Understanding Biblical Baptism!
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Introduction
Introduction
This morning I want to take a small break from 1 Corinthians. We will take a two-week break. Next Sunday, my father-in-law, Eugene Nichols, will be preaching and teaching throughout the entire weekend. He will be bringing next week’s message.
Today, however, I want to focus on the topic of baptism. Baptism is one of the two ordinances Christ gave to the local church. Even though we are not in 1 Corinthians this morning, our focus remains on the local church. 1 Corinthians is our blueprint for our church. Baptism is, as I already stated, one of the two ordinances. The other ordinance is the Lord’s Table.
Baptism is what we, as Baptists, are known for. If you were to go back and study history, you would find that two lines emerge from the latter days of the New Testament. There was a true line of people who have consistently held to the principles of God’s Word. The other line is those who fell into apostasy and false doctrine as the number of churches grew. The true line is the line that most Baptists have always held. The line of apostasy is much larger. The line of apostasy became known as the Catholic church and remains strong even today. In our modern age, the line of apostasy has expanded to include many different denominations and some who claim to be Baptists. However, as you study history following the true line held to truths of God’s Word, you will arrive at today’s independent Baptists.
Early in history, during the waning days of the Roman Empire, those who hold to the true line established in God’s Word became known as Baptists. Essentially, Baptists were those who refused to join Catholicism. They refused to participate in baptizing infants and accepting baptism as the means of salvation. For those reasons, during medieval times, Baptists were often hunted down and murdered for their beliefs by the Catholic church.
There are several Biblical principles we, as Baptists, believe and practice. We believe:
The Absolute Necessity of Each Individual Receiving Salvation by Faith In the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Purity of the Local Church in that a Local Church consists of saved and baptized membership.
In Believer’s Baptism (I will explain more that in today’s message)
In a Simple Form of Church Government (Pastor-led and Deacon servants).
In the Absolute Authority of the Word of God.
In the Autonomy of the Local Church in All Matters of Faith.
Each of these can be found in Scripture. However, for the sake of time, I cannot delve deeply into each. Instead, today, we will focus on two of these.
The absolute necessity of each person receiving salvation.
Believer’s baptism
These two principles are key principles in God’s Word.
Why do we baptize?
Why do we baptize?
We baptize using Christ Himself as our example.
We are going to be looking at many Scripture passages today. They will be on the screen behind me. However, I encourage you to look at them in your Bible as well.
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
I read each of these accounts to prove beyond a doubt that Christ was our example. John the Baptist, Christ’s forerunner, baptized Him in the Jordan river. We will come back to this account a little later. For now, I wanted you to see and read with your own eyes Christ’s example.
Christ gave us baptism to signify the actions that He took for all men. Baptism is a picture of His death, burial, and resurrection. His baptism in the Jordan River demonstrated what He did at Calvary. Over the book of Romans, the Holy Spirit teaches us this.
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
As you think back to the passage we just read in Romans 6, it gives us two pictures here. The two images are:
“Buried with him by baptism into death” - verse 4 = We all know that a burial involves “immersing” someone into the ground. Additionally, Christ was “buried” in a tomb after His death. Thus, each believer who follows the Lord in baptism is “buried” with him symbolically associated with His burial.
“Planted together in the likeness of his death” - verse 5 = Again, the idea of planting is immersing a seed into the ground and covering it. That seed dies and, with its death, brings new life. Thus, in the same manner, each believer who follows the Lord in baptism is symbolically planted in the “likeness of his death.” Additionally, we know that Christ not only died but was buried, but that He resurrected Himself from the grave on the third day. Our baptism then demonstrates our old life dying like a seed and is resurrected with a new life in Christ.
For this reason, verse 6 explains we no longer are bound by our old sinful nature. We are new creations in Christ.
Now, both of these images have one thing in common. It is immersion. I emphasize this because many churches today practice sprinkling as a form of baptism. May I ask you a question? Is it possible to bury someone by simply sprinkling a few particles of dirt on them? They are not truly buried, are they? To sprout, a seed must be “planted” or immersed in the dirt. Therefore, it is logical that water baptism is by immersion into a pool of water. It is not sprinkling.
What then is the proper method of water baptism according to Scripture?
What then is the proper method of water baptism according to Scripture?
It is immersion.
Remember Christ’s example!
10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
Note carefully the language describing the Lord’s baptism. It says, “straightway coming up out of the water.” Now, I don’t know about you, but it seems natural to assume that He must have been down in a large pool of water and went under so that He might come up out of the water. The actions described here seem easy to understand.
Here is another crucial passage concerning baptism and its method found in the book of Acts.
38 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.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
Here is a little background for this story if you are unfamiliar with it. Philip was one of the first deacons set apart by the first local church located in Jerusalem.
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
Philip was extremely zealous for the Lord. He was a great evangelist. We see that zeal in Acts 8:5 “5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.”
God used Philip in might way in Samaria. He led many of them to Christ and baptized them.
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.
Later in that same chapter, an Ethiopian eunuch (an official with great authority) returned from Jerusalem. As he was returning to Ethiopia, he used the trip to read manuscripts from the book of Isaiah. His reading led him to the passage in Isaiah, which says:
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, Yet he opened not his mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: And who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: For the transgression of my people was he stricken.
This passage is a prophecy about the coming Messiah. As he was reading, he was confused by what he read. However, God already had a plan. The Holy Spirit has already instructed Philip to join this eunuch in his chariot. Philip obediently did as the Holy Spirit led. He joined the eunuch noting that he was reading this passage from Isaiah. He questioned the eunuch asking if he understood the prophet’s words. The eunuch noted he could not unless someone guided him. And, at that moment, the door opened for Philip to share the gospel message.
36 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?
37 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.
Then, as we already read:
38 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.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
Now, note the description of the eunuch’s baptism in verses 38 and 39. They first “went down both into the water,” Philip “baptized him,” and they came “up out of the water.” There is no doubt there was immersion here. They went down, and they came up out of the water. There is no mention of sprinkling water over a person’s head or pouring water on a person’s head. Instead, we have “baptized,” which means to immerse. Thus, the proper method for water baptism is a person submerged under the water and brought back up again.
How did sprinkling and pouring come about? Remember, at the beginning of the message, I spoke of the historical lines showing a true line and a line of apostasy. Pope Stephen II was part of that line of apostasy. He, a Roman Catholic Pope, declared that the practice of “pouring” for baptism was okay. He had no scriptural basis for it. His declaration came out of convenience. So in AD 754, this Catholic Pope skirted God’s Word and declared on his authority that it was okay to “pour” instead of “immerse” those who were sick. Later, in AD 1311, over 500 years later, the Roman Catholic Council of Ravenna officially endorsed the practice of sprinkling or pouring as a method of water baptism. Now, mark this, men decided it was okay, not God. Nowhere in Scripture do we find God allowing any deviation from this sacred ordinance given to the local church. Interestingly, before Pope Stephen’s declaration, all baptism was by immersion. For over 700 years, no one questioned the fact that immersion was the method of the Bible.
Who is to be baptized by immersion?
Who is to be baptized by immersion?
For that answer, we will turn first to Acts 2. Again, some background is in order. Acts 2 is all about God’s empowering the local church and its numerical growth. Acts 2 opens with the mighty events of Pentecost. It would help to remember that Christ had already ascended into Heaven. Before His ascension, He instructed His disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit’s empowerment. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit produces a great demonstration of His tremendous power. Under the Holy Spirit’s power, Peter stood and preached a convicting sermon. We see the result of Peter’s message and the Spirit’s convicting power in
Acts 2:41
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Note the progression in this verse. The people first heard Peter’s message. They received his message. And, then, they were baptized. His message, by the way, was the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.
We see this again in Acts 8:12
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.
Do you see the progression again? Philip preaches the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. They believe his message. Then, Philip baptizes them.
It was the same progression as the Ethiopian eunuch. Remember Philip explained the good news of Jesus Christ. The eunuch enquired what was keeping him from baptism. Philip responded by asking him if he believed. The eunuch answered yes, he believed. Then, Philip baptized him.
Let me give you one more example of this progression.
8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
This event is the formation of the local church in Corinth. Remember that 1 Corinthians is the letter written by the Holy Spirit to this local church. We have been closely examining that letter to understand all that God expects for us as a local church. How did that church start? The Corinthians believers beginning with Crispus and his household, heard the gospel message from Paul. They believed in all that Christ did for them. And, then, they were baptized.
Who then is a proper candidate for baptism?
Who then is a proper candidate for baptism?
Every person seeking baptism must first accept Christ as their personal Savior. The person who hears the gospel message believes it and agrees with all that Christ did for them with His death, burial, and resurrection.
Perhaps someone here this morning has never heard the good news about Christ. If you haven’t, may I say that it is the best news of all time! What is the good news about Christ? It is simply this.
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.
This verse speaks to several things that all people need to know and understand.
Everyone Needs Salvation
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Jesus Died for Our Salvation
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Salvation is a Gift
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We are Saved by Grace
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
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.
Salvation Comes Through Faith
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
God Saves All Who Call Upon Him
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Later, when those who have come for baptism go through the waters and pull the plug, no sins will go down the drain. Baptism does nothing to wash away sins. It is only the sacrificial blood of Christ that makes you righteous. I love the old hymn that asks:
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Nothing can for sin atone - Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Naught of good that I have done - Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
There is nothing you can do. It is only the blood of Jesus that can wash away your sin. His blood is the only thing that can make you whole again. No matter who good you think you can be will ever earn you a place in Heaven. The only way is through Jesus Christ.
If that is you, I plead with you this morning to put your complete faith in Him and all He has done. He shed His blood for you. It is done and finished. Now, He asks that you believe Him.
Now, let’s return to the subject of baptism. Remember, we are seeking to understand Biblical baptism.
Who then has the authority to baptize?
Who then has the authority to baptize?
That authority was awarded to the local church only. Not just any person can baptize another.
Just before Christ ascended to Heaven, He gave instructions for how we were to continue His work.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 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.
This passage is just one of many. For the sake of time, I will use this one. But, you will note that we are to go, tell, and baptize.
The day that Christ gave these instructions, He gave them to His disciples. Along with other believers, these disciples were the first local church—a local church established by Christ. Thus, Christ gave the local church the authority to baptize. The authority to baptize was something very important to Christ. Remember, John the Baptist baptized Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ walked 60 miles from Galilee to Judea. Why? He desired to receive baptism from John the Baptist, God’s ordained forerunner to Christ (the proper authority). It shows just how important it was to Him.
For that reason, all who are baptized into our church, Calvary Baptist Church, are baptized on the authority given to our church by Christ. As the pastor, God’s ordained shepherd of this local assembly, I am authorized to baptize on behalf of our church. Additionally, we do not receive into membership anyone who has not been Scripturally baptized - saved, by immersion, and by the proper authority.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Let me finish this message with three follow-up questions and their answers.
Will baptism save?
As you already know, the answer is absolutely not.
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.
What happens after baptism?
After baptism, you become a member of this local church and start the incredible process of spiritual growth. As a member, you then can enjoy certain privileges such as:
Participation of the Lord’s Table
Participation of church business
Opportunities to serve the Lord through our church
Why is it essential that I be baptized?
The simple answer is that you please the Lord. You please Him by following His example.
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
You also please Him by your obedience to His command.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 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.
How do I prepare for baptism?
Talk to Pastor Dan or me. We would love the opportunity to help you take this crucial spiritual step.