BAPTISM

INTRODUCTION

The Ordinances of the Church.

There are two…the Lord’s Supper and Baptism

The meaning of an ordinance:

An ordinance is an outward and visible symbolic act commanded in the Bible to be practiced by the Church which sets forth a central truth of the Christian faith.

 It is a memorial or reminder of some precious historical event of great significance.

In this message we will look at the ordinance of BAPTISM

 “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Mt. 28:19).

1.  The meaning of the word baptism.

The word  means to dip, immerse, submerge or overwhelm.

2. The basic  meaning of the word  is “identification.”

 Some examples of baptisms in the New Testament.

Each may be  defined by the word “identification.”

a.      The baptism of DEATH of Christ at Calvary (Lk. 12:50)

But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

Baptism identifies Jesus with the death he died for us.

b.   The baptism of the Holy Spirit upon believers at Pentecost (Mt. 3:11; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4).

This baptism identifies the believer with the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

c. The baptism of all Christians by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:13).

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

THIS baptism identifies us with the universal Church..the body of Christ.

Let’s look at some of instances of water baptism of new converts in the book of Acts.

(1)      At Pentecost.  3,000 were baptized by Peter and the apostles (Acts 2:41).

(2)      At Samaria…many baptized by Philip the evangelist (Acts 8:12).

At Gaza the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized by Philip (Acts 8:35-38]

Acts 8:35 (KJV)

Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

Acts 8:36 (KJV)

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?

Acts 8:37 (KJV)

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.

Acts 8:38 (KJV)

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.

Note some things in this passage.

Phillip was a deacon….not a pastor.

Phillip was Spirit filled…or Spirit controlled.

Ready to witness to NON JEWISH people..in fact a black man.

Now to the New Christian:

He wanted to be saved. He was searching.

He gladly accepted the gospel.

He wanted to be baptized….even requested to be baptized.

 (5)      At Caesarea. Here Peter baptized Cornelius and his friends (Acts 10:48).

(6)      At Philippi. Here Paul baptized Lydia and the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:15, 33).

(7)      At Corinth. Here Paul baptized Crispus, Gaius, Stephanas, and others (Acts 18:8; 1 Cor. 1:14, 16).

4.  The scriptural view on baptism.

a.      That all believers be baptized:

b.     The idea of an unbaptized Christian is just not taught in the New Testament”

c.       Baptism is therefore not a personal choice, but a divine command.

b.   The Bible teaches that only believers be baptized. Belief and baptism are linked together in the New Testament.

c.     Belief is the root ,baptism becomes the fruit.

d.    Note:

“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized” (Acts 2:41).

“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” (Acts 8:12).

 “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us” (Acts 16:14, 15).

“And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway” (Acts 16:30-33).

“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” (Acts 18:8).

In the light of the Scriptures the practice of baptizing infants must be completely ruled out.

5. The symbolism of baptism.

a. What exactly does baptism symbolize?

b. The view of the immersionist.

c.   He is one who requires the complete submerging of the believer in water.

d. This relates baptism to Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection on the grounds that the believer is said to have been baptized into his death, burial, and resurrection,or identified with Christ in these areas according to Romans 6:1-10 and Colossians 2:11-13.

 There is a similarity here to the Lord’s Supper.

 There are also important differences.

Note:

(1)      The Lord’s Supper speaks primarily of Christ’s death.

(2)      Baptism speaks primarily of the believer’s death.

 (4)      The resurrection of Christ is seen in baptism.

 (5)      Sanctification is seen in baptism.

“Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death, that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).

6.  The purpose of baptism.

a.  Identification with the Savior.

“Baptism is, therefore, first and foremost, identification with Jesus Christ.

 By this act the believer indicates that he is entering the realm of Christ’s lordship and power.

In doing this he confessed his submission to the lordship of Jesus (cf. ROM 10:9).

 It is, the time when one who has been an enemy makes ‘his final surrender.’

The baptismal act signifies the believer’s death to the old life.  

 And his resurrection as a new creature in union with Christ.

b.  Identification with the church.

“Identification with Christ is at the same time identification with His body, the church.

 Death and resurrection with Christ refer not only to union with Christ but to a unity of Christ composed of many members.

 ‘For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ’ (1 Cor. 12:12; cf. ROM 12:4, 5).

One is not united to the Head without at the same time being united with the body.

So Paul writes that all believers in Christ are made into ‘one new man’ (Eph. 2:15).

In this act the new converts were identified outwardly with the fellowship of believers (Acts 2:41).

 Not only is the individual transition from the old life to new life made public in baptism,

 but the transition from union with the world to that of the UNION with  the church as well.

We are saying :: I’m now taking my stand with Christ.

 In the rite of baptism the believer takes his stand with the disciples of Christ.

We become a team member with responsibilities to share the load.

To use the gift the Holy Spirit gave us at the moment of salvation.

CLOSE

Remember …baptism is for those who are saved.

Salvation comes first.

We get baptized, because we are saved, not to be saved.

ROM 10:9 (KJV)

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.