Baptism

BAPTISM

Text: Romans 6:1-6

Scripture reading: Romans 10:5-17

INTRODUCTION:

1. I do not want to shy away from the issue of baptism.

2. Sometimes members of the church are criticized because we are said to place baptism as more important than other issues in the bible.

3. A so-called plan of salvation is often ridiculed by many saying that there is no such thing in the bible.

4. I think the scripture reading indicates something close to what we consider to be that gplan of salvationh that people like to criticize.

5. I want to look at what the bible means by baptism.

6. I want us to see why baptism is an important issue for people today.

TRANSITION: Is there a plan of salvation?

I. The plan of salvation

A. The bible never comes out and says, gHere is the plan of salvation.h

1. That does not mean that there is not one.

2. It just means that we have to look for it.

3. How do we do that?

a. What did Nicodemus do in John 3:4? HE ASKED JESUS

b. What did the Jews do in Acts 2:37? ASKED THE APOSTLES

c. The rich young ruler in Luke 18:18 asked Jesus.

d. Each of them wanted to know what they must do to be saved.

B. We must get our answer by the same means.

1. We must ask Jesus

2. That is done by reading what the apostles and inspired men wrote.

3. Paul was inspired when he wrote to the Romans

C. Paul wrote in Romans 10:5-17 the closest thing that we have to the plan of salvation outlined.

1. See a person is to confess that Jesus is the son of God and savior of the world.

a. Paul tells Timothy that this is the ggood confessionh he made in 1 Timothy 6:12.

b. That good confession is that Jesus is the son of God and savior of the world.

2. (V 10) Look at the phrase gthe heart of a righteous personh

a. The righteous heart requires repentance.

b. Penitence is essential to having that righteous heart.

3. Belief is then mentioned in this section

a. (V 11) gAnyone who believes on him will not be disappointed.h

b. Believing begins the personfs progression toward God.

4. And you cannot believe what you have not heard.

a. gFaith comes by hearingh the word of God.

b. We must hear the word of God in order to believe it

5. This puts emphasis on vv. 14-15

a. gHow can they call on him in whom they have not believed? How can they believe on him in whom they have not heard? And how will they believe without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? For as it is written, eHow beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good thingsf.h

b. We have to be preaching so that others can hear.

c. That belief that comes from the hearing should bring on repentance and confession in the name of the Lord as the son of God and savior of the world.

6. You may not be able to check these off of a list as they happen

a. He heard ã

b. He believes ã

c. But these take place over time as we teach and preach.

d. This is an ongoing process that leads somewhere.

7. These are the results in a personfs life as we set the example in our lives and they begin to study and grow.

D. Verse 10 becomes crucial again

1. The RSV renders this as ghe confesses with his mouth and so is saved.h

2. The NASB has gresulting in salvationh

3. The NKJV says gconfession is made to salvation.h

E. The NKJV comes closest to the accurate meaning of this verse.

1. The word in Greek is the word eis".

2. It means "to" as in progression toward.

3. It does not mean that it is necessarily the last step, but movement toward a goal.

F. It is the culmination of the preparation process that leads to salvation.

TRANSITION: Now the pump is primed, how does one get the water of life?

II. How does one come to salvation?

A. Revelation 21:27, "And nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the lamb’s book of life."

1. Nothing unclean will enter heaven.

a. Entering heaven is being saved.

b. Your name must be in the lambfs book of life to be saved.

2. You must be cleansed to be added to the lambfs book of life.

3. So how do you become clean?

B. Romans 6:4 talks about the gnewness of life.h

1. The idea is that you become a new person.