Answering Three Questions About Baptism Theres a Lot
Answering Three Questions. . . About Baptism There’s a Lot of Confusion in the Religious World About Baptism 1. How Is It Performed? a. Immersion b. Sprinkling water on a person c. Pouring water on a person 2. Who Are to be Baptized? a. Infants b. Adults
3. What Is the Purpose of Baptism? a. To join a church b. An act of obedience that follows salvation by faith only c. For the remission of sins How Does the Bible Answer These Questions? A good method of study is to look at every New Testament passage that mentions “baptism” or “baptize” and see what answers can be found to these three questions.
How Is Baptism to be Performed? Let’s look at the meaning of the Greek word which is translated “baptism” in the N. T. 1. Translated from baptisma (baptisma) -from bapto, which means “to dip” 2. “A process of immersion, submersion and emergence” (Vine). Also, look at the meaning of “baptize” in the original Greek 1. Translated from baptizo (baptizo) – from bapto, which means “to dip” (Vine).
2. “Used of the dyeing of an article of clothing, or the drawing of water by dipping a bucket into water in a well” (Vine). 3. New Testament baptism is the dipping or immersion of a person in water. Let’s Look at Some Passages that Imply Baptism Is to be Done by Immersion. 1. John 3: 23 – Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there.
(1) Sprinkling? (2) Pouring? (3) Immersion? 2. Acts 8: 38 – So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Phillip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. a. Which action requires both to go down into the water in order for baptism to take place? b. Sprinkling, pouring or
3. Matt. 3: 16 – When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water… (Coming up out of the water implies which: sprinkling, pouring or immersion? ) 4. Acts 22: 16 – Arise and be baptized… (Which action, sprinkling, pouring or immersion would require Saul to arise to be baptized? ) Let’s Look at Some Passages That Teach Baptism is a Burial (Immersion) 1. Rom. 6: 4 – Therefore we were buried
2. Col. 2: 12 -- …buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 3. Rom. 6: 17, 3 -5 -- But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered … Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the
Who Should Be Baptized? 1. Mark 16: 16 – He who believes and is baptized will be saved … (A person must be old enough to be taught and to believe. ) 2. Acts 2: 38 – Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ… a. A person must be old enough to be aware of his sins and to repent of them.
3. Matt. 28: 19 – Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit… (Persons to be baptized first had to become disciples; that is, “be taught. ” 4. Acts 2: 41 – Then those who gladly received his word were baptized… (Persons who were baptized were old enough to hear and accept Peter’s preaching. )
5. Acts 8: 12 – But when they believed Phillip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. (Those who were baptized were old enough to believe what Phillip preached. ) 6. Acts 10: 48 – And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. (These people were old enough to respond to Peter’s command to be baptized. )
7. Acts 18: 8 – And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. (The Corinthians who were baptized were old enough to hear and believe the gospel. ) 8. 1 Pet. 3: 21 – There is also an antitype which now saves us – baptism (not the removal of the filth of the body, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Those who are to be baptized must be old
9. There is not a single instance in the New Testament that implies the baptism of infants or children not old enough to hear, believe, repent and obey a commandment to be baptized. 10. All who were baptized in the New Testament were old enough: a. To hear the gospel being preached b. To believe what they heard c. To repent of their sins
What Is the Purpose of Baptism? 1. Mark 16: 16 – He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. 2. Acts 2: 38 – Then Peter said to them, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” 3 Acts 22: 16 – Ananias told Saul to “Arise and be baptized, and wash
4. Rom. 6: 3 -- Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 5. Rom. 6: 4 -- Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 7. 1 Cor. 12: 13 -- For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.
8. 1 Pet. 3: 21 -- There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 9. 2 Cor. 5: 17 -- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 10. Gal. 3: 27 -- For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on
11. John 3: 5 -- Jesus answered, “Most assured- ly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 12. Eph. 5: 25, 26 – The church is composed of those who have been cleansed with the washing of water with the word. 13. Titus 3: 5 – God saves us through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.
Take a Look at the Following Scriptures in Which Baptism Appears Before Salvation (or One of Its Synonyms). 1. Before Salvation, Mark 16: 16 2. Before Remission of Sins, Acts 2: 38 3. Before the washing away of sins, Acts 22: 16 4. Before walking in newness of life, Rom. 6: 4 5. Before being raised with Christ and forgiveness of sins, Col. 2: 12, 13.
When Is Baptism Valid? 1. When it is performed by the immersion (burial) of the person in water. 2. When the person being baptized is old enough to hear, believe, repent and decide for himself to obey the command to be baptized. 3. When a person has an understanding of what the Bible teaches about the meaning and purpose of being baptized.
Notice the Example of Acts 19: 1 -5 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? ” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard wheth-er there is a Holy Spirit. ” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized? ” So they said, “Into John’s baptism. ” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a bap-tism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who
The Baptism of These Twelve Disciples Was Invalid Because of What They Didn’t Know When They Were Baptized the First Time. 1. They knew only the teaching of John that Jesus would be coming. 2. They did not know that Jesus had died for their sins. 3. When they were baptized the first time they could not have known that they were being baptized into the death of Christ (Rom. 6: 3).
4. They could not have understood that their first baptism was “into the body of Christ, ” 1 Cor. 12: 13. 5. Their first baptism was not “in the name of the Lord Jesus; ” that is, it was a baptism that was not authorized by Jesus Christ. 5. Upon learning these things they were baptized again, Acts 19: 5 – When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
A Person’s Baptism Is Invalid When: 1. Water was merely sprinkled or poured on him in being “baptized. ” 2. He (or, she) was “baptized” as a baby and not a believer, had not repented and did not decide to obey the command to be baptized. 3. He (or, she) did not know or understand the meaning and true purpose of baptism. Most of the time when a person is baptized into a denomination he is not
CONCLUSION 1. If either or all of these conditions were true of your baptism, you have not yet been baptized “in the name of the Lord Jesus. ” 2. You are not yet saved, and are still in sin. 3. In which case, you still are in need of being baptized again, just like the twelve disciples whom Paul baptized a second time when they came to understand the truth of
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