Baptism in the Teachings of Peter the Apostle I Pet. 3:21
INTRO.: This morning I want to begin a series of sermons on Christian baptism. I call it “A Picture of the Passion.” I base this on Romans 6:3 & 4, where baptism is seen to picture the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and parallels are drawn between the acceptance of Christ as Savior and His passion.
We will examine the teaching of the three of the earliest and most authoritative followers of Jesus, men who were instrumental in establishing the Church and who have much to teach us by their words and example; Peter, Phillip, and Paul.
When Jesus left the earth, He left His disciples with a commission. It’s recorded in Matthew 28:19, 20 and Mark 16:15, 16. Both writers quote Jesus as including baptism in His instructions. It must, therefore, be important to Him.
Since Peter, in his Gospel sermon recorded in Acts 2, introduced Christian baptism to the world, we will study the teachings of the Holy Spirit through Peter first.I. Fifty days after the resurrection, on the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached the first full Gospel sermon: Acts 2:22-41
A. Summary of the sermon:
1. Jesus came from God and was used mightily by God. 22
2. The Jews crucified Jesus. The Romans helped. 24
3. God raised H9im from the dead. 24
4. Peter proved these things from the Old Testament.
B. Response of the hearers: “What shall we do?”
1. They felt guilty. They were cut to the heart. 37
2. Many of them had been present when Jesus died. Maybe they had yelled, “crucify Him.”
3. They had been waiting thousands of years for a Savior, then they killed Him.
4. Since He really came from God and they killed Him, they were in deep trouble.
C. Peter told them to repent and be baptized. 38
1. Repent means to change your mind and your behavior.
2. He did not command them to just be dipped in water.
3. They were to be dipped in the Name of Jesus Christ.
4. It was to be done for the forgiveness of sins.
5. Then they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. God would come to live in their hearts.
D. What can we learn from this incident?
1. Christian baptism is in the Name of Jesus Christ. I.e.: by His authority.
2. It is for the forgiveness of our sins.
3. It accompanies faith and repentance.
4. It leads to the gift of the Holy Spirit. God dwells in our hearts.
II. Several years later, Peter introduced the Gospel and baptism to Gentiles: Acts 10
A. What kind of man was Cornelius, the Gentile soldier?
1. A devout and God fearing man who had led his family to faith in God.
2. Generous man who gave to the poor.
3. A praying man who spoke to God regularly.
4. A man worthy of a visit from an angel.
5. When Peter arrived, he had gathered his entire family and his servants to hear about Jesus. V. 33.
B. The message Peter preached: 34-43
1. God sent Jesus to preach good news to the people.
2. The people didn’t like the message and killed Him.
3. God raised Him from the dead.
4. We are to share this message with the entire world.
C. The results of the preaching: 44-48
1. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles who were present, Cornelius and his household.
2. They began to speak in tongues and glorify God.
3. Peter commanded they be baptized. Cornelius was a godly man who prayed and was heard. He was visited by an angel. He received the Holy Spirit. After all this, he still needed baptism.
III. There is one more passage from the Apostle Peter we must examine in this respect. I Pet. 3:18-22
A. Noah and his family were saved through water:
1. Gen. 6:8 says he found favor (grace) in the eyes of the Lord. He was saved by grace.
2. He was saved by faith. Heb. 11:7
3. Grace was God’s part. Faith was Noah’s part. The water was the means God used.
B. Notice the parallel with modern Christians:
1. Eph. 2:8 we are also saved by grace and faith. Nothing we can do can earn salvation.
2. Peter says we are also saved by water. II Pet. 3:21
3. Grace is God’s part. Faith is our part. Water is the means God uses.
C. Is Peter saying one cannot be saved without baptism? No, he isn’t.
1. He simply says, “baptism saves us.”
2. The Bible does not say we can’t be saved without baptism. Nor does it say or imply we can.
3. It simply says, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Gal. 3:27
4. “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins.” Acts 22:16
5. “Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins.” Acts 2:38.
6. ILLUS.: A military officer once told me, “Baptism is a command of God. In the army we know what to do with a command. What happens if we don’t do it is not an issue.”
CONC.: Review. Peter’s story and teaching tell us baptism is in the Name of Jesus, for the remission of sins, and results in the gift of the Holy Spirit. He tells us baptism saves us.
We must remember men like Peter, Paul, Matthew, etc. wrote as they were directed by the Holy Spirit. What they recorded was and is the Word of God. We need to pay very close heed to it.
