Maybe you have always heard that baptism is just a symbol and doesn’t have anything to do with our salvation.
But this idea was never taught in scripture and it was definitely not believed by the first church.
Please watch the vide and fill in this question and answer sheet:
In Mark 16:16, Jesus said he who believes and is ______________ will be saved. So we see that baptism was an essential part of sharing the gospel.
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commanded us to make disciples of all nations and to ____________ them. So baptizing people is an essential part of making disciples.
In Acts 2:28 the people were cut to the heart after hearing the convicting preaching of Peter. They cried out “what shall we do?” What was Peter’s reply:
Notice how Peter did not tell these people to say the sinner’s prayer. The “sinner’s prayer” was never part of Biblical evangelism. Biblical evangelism included repentance, believing in Jesus (faith), baptism in water and being baptized in the Holy Spirit.
After hearing Peter’s preaching, when were the people baptized (vs 41)? ______________________
In Acts 9:35-36, Philip preached Jesus to a man. What was the man’s response?
__________________________________
So we see that when Philip preached the gospel, he included BAPTISM! Baptism has always been part of the gospel.
Acts 22:16 “Arise and be baptized and ________ ________________ _______, calling on the name of the Lord”
Acts 10:47 “Can anyone forbid ___________, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
In Acts 16:30-33, when was the guard and all this family baptized? ______________________
So we see from the above scriptures that baptism was extremely important part of the gospel. As we go further in scriptures, you will see why it was so important.
WHY IS WATER BAPTISM SO IMPORTANT?
Please pause the video and carefully write out Romans 6:3
Romans 6:4
“Therefore we were ____________ with Him through __________ into death, that just as Christ was _________ from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in __________ o f life.
Please pause the video and take time to deeply consider what the Bible is saying in these verses and then summarize and explain Romans 6 verses 5-7:
After reading those passages, what does baptism have to do with FREEDOM from sin according to Romans 6?
As Roman’s 6 continues on, we see Paul summarizing our new life in Christ after baptism and regeneration in verse 22. Please fill in the blank:
Rom 6:22 “But now, having been set _______ from sin and having become _______ of God, you have your fruit to __________ and the _______, everlasting life.
I hope you see now why Jesus taught that we must baptize people and why the disciples baptized people right away! It is because baptism is an essential part of our reborn process of burying the old man with Christ and rising with Christ a new person, FREED FROM SIN! Freed from our past! The old has gone, it was washed away in the water, now a person can walk in true newness of life.
1 Corinthians 12:13 we see that through baptism, we enter the body of Christ. When we are baptized, we become a member of His body. In Galations 3:26-27 it says that if we are baptized into Christ we have __________________.
In Colossians 2:11-12
“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in _________, in which you also were _________ with Him through ______ in the working of God, who raise Him from the dead.”
This above passage is amazing because it shows us that just like the Old Covenant circumcision cut off the flesh, the New Covenant circumcision is baptism because it putts off the old body of sins. This passage also shows us that in baptism we were buried with Christ and we rise with Christ through FAITH in the working of God! So baptism is by faith. We are saved by grace through faith. So repentance is by faith, baptism is by faith, and being filled with the Holy Spirit is by faith. This is the WAY to life. Everything in our walk with God is by His grace and through faith.
When Jesus came to earth, he taught us the WAY to life.
Jesus preached repentance and He was baptized in water and then the Holy Spirit alighted on Him (Matt 3:13-17; 4:17) This is shown again and again in scripture as the way to life: repent, put your faith in Jesus, be baptized, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS:
Did you know that baptism in water was so important? What is your response after hearing these verses?
Many Christians struggle with sin because they do not realize that their old self was washed away in the waters of baptism.
Have you been baptized? If so, did you understand the significance of it?
ANSWERING COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT WATER BAPTSIM
Question 1: Should I get baptized again?
When talking about baptism, people sometimes have many questions. One question people have is if they should be baptized again. My response is that if their first baptism was after they truly repented and put their faith in Jesus, then they don’t need to be baptized again. However, if they were just baptized as a symbol out of religious reasons and they did not truly repent beforehand, then it is important for them to pray about getting baptized again.
Question 2: I was baptized as a baby, does that count?
If you were baptized as a baby, you should be baptized again because your first baptism was not your choice, it was not after you repented, and it was not in faith.
Question 3: What about the thief on the cross?
It is important to note that God is full of mercy. If someone dies on their deathbed and is unable to get baptized, I don’t believe God will send them to hell if they truly repented and gave their life to Christ. The thief on the cross had no way to obey Jesus and get baptized; he is a great example of a “death bed conversion.” In these extreme situations where it is impossible to obey Jesus, God has mercy and grace.
Question 4: Should I get baptized in Jesus’ name or the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
Many people ask, “If I was baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, should I get re-baptized in Jesus’ name?” My answer is no. There is a modern day false teaching saying that you MUST be baptized in Jesus’ name only or your baptism wasn’t real and you aren’t saved. This is FALSE and it is not supported by the Bible or the early Church. Jesus specifically told people to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in Matthew 28:19. We also find in the very early church writings of the DIDICHE that they baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
So why does the book of Acts say they were baptized in Jesus’ name? The answer is probably because in that day, when they spoke of doing something in the “name” of a person, they were talking about their IDENTITY, CHARACTER or AUTHORITY. So people were being baptized in the authority or identity of Jesus, even if they said the name “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” at the baptism. If you were baptized TO Jesus, then no matter what words were spoken over you, you were baptized in Jesus’ name because you were baptized into HIS BODY.
To make things easier on everyone, when I baptize people I like to say “In the name of the Father, the Son JESUS, and the Holy Spirit” and I might even add “in Jesus’ name” at the end. Why do I do that? It is for the sake of unity. This issue of how to baptize has split the church and God hates divisions. God doesn’t care which exact words are spoken, it is not a magic formula, it is about FAITH IN JESUS and being baptized into His body. So no matter what they said over your baptism, if you were baptized TO Jesus because of faith IN Jesus, then you were baptized in His “name.” So there is no need to be re-baptizes over that issue. Likewise, if you were baptized in Jesus’ name only, you don’t need to be re-baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Again, it is not about exact words spoken, it is about FAITH in Jesus. I pray that one day the body of Christ will stop dividing over doctrines and start uniting around Christ.
Question 5: If baptism is so important, why did Paul say that Christ didn’t send him to baptize in 1 Corinthians 1 :17?
Some people take Paul’s writings out of context and claim that Paul didn’t preach baptism. This is illogical because Paul preached baptism in Romans, Colossians, Galatians, etc. His teachings on baptism are some of the strongest we have!
So what is Paul saying in that verse? If you just read the context of that passage, you will see that Paul DID baptize some people but he stopped because people were becoming divisive and getting puffed up about who baptized them. Some were saying “I am of Paul” or “I am of Appolos” and it was dividing the body. Of course the new believers were still baptized but presumably they were baptized by Paul’s co-workers and not Paul himself in order to keep people from becoming prideful.
Question 6: “Isn’t baptism is a ‘work’? The Bible says we are saved by grace through faith apart from works.”
Repentance and baptism are not works that somehow earn you a ticket to heaven. Getting baptized will never earn you salvation; salvation is a gift from God that is given to us without any of us deserving it. We could never earn such a gift! Repentance and baptism are the MEANS OF GRACE that God has given us to be saved. They are part of the WAY of salvation and they are all done in faith.
Look at this verse in Titus 3 that explains how baptism is a gift of God’s grace that washes us and regenerates us.
In John 9 we read how Jesus went to a blind man and rubbed dirt in his eyes and told him to bathe in the Pool of Siloam. The act of washing his eyes was not a “work” that somehow earned his healing. His healing was completely undeserved and it was fully by grace. The task of washing in water was the MEANS OF GRACE offered to the man so that if he had the faith, he would wash his eyes and then see. The blind man had enough faith to use the means of grace and to wash his eyes and the miracle happened! Do you see the parallels? Baptism does not earn us salvation; we are saved by grace through faith so that no one can boast! Baptism is not a work that earns salvation; baptism is part of the MEANS of grace that enables us to have life. (Romans 6:4)
THE EARLY CHURCH ON WATER BAPTISM
The early church fathers wrote extensively about baptism and they viewed it as essential to salvation. These were people who were around in the day of the apostles and soon after so they understood what the apostles taught.
This is a quote from the early church father Barnabas in “The Epistle of Barnabas.” Many in the early church believed it was written by the same Barnabas who joined Paul on some of his missionary journeys as recorded in Acts. Some church fathers, including Clement considered it to be scriptures.
“Blessed are they who, placing their trust in the cross, have gone down into the WATER… We indeed descend into the water full of sins and defilement. However, we come up, bearing fruit in our heart, having the fear [of God] and the trust of Jesus in our spirit.” Barnabas (Year 70-130 AD) Emphasis mine
This next quote is by Hermas. His writings called “The Shepherd of Hermas” was considered to be scripture by many in the early church. He said,
“Before a man bears the name of the Son of God, he is dead. But when he receives the seal, he lays aside his deadness and obtains life. This seal, then, is the WATER. They descend into the water dead, and they arise alive.” Hermas (Year 150 AD) Emphasis mine
Here is a quote from Justin Martyr who was a leader in the early church who was later killed for his faith in Jesus. You can see he baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
“….and may obtain in the WATER the REMISSION OF SINS formerly committed, there is pronounced over him who chooses to be born again, and has repented for his sins, the name of God the Father and the Lord of the universe…. And in the name of Jesus Christ…. And in the name of the Holy Spirit.” Justin Martyr (160 AD) Emphasis mine
The early church father Irenaeus refuted those who would try to downplay baptism in this message:
“When we come to refute them [the Gnostics], we will show in its proper place that this class of men have been instigated by Satan to a denial of that baptism which is regeneration to God. Thus they have renounced the whole faith… For the baptism instituted by the visible Jesus was FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS.” Irenaeus (180 AD) Emphasis mine
Being baptized we are illuminated. Illuminated, we become sons… This work is variously called grace, illumination, perfection and washing. Washing by which we cleanse away our sins. Grace by which the penalties accruing to transgressions are remitted…” “In the same way, therefore, we also repent of our sins, renounce our iniquities, and are purified by baptism. Thereby we speed back to the eternal light as children of the Father.” Clement of Alexandria (195 AD).
There are many more quotes that could be shared but I will leave it there. I pray your eyes have been opened to understand the power and importance of water baptism. It was never just a symbol, it was an extremely important part of the reborn process. Jesus made it clear that we must be born out of WATER and SPIRIT or we cannot enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5). In Titus 3 :3-7 we are told that this “washing of regeneration” is all by His grace.
WATER BAPTISM REFLECTIONS 2
After taking time to seek God on this issue of baptism, do you feel the tugging of the Holy Spirit to be baptized?
Why do you think the verses about baptism and the early church writings concerning baptism are so different than most modern teachings on baptism?
What does the devil gain by twisting the truth about baptism?
What does the church lose by believing that baptism is just a symbol?
What is the most significant insight you have received after going through this lesson on baptism?
WATER BAPTISM CONCLUSIONS
Dearly beloved,
If your heart is burning and you know you need to get baptized in water, please do not delay. Any true believer can baptize you, they do not need to be a pastor. You can be baptized in a river, a lake, the ocean, a pool, a bathtub, a water tank, wherever! Remember that it is all about faith. You are being baptized into the body of Jesus Christ and entering into a covenant with Jesus. This is a very serious commitment and a burial of your old life.
Be sure to take time to truly humble yourself before God and repent and choose to surrender your life to Jesus before your baptism. Some people take time to fast leading up to their baptism day but this is not necessary.
If you truly have no one to baptize you, please take time to fast and pray and ask God to bring someone to you.
You can also reach out to us at thedisciplesmovement.com
If you want to get baptized, please pray this prayer with me:
“Dear Father God, I want to live my whole life for you. Everything I am belongs to you. I have given my life to you and now I want to get baptized into the body of Christ and into the family of God. Please forgive me of all my past sins and wash me clean. Please make me new and give me a new heart. I choose to get baptized in water because I believe that the old me will be buried with Jesus. All my old pains and hurts and traumas and sins will be washed away in the water and I will truly be new by faith. I believe this with all my heart. Thank you Father! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen”
May God bless you,
-Mikayla Kooper