Opening Statement:
The baptism of believers in Jesus Christ by immersion is one of the distinctions of the Baptist Church. While other Churches may teach & practice baptism, very few require it for church membership.
Why should we be so specific about what we believe about Baptism?
The simple answer is: Because the New Testament teaches believers baptism by immersion, and the early Church in obedience to Christ’s command, practiced it.
I) The Authority Behind Believer’s Baptism (Matthew 28:18-20)
The authority for baptism comes directly from our Lord Jesus Christ. The command to baptize is associated with the authority given Him by the Father. One of our Lord’s last commands to the Apostles was to baptize.
The point is that we do not receive authority from any human source to baptize, not even the Church. The Church did not invent baptism, Our Lord did. The Church is to administer Baptism.
II) Who Should be Baptized? (Acts 8:36-38)
1) All who hear the Word and come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Those who have come to trust Him alone as their Savior and Lord. Rom 10:8-9
On the day of Pentecost, the First day of the Church, the day of birth for the Church; After Peter preached that first Sermon we read; Acts 2:41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
The order in Preparation for baptism is hearing the Word of God, trusting in or receiving Christ as Savior and then Baptism follows.
III) The Method of Believer’s Baptism (Rom 6:3-4)
How should a believer be baptized? Since baptism is a symbol, it is vitally important what method is used, since the reality of the event pictured must agree with the symbol.
What is the real event that is pictured by baptism? It is the believer’s participation in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Rom 6:3-4
Crucial to our belief that immersion is the proper and only New Testament method of baptism is:
1) The meaning of the word.
Baptizo which meant at the time the New Testament was written, “To dip” or “to immerse”, “to put or go under water”.
IV) The Symbolism of Baptism (Romans 6:3-5)
Believer’s Baptism is an outward symbol of an inward condition. It is a picture of what the Holy Spirit has done within the believer; He identifies the believer in Jesus Christ with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
Baptism is like a wedding ring: they both symbolize transactions.
In Closing:
Why should a believer be baptized? Christ commanded it in Matthew 28:18-20. Obedience to Christ requires it in John 14:15-24. The Scriptures clearly state that the early Church practiced it in Acts 2.
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