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!