Baptism 101: Why is Baptism important? Matthew 28:18-20 INTRODUCTION: Next week: Baptism 201: What is its significance? Jim Denison is a pastor in Dallas, Texas. While in college, Denison served as a summer missionary in East Malaysia. During one of their worship services, a teenage Malaysian girl shared her faith in the small warehouse that was used for a church. She was baptized that day in their baptistery, which was a bathtub, and glowed with the love of Christ. While all of this was going on, Denison noticed some worn-out luggage leaning against the wall. He asked a church member for an explanation of the suitcase. He pointed to the girl who had been baptized and said, Her father said that if she was baptized as a Christian she could never go home again. So she brought her luggage. What a challenge for greater commitment. The Book of Acts, Baptist Way Bible Study for Texas, 2000, p. 46 Baptism for this teenager was very important! In many parts of the world, baptism holds a far more important role than it does in the Christian church in America. Why? Because for them, submitting oneself to baptism means that they are not only publicly declaring their faith in Jesus Christ, but they are also making a decision to become His follower despite the alienation, persecution, or death they face from their family, friends, and society. They make a choice to leave life as they have known it for a new life with Christ. Here in America, we are shielded from severe persecution because of the freedom we enjoy to worship as we each desire. In some ways, the fear of submitting oneself to baptism is diminished here because of that. We have been content not to make it any more important than is necessary. After all, salvation takes place in the heart; that is the important thing. Baptism is just a symbol. It can wait, it can be postponed, it can be avoided, and it can be denied. In the end, it isn t really that important, is it? Well, I am sorry to say to you today, it is important. I. It was Important to Jesus. Turn to Matthew 3:1-6 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. " And John himself was clothed in camel s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. Then look down in verses 13-15 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. A. Baptism was so important to Jesus that He submitted Himself to John s baptism before beginning His ministry. Why? Well, He said, it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. What did He mean by this? Turn to Matthew 21:23-27 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?" 24 But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: 25 "The baptism of John where was it from? From heaven or from men?" And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, From heaven, He will say to us, Why then did you not believe him? 26 "But if we say, From men, we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet." 27 So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. Like Jesus teachings and works, the Baptism of John was instituted by the authority of God. It was God s authority and will that John was obeying as He baptized! Jesus said in John 5:36 "But I have a greater witness than John s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish the very works that I do bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.
John 4:34 Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Jesus had come to fulfill all righteousness. Any and all commands the Father has given to man, Jesus fulfilled. And since baptism was an ordinance God had commanded to be observed, to not submit to it would have meant that Christ had not fulfilled all righteousness by leaving it undone. There were no confessions of sin that day from Christ; yet still, He submitted without hesitation. Even more, He had to go a step beyond by asking His hesitant baptizer to permit it to happen. Oh, the Humble heart of our King, submitting Himself to a baptism of repentance though He had never sinned. Even from the commencement of His ministry He associated with outcast sinners. Luke 7 tells us that many publicans, sinners, and soldiers were baptized by John, while the Pharisees and Scribes looked on with self-righteous contempt. They rejected the counsel of God by not submitting to John s baptism. And watching on that day, they would have numbered Jesus with the rest. By this act, Jesus declared that no one is exempt from baptism. B. Baptism was important enough to Jesus that He continued baptizing the disciples who followed Him. John 4:1-3 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. And then, lastly C. Baptism was important to Jesus because His very last words on earth spoke of it. Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "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, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. With these words the apostles went forth in the establishment of Christ s church. It s not surprising then to see then that II. Baptism was Important to the early church. But please, do not misunderstand what I am trying to say in regards to Baptism s importance. It is not by any means to be regarded as a regenerative rite, though it symbolizes regeneration. There s nothing magical in the baptismal waters. In a certain town there lived a very wicked man. And a certain minister who lived there insisted that he should be baptized. The wicked man insisted that he was not a Christian and was not ready to be baptized. But the minister insisted that he would become a Christian when baptized and would then be all right. The man declared that he was desperately wicked and feared it would require more than water baptism to fix him up. Still the minister insisted. Finally the sinner replied, "Well, I will comply with your request. I will let you baptize me, and if any change has taken place in me I will know. And if there is a change and I am all right, I will consider myself a member of your church; but if there is no difference, and I am still wicked inside, I am going to beat you to a pulp right there on the spot for deceiving me." The minister answered, "Well, I fear you are not ready for baptism now! William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations." He doubted his own doctrine! If you look closely at all the references to salvation throughout the New Testament you will only find one component necessary for salvation, and it isn t baptism. Listen: John 1:12 says, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned;
but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Romans 3:21-22 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. Romans 10:8-9 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Believe! It is none other than Faith! Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. But this should come as no surprise to us. The message that Jesus taught over and over again was that forgiveness and cleansing of sin come as a result of faith. Mark 2:5 says, When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." Mark 5:34 To the woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years, He said, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Mark 10:52 To blind Bartimaeus He said, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." When the humble centurion asked Jesus to heal his dear dying servant Luke 7:9-10 says Jesus marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick." Luke 7:50 To the sinful women who washed Jesus feet with her tears in the house of Simon the Pharisee, He said, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." And on and on the gospels go. Salvation is through faith alone. But having said all of that, I still must reiterate to you that baptism is still very important. In every case, baptism followed salvation. True believers were saved, and the truly saved submitted immediately to baptism. We need a makeshift baptismal. Some have taken the parallel text to Matthew 28 in Mark 16 and misused it. Mark 16:16 condemned. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be The thing that condemns us is unbelief; not being unbaptized. This text is simply presuming that those who truly believe willingly submit to baptism. This practice is seen all through Acts. So on the day of Pentecost Peter preaches to the Jews and quotes a prophetic passage from Joel which ends with this statement in verse 21, And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. His sermon unfolds from there. And in verse 37 his Jewish listeners respond. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" 38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ Then Philip brings the message to the Samarians and Acts 8:12 says, when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Philip meets the Ethiopian Eunuch and this is how that scenario unfolds. Acts 8:36-37 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
The Apostle Paul s own conversion followed the same pattern. Acts 9:17-18 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. And later Paul s witness in Philippi sees the same result with Lydia. Acts 16:13-15 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. Our next text is very important. Turn to Acts 10. Peter arrives at the home of Cornelius in Caesarea, who s waiting for Peter with relatives and family (v. 24). God has already been at work there. In fact, God instructs Cornelius to send for Peter not the other way around. Peter comes only because God prepares him after some hesitation to accept an invitation from an unclean gentile. Then Peter preaches to them in verses 34-43. But then he is interrupted in verse 44. Let s read there. Verses 44-48: While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Their faith had saved them and the gift of the spirit took place before the necessary formality of water baptism, and not because of it. In conclusion, move to chapter 16. Paul and Silas are in prison and the Lord miraculously opens the prison doors, but Paul and Silas stay and witness to the fearful jailor and his household. Verses 29-34, Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 Then 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 stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. Baptism was as important to the early church as it was to Jesus. And that is why III. It is Important for us today But let me begin by addressing a couple of issues and then we ll look at the importance baptism for us today. Over the centuries Christians have debated who baptism should be administered to, and how much water should be used (immersion, sprinkling, or pouring). A Presbyterian and a Baptist minister were discussing baptism. The Presbyterian asked the Baptist if he considered a person baptized if he was immersed in water up to his middle. "No," said the Baptist. "Do you consider him baptized if he is immersed in water up to his NECK?" asked the Presbyterian. Again the Baptist's answer was: "No." "Well now," said the Presbyterian, "suppose you immersed him up to his EYEBROWS? Would you consider him baptized THEN?" "No," said the Baptist. "Well then, there you have it!" said the Presbyterian. "It's only the little bit of water on the TOP OF THE HEAD that counts!" At The Community Church of the Open Door we practice immersion. Let me explain why we do. Our first and foremost reason is scriptural. The scripture indicates that John, his disciples, Jesus, and the Ethiopian Eunuch all went down into the water. And we have no reason to believe it was otherwise for everyone else. Second, the English word Baptism is just a transliteration of the Greek word Baptizo. The Greek dictionary defines it as:
1) to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk) 2) to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one's self, bathe. 3) to overwhelm Third, literary evidence: The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped' (bapto) into boiling water and then 'baptised' (baptizo) immersed or saturated in the vinegar solution. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change turning the vegetable into a pickle. Then fourth, when we consider the Old Testament uses & NT for that mater of: Baptisms = or washings. Only used with water as sign of cleansing from filth. Sprinkling = with the idea of purification or to make holy. Only used with either blood or oil, but mostly blood. Pouring = was used to consecrate for service. It is usually oil and the blood left over after sprinkling was poured out at the base of the altar. Now, let me say that although our church only accepts baptism by immersion for prospective members; I personally do not question the validity of a baptism administered by any of the other modes as long as it takes place after the salvation of the individual. This kind of baptism is referred to as a believer s baptism. Now, having said that, let be move to my next point. If you were baptized by any mode (immersion, sprinkling, or pouring) before you placed your faith in Christ, you need to be baptized again. And I have a scriptural basis for that statement. Turn to: Acts 18:24 19:5 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; 28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. 1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 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 whether there is a Holy Spirit." 3 And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John s baptism." 4 Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. If you are using a baptism administered previous to your acceptance of Jesus, as an excuse not to submit to believer s baptism - this scripture condemns that kind of thinking. And this statement is true regardless of any age you may have been when you were previously baptized. The disciples Paul found in Ephesus had been baptized with a baptism that looked forward to a day when they would come to faith in Christ and when they believed in Him they were willingly rebaptized. No arguments, no excuses, no logical objections. I m sure Apollos approached believer s baptism in the same way. What s even more impressive is that the Lord and King of righteousness who had no need of cleansing submitted to baptism. All of these people could have avoided it, postponed it or denied it, but they didn t, they embraced it. Why? 1 Peter 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. Not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God. Those who do not submit; you could say demonstrate the answer of a bad conscience toward God. It is the difference between a good attitude and a bad one. If the church you attend and really enjoy has made the case biblically that all believers must submit to a baptism in milk applied by high pressure hoses and you need to be baptized, it would be real easy to focus on the wrong thing. But if you were a new Christian excited about your faith who willingly and enthusiastically embraced every opportunity to declare your faith your focus would be different. It wouldn t be about the elements or the details. It would be about the objective.
The story is told about the baptism of King Aengus by St. Patrick in the middle of the fifth century. Sometime during the rite, St. Patrick leaned on his sharp-pointed staff and inadvertently stabbed the king's foot. After the baptism was over, St. Patrick looked down at all the blood, realized what he had done, and begged the king's forgiveness. Why did you suffer this pain in silence, the Saint wanted to know. The king replied, "I thought it was part of the ritual. Knowing the Face of God, Tim Stafford, p. 121ff That our churches mode and methods differ should not keep you from taking this opportunity to submit to believer s baptism. If lowly disciples, humble earthly kings, or your heavenly Lord embraced it - reconsider. Baptism was important for Jesus, it was important to the early church, and it should be important to us. CONCLUSION: Rethink baptism. Not with a critical heart hung up over the details, but with a humble heart that desires to glorify God and lift up the name of Jesus. A heart that says like faithful Apollos and his disciples who were already serving the Lord, we will submit ourselves once again to baptism as believers because it fulfills all righteousness. If you are not a Christian, won t you consider becoming one today? Confess your sinfulness before God, accept the forgiveness and cleansing He has provided through the sacrifice of His Son and you will be saved. Then publicly declare that faith in baptism with others on Sunday afternoon July 30 th. The six-year-old grandson of Ruth Kirby told his mother that he had been baptized. Mom knew he hadn't been formally baptized, so she probed further into the issue. She asked him to explain what he meant by "baptized." Little Blake then enlightened his mom, "Last night in the bathtub I put my face under the water and thought about Jesus. Mature Living, April 1994, p. 49