What is water Baptism?

In water baptism, we publicly acknowledge the covenant that God

has made for us through His Son Jesus. Baptism is an outward
demonstration of the inward response of a life committed to God.
Colossians 2:11-12 says that just as circumcision was a sign of the old
covenant, so now baptism is a sign of a new covenant walk with God.
It becomes an open and formal declaration that “I want to walk with
God for the rest of my life or until death do us unite.”

At the time of baptism, we take on the name of our Lord. Matthew

28:19 reads: “We are baptized into the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (AMP; emphasis added). The Greek
word for into, eis, contains the thought of “identification with” or of
“what one is moving into.”

James 2:7 in the Amplified Version refers to “the name of Christ

invoked in baptism.” These scriptures explain that at the time of
baptism we take on the name of God. Just as in a marriage, the last
name of the bride traditionally changes to take on the name of the
groom, so too, in becoming believers we take on the name of Christ.
At baptism, we publicly declare what we have done inwardly, that
we are Christians. It is for this reason that the disciples (believers)
came to be known as CHRISTians (Acts 11:26), or “the adherents of
Christ.” Along with the name come all the rights and privileges
implied by it. Galatians 3:27 asserts that we are baptized into (the
name of) Christ and put on (have clothed ourselves with) Christ. As
Christians, we have the authority and power of His name at our use.
We are no longer merely servants of God, but we become actual
children of God. (Ephesians 3:14-15 indicates that we become part
of the family of Christ: “For this cause I bow my knees unto the

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Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven
and earth is named.”)

Why should I take baptism?

The baptism of Jesus was of such importance that it was recorded in

all four of the gospels (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke
3:21-23; John 1:29-34). Within the New Testament, we find that
water baptism was an important practice which Jesus commanded
his disciples to perform as they went out teaching the scriptures
(Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-16). It is important to realize that
not only did Jesus tell the disciples to baptize people, but also He
allowed Himself to be water baptized. Therefore, He set the exam-
ple for us to follow (1 John 2:6).

When we look into the book of Acts, we can see how the New
Testament church then carried out the instructions of Jesus. The
disciples not only bap- tized new believers, but they deemed the
practice to be so important that they actually commanded (ordered)
all believers to be baptized (Acts 10:44-48; Acts 2:37-42). The Greek
word for “commanded” or “ordered” is prostasso and means “to
arrange, to set in order, to prescribe (as a doctor would prescribe
medicine for a specific situation), to command.” In the Classical
Greek it was used in the sense of “the ability to speak in a way which
imparted an ethical direction or norm,” or of a king who has the
authority “to command what is necessary and to forbid what is
unlawful.”

Who Should Be Baptized

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The believer should be baptized, after salvation through faith. Acts
2:38 states that the Jewish people were to “repent and be baptized”
to receive salva- tion and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Mark 16:16
declares that he that “believes and is baptized will be saved, but
whoever does not believe will be con- demned.” In this verse, we
see that salvation hinges on the necessity to be- lieve, not on the act
of Baptism.

In Acts 8:37, the Ethiopian eunuch asks why he shouldn’t be baptized

and
Philip responds: “If you believe with all your heart, you may [be
baptized].”

In Acts 16:30-34, we have the example of the Philippian jailer who

in- quires what he must do to be saved. Paul and Silas instruct him
to “believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved,” then later (v. 33)
he and his household are baptized.

In Acts 18:8, the Corinthian church believes and then all are
baptized. (See also Acts 8:12-15; Acts 19:4, 5; Acts 10:44-48.

What is the meaning of Baptism?

a) The scriptures tell us that at baptism we identify with the
death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

i) Death – Romans 6:3-11 – In water baptism we say before

God and all the witnesses that we desire to be dead to sin, that sin
will affect us no longer. Romans 6:7 tells us that the dead ones are
free from sin.
• We become dead to the old marriage to the law (Romans 7:14).

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• 1 Peter 3:18-21 informs us that our Baptism can help to save
us from the corruption that is in the world just as it saved Noah from
the cor- ruption in the world.

ii) Burial – Colossians 2:12, Romans 6:4 – Just as in natural death at

burial the former things begin to rot and decay until there is nothing
left, so we at baptism say that we desire that there would be a
removal of the former influences of sin and iniquity. We desire
there to be no more remem- brance of our former ways, and that
the consequences of our former ways would start to be removed
from us.
• Romans 7:14-25 assures us that our old relationship with sin
is buried, and that its effects upon us are buried through the power
of Christ.

iii) Resurrection – Romans 6:4, 5; Colossians 3:1 – At the time of

baptism, we identify with the new life in Jesus. We look forward to
a new life, a new strength, and a new victory in Christ.

At the time of coming out of the waters of baptism, believers often

experience God stirring them in various ways:
• Sometimes God ministers healing to their physical bodies.
Ro- mans 8:11 tells us that if the spirit that raised Christ form the
dead dwells in us, then we too will receive new life for our mortal
bodies.
• At times there is an impartation or release of the Holy Spirit
and His gifts. Acts 2:38 states that after repenting and being
baptized, we “will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
• We should anticipate a new measure of His life upon us.
Romans 6:4 reveals that we were buried with Christ in baptism, so
that “as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the
Father, we too may live a new life.” At baptism and afterwards, God

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often breaks one’s habits of the past, starts to show Himself more
clearly, makes prayer more meaningful, and brings one to a new
relationship with Christ.

How Should We Be Baptized?

a) The scriptures clearly indicate that we are to be baptized by

immersion, that is, by being completely covered with water. The
Greek words for baptize, baptizo and baptisma, carry the meaning
of “to make whelmed (fully wet); to immerse; to submerge (as in the
sense of “to sink the ship,” or “to sink in the mud”).” The meaning
is that of being covered com- pletely, so baptism is a time in which
the believer is completely covered with water.

At times the Greek word bapto is used to give the meaning of “to
dip” or “to dip repeatedly.” Dipping implies that an object is put into
the water. Sprinkling, which is from another Greek word (rhantizo),
is never used with regard to baptism: it implies that another object
(i.e., a hand) is put into the water and the water is transferred to the
recipient. In such a case, the hand would be dipped (baptized), and
the person would be sprinkled.

When we study the example of Jesus, we see that at His baptism He

went into the Jordan to be baptized (Mark 1:9-11). Similarly, Philip
and the eunuch went into the water (Acts 8:36-39).

The Epistles relate baptism to burial: both require complete

covering, the one by water, the other by dirt (Colossians 2:12;
Romans 6:4).

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John the Baptist baptized in the area of Salim because there was
much water there. Much water was needed for immersion, not for
sprinkling (John 3:22, 23).

b) There is disagreement as to the exact formula to be used in

baptism. Some believe the wording should include that they baptize
“in the name of Je- sus” (Acts 2:38): others insist that they be
baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). We recog- nize that Matthew 28 has to do
with one’s identification with the Lord, yet the scriptures in Acts
seem to indicate the use of a different formula. Therefore, we accept
the validity of, and choose to incorporate, both forms of baptism,
since they might have slightly different implications. We feel that an
individual is baptized into a relationship with the Lord, and that the
exact wording may vary to have inclusive language, such as “I baptize
you into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the
name of Jesus Christ our Lord,” or “I baptize you in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ to the glory of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

What is the correct age for baptism?

Baptism is a commitment made by believers as they look ahead and

de- clare that they want to walk with the Lord Jesus for the rest of
their lives. Be- cause of the nature of an individual’s looking ahead,
counting the cost, and then making a public confession, we prefer to
baptize individuals from the teens and up. By the time people are in
their teens, they are able to look ahead with some understanding of
the pressures of the world and the requirements of consistent
Christian living.

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Homework Questions

1) We know that we have received spiritual blessings from Christ. What

must we do to be “placed into” or “to be clothed with” Christ
(Galatians 3:27)?

2) Read Mark 1:9-11 (also Matthew 3:13-17). Who was baptized in these
verses, and what was the Father’s response?

3) Romans 6:4-6
(v. 4) We are with Christ through Baptism. As Christ was
from the dead we too live a _.
(v. 5) In baptism, we are united with Him in His _, so also we’ll
be united in His .
(v. 6) Our is crucified with Him so we’ll no longer be
slaves to _.

4) Mark 16:16a seems to state that salvation comes as a result of being bap-
tized. How does the complete context seem to clarify this?

5) Read Acts 2:38. According to this verse, what does Peter say is the condi-
tion for receiving forgiveness?
Does this seem to agree with the fact that salvation is a free gift from God
received by faith?

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 Read the following verses and record the sequence of events in each verse:
Mark 1:15
John 3:16
Acts 2:41
Acts 3:19
Acts 18:8b
Acts 26:20
Romans 1:16

How do we bring all these verses into harmony with each other?

In light of these verses, how do we interpret Acts 22:16?

1. Explain what brought you to the point of a serious decision to

follow Christ in baptism?

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How was God using the circumstances in your life to draw you to
Christ?

When and where did you come to the decision to accept Christ as
your personal Savior?

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Were there any key people involved in helping you make the
decision to accept Christ?

What are 2 or more changes in your life as a result of knowing

Jesus Christ?

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