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What is ? Who should be baptized? What does it mean? and Why does it matter?

By Dr. Barry McCarty Senior Pastor Peachtree Christian

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First printed for the Believer’s Baptism class at

Peachtree Christian Church 1580 Peachtree Street NW Atlanta, GA 30309

February 2011

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Matthew 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV)* In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded all who desired to follow him and be his disciples to be baptized in water in his name. Forty days later, the apostle Peter preached the first gospel sermon to thousands of Jews who had come from across the Mediterranean world to Jerusalem for the Feast of . Peter told them that Jesus was God’s Son and their Savior. He told them that Jesus had died for their sins. And he told them that God had raised Jesus from the dead and exalted him to the highest place in heaven. The truth of what Peter said about Jesus was made more certain because he was speaking in the very city where Jesus had been crucified, where he had been seen alive again, and where his empty tomb gave clear evidence to the truth of his resurrection! Many in the crowd that day believed Peter’s message. They realized they had been wrong about Jesus. He was the Messiah. He was the Son of God. They also realized something about themselves. They were sinners who needed a savior and Jesus alone could now save them.

* All scripture references are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Good News Publishers, 2001). 4

Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” So Peter called on those who believed in Jesus to act on their faith by repenting—the biblical term for turning away from sin and turning toward God—and publicly professing their faith in Christ by being baptized in his name. Acts 2:38, 41 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”. . . 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Thus, the very first Christians became followers of Christ and part of the first church in Jerusalem that day. By God’s grace, they received the forgiveness of their sins, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, and entered into the Kingdom of God forever. People sometimes debate the issue of whether water baptism is an essential part of becoming a Christian, but on the Day of Pentecost, nobody questioned Peter’s instructions or engaged in any theological debates about whether they needed to be baptized. They just did it. The most important reason to be baptized is not because your church requires it or someone else thinks you should, but simply because Jesus said so. 5

What is baptism? Baptism is the immersion† of a penitent believer in water in the name of Jesus Christ, marking his deliverance from sin and the beginning of a new life in Christ. It is how those who come to a saving faith in Christ accept what God has done for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus, are united with him, and begin to wear his name. We need to be clear that baptism is not a good work we perform that makes us right with God or a religious ritual by which we earn salvation. We are saved by God’s grace—his unmerited favor—through faith, not because of the good we do, but because of what Jesus has done for us. Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. While we are saved by grace through faith, the Bible also teaches that baptism is the occasion that God has appointed for people who come to a saving faith in Christ to confess him as Lord and to be added to the church.

† Immersion is the only form of baptism known in the . Actually, the biblical words for baptize (baptizo) and baptism (baptisma) specifically mean immerse and immersion. Baptism by immersion was the universal practice of the New Testament church in the days of the apostles, and the prevailing form of baptism until at least the 12th century. (pouring water over the head) and aspersion (sprinkling water on the head) are later traditions that were sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church and accepted by many Protestant denominations. Because immersion is the only form of baptism that Jesus commanded and the only form of baptism the early church practiced, it is the only form of baptism our church practices. 6

Baptism is the final step in becoming a Christian and marks the beginning of our life in Christ. Who should be baptized? Every believer. Every person in the New Testament who became a Christian was baptized into Christ. Beginning with the first believers baptized in Jerusalem on Pentecost, there are nine individual conversion stories told in the book of Acts, which is the New Testament book that records the history of the early church in the days of the apostles. All nine conversion stories include the baptism of the people who were said to have believed and accepted Christ.‡ There were no exceptions. Every person in the Book of Acts who is said to have believed in and accepted Christ was immediately baptized into Christ. We conclude from this that baptism is an essential part of becoming a Christian and that every person who desires to trust in Christ and follow him should obey his command to be baptized as soon as possible. Only believers. The New Testament makes a close connection between baptism and saving faith. Not only is every believer baptized into Christ, but only believers are baptized into Christ. Mark’s record of Jesus’ Great Commission puts it this way.

‡ The other eight conversion stories are: the Samaritans converted by Philip’s preaching (Acts 8:12); the (Acts 8:35-38); Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:18; 22:16); the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:47-48); Lydia of Thyatira (Acts 16:14-15); the Philippian Jailer and his family (Acts 16:30-34); Crispus, his family, and Paul’s converts in Corinth (Acts 18:7- 8); Twelve disciples of at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-5). 7

Mark 16:15-16 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. The promise is whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. Apart from a saving faith in Jesus, baptism does absolutely nothing for anyone. Sometime after the 3rd century, the practice of or christening arose in the Roman Catholic Church and was later adopted by some Protestant denominations. This was done partly because of the erroneous belief that infants were somehow tainted with something called original sin and that unbaptized infants who die go to hell. In contrast, there is no record of an infant baptism anywhere in the New Testament. None. It is also worth noting that the biblical view of moral accountability is that children do not become sinners until they are old enough to make informed moral choices of their own. Children are safe until they are old enough to become sinners who need to be saved.§ The other error that drove the acceptance of christening infants was the medieval view of the church as a territorial community rather than a confessional one. From the time of Constantine, Roman Catholicism was the law of the land

§ In Matthew 19:14, when parents asked Jesus to bless their children, the Lord replied: “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Again, in Matthew 18:3, Jesus said: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” 8 in the Western World, upheld by secular rulers with the power of the sword. There was no separation between church and state. If you were born in Christendom, you were christened as a Christian. However, the New Testament knows of no other kind of church other than a believers’ church, consisting only of those who by personal faith have freely chosen to accept Christ and follow him. The church is, therefore, a confessional community and only confessing believers are baptized into it. The Bible teaches that faith, repentance, and confession of Christ are necessary steps for being saved and becoming a Christian, and the Bible also connects each of these steps to baptism. Note just three examples: Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name. 9

Baptism is how a person who believes in Christ, repents of his sins, and is ready to publicly confess his faith receives Christ as his Lord and Savior. These are actions that only an adult or an older child of sufficient intellectual and moral maturity can do. In order to exercise faith, a person must be old enough to understand the Gospel. Thus Baptism can only have meaning for a person who understands why he or she is being baptized. In summary, in the New Testament every believer and only believers were baptized. What does it mean? The Bible views baptism as the occasion when we accept what God has done for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus, are united with him, become his disciples, and begin to wear his name. The Bible links several blessings with baptism. The forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Bible connects the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit with the believer’s calling on the name of Christ in baptism. In a sense, baptism is a prayer for acceptance by God and an assurance of salvation from God. It is an instrument of surrender by a sinner who has been conquered by the love of Christ and graciously welcomed by God. Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” 10

Acts 22:16 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name. United with Christ’s death and resurrection. The apostle Paul described Christian baptism as an encounter with the saving power of Jesus’ death and resurrection. In baptism, a believer dies to sin, is spiritually reckoned as occupying the grave with Christ, and is resurrected to a new life in Christ. Romans 6:3-5 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Because baptism symbolizes a burial and resurrection is one of the reasons that baptism by immersion was the universal practice of the New Testament church in the days of the apostles. As we noted earlier, the biblical words for baptize (baptizo) and baptism (baptisma) specifically mean immerse and immersion. Putting on Christ. The Bible says that we are baptized “into Christ” and that when believers are baptized they “put on Christ.” Galatians 3:26-27 26 For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 11

Added to the church. The Bible says that we enter the church, the Body of Christ, through baptism. Acts 2:41 & 47 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. . . . 47 And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. A clear conscience before God. Baptism frees us from our past guilt and gives us a clean conscience before God. 1 Peter 3:21 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this [Noah’s Ark], now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter’s reference to the flood reminds us that baptism represents a complete break with our past life. As the flood wiped out the old sinful world, and carried Noah and his family safely into a new world, so baptism pictures our break from the old life of sin and our entrance into new life in Christ. Becoming a disciple or follower of Christ. In his Great Commission, Jesus said that baptism is how a believer becomes one of his disciples. Soldiers in the ancient world often tattooed or branded themselves with the sign of their 12 commander. Likewise, Christians, as they are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, are marked as his followers. Matthew 28:19 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Why does it matter? Baptism is important because Jesus commanded every person who desires to become his disciple to be baptized. The most important reason to be baptized is not because your church requires it or someone else thinks you should, but because Jesus said so. So, on the day of Pentecost, when the church began in Jerusalem, Peter commanded all who would follow Jesus to be baptized (immersed in water) in his name, and they were. Nobody debated the issue of whether or not baptism was an essential part of becoming a Christian, they just did it. Acts 2:41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. This remarkable story about those who became disciples of Jesus doesn’t end there in the second chapter of Acts. It includes you! At the end of his sermon, the apostle Peter extended the same invitation and the same promise made to those who accepted Christ on Pentecost to you and to everyone you know who would become a follower of Jesus. 13

Acts 2:39 “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Do you believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and that he died on the cross to save you from your sins? Are you willing to repent—to turn from your sins and turn to God? Are you ready to confess him as Lord and be marked by Christian baptism as a follower of Christ? Then Jesus invites you to join those disciples who became part of the first church at Jerusalem and to wear his wonderful name—Christian. All that is left for you to do is to hear and obey the word given to the apostle Paul when he became a Christian: Acts 22:16 “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.”