The Importance of Baptism in the water.It is the first step of obedience to the Gospel message.In Hebrews Paul speaks of baptism as one of the most basic doctrinesHebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. Jesus clearly commanded his followers: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; (Mark 16:15,16) Reflection upon this word "and" reveals that belief of the Gospel alone cannot save us; baptism is not just an optional extra in the Christian life, it is a vital prerequisite for salvation. This is not to say that the act of baptism alone will save us; it must be followed by a lifetime of continued obedience to God's Word. Jesus emphasized this: Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:5) We are "baptized into Christ" (Gal. 3:27), For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. EXAMPLES (Acts 19:1-5) 1And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2he 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. 3And he said to them, Into what then were you baptized? So they said, Into John's baptism. 4Then 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. 5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus ====================== Acts 8: 14Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ====================== Matthew 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 Note that we are baptized into Christ - not into any human organization. Without baptism we are not "in Christ", and therefore not covered by His saving work Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. The early Christians obeyed Christ's command to travel across the world preaching the Gospel and baptizing; the book of Acts is the record of this. A proof of the vital importance of baptism is to be found in the way that this record emphasizes how immediately people were baptized after accepting the Gospel Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. This emphasis is understandable once it is appreciated that without baptism our learning of the Gospel is in vain; baptism is a vitally necessary stage to pass through on the road to salvation. In some cases the inspired record of Scripture seems to highlight how, despite many human reasons to delay baptism, and many difficulties in performing the act, it is so important that people made every effort to overcome all these things, with God's help. Prison Keeper Acts 16:23 to 33 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone?s chains were loosed. 27And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. 29Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30And he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31So they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. 32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized The prison keeper at Philippi was suddenly plunged into the crisis of his life by a massive earthquake which completely broke up his high security prison. The prisoners had ample opportunity to escape - something which would have cost him his life. His faith in the Gospel then became real, so much so that "the same hour of the night (he) was baptized...straightway" (Acts 16:33). If anyone had an excuse to delay baptism it was him. The worst earthquake in Greece for 3,000 years, a horde of manic prisoners about to stage history's most dramatic jailbreak, and the threat of execution for neglect of duty hanging over his head, yet he saw clearly what was the one most important act to be performed in his entire life and eternal destiny. Thus he overcame the immediate problems of his surrounding world (i.e. the earthquake), the pressures of his daily employment and the intense nervous trauma he found himself in - to be baptized. Many a hesitant candidate for baptism can take true inspiration from that man. That he could make such an act of faith is proof enough that he already had a detailed knowledge of the Gospel, seeing that such real faith only comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Ethiopian Acts 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is desert. 27So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, Go near and overtake this chariot. 30So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, Do you understand what you are reading? 31And he said, How can I, unless someone guides me? And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32The place in the Scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth. 34So the eunuch answered Philip and said, I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man? 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36Now 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? 37Then 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. 38So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. 40But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. Acts record how an Ethiopian official was studying his Bible while riding in a chariot through the desert. He met Philip, who extensively explained the Gospel to him, including the requirement of baptism. Humanly speaking, it must have seemed impossible to obey the command to be baptized in that waterless desert. Yet God would not give a command which He knows people cannot obey. "As they went on their way, they came unto a certain water", i.e. an oasis, where baptism was possible (Acts 8:36). This incident answers the baseless suggestion that baptism by immersion was only intended to be performed in areas where there was ample, easily accessible water. God will always provide a realistic way in which to obey His commandments. Apostle Paul Received a dramatic vision from Christ which so pricked his conscience that as soon as possible he "forthwith...arose and was baptized" (Acts 9:17,18). 17And 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. 18Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. Again, it must have been tempting for him to delay his baptism, thinking of his prominent social position and the high-flying career mapped out for him in Judaism. But this rising star of the Jewish world made the correct and immediate decision to be baptized and openly renounce his former way of life. He later reflected concerning his choice to be baptized: "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ...I have suffered the loss of all things (i.e. the things he once saw as "gain" to him), and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ...forgetting those things which are behind (the "things" of his former Jewish life), and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize" (Phil. 3:7,8,13,14). This is the language of an athlete straining forward to break the finishing tape. Such concentration of mental and physical endeavor should characterize our lives after baptism. It must be understood that baptism is the beginning of a race towards the Kingdom of God; it is not just a token of having changed churches and beliefs, nor is it a passive entrance into a relaxed life of easy-going adherence to a few vaguely stated Christian principles. Baptism associates us in an on-going sense with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus (Rom. 6:3-5) 3Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4Therefore 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. 5For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, As a tired, spiritually triumphant old man, Paul could reminisce: "I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19). What was true for Paul is true for all who have been truly baptized: baptism is a decision which one will never regret. All our lives we will be aware that we made the correct choice. Of few human decisions can we ever be so certain. The question has to be seriously answered: 'Why should I not be baptized? MORE EXAMPLES Acts 10: 23 ? 48 Cornelius Acts 16:14, 15 Lydia ====================== |