Be Baptised

A physical event with a spiritual effect

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The next step on your path to salvation through Jesus Christ is a physical action which has a profound spiritual effect on your future life. Some say Baptism is a symbol of your renewed state and an outward confession of your repentance and new found faith in Jesus Christ. Although this is one effect of Baptism it dangerously misses the spiritual importance of Baptism to the individual. If Baptism was just a symbol to show others then it might imply that if you did not do it, it would not matter that much you would still be saved. Wrong!

At Pentecost Peter replied to the crowd, "Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." [Acts 2 v 38]

This statement from Peter puts repentance and baptism together for the forgiveness of sins. We have covered repentance so let us look at baptism. Clearly Peter urged the crowd to put their faith in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins and be baptised. These were all essential ingredients to salvation so baptism, therefore, plays a significant part for the individual, not just for others to know that you have been saved.

Total immersion

What exactly is this physical action of Baptism? Well, it is total immersion in water. The whole body is submerged in water in exactly the way that John the Baptist taught and practised and Jesus endorsed in order to fulfil all righteousness. [Matt 3 vs 13-15] We will cover more of that later. Some churches have their own Baptistery, a cross between a large bath and a small swimming pool. The chapel where we worship is a council owned community centre so we use the local swimming pool instead. Where you are baptised and what water you use is irrelevant, there is nothing significant about the place or the water itself.

Die to your old self and be born again

Let us now understand what is happening when we get baptised. Christians talk about being "born again". This expression comes from a conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council [John 3 vs 1-21]. In this conversation Jesus talked about both baptism of water and spirit, albeit mostly that of the spirit in this particular passage. We will come on to baptism in the spirit in the next step on receiving the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to Nicodemus:

"No-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." [John 3 v 3]

In order to be born again we must have died first. In baptism of water we die to the old self. In Paul's letter to the Corinthians he uses the term washed as a reference to water baptism relating to the fact that the Christians in the church of Corinth were made holy by having their sins washed away in the act of baptism [1 Corinthians 6 vs 9-11].

When we repented we said sorry to God for our past sins and when we get baptised we have those sins washed away and the past is put behind us, we are born into a new life with Jesus Christ no longer living for ourselves but now alive for Christ. This is all summed up in a excerpt from Paul's letter to the Romans:

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? 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.

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. [Romans 6 vs 1-14]

Jesus's example

If you are not convinced then look at Jesus's example:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness." Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptised, 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 and a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." [Matt 3 vs 13-17]

Jesus who was perfect did not need to be baptised hence John's initial objection to the request, however, Jesus did this act as an example to us to do the same to fulfil all righteousness. If Jesus said do it, and I put my trust in Jesus now, then do it!

A note about Infant Baptism

At this point in the discussion we need to say something about Infant Baptism. There is much confusion about this issue and many denominations will baptise, or christen, infants and babies in order to secure their salvation. Even worse, adults will believe that they do not need to be baptised because they were "done" when they were a baby. There is nothing in the Bible that mentions infant baptism. All references to those baptised are people who are mature enough to hear the word, understand it, believe in it, put their trust in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins... and only then be baptised. This cannot be something a baby can do. No, although baptism is something someone else does to you, it is you who have decided that it is the right course of action and have requested it.

Obedience to commission mandate

Finally we have Jesus's commission to us (meaning those already saved) to:

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit [Matt 28 vs 16-20].

If we did not tell you about this and offer to do this for new converts, we would be disobedient to the great commission on us from Jesus himself. If Jesus made such a point of commanding us in this way and with all the teaching we have on Baptism in the New Testament gospels, acts of the early church and in letters to churches then we have no doubt whatsoever about its place and importance in the act of salvation.

What about that other form of baptism Jesus talked about?

Ok, we hinted about this earlier and John the Baptist mentioned it:

I baptise you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. [Matt 3 v 11]

These are references to the final step on the road to salvation. Move on to step 5 (Receive) to find out about baptism of the spirit or, in other words, receiving the Holy Spirit...