Water Baptism

Water Baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Who, When, Why, and How of Water Baptism

Colossians 3:17

 ¹⁷And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Everything we do must be done by authority Jesus' Christ

1 Why do we need Christ authorization to everything we do?

2 Timothy 3:17

¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 What does baptism mean? In your words

1 Baptism is the means of spiritual renewal and initial justification and sanctification through the infusion of grace received in it, in such a way that one cannot be saved without it.

Baptism is a public testimony to one's faith in Jesus Christ.

3  Who may be baptized?

Believers may be baptized.

Mark 16:16 

 ¹⁶He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(BAPTISM

John 3

 ¹There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
 ²The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
 ³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
 ⁴Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
 ⁵Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
 ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
 ⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
 ⁸The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

 ⁴⁷And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Acts 2

 ³⁸Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 10

 ⁴⁴While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
 ⁴⁵And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
 ⁴⁶For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
 ⁴⁷Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
 ⁴⁸And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Matthew 28

 ¹⁸And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
 ¹⁹Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
 ²⁰Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.)















4 what must I do to be saved?
(Acts 16:31)  
 ³¹And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Step 1: Know that God loves you and wants to give you a new life.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
But it is not enough just to know that God loves you. It is important also for you to . . .
Step 2: See that your sin has separated you from God and the life He desires to give you.
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10, 23).
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12).
"The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).
Sin has separated you from God. Many people vainly try to reach God through living a good life, giving to the church, or human religion. But there is only one way to God.
Step 3: Realize that Jesus Christ died for you, and rose again so that He might give you eternal life.
He died for you.
"God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
He was buried and rose again.
"Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. He was buried, and he rose again the third day according to the scriptures; and he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve; after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once" (I Corinthians 15:3-6).
He offers you eternal life.
"The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
"By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
Jesus is the only way to God. He is God's Son who died in your place to pay the penalty for your sins. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).

Just to know that He died for you is not enough. You must ...

Step 4: Confess your sins to God and turn away from them to serve God faithfully.
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19).
Step 5: Receive Jesus Christ by faith, accepting Him alone as your Lord and Savior.
You must receive Jesus Christ.
"As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12).
You must receive Him by faith.
"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10: 9, 13).
5 how you can receive Christ.

You can receive Christ now by faith as you ask through prayer (talking to God). The following prayer may help you say what is in your heart.

• "Lord, I cannot save myself. I know that I have sinned, and I am sorry that the way I have lived has separated me from You. I receive Jesus Christ by faith as my Lord and Savior. Lord Jesus, thank You for dying for my sins. I accept You now as Lord of my life. Help me to live for You and to be all that You want me to be."

Can you sincerely pray this prayer? If so express it to God now, and Christ will come into your life as He has promised.
When you receive Christ, you are born again.
"As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12).
Jesus promises eternal life to all who receive Him.
"He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).
Your assurance of salvation.
Your assurance is in Christ (I John 5:12).
Your assurance is grounded in God's Word.
Your assurance is by faith.
6 How do we receive the holy ghost?

B. Acts 2:38 

 ³⁸Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

1. Belief and repentance are required before water baptism.
Matthew 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
•• Matthew records Jesus’ and  John the Baptist  first public sermons. And the theme of the sermon was “Repent!”
There is no infant baptism recorded or taught in the New Testament.
Acts 16:30-34 says the jailer "and thy house were baptized
many Advocates would like us to believe  that the family included one or more small children.

Verse 34 says, however, the whole family "had come to believe in God". That would preclude babies, who are still incapable of such faith.
³³And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
7 Why should believers be baptized?
1. Jesus commanded it.
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 28:19)
2 Water baptism was apostolic doctrine and practice.
3 Repent and be baptized. (Acts 2:38, Peter speaking)
4 We are baptized into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
5 Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God. (Col. 2:12)
6 There is a remission of our sins in water baptism.
7 Repent...and be baptized...for the forgiveness of and release from your sins. (Acts 2:38 Amp.)
8 How Should Christians be Baptized?
A. By full immersion in water.
At that time Jesus...was baptized by John in the River Jordan. (Mark 1:9-10)
B. The Greek word for baptize (baptizo) means to fully immerse.
1. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words states that the word is derived from bapto, meaning to dip, and was used among the Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment, or the drawing of water
8 In what name should Christians be baptized?
A. Christians should be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (which name is) the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 He commanded them to be baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 10:48 Lamsa)
2 They were baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 19:5 Lamsa)
3 God hath made ... Jesus... both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36)
Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38) Note: The full name had just been revealed in vs. 36!
4 Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all). (Acts 10:36)
Be baptized in the name of the Lord. (Acts 10:48) Note: in the full three-part name spoken
5. God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus said to baptize in the name of the  God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19)
6 The name of the Father is Lord.
I am the Lord; that is my name! (Isa. 42:8)
7 The name of the Son is Jesus.
Summary:
1. Those who have repented of their sins and have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ are eligible to be baptized.
2. They should be baptized immediately upon conversion to Christ.
3. By receiving water baptism, they are following Jesus' command and the apostolic doctrine and practice.
4. They are baptized into Christ's death, burial, and resurrection for the remission of and release from their sins.
5. Believers are baptized by full immersion in water.
6. Biblical baptism is done in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (which name is) the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:3-4

³ Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
⁴ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
⁵ For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
⁶ knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
⁷ For he who has died has been freed from sin.
⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

Once you have crucified your old ways (sins) when you REPENT, the dead person must be buried. BAPTISM, a watery grave, corresponds to the burial and resurrection of Christ. This is the Biblical way to be born again, a new person free from sin. (Galatians 5:24; II Timothy 2:11)

Even after crossing the line of salvation, we must continue in His word to remain His disciples. (John 8:31)

After baptism we must continue to walk in the light so that the blood of Jesus may continually cleanse us from sin. (I John 1:7)

God promises to give us the eternal crown of life only if we remain faithful to Jesus all of our lives. (Revelation 2:10; Matthew 10:22)

You cannot enter Heaven unless you do God's will. (Matthew 7:21)

If you love the Lord you will keep His commandments. (John 14:15)
Jesus is the source of "eternal salvation to all who obey Him." (Hebrews 5:9)
We must obey from the heart the form (pattern) of doctrine which the Bible delivers. (Romans 6:17)
The gospel is the good news that Jesus died for sin, was buried and raised, never to die again. (I Corinthians 15:1-4)
We obey that pattern when we put to death our sinful way and are buried in water, raised to walk a new life. (Romans 6:4)

Christ died for the UNSAVED.

Salvation comes by the blood of Jesus.

We are saved only after we are washed in His blood.

God does not wish that any should perish.

If you died today, would you live forever in Heaven with Jesus?

(II Thessalonians 1:8-9)

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

If this is the truth, OBEY it.

"The truth shall make you free."

(John 8:32)

Man's opinions will not.

(Matthew 15:9)

(Galatians 1:6-9)

When Jesus stands and knocks.

WILL YOU ANSWER?

You are encouraged to open your Bible and study

God's word so that you will make the right decision.

The Plan of Salvation

The Bible describes two types of people in the world.

1    Who are they?

Most people will be on the UNSAVED (or LOST) side of the line.

Matthew 7:13-14 

 ¹³Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
 ¹⁴Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The dividing line between the SAVED and UNSAVED can be called the "Remission of Sins," "Forgiveness," or "Salvation."

Acts 2:47

⁴⁶ So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

2        Is a person deciding to go to church, and being saved the same?

Mark 2:17 

 ¹⁷When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Being saved and being in the church are not the same thing.

3        Is the church and the body of Christ the same thing?

The church and the BODY OF CHRIST are the same thing.
(Colossians 1:24)

Colossians 1:24 

 ²⁴Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

How can we receive redemption?

Ephesians 1:7

⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
⁸ which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

All men are under the GRACE of God. In Christ (i.e., His BODY) we have the forgiveness of sins, because of God's GRACE.

4        How can we be saved?

Ephesians 2:8

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is a gift of God,
⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.

GRACE is a free gift from God. No benefit comes from any gift unless it is accepted, opened, and used. We are not saved by GRACE alone, but through faith. (Romans 5:15; 3:24)

 ¹⁵But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Romans 3:24

 ²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Hebrews 11:6

⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

FAITH is required to please God. FAITH and believing are essentially the same thing.

John 3:16

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

6        What do you think that divides us into groups from being headed to salvation and headed to hell?

We can have "everlasting life" if we believe in Jesus. Is it FAITH that puts us across the line of salvation? Let the Bible answer.

James 2:14, 17, 19

¹⁴ What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save Him?
¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,

¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe -- and tremble!

The passage in James is clear that we cannot be saved by FAITH alone.

Acts 3:19 (King James Version)

 ¹⁹Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

Acts 17:30 (King James Version)

 ³⁰And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.

    7  why do we repent?

We are saved by GRACE through FAITH. It must be a faith that is strong enough to lead us to REPENT of our sins.

Luke 13:3,

³ I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

REPENT is like Reverse on a car; we turn our lives around. We understand and are sorry that we have sinned against God.

Romans 10:9-10

⁸ But what does it say? "The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
⁹ That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
¹⁰ For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.
¹¹ For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

Our FAITH must be strong enough to lead us to CONFESS. We publicly CONFESS our FAITH (not our sins) to be saved.
Look next at an actual example of this in the New Testament.

Acts 8:37

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."

Is it confession that puts us across the line of salvation?
Was the man in Acts 8 saved when he confessed?
Now read the entire story about him to find the answer.

Acts 8:26-39

²⁶ Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert.
²⁷ So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,
²⁸ was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.
²⁹ Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot."
³⁰ So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
³¹ And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
³² The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And like a lamb silent before its shearer, So He opened not His mouth.
³³ In His humiliation His justice was taken away. And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth."
³⁴ So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?"
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.
³⁹ Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

The Ethiopian eunuch's FAITH was strong enough to lead him to BAPTISM.

Consider 6 important points about this story.

We can learn the following things from the story in Acts 8:

1.     The Ethiopian eunuch travelled a great distance (hundreds of miles) to worship at Jerusalem. He was studying the word of God. He was not saved just because he was a very religious person.

2.     Sometimes we are unable to understand certain scripture without guidance.

3.     The eunuch requested to be baptized though it does not say Philip told him anything about baptism..

4.     The eunuch felt an urgent need to be baptized immediately.

5.     If first century baptism was sprinkling or pouring, it would not have been necessary for Philip and the eunuch to go "down into the water."

6.     The eunuch was not "rejoicing" until after baptism.

Because of SIN against God, man deserves punishment by DEATH. Christ took our place because of His love for us. The sins of the whole world were nailed to the cross. Christ suffered for us and died a cruel death. He was buried, but was resurrected to a NEW LIFE (without the sins) on the third day. Our sins are taken away if we are washed in His blood. (I Peter 2:24; Revelation 7:14)

How do we take advantage of this free gift (sacrifice) from God?
How do we get our sins taken away? Different men have different opinions about this important issue. We can KNOW our sins are washed away only by doing what the Bible tells us.

Acts 2:38

³⁶ "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"
³⁸ Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
³⁹ "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

REPENT + BAPTISM = "Remission of sins"

Mark 16:16

¹⁵ And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
¹⁶ "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."

REPENT + BAPTISM = "Remission of sins"
FAITH (or Belief) + BAPTISM = "Saved"

²⁶ For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

REPENT + BAPTISM = "Remission of sins"
FAITH + BAPTISM = "Saved"
BAPTISM = "Put on Christ"
You are inside a coat when you put on a coat. If you "put on Christ" in baptism, you are then inside the BODY of CHRIST (saved).

Acts 22:16

¹⁶ "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord."
REPENT + BAPTISM = "Remission of sins"
FAITH + BAPTISM = "Saved"
BAPTISM = "Put on Christ"
BAPTISM = "Wash away sins"
The blood of Christ washes away sins at BAPTISM.
Therefore, our sins are not taken away until we are baptized.