01 What Is Baptism

March 20, 2024

Chris Freeman

Title: What is Baptism? Text: Various; Eph 4:1-6 FCF: We often struggle to appreciate the significance of the sacrament of baptism. Prop: Because Baptism is full of significance and meaning for a believer, we must submit to the sacrament of baptism after we believe. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Ephesians chapter 4. In a moment I’ll begin reading in verse 1 from the New English Translation which you can follow along in the pew bible on page 1319 or in whatever version you prefer. No, you didn’t have a stroke. I am up here fairly early. As was mentioned in the announcements our normal liturgy for the service is interrupted today because we have some wonderful things happening this morning. Three people are coming to be baptized in obedience to Christ. The Elders after examining these three candidates have determined that their confession of faith is credible and the fruit of their faith is observable. Therefore we see no reason to prevent them from being baptized. In preparation for that, I have decided to teach a short topical lesson on baptism. I call it a lesson because it is not a true sermon. The application of the lesson will be in baptizing the three who have come. Another application would be for all who claim faith in Christ to consider the command of Christ to be baptized and to understand the significance of this sign. Please stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Transition: My goal is to teach two lessons this morning. The first being baptism, the second church membership. But in reality they are essentially one message. Where one leaves off the other picks up. For baptism and all its meaning and significance ties in directly to the concept of church membership. This is one of the reasons the Elders have decided going forward that any who desire to be baptized in this church should also be ready to also join the church in membership. I hope that by the end of today, the reasons for that are abundantly clear. So let us endeavor to answer the question, What is baptism? Let’s start first with the history of baptism. I.) [Slide 2] What the history of baptism? a. Baptism had been practiced for some time in Israel to indicate that someone was leaving one way of life and entering into another. b. There are at least 9 baptisms in the bible, but as we read in Ephesians 4, there is only one Baptism in the bible. How is this possible? i. That one baptism is the baptism into the name of Jesus Christ. And by relation of Christ’s union to the trinity, it is also baptism into the name of the entire Godhead. ii. We will look more closely at what that means in a minute. But this establishes for us that baptism has been practiced in the church since the beginning and was not an unknown concept even before the church. c. Pedobaptism or Credobaptism? Why? i. Pedobaptism refers to the practice of baptizing infants. The vast majority of Christendom baptizes infants, but for different reasons. 1. The Roman Catholic church baptizes infants as a way of washing away original sin. a. The line between Christ and His church is intentionally blurred in Roman Catholicism, so when a baby is baptized into the church, they are baptized into Christ. b. We would see this exactly opposite. When someone is baptized into Christ they are also then baptized into the church. c. In Roman Catholicism, baptism is regenerative. Meaning that once baptized the baby is going to heaven. 2. The Orthodox church (Eastern, Greek, Russian etc.) is similar in that it is regenerative although they do not believe in original sin. 3. Presbyterians, Lutherans, Episcopalians, believe that baptism is not regenerative but is like the sign of circumcision was to the Jews. a. It marks out the child as a member of God’s church in preparation for them to be received into His church by faith. b. They would neither baptize the child again once they believed, nor would they consider those who permanently walk away from the faith who had been baptized to be still part of the church somehow. ii. Then there is Credobaptism. One of the distinguishing features of being a Baptist is that we hold to credobaptism. 1. Anabaptists, Methodists, Non-denominational, and Pentecostal churches would all hold to this position as well. 2. Even with all those denominations, we are still in the minority. 3. We would flatly reject the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church’s ideas of baptism simply on the basis that we do affirm original sin and that we deny that water baptism washes it away. 4. With Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Episcopalians who are truly of Christ, we would humbly disagree with their application of the sign to the circumcision of the Jews. Not in the sense that it is not the same but in the sense that they have mixed their metaphors. 5. With circumcision it was a physical sign of a physical truth for a physical nation all requiring another circumcision of the heart. 6. We might agree that baptism is the same kind of sign as circumcision for the church as it was for the nation of Israel, but that it follows spiritual birth not physical birth. Although a physical sign accompanies it, it is primarily a spiritual sign. It signifies a spiritual nation not a physical one. And it requires no further baptism for we are baptized into Christ once. 7. Now although we cannot conclude that infant baptism is a heretical teaching – we as Baptists would say that the only clear examples we have in scripture concerning baptism is to those who believed first and were then baptized. iii. As Baptists, we contend that baptism should be commanded only of those who are regenerated and have received faith in Christ. d. Mode of Baptism? i. Over the years the church has seen various modes of baptism. ii. Pouring, sprinkling, and immersion are the most common modes of baptism. iii. Pouring and sprinkling lean heavily into the “washing” of the sign whereas immersion adds the element of being crucified, buried and raised with Christ. iv. Again, this is probably not an issue worth dividing over. It is not heretical to be baptized by sprinkling or pouring. v. However, as Baptists we believe based on several reasons that immersion is the best mode to baptize an individual. The most convincing of which, I believe, is that the Greek word is used in other sources of that time to speak of sunken or sinking ships and to dipping cloth into dye. e. [Slide 3] Summary of the Point: So, although we are in the minority, we can trace what we believe about baptism all the way back to the apostles. We baptize believers by immersion as a sign of a spiritual baptism that has already occurred in their life. Transition: That brings us to what is certainly the more important question about baptism. What is the Meaning of Baptism? II.) [Slide 4] What is the Meaning of Baptism? a. Other ways we could ask this question include i. What is the purpose of Baptism? ii. Why do we baptize believers? iii. What does baptism accomplish? b. Remember that we narrowed baptism to one expression out of the 9 different baptisms that are mentioned in the bible. That is to be baptized into the name of Jesus Christ. Or into the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. i. To be baptized in someone’s name forms a difference between John’s baptism and the Christian baptism. ii. John baptized for the repentance of sin. The apostles baptized in the name of the Triune God. iii. To be baptized in someone’s name then is to be baptized with and in their authority, their dominion, their rule, their ownership, their jurisdiction. It is to be clothed in their colors. It is to wear their name on your jersey. It is to brand their mark on your skin. c. Therefore, when we try to answer these questions regarding meaning, purpose, and intention of baptism, we must look to this one expression of baptism for our answer. d. In the baptism of a believer into the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, we find 3 different but necessarily connected purposes of baptism. i. First, is the Sacramental meaning and purpose. 1. [Slide 5] A Sacrament is a sign set apart and commanded by Christ that declares to God’s people the promise of the gospel, namely that He grants us freely the remission of sin and life eternal – not for our sake – but because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. These symbols do teach and assure us that the whole of our salvation depends upon that one sacrifice of Christ and they also, by the Spirit’s work, more fully unite us to the One sacrificed. 2. That is a “by the book” definition. 3. Do you see the Triune God in there? 4. How does being baptized into Christ (the spiritual reality) and water baptism (the sign) come together to form a sacramental purpose in baptism? a. We are baptized into all His name means and all He did in His name. Among many more, His election, atoning life and death, resurrection, mediation, indwelling and future glorification. b. We have the symbol of dying to self, being crucified and buried with Christ. c. We are then raised to walk in a new life, after having washed all the filth of our old lives away. d. Sign and symbol meet as God builds our faith. e. When we publicly declare that this is true of us. We trust the Lord to meet us in that sign not only to build the faith of the one baptized, but also to build the faith of those who witness the sign. Thus, God meets us in the sign to deliver the spiritual truth of it and increase our faith. ii. [Slide 6] Second, we have the purpose of discipleship. 1. We are baptized into His name meaning we are baptized into His identity. His way, His truth, His life, His commands. 2. In Matthew 28 the Lord instructs His disciples to go and make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that He has commanded them. 3. Baptism into the name of the Triune God – both the symbol and the thing signified – is not only obeying Christ’s instruction but it is also beginning a life publicly committed to Christ’s Lordship over their you. 4. Just as Jesus publicly began His life devoted to the Father’s will with what? Yes, with a Baptism. 5. It declares to all present that I am His and I will run this race in pursuit of Him. iii. Third, there is the purpose of uniting to the universal church. 1. We are baptized into His name in the sense that we come out of the water and into the arms of His Family. 2. The body of Christ is an expression symbolically used of His church. 3. Not one member is the body of Christ, but all those who are truly His children are in that body called the universal or the invisible church. 4. And so, when we are baptized into the triune God, we are baptized into the universal assembly of believers – His family – the family of the seed of the woman. 5. A public water baptism then is to make public what has already been done spiritually by God. 6. This is to allow God’s true people to celebrate that one more has been freed from the tyranny of the family of the serpent and one more has joined the blessing of the family of God. 7. It also puts the burden of discipleship on the shoulders of all who witness the baptism. 8. For after one is baptized they must enter the work in training them to observe and obey all the commands of God. e. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: So, for us, baptism is of immeasurable significance. Like the Lord’s Supper, it is rich with meaning and I don’t claim to understand it all. But I know that there is a lot going on here. So for these three today – and with all of us who watch in anticipation – Let us rejoice with them as three more make public declaration of Christ alone as King. As I go and prepare, can we have the men come forward for this morning’s tithes and offerings?