Beginning the Christian Life - 9 - Baptism Continued

Scripture reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22

10. WHAT DID THE APOSTLES TEACH ABOUT BAPTISM?

1. Baptism in water is the Bible required act of obedience that testifies of Genuine repentance and Faith. (see lesson #8, section 8, Subhead 4)

Acts 2:38 - - "REPENT, and BE BAPTIZED everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ..."

Acts 2:41 - - "Then they that GLADLY RECEIVED HIS WORD were Baptized..."

When God visited Cornelius and his household, Peter "Commanded (ordered) them to BE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST." (Acts 10:48). The order is no less valid today. BAPTISM IS NOT OPTIONAL!

2. BAPTISM IN WATER HAS TO DO WITH THE REMISSION OF SINS

Acts 2:38 - - "Repent, and be Baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS..."

AMP.- - "For the FORGIVENESS OF AND RELEASE FROM YOUR SINS..."

The word translated "remission"means, "forgiveness, deliverance, liberty; a sending away, letting go."

a) Our Saviour, for Jesus Christ, came to make remission possible.

Acts 5:31 - - "Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and FORGIVENESS (remission) of sins." Also -Acts 13:38; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14

b) The legal ground of remission is our Saviour's Bloee. Matthew 26:28 - - "For this is my BLOOD of the new testament, which is shed for many for the Remission of sins."

Hebrews 9:22 - - "Without shedding of BLOOD is no REMISSION."

c) Faith and trust in the Saviour is essential to receive remission.

Acts 10:43 - -"Through His name whosoever BELIEVETH in Him shall receive remission of sins."

d) Water baptism is the divinely ordained way of expressing such faith.

Acts 2:38 - - "REPENT, and be BAPTIZED every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the REMISSION of sins...(see also Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3)

e) The message of remission is to be preached universally.

Luke 24:47 - -"REPENTANCE AND REMISSION OF SINS should be PREACHED in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." (Acts 2:38), also Luke 4:18; Acts 26:18).

3. Baptism in water has to do with Cleansing

Acts 22:16 - -"And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and BE BAPTISED, and WASH AWAY THY SINS, calling on the name of the Lord."

AMP. - -"And now, why do you delay? Rise and be Baptized, and by calling on His name WASH AWAY YOUR SINS."

JBP - -"Get up and be BAPTIZED! Be BAPTIZED! Be CLEAN FROM YOUR SINS as you call on His name."

DARBY - -"Arise and get BAPTIZED and have thy sins WASHED AWAY, calling on His name."

a) We are washed by the blood of our Lord Jesus.

Revelation 1:5 - -"Unto Him that loved us, and WASHED us FROM OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BLOOD..."

b) We are cleaned by the Word of God.

John 15:3 - -"Now ye are CLEAN THROUGH THE WORD which I have spoken unto you."

c) Our cleansing from sin is signified in baptism.

The blood of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, washes us from our sins legally. The word cleanses us from our sins in practice as we "take heed thereto" (Psalm 119:9) In water baptism, the purpose of God in washing and loosing us from our sins is signified and made real to the repentant, believing, obedient sinner. It is the confession of our desire to be clean from sins of every kind.

4. We are "Baptized in Jesus Christ."

Galations 3:27 - -"For as many of you as have been BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST have put on Christ."

AMP. - - "For as many (of you) as were BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST - into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah - have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ."

JBP - -"All of you who were BAPTIZED "INTO CHRIST" have put on the family likeness of Christ."

MOFF. - -"For all of you who had yourselves BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST have taken on the character of Christ."

WAY - -"All of you who have BEY BAPTISM PASSED INTO UNION WITH MESSIAH have clothed yourselves with Messiah's personality."

Romans 6:3,4 - -"Know ye not, that so many of us as were BAPTIZED INT JESUS CHRIST were BAPTIZED INTO HIS DEATH? Therefore, we are BURIED WITH HIM BY BAPTISM INTO DEATH. That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

JBP - -"Have you forgotten that all of us who were BAPTIZED IN JESUS CHRIST were, by that very action, sharing in His death? We were dead and buried with him in baptism, so that just as he was raised from the dead by that splendid revelation of the Father's power, so we too might rise to life on new plane altogether."

WAY - -"Do you not comprehend that all of us, who passed by BAPTISM INTO UNION WITH MESSIAH JESUS, were by BAPTISM made sharers in His death? Well then, if that baptism made us share His death, it must have made us share His burial too. It must follow that, as Messiah was raised from among the dead by means of the descent of the Father's glory, so we too, who rose with Him, are to be employed wholly in the activities of the New Life!"

We have seen that, in the beginning, repentant and believing sinners were baptized "the same day" - "when they believed" - "the same hour". Baptism was an accepted fact of normal New Testament procedure and life. Sinners "believed and were baptized". Repentance, faith, and baptism should never be separated. They were not in the beginning. It was no problem therefore for Paul to refer to baptism and base important teaching on it, applicable to all Christians. At the same time of their repentance, faith and baptism there had been a divine response and some wonderful things had happened to them. They experienced the PASSING of the old and the EMERGENCE of the new. "If any man be in CHRIST, he is a new creature: OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY; and behold all things are become NEW." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

SUMMARY: Baptism not only speaks of death, and burial, but of resurrection. In the natural realm, when one dies they are buried and that is the end of the matter. However, "being buried WITH HIM by BAPTISM INTO DEATH" we can expect the same thing to happen to us that happened to Him. SO, "LIKE AS CHRIST WAS RAISED UP....EVEN SO WE!" "For if we have become one with Him by SHARING A DEATH LIKE HIS, we shall also be one with Him in SHARING HIS RESURRECTION (by a new life lived for God.") (vs. 5- AMP.)