CE 1 YEAR: 4 Water Baptism

Week 4

Water Baptism

Why should you be baptized?

Baptism is the God-ordained practice of being immersed in water to demonstrate a person’s trust in Christ as their Lord and Savior. This is why the Apostle Peter commanded the first new Christians in the Church to be baptized (Acts 2:38). Therefore, in some ways, baptism is God’s first commandment for a new Christian to obey.

What Peter commanded these early Christians to do, God expects all Christians to do. This is why Jesus also commanded all Christians to be baptizing other Christians (Matt 28:18-19). Therefore, many NT texts assume all Christians are baptized (Rom 6:2-4; Gal 3:26-27; Col 2:12; 1 Pet 3:21).

Finally, Jesus Himself was baptized in water as an example for all Christians to follow. He said He did it to fulfill all that God requires. (Matt 3:13, 15). Therefore, the first reason God wants you to be baptized is that He commands it.

Also, God has several purposes for water baptism. First, it is a biblical means through which a person publicly professes their saving faith in Christ. Baptism is the outward expression of your inward commitment to Jesus as your Lord. The Bible says baptism is a new believer’s expression of a clean conscience because they believe their sins are forgiven (1 Pet 3:21).

The NT indicates that in the early Church, water baptism often functioned much like a “sinner’s prayer” does today. It was a means through which someone professed saving faith in Christ and was saved. Many NT scholars believe that such confessions as described in Romans 10:9 were made at the time of baptism in the early Church.

This is why water baptism and becoming a Christian are often mentioned together in the NT. For example, when the Apostle Peter is asked by a crowd what they should for God to forgive them, he said they must stop sinning, turn to God, and be baptized (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16; 1 Pet 3:21).

Of course, the mere act of baptism does not obtain salvation for anyone. It is clearly taught that we are saved by God’s unconditional grace and His supernatural works, not our good works (Rom 3:20-24; 11:5-6; Eph 2:8-9; Gal 2:16). This would include the good work of being baptized.

This is why the Apostle Paul said Christ had not sent him to baptize people but to preach the Gospel (1 Cor 1:17). We can be certain that Christ sent the Apostle to do everything necessary for the salvation of people. But Christ did not send the Apostle Paul to baptize people. Therefore, while baptism often functioned in the early Church as a means to receive salvation, a “sinners prayer” has certainly proven to do the same for multitudes throughout the centuries.

A second purpose for water baptism is to prove you are a real Christian. You learned in the previous week of this study that loving and obeying God is essential to having any confidence you are saved (1 John 2:3-5). If you refuse to be baptized, you cannot claim to love God or to be a real Christian. This is why throughout the history of the Christian Church, a person was not considered a member of a local church, or eligible for the Lord’s Supper, unless they had been baptized. Again, baptism does not save you. But baptism is among the first things God commands you to do in order prove to yourself and others that you are a real Christian.

Of course, there may be many obstacles to baptism. Sometimes there is a spiritual battle in a new Christian’s life that makes obeying this command a great struggle. In cultures that are hostile to Christianity, there may be fears about the consequences of being baptized. For example, some Christians have been rejected from their families for obeying God’s command in this matter. In some countries, Christian water baptism is strongly opposed by the government. This makes it especially tragic when a Christian neglects baptism even though they live where there is no opposition to doing so. They should remember that there are Christians all over the world obeying God in baptism, but at great personal cost.

Regardless of the situation, God wants anyone claiming to be a Christian, to trust Him and be baptized to prove their love for Him. The early Christians said we must obey God rather than any human authority (Acts 5:29). From God’s perspective, there is no excuse to disobey His command to be baptized.

Who should be baptized?

The Bible makes it clear that water baptism is a voluntary act to express real saving faith in Christ. Therefore, it requires someone old enough to have such faith and make such a commitment. This is why there are no examples of babies being baptized in the Bible. Some good Christians baptize infants, but all baptisms described in Scripture involved people who were old enough to sincerely believe in Jesus (Acts 2:41; 16:33-34; 1 Pet 3:21).

God only wants real Christians to be baptized. Unfortunately, many Christians have gone through church programs such as “confirmation” and assumed they were Christians at that time and were baptized. However, later they realized their trust in Christ was not real, and they became a real Christian later in life. Those who were baptized before they became a Christian should be baptized again to express their true trust in Christ now.

How should you be baptized?

Christian baptism is immersing a believer in water. The word “baptism” comes from a Greek word (baptō) which means to dip, plunge, or immerse something in a liquid. Therefore, biblical descriptions of baptisms imply immersion. Jesus is described as being baptized (immersed) in the Jordan River and then coming up out of the water (Matt 3:6, 16). Likewise, when Phillip helped a man become a Christian, the Bible says they went down into the water, and Philip baptized (immersed) him (Acts 8:38).

Why does God want Christian baptism to be immersion in water? Because it symbolizes several important things about becoming a Christian. First, being under the water reflects how you were under the wrath of God before your salvation. This is just like the people before the flood in Noah’s day (Gen 6:17; Rom 5:9). Water is a symbol of God’s wrath.

Secondly, immersion is a reminder that you were spiritually dead because of your unforgiven sins (Eph 2:1). In fact, if you were left under the water you would die.

Thirdly, being raised out of the water symbolizes your new life in Christ (Rom 6:2-4; Col 2:12). Fourth, coming up out of the water also reflects your sins being washed away (Acts 22:16; Tit 3:5). And finally, immersion in water also symbolizes being born again by the Spirit, just as you were physically immersed in your mother’s water sack in her womb (John 3:3-8).

What are other biblical attributes of Christian baptism? First, many baptisms in the Bible were rather private affairs with only a few Christians witnessing it (Acts 8:34-38; 9:17-18; 10:24-48; 16:13-15; 16:29-34). Accordingly, the Bible describes water baptism as a response to God from a clean conscience (1 Pet 3:21). It would seem the primary purpose of baptism is for God to see your act of love and obedience to Him, not necessarily other people.

Therefore, a rather private baptism is biblical. This might make baptism easier for those living where the practice is opposed. However, if you are willing and able, your baptism can certainly be a great encouragement and witness to others and can be performed more publicly.

Also, any Christian friend can baptize you. The command of Jesus for all Christians is to go and baptize people in the name of the Trinity (Matt 28:19). If all Christians have the authority to evangelize and disciple, then they certainly have the authority to baptize. It does not need to be a Pastor or church leader who baptizes you. However, we have no biblical examples of someone baptizing themselves.

Thirdly, baptisms in the Bible occurred soon after the person trusted Christ. Again, the Bible says that those who believed the Gospel Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, were immediately baptized (Acts 2:41). If you have trusted Christ to be your Savior and Lord, seek to be baptized as soon as possible.

Practical Application: Do you profess to be a Christian but have not been baptized? Take this step of obedience and love for Christ and tell your Pastor that you want to be baptized. Do you know a Christian that needs to obey Christ in baptism? Encourage them to do so. Perhaps it would help them to read this chapter in the Christian Essentials.

In your small group meeting this week, share praises and prayer requests and then discuss these questions:

1. What is God’s first commandment for the Christian?
2. What are the biblical purposes of baptism?
3. Who should be baptized?
4. What is the biblical method of baptism? Why is this?
5. What was most meaningful to you in this chapter? Why?