Baptism
Notes
Transcript
Washing was the means of achieving ritual purity
Washing was the means of achieving ritual purity
Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet there. They must wash with water whenever they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the Lord and when they approach the altar to burn up their special gifts to the Lord—or they will die!
(The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions. Similarly, they don’t eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.)
The Greek word translated “wash” is “baptizo”, from which the English “baptise” comes.
But now with Jesus’ death and resurrection it is so much more than a cleansing ritual.
Baptism is also understood as a washing for regeneration (Titus 3:5), an image that likely draws upon the architecture of the Jewish tabernacle and temple. As the priests bathed in the bronze basin in the outer court of the temple prior to approaching the altar (Exod 30:18), so baptism is the washing that purifies us so that we may enter the heavenly holy of holies in Christ (Heb 9).
Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration and union with Christ, it is one of two sacraments ordained by Christ to be practiced in the church until he returns. The other is Eucharist or Holy communion.
The term “sacrament” visible signs of the invisible reality of grace. Augustine’s definition (4th century)
Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration, it is being united with Christ’s death and in return receiving a new life in Christ.
It’s commanded in the Bible
Acts 2:38-41 “Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
Rom 6:4-11 “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”
We are baptised in the name of Jesus