Sunday, November 3, 2019 am
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Why Should I Be Baptized?
We emphasize baptism.
It is not because it is any more important than any other step
leading toward our salvation, but it is one that is often misunderstood
and misapplied. For many,
baptism is something done “after the fact” – that is, after one is
saved. That is not what the
Bible teaches. The
Bible teaches baptism is a PART of being saved.
a.
Baptism is an act of
faith – 1
Peter 3:21 – it is the answer of a good conscience.
This points to the need for belief BEFORE one can be baptized.
This is why we do not baptize infants – they are incapable of believing
or understanding what they need to do.
b.
We need the grace of God
and our faith
– Ephesians 2:8-9. God’s
part in our salvation is sometimes summarized in the word “grace”.
His grace is doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
When we obey the gospel His way, He accepts us and saves us.
c.
There are other things we are called upon to do to be saved
– hear – Romans 10:13-17 (also every example of obedience involved souls
hearing the gospel,
Believe – Hebrews 11:6, Mark
16:16, Romans 10:9-10,
Repent – Acts 2:37-38, 17:30-31, etc.
Confess Him – Acts 8:37. Romans 10:9-10 (not your sins, but Him!
We essentially confess our sins in the act of baptism.
a.
Matthew 28:18-20 – Jesus
commanded His disciples to make disciples by baptizing them…
b.
There are many verses of
scripture that command us to be baptized.
We will notice several in this lesson.
If God tells us to do something, we need to obey Him.
Matthew 7:21-23, Luke 6:46, Hebrews 5:9.
c.
Romans 6:3-4 explains
the spiritual significance of baptism.
It puts us in contact with the death, and therefore the blood, of
Jesus on the cross. We are
“buried with Him in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life.”
d.
God chose baptism to be
part of His plan, and that ought to be enough reason.
Why argue with God? You will not win!
Yet many do!
Concerning baptism, many have no problem being baptized (they are
willing to go through the act), but it is WHY they are baptized that is
a concern. And I agree with
importance of that! However,
while they find it as not necessary for salvation, I find that God over
and over commands baptism toward salvation.
Why try to explain away what He tells us to do?
a.
Mark 16:16 – in giving
the “great commission” Jesus said so.
b.
1 Peter 3:20-21 – Peter,
whose sermon on Pentecost is recorded (Acts 2), said plainly that
baptism saves us. He
explains its not about “taking a bath in water” but in answer to our
good conscience (our faith in Him).
We believe what God tells us and do it.
When we do what He tells us, He does what He promised.
c.
It is also emphasized in
passages such as Acts 2:38 and 22:16 where we find it removes our sins.
a.
Matthew 3:13-16 – Jesus
was baptized by John the Baptist.
Rightly so, John knew who Jesus was and stated it ought to be the
other way. Jesus was not a
sinner and did NOT need His sins “washed away”, yet He asked to be
baptized anyways. Why? Jesus
responded, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to
fulfill all righteousness.”
b.
The point here is, John
was baptizing as commanded by God.
As such, Jesus saw it as a command to be obeyed.
a.
We find a consistent
pattern in the NT. And from
previous studies we know that we can establish authority for what we do
by command as well as approved example (and necessary inference).
This is true when you find even one example that is based upon God’s
commands. But what about
when you find multiple examples, and a consistent pattern, that
applies, EVEN when we don’t have all the details of every account?
That is what we have when it comes to obeying the gospel.
b.
When someone heard the
gospel, they would respond by being baptized.
i.
Pentecost – Acts 2:37-41
– note that those who “gladly received his word were baptized.”
ii.
The Samaritans –
Acts 8:12-13, when they believed Philip, they were baptized, both
men and women. Including
Simon the sorcerer (vs. 13), though he stumbled.
iii.
The Eunuch – Acts
8:35-38, when Philip preached Christ, they came upon a body of water and
the eunuch requested baptism.
Philip consented based upon his belief and confession
iv.
Cornelius – Acts 10:1-2
a Gentile centurion who believed in God and did many good works.
Yet he needed salvation.
Peter was sent to him – Acts 10:47-48, after preaching and some
other events, we read that Peter commanded him to be baptized in the
name of the Lord.
v.
Lydia and her household
– Acts 16:14-15 – hearing Paul’s preaching, the Lord opened her heart
and she was baptized and her household.
vi.
The Philippians jailer –
Acts 16:31-34.
vii.
The Corinthians - Acts
18:8
viii.
The Ephesians – Acts
19:4-5 – some who had been wrongly baptized were baptized for the right
reason.
ix.
And Paul – Acts 9:18 ,
22:16 – praying for 3 days in Damascus, Ananias came to him and
instructed him to be baptized.
Paul complied immediately.
c.
What about various
examples we have that do not mention baptism.
There are some. But what I
want you to note is that there are NO examples that emphatically state
one was NOT baptized leading toward salvation.
E.g. “All he did was believe” or “All he did was confess the
Lord” or “and he prayed the
sinner’s prayer”, etc.
We read of those who believed and confessed, but can we conclude that
they MIGHT have been baptized as a part of those statements? Yes!
Example: Crispus - Acts 18:8.
While mentioning that many in Corinth were baptized, all that is
said of Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue was the he “believed on the
Lord with all his household.”
BUT, consider 1 Corinthians 1:14 – not that Paul baptized Crispus
himself.
You may also consider Paul’s statement to the Philippian jailer – Acts
16:31-33, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,
you and your household…”
In the verses following we see what that belief DID.
Also Philip speaking to the Eunuch in Act 8:34, where he “preached Jesus
to him” Then we see what
that included as the eunuch requests to be baptized right then.
d.
We ought to conclude,
that if being baptized led to one’s salvation in the first century, then
it is STILL true today, as God’s word has not changed.
a.
It is the blood of Jesus
that saves us. That is what
His sacrifice was about.
Hebrews 10:10,
By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of
the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
b.
Romans 3:23-25 for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom
God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to
demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed
over the sins that were previously committed, ; Romans 5:9, Much
more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through Him.
Ephesians 1:7, In Him we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
c.
BUT, how do we come in
contact with His blood?
Romans 6:3-4 – in baptism we are buried with Him and raised to walk in
newness of life.
a.
Galatians 3:27 – tells
us that as many as are baptized into Christ,
put on Christ.
b.
It is in the act of
baptism (the culmination of obeying the gospel) that we now belong to
Christ. We are now
part of His family – with all its blessings and privileges.
In Christ we have “all spiritual blessings” (Ephesians 1:3); access to
the Father – Romans 5:1-2, Ephesians 2:18 – though Jesus we have access
by one Spirit to the Father.
This means that we can pray to God though Jesus.
Consider the blessing of being able to approach God!
That is found “In Him”.
a.
Ephesians 1:22-23 tells
us the church is His body; Acts 20:28 tells us He purchased the church
with His blood.
b.
Thus when we come in
contact with His blood – not only does it save us, it ADDS us to His
body – the church.
c.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13,
notes that we are baptized into one body – His!
So much more could be said about the church – its importance to
God, its purpose and membership, etc.
It is designed as a BLESSING for those who are in Christ –
Christians.
d.
True Christians
understand its importance and will respond accordingly.
a.
We have addressed many
things showing how baptism leads to our salvation.
But associated with this is the results in our lives.
b.
One such result is
purification before God.
Think about it! Would you
like to be purified in God’s eyes?
Knowing that in spite of your brokenness and sinful stains, you
can stand before God. Psalm
24:3-4 notes that those who may ascend into the hill of the LORD (into
His presence) are those who have clean hands and a pure heart, etc.
We need to be pure to approach Him.
c.
Jesus, in His sacrifice
provided what God demanded to make us pure – Hebrews 9:13,14 -
For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer,
sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God?
d.
NOTICE Acts 2:38 – Peter
said, “repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins.”
The idea of remission is removal, or making one pure.
Acts 22:16, Paul was told to “wash away your sins, calling on the
name of the Lord.” That is
an act of purification.
These are a few reasons why I should be baptized.
In summary, your eternal destiny depends on it.
Whether or not your earthly life will have eternal meaning
depends on it. So, if you
have not already done so, why not be baptized today?
We are here to help you.