Buried With Him In Christ

Dakota Community Church

August 22, 2010

Buried With Him in Baptism

Quick Questions:

What is baptism and what is its significance?

Why do we baptize by immersion when sprinkling would be so much more convenient?

Romans 6: 1-7

1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We 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.

5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For 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-- 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Greek:

Baptizo - to plunge under, dip, or immerse.

Two Greek words translated "sprinkle" are RANTIZO and ECHEO. Neither word is found in the Bible in relation to baptism.

Who Should be baptized?

Acts 2: 36-41

36"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."

40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Jesus was baptized in order that He might “fulfill all righteousness”.

Who is the Lord of your life?

We are not offered salvation that is open to further negotiations. There is one Lord and it is not you or I.

Is baptism a requirement for salvation?

Luke 23: 39-43

39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."

42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

Am I joining a church or denomination by being baptized?

There is only one church; it is comprised of all those who call on the name of Christ for salvation.

Denominations are a human invention sometimes caused by rebellious congregants, and sometimes caused by errant leadership.

Is infant baptism a valid Christian practice?

All the baptisms described in the New Testament are believer baptisms.

All the commands to be baptized are given to believers and there are no mentions of infant baptism in the New Testament.

We simply cannot build a crucial church practice on biblical inference with no explicit biblical examples.

The infant baptizers will say that the only reason for this is that in the New Testament we are seeing the first generation to hear the gospel, so naturally they are all believing and being baptized as adults. What about when those baptized adults have children?

Shouldn’t the children of believers automatically be baptized into the church just as the children of the old covenant were circumcised on the eighth day?

Does Christian Baptism Parallel Old Testament Circumcision?

This idea that baptism is to the New Covenant what circumcision is to the Old Covenant has been the standard understanding among the mainline denominations for hundreds of years.

(Catholics and Lutherans claim an actual regenerating effect for the act.)

Colossians 2:8-15

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.