Baptism ~ 20090301~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

Intro:

We are going to baptize some people today. So I want to take some time this morning to explore what God's word has to say about baptism. I want to look at why we baptize, who we baptize, and what baptism means.

The Command to Baptize

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

It is Jesus' command to his followers that compels us to baptize. We baptize followers of Jesus in obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus' command here is simple: 'make disciples of all nations'. That is the command. If disciples are to be made from every nation or every ethnic group, then 'going' will be necessary. A disciple is a student, a learner, or a follower. There are two primary things Jesus commands that we do with his disciples. We are to baptize them and teach them. Baptism is the initiatory rite that indicates to everyone that they are beginning the life of a disciple, following a new master. Teaching what Jesus taught is the continuation of the process of disciple making.

Jesus is clear as to what his disciples are to be baptized into. In that day it was common for someone who was not Jewish by descent but wanted to worship the God of Israel to be baptized into Judaism as an indication that they had left their old gods behind and had turned to YHWH. John, who was know as 'the baptist' or the one who baptized, came with a radical message. He preached a baptism of repentance - calling Jews to turn from their formal outward religion and prepare their hearts for radical transformation.

Jesus here tells his followers to baptize disciples 'in (or into) the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'. Jesus does not tell us to baptize into an -ism or a group, but into a name; into a person, into a relationship. One's name stands for their character, nature or reputation. The word 'Name' is singular, as Israel was so clearly taught that 'the Lord our God is one Lord'.

Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

There is one name, one character or nature, one God. And yet Jesus tells us that we are to baptize into the name of three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is one of many reasons why orthodox Christianity since the time of Jesus has held faithfully to the doctrine of the triune God: One God eternally existent in three distinct persons. We baptize into the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The duration of this command is also stated by Jesus in this verse. How long are we to make disciples, baptizing and teaching? And where does the authority lie? Jesus said 'all authority has been given to me'. I have no authority - Jesus has all the authority, and Jesus said 'I am with you always'. The person who does the baptizing is nothing. Jesus carries his own authority. Jesus said 'I am with you always, to the end of the age'. So as long as this age lasts, we will go on making disciples, baptizing them into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that he has commanded us, with the confidence that he promised to be with us.

Who Can Be Baptized?

What is the prerequisite for baptism? Baptism is to be done in the disciple making process, so it is for those who have become disciples or followers of Jesus.

Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Peter said that repentance was what must precede baptism. To repent literally means to turn. I was going in this direction trusting in my good works and thinking I was fine with God, but then I felt the weight of my sin and recognized my good works are filthy rags in God's sight. Jesus apprehended me and I had to turn around and leave my good works behind and cling to Jesus alone and what he accomplished for me on the cross to forgive my sins. A few verses later, Luke tells us that:

Acts 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

When Peter proclaimed the good news that 'everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved' (v.21) and that the crucified Jesus is the Lord that we must call to for salvation (v.36), those who received his word became followers of Jesus and were baptized.

Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Both men and women were baptized in response to their belief in the good news message about Jesus.

When the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas 'what must I do to be saved?', they told him:

Acts 16:30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.

Belief in Jesus as Lord brought salvation to each individual in this household. In response to their faith, they were baptized.

Acts 18:8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

Those who believe in the Lord, those who call out to Jesus for salvation, who repent or turn from whatever they were trusting in to Jesus, those who become disciples or followers of Jesus are baptized as a public declaration of their new faith.

What Is Baptism?

We've looked at Jesus' command to baptize disciples, and we've looked at repentance and faith as the biblical prerequisite for baptism, but just what is baptism and what does it mean? First, a definition of the word itself will be helpful. The word is actually an untranslated carry - over from the Greek language that the New Testament was written in. Rather than translate the word with an English word that has the same meaning, the Greek characters were simply replaced with English characters and [baptizw] became 'baptize', a new word in our language. When we study how the word [baptizw] was used in New Testament times, we find that it means 'to dunk, dip, plunge or immerse' in water. It might help us understand what the bible is saying if we replace the word 'baptize' with the word 'immerse'.

Baptism is an Illustration of Death, Burial, and Resurrection

Romans 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized [immersed] into Christ Jesus were baptized [immersed] into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism [immersion] into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Water baptism is a picture of what spiritually happened to us when we trusted Christ. We have been immersed into Christ Jesus, and specifically immersed into his death. Going down into the water pictures our death and burial with Christ. It is an effective picture, because if the one doing the baptizing is not strong enough or not kind enough to bring the person back up out of the water, the picture will become a reality. Jesus referred to his coming crucifixion as a baptism in Mark 10:38-38 and Luke 12:50. Coming up out of the water illustrates our resurrection and new life as believers. Paul is arguing in Romans 6 that we cannot continue to live in sin because we have died to our old sinful way of life, and we are now alive to God in Christ Jesus. As disciples of Jesus, we will live differently, not because we are under a new set of rules, but because we have a new resurrection life in us that has different desires. Paul goes on in the next verses to describe our baptism with Christ as being united with Christ:

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.

We have been crucified with Christ and now we are free from sin.

Baptism is Similar to Circumcision as the Sign of the Covenant

In Colossians 2, baptism is compared to circumcision, the sign of the old covenant. Circumcision was the cutting off of physical flesh; in Christ, our fleshly nature is put off.

Colossians 2:11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

This resurrection power comes to me 'through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Jesus from the dead.'

Paul goes on to describe our desperate condition and what God did:

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Baptism Follows Justification by Faith

In Galatians 3, Paul is explaining that all the promises of God come not to law keepers, but to those who believe in Jesus. Notice how many times the word 'faith' or 'believe' occurs:

Galatians 3:22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized [immersed] into Christ have put on Christ.

Justification – being absolved of our sins – comes through faith in Jesus Christ. But justification changes us. As we are immersed into Christ, we become so saturated with Christ, that we wear Jesus around and drip him all over everyone we come in contact with.

Baptism Unites with the Body Of Christ

Paul goes on:

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Our immersion into Christ destroys all ethnic and social and economic barriers. We are now united in a spiritual connection with our brothers and sisters.

1Corinthians 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized [immersed] into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

Ephesians 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit––just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call–– 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Baptism Pictures Washing Away Guilt

Peter compares baptism to the ark that brought Noah and his family safely through the waters of the judgment of God.

1Peter 3:21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Peter is careful to clarify that it's not the water of baptism that removes dirt from the body that has any spiritual significance. Rather, it is the removal of dirt from the conscience by crying out to God in faith. Our conscience is washed clean by the blood of Jesus and we are free from guilt because Jesus bore all our sins and paid for them in full.

Baptism in Water or Baptism with the Spirit?

This raises the question 'what is the difference between baptism in water and the cleansing of the conscience by faith in Jesus?' John the baptist said:

Matthew 3:11 "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

So there is a distinction between water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism. John did the water baptism, Jesus would do the Holy Spirit baptism. John immersed people in water to symbolize their repentance. Jesus would submerge and saturate people with God's Holy Spirit. Jesus, when he appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, told them:

Acts 1:5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

The disciples experienced this, and when Peter preached his first sermon, he said:

Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is given in response to repentance and faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. Water baptism is a picture of this spiritual reality.

Summary:

Jesus commanded us to baptize believers because baptism is a symbol rich in spiritual significance.

Jesus said:

Matthew 16:18 ...I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 20 ...And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Therefore, we can make disciples, baptizing and teaching them.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.