite meets the need for expression that baptism does.  I’ve never had anyone come out of the baptistry and say, “Is there something else I have to do to accept Christ?  Am I really a Christian now?”  There's just a completeness about baptism that people sense.

Now, some people object, “Well if you tell people to respond to Christ by being baptized, you’re going to teach them they are saved by works rather than by grace.”   And I'll say, “Well, what do you teach them to do?”  “Well, we teach them to say the sinner's prayer or sign a card.”  But baptism is less of a work than those things; because we don’t do it ourselves.  Baptism is something someone else does for us.  You see, God's ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.  And He gave us baptism to meet our need for expression.

A second purpose of baptism is that it is a symbol of cleansing.  When you’re dirty you wash your body in water to cleanse it.  When we’re baptized in water, it's a symbol of the cleansing that takes place in the heart.  Think of all the people in the Bible who struggled with guilt; Adam hiding, David pleading for forgiveness  for his adultery, Peter weeping over his denial, Judas hanging himself over his betrayal, Pilate trying to wash his hands of the blood of Jesus.  When you are guilty, how do you erase that sense of guilt?  Hebrews 10:22 reads, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, caving our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us of a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

The water of baptism doesn’t cleanse our sin, but it is a symbol of the fact that the blood of Christ does cleanse us within.  In fact, in I Peter 3, Peter says that Noah was saved by water when the water buoyed up the ark over the devastation.  And in verse 21 he adds, “This water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also.  Not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience towards God.”  You see God meets our need for cleansing at baptism.  And Ananias said to Saul of Tarsus who had  killed Christian people, he was a murderer, “you believe in Jesus?  Arise be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

One other purpose for baptism, and that is, it is a source of fellowship.  It is an ordinance of unity.  It's a shame that baptism has become a source of controversy among some Christian people, because far from being a point of division, God intended for it to be a  source of harmony.  Listen to Ephesians 4:3, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called, there is one Lord, one faith and one baptism and one God.”  We can meet people on the steps of the baptistry and we can say, “I’ve sinned too.  I’ve humbled myself, too.   I need Jesus, too.”  And we can be one in the bond of love.  Baptism meets our need for an expression of fellowship; a time of belonging to others.

IV. QUESTIONS ANSWERED ABOUT BAPTISM

Now, before I close, I would like to try to answer several of the most frequently asked questions that concern people about baptism. 

Number 1: Do you have to be baptized in order to be saved?  The short answer is, Yes.  If God chooses to save people who haven't had the opportunity or knowledge to be baptized, that’s certainly His prerogative.  But His promise, Mark 16:16 is, “He that believes and is baptized will be saved.”  Remember the blind man in John 9?  Jesus put clay on his eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam and he would be able to see.  He did and he could.  Now, the water didn’t heal him, Jesus did.  But the applying of the water in obedience to the command of Christ was when Christ's promise was fulfilled.  If that man had refused to wash in the pool of Siloam, would he have been able to see?  Well, maybe he would've been.  Maybe God’s grace would have healed him anyway.  But he had no guarantee.  Complete faith results in explicit obedience.  Baptism alone doesn’t save us.  We are saved by trusting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  But if a person refuses to be baptized, I think that's an indication that Jesus Christ isn’t really Lord of their lives.  That's why Colossians 2:12 reads, “Having been buried with him in baptism and been raised with him through your faith in the power of God who raised Him from the dead...” 

You see, faith and baptism are interwoven throughout all of Scripture.  They are inseparable.  Now, if a person trusts Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, but they die before they are physically able to be baptized, I gladly trust the grace of God who knows the heart.  The people in those situations are not the ones that concern me.  The people who concern me are those of you who know God's command, and yet you've never obeyed.  Is it a matter of pride?  Is Jesus really the Lord of your life?

Another question people frequently ask is; If I don’t totally agree with you on baptism, am I welcome in this church?  Again, the answer is, YES.  Some people say, “I wouldn’t put as much emphasis on baptism as you do.”  Others say, “I don't think you put enough emphasis on baptism.”  I don’t think we should split over the issue.  God hates division.  Jesus prayed, “May they be one, Father.  So that the world will believe that you have sent me.”  If you believe differently than I do about the role of baptism, there are probably some scholarly Christian people who would agree with you.  I am going to preach that you are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and those who trust in Christ are commanded to repent of their sin and confess Him publicly and be baptized into Him.  The Bible says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”  It may take effort, but be tolerant of me and be full of grace.  And I'll be tolerant of you in your error...question number 3...

A third question people ask: Do I have to be baptized by immersion to be saved?  When baptism was first instituted by God, it was through immersion  It wasn't until the Vatican Council in 1311 at Ravenna that it was decided that sprinkling would be an acceptable substitute.  I hope that God will save millions of people who have been baptized by sprinkling, and if you want to take that chance, that’s up to you.  But I think it is wise to be on the infallibly safe side and obey God's word as closely as possible.  If you held the winning lottery ticket and it was worth ten million dollars ( this was before you became a Christian! ).  If you had a ten million dollar lottery ticket and it said on the ticket in order for the money to be claimed you had to report to the lottery office within 24 hours, do you think you would say, “I’m going to wait until a 1/2 hour late just to see if they'll still give it to me?”  I wouldn’t!  I wouldn’t take any chances of forfeiting that prize, would you?  You’d be there as soon as the doors were open.  You’d want to be on the infallibly safe side.  God has offered us forgiveness of sin and eternal life.  Why would we try to see how little we could do to get by?

Do I have to be baptized by immersion to be a member of the First Christian Church of Seminole?  Yes.  We don’t require that you be immersed here, but we do require immersion.  You can participate in nearly every activity of the church without being a member, but we require that you be immersed in order to be a member of this local church.  We do not, however, want you to be immersed just so you can join the church.  We want you to be immersed because you believe that's what God would have you do.  In Acts 18, I love the story of Apollos.  Apollos was preaching about Christ.  He was a devout man, who knew the Scriptures, but he was in error about baptism.  He only knew the baptism of John.  And Acts 18 says that Priscilla and Aquilla, two of the early Christians came to Apollos, and they didn't say, “Boy, you're going to hell, that’s for sure!”  Neither did they say, “It doesn't matter what you believe about baptism.”  It says they took him into their home and they taught him the way of God more adequately.  I really love that phrase, “the way of God more adequately”,  because I think that baptism by immersion for an adult believer is the way of God more adequately. 

Do I have to be baptized at a church service?, is another question people frequently ask me about baptism.     No.  We encourage you to do that because it's such a great witness.  But we baptize people on Sunday afternoon or sometime during the week, when maybe their family is present to witness their decision.  The Philippian jailer and the Ethiopian eunuch were both baptized in a setting other than a church service and only a few people were there. 

When should my children be baptized?  We think a child should be nurtured by the parents and they will reach a certain age when they are accountable and of their own free will they will request to give their life to Jesus Christ.  Parents shouldn’t force that but should encourage that.  Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me for such is the Kingdom of heaven.”

Guidepost magazine carried the testimony of Paul Harvey’s baptism some years ago.  Paul Harvey related that he had accomplished about every goal that he had back in the early 70’s, but there was still and emptiness/incompleteness about his life that he just could not put his finger on.  But he and his wife were vacationing near Cave Creek, AZ and decided to visit a small church there.  He said, “We went inside and there were only about 12 people present.  And as I sat there I began to think about John 3:16; “For God so loved  the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  He said, I loved that promise of everlasting life.  And though I’d never been in front of a church or had gone to an altar, one night, alone in my room kneeling at my bed, I had offered my life to Christ.  But the minister that day began his sermon talking about baptism.  Inside I yawned.  But then for some reason my attention began to focus as he talked about how much we need to surrender our lives to Jesus Christ if we’re ever going to discover the ultimate purpose for living.  He began to talk about the expression of surrendering; baptism the symbolic burial of the old person and the rising to walk in new life.  He said it’s your public testimony of your commitment.  He quoted supportive Scripture.  There’s no magic in the water, he added.  One’s immersion is an act of obedience, and a sign of total submission to God.  But at the end of his sermon the preacher said, Now if there's anyone here who hasn’t been baptized in this way and you want to, join me down here by the pulpit.”  And Paul Harvey went forward.

In Guideposts he related the experience.  The preacher had said there was nothing magic about the water, yet as I descended into its depths and rose again, I knew something life-changing had happened.  A cleansing inside out.  No longer did there seem to be two uncertain, contradictory Paul Harveys; just one immensely happy one.  I felt a fulfilling surge of the Holy Spirit.  The change this simple act has made in my life is so immense as to be indescribable.  Since totally yielding to him through the symbolism of water baptism, my heart can't stop singing.  Also, perhaps because baptism is such a public act, and because one's dignity gets as drenched as one’s body, I’ve discovered a new un-self-consciousness when talking to others about my belief.

And he closes by saying, The other evening on a speaking trip and was flying over West Texas toward a beautiful sunset.  My heart swelled with joy in my new surrender.  And I thought how wonderful, We have all this, and heaven too!"

Do you have all this and heaven, too?  Are you really confident that when you stand before God you will be saved?  If not, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust in Him, not yourself.  He died on the cross for your sins.  Repent of your sins.  Turn and walk toward Christ.  Be willing to confess Him publicly.  And come and be baptized into Him.  Now, why do you wait?  Arise and be baptized, washing away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord...  As we stand and as we sing