OPEN: South East Christian Church in Louisville, KY is a congregation of about 15,000 members. It’s so huge they have a very specialized paid staff. For example, they have a staff member in charge of something they call the “wedding department.” One Sunday, a staff member from that department was privileged to be asked to baptize a new convert. On the Sunday he was to baptize his friend, something must have unsettled him – maybe it was the size of the congregation present, or the pressure of the moment.
Whatever it was, that morning, in front of the entire congregation he took the man’s confession and then declared: “I now pronounce you….” And then stopped as he realized what he’d said. Then he smiled as he continued: “I now pronounce you… baptized!”
APPLY: We know - as Christians - that marriage is important to God. It is a sacred union of two people in the presence of God. But while God doesn’t require you to fall in love and get married - if you intend to live with someone of the opposite sex God says - you had better get married.
That man from the “wedding department” almost confused the vows from a wedding ceremony with the words he normally would have used while baptizing someone. Wedding vows are required of someone who desires to be married. But is baptism required of someone who desires to become a Christian.
In other words: Do you have to be baptized?
I. Well, what did Jesus say?
Jesus commanded His disciples to “… 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).
What that means is: baptism is not an option for God’s people. It is commanded and expected by Jesus for all who would belong to Him.
In Mark 16:16 Jesus said “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved…”
Baptism was so important that Jesus Himself was baptized by John the Baptist at the beginning of His ministry. John didn’t feel he was qualified to baptize Jesus, but our Lord told John “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness….” (Matthew 3:15).
II. What did Peter say?
Here in Acts 2, Peter preaches the first sermon in the history of the Church. He preaches such a powerful sermon that day that he convinces the crowd of its sinfulness in crucifying Jesus, and the audience interrupts Peter & asks (vs. 37) “What shall we do?”
Peter replies: (vs. 38) “Repent and be baptized, everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
In other words, baptism must be preceded by repentance… and the result of baptism and repentance is forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Later, in I Peter 3:21, the Apostle compared baptism to the waters of Noah’s flood “…and this water (the flood) symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
According to Peter, baptism is part of the salvation act. It is a “pledge” or “appeal” to God and its power for salvation is based on the resurrection – not in the water.
III. What does Paul tell us about baptism?
Paul expanded on Peter’s words when he wrote Romans 6.
Paul taught us “… don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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” (Romans 6:3-4).
When we are baptized into Jesus Christ, we die to our old way of life, are buried in a grave of water and rise up to a new life. Just as Peter taught in I Peter chapter 3, Paul is telling us here in Romans, that the power of baptism comes from the resurrection of Jesus. (die/ buried/ rise up)
When Paul related his own salvation experience, he told a crowd in Jerusalem that a Christian named Ananias was sent from God with these instructions: “… Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16).
According to Paul - when he was baptized - in that act: he called upon the name of Jesus and his sins were washed away.
Paul also taught that in when we became Christians, we were “buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:12) and when we are baptized, we clothe ourselves “with Christ” (“for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” Galatians 3:27).
IV. Now, let us review - when we are baptized:
1. We obey our Lord
2. We call on the name of Jesus
3. We put on Christ
4. We die to our past, are buried and are risen up to a new life
5. Our sins are washed away
6. We receive forgiveness of sins
7. And we receive salvation
These are not the words of commentaries, or of great preachers or Sunday School teachers… these are the words of Jesus and apostles inspired by the Spirit of God. And these descriptions are the only valid explanations of what baptism means and what God meant for baptism to accomplish.
Reviewing all baptism can mean to us, the question shouldn’t be “do I have to get baptized?”
The question should be “You mean, I get to be baptized?” – I get all of this?
ILLUS: Nascar driver Jeff Gordon was baptized in October 1994. He had won his 1st two Winston Cup races, which were great thrills; but following his baptism, he said “This is the happiest day of my life.”
V. Why did God use baptism for these purposes?
Because God is a genius. God uses the simplest objects to teach great truths.
When Jesus gave His Sermon on Mount he talked about bread, flowers, birds.
When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, what did He use? Grape juice and unleavened bread. You don’t get more common than juice and bread.
And so, when God wanted us to understand the cleansing of our sins by Jesus’ He used water.
God’s used this kind of imagery before
ILLUS: In Leviticus 14:2-7 tell us:
“This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper;
Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:
As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: And he shall sprinkle upon him - that is to be cleansed from the leprosy - seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.”
What a beautiful picture of what happens to us in Christian Baptism. In baptism we come into contact with the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice, AND we rise from baptism to be pronounced clean and free.
VI. We must be clear here though – baptism is not a magical act.
If you don’t believe in Jesus… If you’re unwilling to change your life… If you’re unwilling to put God in charge of your life - you won’t be getting baptized – you’ll just be getting wet.
And baptism is NOT a work.
A “work” is something you do to buy or earn your salvation. You don’t “do” baptism... baptism is done to you. You don’t “buy” your salvation with baptism.
ILLUS: One good way to think of baptism is to consider it a “signing of a contract” between you and God. If you were to buy a house, you would be required to sit down with the sellers of the home and approve a contract. To show your approval, you would be required to sign your name at the bottom of the paper. Your signature wouldn’t buy the house (the money you probably borrowed from the bank did that), but you couldn’t purchase the house until your name was on the dotted line.
So also, your baptism doesn’t “buy” your salvation. Christ’s blood does that. But your signature on God’s contract is required.
VII. So, when are you ready to be baptized?
When are you old enough? When will you know enough? Do you have to go thru special classes?
ILLUS: As early as the 2nd century, church leaders required people to go through several classes before they could be baptized. Of course, they were also required to take off all their clothes – but we don’t require that now either.
But that’s not what happened in Scripture. There were no special classes, no long list of things to know and memorize. Look again at Acts 2:37. The crowd cries out: “What shall we do?”
Did Peter tell them they needed classes? No… they already knew everything they needed to know. They knew that Jesus was the Son of God and had died for their sins. They knew they were sinners in need of cleansing. AND because they knew these things, Paul replied:
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
Back in 1995, I heard a preacher tell his audience: “Baptism is the great equalizer. No matter who you are, how successful you are, or who you know... all have to go under the waters alike. There are those who come forward in expensive suits, dangling gold jewelry, and $100 hairdos. But the suits are exchanged for a humble white robe, the jewelry comes off, and they may as well say goodbye to their $100 hairdo.”
Are you ready to humble yourself before God and allow Him to exchange your past for His future, being cleansed in the waters of Christian baptism?
SERMONS IN THE “RIGHT OR WRONG?” SERIES
Once saved, Always saved? – Romans 11:1-11:24
Do All Roads Lead To Heaven? - Acts 17:16-17:34
Do I Have To Get Baptized? - Acts 2:22-2:41
Do I Need To Speak In Tongues - Acts 2:1-2:21
