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.
You go under the water like you were dead and buried and you come out of the water like you were raised in newness of life. Spiritually you died to self, were buried and raised in new life. Now the baptism portrays symbolically what happened in your spiritual new birth.
Romans 6:3-4 makes the direct connection in the death, burial and resurrection with baptism. Your baptism bears witness to Christ’s death and declares believers’ death, burial and resurrection. It portrays a changed life. In baptism we declare this publicly.
Those who have been baptized into Jesus Christ have been baptized into his death and raised to walk in newness of life. Without immersion the picture is lost. No other mode except immersion gives the picture of the death, burial and resurrection.
Your baptism is obeying a command of Christ. He have in the Great commission a command for making disciples and baptizing them.
Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Matthew 28:19)
This command of Christ was emphasized by Peter at the conclusion of his Pentecost sermon.
Peter 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. (Acts 2:38)
Baptism is not an option for the believer it is a command.
Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands. (John 14:15)
1 Peter 3:21 speaks of baptism as the pledge of a good conscience toward God. You want to live with a clear conscience before God. You want to obey the commands of Christ. Biblical baptism is the means to obedience and a clear conscience.
This water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (1 Peter 3:21)
The candidate for baptism is the believer in Christ. Peter pleaded with them. “Save yourself from this corrupt generation.
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:41-42)
There is no text in all of Scripture where the baptism of an infant is described.
You see the pattern, they heard they believed, and they were baptized.
Act 2:41
Acts 8:12-13 5-13
Acts 8:36-38
Acts 9:18
Acts 10:47-48
Acts 16:13-15
Acts 16:33
Acts 18:8
Acts 19:1-5
Acts 22:14-17
The method of baptism is by immersion.
The word for baptize itself means to immerse. It is the Greek word Baptizo. There is a separate Greek word for sprinkle, but it is never associated in Scripture with Baptism. In the 1611 King James Version the translators were instructed not to translate anything that went against the kings Anglican religion. To sidestep the issue, they transliterated the word as baptize instead of translating with its meaning, to immerse.
The New Testament method for baptism is immersion. This is seen with the Ethiopian Eunuch.
Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. (Acts 8:36, 38)
Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch were traveling along in a chariot. After he believed the eunuch pointed and said there is water, why shouldn’t I be baptized. They went down into the water and Philip baptized him. You can see the picture. He believed and then they went down into the water and Philip immersed him.
The significance of baptism is that it sets forth the aspects of the gospel, the death urial and resurrection of Jesus. In Romans 6:3-5 Paul is specific about what happens at baptism.
Before I baptized my son we stopped at Zurich Switzerland on a flight layover. He had enough time to view the plaque marking the martyrdom of Felix Manz the Anabaptist killed for his belief on baptism. I wanted him to be clear on his profession of faith in Christ and to let him know the history of how significant baptism is that Felix Manz would take a stand like he did.
Standing at Felix Mans plaque https://bradbeaman.wordpress.com/2012/05/05/felix-manz/
I would give you the advice that Adoniram and Ann Judson gave Luther Rice. Study baptism for yourself and see what the scriptures say.
