Six Baptisms; #3 Baptism by Water

Ask anyone what first comes to mind when they think of the word baptism, and they will probably say it’s some sort of religious practice involving water. John the Baptist said, “I baptize you with water” (Matt. 3:11) and there are several examples of people in the Holy Bible being baptized with water. For centuries, there has been a large group of Christians who refer to themselves as Baptists because they emphasize the importance of water baptism in their Christian faith journey.

Here are some questions and answers related to water baptism:

I. What is the meaning of water baptism?

The great thing about water baptism in the name of Christ is what it symbolizes. It is a symbol of a believer’s complete identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 2:12 ESV having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Rom. 6:4 NIV We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Imagine a person standing in water about waist high deep. Think of this person as being alive physically but dead spiritually in their sins. Now, imagine this person lays backward down into the water. This illustrates the death of Christ on their behalf and that he or she dies to their sins, repents of their sins, namely repenting from rejecting Christ. Now, imagine this person raising up in the water to stand again. This illustrates that person rising up in Christ in victory over sin and death. Baptism by water is symbolic of what Jesus Christ did for you and it shows publicly that you align yourself with Christ and His teaching, that you are committed to living and dying for Jesus Christ your Savior and Lord.

II. Why be baptized by water?

A. To follow Christ’s example.

Mark 1:9a NIV At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

B. To follow the example of early Christians.

John 3:23, 26 ²³Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. ²⁶And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”

Acts 8:36, 38 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?” ³⁸So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 

See also Acts 2:41, 8:12-13, 9:18, 10:48, 16:15, 33; 18:8, 19:5 ….

C. To follow Christ’s command.

Perhaps the most well-known Bible passage about baptism is the Great Commission Jesus gave His followers. Matt. 20:18-20 ¹⁸And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹Go 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, ²⁰teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

D. To realize your relationship with Christ.

1 John 2:3 NIV We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.

E. To publicly identify with Christ.

Romans 10:9 ESV because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Matthew 10:32 ESV So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,

III. Is Water baptism necessary for salvation?

Water baptism doesn’t cleanse you from your sins, save you from your sins or make you a born again saved Christ-follower. It is meant to demonstrate that you already are saved by Christ. Only God’s grace and mercy through faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord saves you from your sins (Eph. 2:8-9, Titus 3:4-7, Acts 16:31). Water baptism is kind of like a wedding ring; it’s the outward symbol of the commitment you have already made in your heart.

IV. How are we baptized by water?

A. Water immersion just like Jesus.

Matt 3:16 NIV As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.

B. Water immersion just like every Bible occurrence of water baptism.

Acts 8:38-39 NIV And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

C. The word ‘baptism’ in the original Greek is ‘baptizo’ which means to dip or immerse under.

D. Immersion in the water is the best way to picture a burial and resurrection.

V. Who should be baptized by water?

Every person who has trusted in Christ as their Savior and Lord! Acts 18:8 NIV  .

VI. When are we to be baptized by water?

As soon as you have believed upon Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord! You should not delay.

Acts 2:41 NIV Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Acts 8:35-38 NKJV 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now 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?" 37 Then 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." 38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

VII. What if I was baptized by water as an infant or when I wasn’t truly saved?

I believe biblically-based baptism makes more sense when a person understands what Christian baptism means and they have placed their trust in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. And I believe water baptism should occur after one becomes saved by Christ. So, now with your basic understanding of the meaning of water baptism in Christ and with your profession of faith in Christ, you should now be baptized by immersion. I believe this reflects the proper biblical symbolism and order.

VIII. What about location?

There's nothing special about the water you are baptized in. Maybe it is Holy water and blessed water and prayed-over water but it's not where you're baptized (i.e. tub, tank, baptistery, pool, lake, or ocean) that matters most. What’s important is why you're baptized and what’s in your heart toward Jesus.

Sometimes you never know quite what will happen when someone is baptized by water. I really enjoy water baptisms. They can be very spiritual and emotional moments. I have been excited at times and I have cried at times while witnessing Christ followers being baptized. I’ve had many experiences baptizing believers and witnessing believers being baptized. I have baptized in the icy waters at Chapman Dam in PA with lightning in the background and rain drops falling. That was a shocking experience. J I have struggled to fully immerse people, in a baptistery, who resist going backwards under the surface of the water with their faces. One of my favorite baptism moments was when our church had a picnic lunch at a park with a lakefront swimming area. We had a baptism/worship gathering in front of many sunbathing swimming people nearby. That was a salt and light in Christ in this world moment; all for the glory of God.

Sometimes there are light-hearted moments. I remember once at TRBC when a young boy was baptized and he stayed in the water while his grandfather was being baptized. The young boy began swimming in the baptistery, treading like a dog and dunking his head under. That was funny. And I will never forget my own baptism experience when I was 9 years old. I failed to bring a dry pair of underwear to put on after the baptism during the beginning of the Sunday night worship gathering service, so I sat there the whole time with wet underwear under my pants. Awkward!

Water baptisms can be very interesting for many reasons because they involve water and people, but at the core of water baptism there is spiritual symbolism of the atoning work of Christ and faith and obedience on behalf of the believer being baptized and the church people carrying out the baptism. This is key to the kingdom of Christ mission work here on earth.  

If you have trusted Jesus Christ by faith as your personal Savior and Lord have you been baptized by water? If not, why not? The Lord calls His followers to be baptized by water. If you have questions, interest, and/or would like to move forward in baptism then contact a local Christ-centered pastor.

Even more important than water baptism is trusting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. If you have questions or interest in this then read

http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2013/09/great-news-gods-plan-for-true-life.html

What do you think about water baptism and what I’ve included here?

Mike

Note:

This blog entry is the continuation in a series called ‘Six Baptisms.’ The first entry ‘#1 Baptism by Fire,’ which includes an introduction to this series, can be read at

http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2014/03/six-baptisms-1-baptism-by-fire.html

The second entry is ‘#2 Baptism by Holy Spirit or into Christ’ and can be read at

http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2014/03/six-baptisms-2-baptism-by-holy-spirit.html

The next entry in this series will be about the ‘Baptism of Suffering.’ 

Crave God’s Word

Have you ever noticed those advertising images of famous people with milk mustaches?  Does that seem silly to you or cool?  Who walks around with a milk mustache, any way? Those ads are encouraging the consumption of Cow’s milk. Sometimes the milk commercials have people downing some cookies then desperately looking around for some milk to chase down the cookies.  I don’t know about you, but when I have some peanut butter cookies or Oreo cookies I crave some milk to go with them. Yum!

Kym and I have four children, including a toddler girl (Elle) who loved her momma’s breast milk several times a day and night last year. She craved that breast milk and it was obviously when she wanted it. Those moments Elle was on Kym’s breast were bonding between child and mother and the breast milk itself was a good complete form of nutrition for her as a baby. Early on, this was Elle’s only diet and it helped her develop and grow.

I find it interesting that God exhorts us through His written Word, the Holy Bible, to crave His Word like newborn babies crave breast milk and that this will help us grow spiritually.

as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

1 Peter 2:2 NKJV

The ‘word’ here refers to God’s Holy Word (similar to how James uses it; Jam. 1:21-23). This Greek word, logos, is also the same word used of Jesus Christ in John 1:1, 14, 17. The Word was God and the Word became flesh; Jesus Christ, came full of grace and truth. Jesus Christ Himself is the living Word of God. He is the truth and He reveals truth. He is the ultimate source of the Holy Scriptures and these Scriptures ultimately point to Him as the Savior and Lord we all need.

The ‘pure milk of the word’, I believe, is a metaphor of God’s Word for God’s people, that His Word is good, sincere, and beneficial to us just as a mom’s breast milk is to her baby. God’s Word is truth that contains principles and promises that will feed our souls and guide us in life; to the glory of God.

The Bible itself uses metaphors of food (bread) and beverage (water) and eating and drinking for God’s Word and our proper response to it. We can relate to these metaphors. We eat and drink on a regular basis as a necessity and for satisfaction. We know what feelings of thirst and hunger are. Food and drink are essential to life.  Food gives us energy and strength.  It helps us to grow.  Water quenches our thirst and replenishes us.

Here are some classic passages of such metaphors:

Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV ³ And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Psalm 119:103 ESV How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Jeremiah 15:16 ESV ¹⁶ Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.

John 6:35 ESV ³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

John 4:10-14 ESV ¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” ¹¹ The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” ¹³ Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

1 Timothy 4:6 NKJV ⁶ If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.

Now, let’s go back to 1 Peter 2:2 and notice the word ‘desire.’ We are to desire this pure milk of the word. This word ‘desire’ in its original language of Greek can mean intensely crave and long for. When I think of the word ‘crave’ I think of pregnant women. Each time my wife was pregnant she craved certain foods more than she did when she was not pregnant. Her body would seriously long for a certain food to consume and she wasn’t truly satisfied until she had that food item.

Do you ever intensely crave and long for God’s Word? To feed you? To minister to you? To guide you? To transform you? To grow you?

Much like the natural growth process of a person who grows through the stages of childhood and then into adulthood there is also a spiritual growth process God intends for a person who trusts Him as Savior and Lord of their life. God wants His people to grow spiritually for His glory. There are many passages about the importance of our spiritual growth. For example; Eph. 4:11-16, 2 Pet. 3:18, 2 Tim. 3:16-17, Ps. 1:1-3, Rom. 8:29).

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18 ESV

It’s important that we desire God’s Word and this will help us in the process of growing spiritually. Even if we aren’t feeling that craving desire for it we should ask God for a greater desire for it and spend quality time in His Word nonetheless. The spiritual hunger will come when we genuinely seek the Lord and His Word for our lives for His glory.

A great biblical example of craving God’s Word and spiritual growth through God’s Word is found in Ps. 119. The utmost importance of God’s Word in our daily lives cannot be overstated. This Psalm writer knew this, lived this, and has provided a written proclamation of this for us. God’s Word dominated this writer’s life daily from before sunrise to after sunset; for example, before dawn (v147), daily (v97), 7 times daily (v164), nightly (vv55, 148), and at midnight (v62).

There are eight different Hebrew words that refer to Scripture (God’s Word) in this one chapter, Ps. 119, with all but three verses (90, 122, 132) mentioning at least one of them. Using the ESV, unless otherwise noted, here are those words:

1) Law; from the Hebrew word ‘torah’; meaning direction, instruction, revelation from God; vs1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!

2) Testimonies; always plural in Ps. 119, and always of laws as divine testimonies of God; vs2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies (NIV statutes; NLT decrees), Who seek Him with the whole heart!

3) Ways; God’s moral course of life He has set before us; vs3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways (NLT path; TMSG road)!

4) Precepts; commands, principles, orders from God; vs4 You have commanded your precepts (NLT commandments; TMSG right way to live) to be kept diligently.

5) Statutes; ordinances, limits, things prescribed or due, decrees, laws in general from God; vs5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes (NIV decrees, NLT principles, TMSG course you set)!

6) Commandments; an order from God; vs6 Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.

7) Judgments: justice, ordinances from God; vs7 NKJV I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments (NIV righteous laws; TMSG righteous ways).

8) Word; saying, utterance from God; vs9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

This is a powerful chapter about the importance of God’s Word in our daily lives. Here are a few of my favorite verses from. Ps. 119. Perhaps you have some. There are 176 to choose from.

Ps. 119:9-11 ESV (vs9 see above) ¹⁰ With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you

Ps. 119:37 ESV Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.

Ps. 119:105 ESV Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Take some time to prayerfully read through and study Ps. 119 and you’ll notice that this writer had a deep hunger and passion for God and the Word of God. The high priority of spending time in and heeding God’s Word was a daily habitual pattern, a passionate commitment for this writer inspired by God.

How about us? What role does God’s Word have in our daily life? Is it a high priority? Are we deeply hungry for and passionate for God and His Word? Are we reading His Word, studying His Word, memorizing portions of His Word, applying His Word to our lives, communicating His Word to others, praying portions of His Word back to God?

Let’s not just rely on a sermon or two a week or a bible study or two a week. Let’s personally be asking God by faith in prayer to help us crave God’s Word regularly and grow from God’s Word. May we hunger more and more for God and His Word and may He satisfy us and grow us through such hunger; all for His glory. May God cultivate a great craving in your life for Him and His Word and may He grow you spiritually through His Word into the person of God He desires you to be.

What are your thoughts about craving God’s Word?  

Mike