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Believer's Baptism

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Believer's Baptism BBeelliieevveerr’’ss BBaappttiissmm What is baptism? Who should be baptized? What does it mean? and Why does it matter? By Dr. Barry McCarty Senior Pastor Peachtree Christian Church 2 First printed for the Believer’s Baptism class at Peachtree Christian Church 1580 Peachtree Street NW Atlanta, GA 30309 February 2011 3 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 Pentecost. 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 New Testament. 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. Affusion (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 Ethiopian Eunuch (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 John the Baptist 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 infant baptism 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.
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