Believers Baptism Series

Believers Baptism

On October 15, 1517, an Augustinian monk nailed his ninety-five theses on the church door in the town of Wittenberg. When Martin Luther nailed his theses to the door it marked the significant spark of the protestant reformation.

Eight years after Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door something happened that was considered the most revolutionary act of the reformation. What happened too place at the home of Felix Manz (the home of his mother) on January 21, 1525.

A group including Felix Manz held a baptism service as a result of their convictions from their Bible study. This was baptism was believers’ baptism. This was the beginning of the radical reformation or the Anabaptist movement in Zurich, Switzerland.

One year later there was a mandate made that performing believer’s baptism was a crime punishable by death. Felix Manz was delivered to an executioner with his hands tied and beaten. His hands were tied together below his knees, and he was held down under the water with a stick.

Just before he died becoming the first martyr for believers’ baptism and the first martyr to die at the hands of protestants. Felix Manz said just before his death, “believers’ baptism is true baptism according to the Word of God and teaching of Christ.”

These radical reformers insisted that personal commitment to Christ is essential to salvation and a prerequisite to baptism. They affirmed their conviction of believer’s baptism as the sign of membership in the true church.

It might seem hard to imagine that people paid with their life simply because they wanted to form a church after what they conceived to be the New Testament pattern. They insisted that personal commitment to Christ is essential to salvation and that faith in Christ is a prerequisite to baptism. This all came through their study of the New Testament.

Fast forward almost 300 years. Adoniram Judson sailed from America to India as the first foreign missionary. He was part of the group known as the “Haystack prayer meeting” How wife became very distressed about his study of believer’s baptism. She called on his to give up his study on believer’s baptism because the consequences would be great.

He came to the conclusion that the immersion of a professing believer is the only Christian baptism. He forsook all his support and shocked his wife and concluded by the study of the Greek New Testament that believer’s baptism is the New Testament pattern.

He was baptized at William Carey’s church in Calcutta September 6, 1812. He lost all of his support and was asked to repay the cost of his voyage from America to India. He called it the most distressing event that ever happened to him. Adoniram and his wife were both baptized at Carey church.

The Judson’s faced fierce criticism but the fiercest was from Luther Rice who sailed on a separate ship at the same time. Adoniram and Ann Hudson said we won’t argue with you, just search the scriptures. Luther Rice dd search the scriptures and he too was baptized by immersion and became a Baptist.

A society was formed, and Adoniram and Ann became the first Baptist missionaries. Luther Rice returned to the states and was instrumental in helping the Baptists organize a mission sending society, the Triannual convention.

The meaning of baptism is symbolic.

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 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. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:3-5)

Baptism is identification with Christ. Baptism allows the believer in Christ to openly identify with Christ who died, was buried and who rose again on his behalf. It is a public testimony to say I have identified with Christ. I will live for Christ.

In the sense of identification baptism has been compared to the wedding ring. I am not married because of the ring. The ring makes a statement that I am married. Baptism is symbolic of salvation.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

Baptism portrays the essence of the gospel. That Christ died for our sins. That he was buried and that he was raised on the third day. In baptism going in the water allows the believer in Christ to signify his own death, burial and resurrection.