The immersion of a believer
in water symbolizing the complete renewal and change in the believer's life
and testifying to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Understanding baptism!
Baptism is one of
the most misunderstood ceremonies in the Bible. People have been baptized at
birth, they have been sprinkled, and even baptized at death - none of these
are correct. Baptism needs to be done, but it needs to be done in the right
context. You need to understand that baptism is a public act of worship to
commit yourself to Jesus Christ, but it will not give you salvation.
Salvation only comes from God by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, with
confession and repentance of sins.
Romans 10:9
- That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus Is Lord" and
believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Repentance means to turn away from sin and go the other direction. Once you
have done this, it is time to be baptized.
What does baptism mean, and where does
it come from?
Baptism comes from a Greek
word "Baptizo" which means to immerse, or to go completely under. Baptism is
a public act of giving you an identity with the Lord Jesus Christ. In
simpler terms, it is an act that shows people that you are making a public
profession of your faith to follow Jesus Christ with all of your heart,
soul, and spirit. You are telling people that you are making a solid
commitment to put on a new you and taking off the old you.
Ephesians 4:21-23
Assuming that you have
really heard Him and been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus, Strip
yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old
unrenewed self]which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes
corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; And be
constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and
spiritual attitude],
Who needs to be baptized?
The people that need to be baptized are
people who have recognized Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. They
have repented of their sins, and have made a conscious commitment of their
faith in Jesus Christ. Age is not a factor in being baptized, only having a
understanding of God's Word. If the person understands these things and has
repented of their sins and confessed that Jesus is their Lord and believes
that God has raised Him from the dead, then they are a candidate for
baptism.
Acts 2:38 -
And Peter answered them, Repent
(change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your
inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from
your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
When do I need to be baptized?
All throughout
the Bible it tells us that people were baptized right after they confessed
Jesus as their Lord and Savior. So we would say if you have recently
confessed Jesus to be your Lord and you have repented of your sins and truly
believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, then you are a
candidate for being baptized. See Scriptures below:
Acts 2:41
-
3,000
people were baptized after believing on the first day of the Christian
church. Verses 38 and 39 make it clear that this is the way that it will
always be done. That is, all people who accept Christ as their savior will
come to Him in this way.
Acts 8:26-39
-
We know where this road from
Jerusalem to Gaza is. Verse 26 terms it a “desert.” The only water there was
oasis water. This means that the eunuch and Philip climbed down into the
people's drinking water to do this. Apparently, Philip and the eunuch did
not think it could wait until later! (You will also notice they did not take
a handful of water and “sprinkle” the eunuch to keep things sanitary,
either.) The Bible states that all Philip did was “preach Jesus to him”
(verse 35) and then the eunuch said that he wanted to be baptized (verse
36). This means that the preaching of Jesus includes preaching the need to
be baptized.
Acts 9:18
-
after this encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road, Saul (later renamed
Paul) decided to accept Jesus—and was baptized.
Acts 10:47,48
-
Cornelius and those with him were commanded to be baptized, becoming the
first non-Jewish converts to Christianity.
Acts 16:13-15
-
Lydia and
her household “believed” and were baptized.
Acts 16:16-34
-
The
Philippian jailer “believed” with his household and they were baptized—and
this was in the middle of the night!
When Jesus left
the earth (see the end of the book of Matthew,) He told His followers to
make disciples, baptize them, and teach them. Jesus apparently felt it was
pretty important to make this a priority for His followers. The Bible is
clear—belief and baptism were always together. So the minute “we believe and
receive salvation” is the right time to be baptized. If you “believed” some
time back and were not baptized, then this should become a priority for you
to fulfill what God asks you to do in the Bible.
The only question left to ask is,
“What will I do now?”
That is between you and God.
Praise & Glory be to You Lord Jesus!