Believer's Baptism by anon If you look up the word "baptist" in the Grolier's Academic American Encyclopedia on CompuServe, the opening words are these: "The Baptists form one of the largest Protestant denominations, with worldwide membership of nearly 35 million. The following distinguish the Baptists from other Protestant communions: (1) their insistence on baptism of adult believers only; (2) their concern for freedom of speech and conscience and for freedom from interference by any civil or ecclesiastical authority; (3) the primacy they seek to give to Scripture in matters of faith, doctrine, and morals; and (4) the authority they give to the congregation in church affairs." No study of the Basics of the Baptist Faith can be complete without giving attention to the doctrine of believer's baptism. Indeed, it is our belief in (and insistance upon) that doctrine that explains how we came to be called Baptists. Again, quoting from Grolier's Academic American Encyclopedia, we read: "The forerunners of present-day Baptists were the ANABAPTISTS of the REFORMATION period." "Anabaptists, or rebaptizers, were members of a variety of 16th-century religious groups that rejected infant BAPTISM. Since they believed that only after an adult had come to faith in Christ should he or she be baptized, they taught that converts who had been baptized in infancy must be rebaptized." "Some Anabaptist congregations were settled in Holland in the early 17th century when groups of Puritan Independents, or Congregationalists, fled from England to Holland. Influenced by the Anabaptists, some of these Independents were persuaded that Christian baptism was appropriate only for adults with a personal faith and commitment. Returning to England, this group formed the first Baptist congregation in 1611. Shortly thereafter, Roger WILLIAMS formed (1639) the first Baptist congregation in Providence, R.I." This morning I want us to notice what we as Baptists have traditionally taught regarding baptism. I.Baptism Is For Believers In Christ Only. As the articles I've quoted so far have stated, as Baptists we reject the baptism of infants. We insist that before a person is an acceptable candidate for baptism they must recognize, confess, and repent of their sin, trusting Jesus Christ as Savior and yielding to Him as Lord. Consider some of the scripture passages which relate baptism with an individual's faith and commitment. Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Acts 8:35-37 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. [36] Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" [37] Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Acts 16:14-15 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. [15] And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." So she persuaded us. Acts 16:30-33 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" [31] So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." [32] Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. [33] And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Acts 18:8 Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. Acts 19:3-5 And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism." [4] Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." [5] When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul was the first re-baptizer in recorded history. He re-baptized those whose initial baptism was not based on belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and dependence upon Him for salvation from sin and a new life lived for God under the power of the Holy Spirit. II.Christian Baptism Does Not Save A Person, But Is The Scriptural Means Whereby A Person Gives Public Testimony Of Their Faith In Christ. Many individuals and some religious groups view baptism as a saving act. Of those who do, some view it as a stand-alone means of salvation, while most view it as being one essential part of what a person must do in order to gain forgiveness of sin and an eternal home in heaven. Of course these people quote Scriptures which they say support their beliefs, but we as Baptists declare they are taking the Scriptures out of context. Among the passages cited as supposedly teaching baptism as essential to salvation are the following: Mark 16:15-16 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. [16] "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. It should be clear that the context is that salvation is conditioned upon believing, rather than upon being baptized. John 3:18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Another verse cited in defense of baptismal regeneration (salvation through baptism) is Mark 1:4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. It must be remembered, however, that John stressed the need for repentance before allowing anyone to undergo baptism. So even as John baptized, baptism was a ceremonial act signifying a person's turning from sin to God. Matthew 3:7-8 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? [8] Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. "{Unto remission of sins - Mark 1:4} (\eis aphesin hamartion\). This is a difficult phrase to translate accurately. Certainly John did not mean that the baptism was the means of obtaining the forgiveness of their sins or necessary to the remission of sins. The trouble lies in the use of \eis\ which sometimes is used when purpose is expressed, but sometimes when there is no such idea as in Mt 10:41 and Mt 12:41. Probably "with reference to" is as good a translation here as is possible. The baptism was on the basis of the repentance and confession of sin and, as Paul later explained (Ro 6:4), was a picture of the death to sin and resurrection to new life in Christ. This symbol was already in use by the Jews for proselytes who became Jews." - Robertson's Word Pictures in the Greek New Testament Acts 22:16 'And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.' What can wash away your sins? Not baptism. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 1 Peter 3:21 There is also an antitype which now saves us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 3:21 (NIV) and this water 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, "Peter here expressly denies baptismal remission of sin. {But the interrogation of a good conscience toward God} (\alla suneideseos agathes eperotema eis theon\). Old word from \eperotao\ (to question as in Mr 9:32; Mt 16:1), here only in N.T. In ancient Greek it never means answer, but only inquiry. The inscriptions of the age of the Antonines use it of the Senate's approval after inquiry. That may be the sense here, that is, avowal of consecration to God after inquiry, having repented and turned to God and now making this public proclamation of that fact by means of baptism (the symbol of the previous inward change of heart)." - Robertson's Word Pictures in the Greek New Testament Consider also that Paul stated he was not sent to baptize, but to tell people about Christ and salvation by grace through faith in Him. 1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. You can be baptized in every baptistry, in every lake, river, and creek in the land, but if you do not trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior all you will do is get wet. In like manner, if you trust in Christ, committing your life to Him in faith, you are saved for all eternity even if you cannot be baptized. However, that is not to say that baptism is unimportant. It is the first step of obedience for the one who professes faith in Christ. How can a person sincerely yield their life to Christ as Lord and refuse baptism? It is the God-given means of publicly testifying to the new life received by the grace of God. III.The Only Proper And Acceptable Method Of Baptism Is Immersion. The very fact that there are different forms of baptism used probably stems from the mistake of early Roman Catholic leaders in believing that baptism was essential for salvation. They adopted a teaching about baptism washing away original sin (the inherited sin nature and guilt as opposed to actual sins committed by the individual). Thus they began baptizing infants out of the mistaken belief that only by so doing would the infants escape hell if they failed to live long enough to personally embrace Christ and then be baptized. Also, in trying to force Christianity on others, it became much more convenient to simply pour or sprinkle rather than to immerse. So the early Roman Catholic church changed the method of baptism simply for convenience sake, a practice which has been followed by many other groups and denominations. Without belaboring the point, let me point out that our word baptize is a transliteration of the Greek word baptizo, which means to immerse. It was coined so as to not contradict the common practice of the established church when the Scriptures were translated into English. Any reputable scholar will attest that the meaning of the word and practice found in the Scriptures is to immerse a person in water. Even those who practice pouring or sprinkling as the method of baptism will agree with the original meaning of the word, but they insist that the church is free to adopt its own method for the sake of convenience. IV.Baptism Is The Means Whereby A Believer Identifies With The Church. Christian baptism identifies a person with not only Christ, but with others who also are followers of Christ. In the Great Commission, Jesus instructed His disciples (the early church) to baptize those who responded to their evangelistic efforts by becoming disciples of Christ. Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. On the Day of Pentecost, following the ascension of Jesus into heaven, about 3,000 people were baptized and united with the church as the Spirit of God fell upon believers and moved mightily in drawing sinners to Christ. Acts 2:36-41 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." [37] Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" [38] Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." [40] And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." [41] Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. Conclusion Have you undergone believer's baptism? Has the Spirit of God moved upon you to convict you of your sin and drawn you to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation? Have you repented of your sins and committed your life - now and for eternity - to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Master? If so, have you yet had opportunity to publicly profess your faith in Christ by being baptized? If not, would you present yourself for baptism in testimony of God's gracious working on your behalf this morning? Understand clearly that eternal life comes by being born-again through faith in Christ, not by being baptized. Yet baptism is a beautiful ceremony which symbolizes what has happened in the life of a believer. Consider the following words of the Apostle Paul: Romans 6:3-5 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? [4] Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, Baptism is a beautiful testimony and act of worship. It also enhances the worship of other believers as we watch someone give such a moving testimony of the change God has wrought in their life by His grace.When a believer is baptized, it is a public announcement that he has committed to live his life for Christ. Have you lived out that public commitment you made? Or do you need to rededicate your life to walking in obedience to Christ this morning?