Be Baptized


	Lesson Two Be Baptized In this lesson, we will cover: I. Faith and Baptism (Mark 16:16; Acts 8:27-38; 16:30-33) II. What is baptism? A. A baptism of repentance (Matt 3:2, 6; Acts 18:24-26; 19:4) B. Baptized Into Christ (Gal. 3:27a) C. Baptized Into the Triune God (Matt. 28:19) D. Baptized Into Christ's Death (Rom. 6:3) E. Baptized into Christ's Body (1 Cor. 12:13) III. Reality of Baptism (John 16:13) Hubmeyer's Struggle For Baptism Balthazar Hubmeyer (c.1480-1528) was a prominent Christian leader in the early sixteenth century. He sought to live a spiritual life according to the teachings of Scripture. However, during his days there was one common practice that was unscriptural - infant baptism. It had been practiced for a long time since the second century, and anyone found departing from this practice was severely punished. In 1525 Hubmeyer was helped by the godly Bible expositor Wilhelm Reublin to see that the biblical practice was believer baptism (that is, a person must believe into the Lord first before he or she is baptized - Mark 16:16). In that same year Hubmeyer rejected infant baptism and was baptized by Reublin. Shortly afterward, Hubmeyer himself preached about believer baptism and baptized about 300 believers, including his own wife. Hubmeyer and his wife were persecuted and had to escape the persecutors "with the loss of everything." They fled to Zurich, Switzerland, but Hubmeyer was imprisoned and tortured there. Afraid of being delivered into the Emperor's hands, he retracted some of his teachings. He was released, but "immediately repented bitterly of this fear of man and besought God to forgive and restore him." Then he went to Nikolsburg in Moravia, where he preached in that small district with such effect that about 6,000 persons were baptized at the risk of persecution. In 1527 Hubmeyer was arrested and taken to Vienna, where he was tried. This time he was brave and stood his ground. Consequently, he was condemned to death. While he was being burned alive at the stake on March 10, 1528, he prayed with a loud voice, "Oh, my gracious God, give me patience in my martyrdom! Oh, my Father, I thank Thee that Thou wilt take me today out of this vale of sorrow. Oh Lamb, Lamb, who takest away the sin of the world! Oh my God, into Thy hands I commit my spirit!" The last words of Hubmeyer's prayer remind us of Stephen's prayer when he was martyred (Acts 7:59). These very words were also an echo of the Lord Jesus' prayer while He was dying on the cross (Luke 23:46; John 19:30). Reference: E.H. Broadbent, Pilgrim Church; The Reformed Reader, History, Chapter IV Faith and Baptism In the previous lesson we talked about faith in the Lord. In this lesson we will go on to talk about baptism. We must see that in actuality faith and baptism go together. Baptism is the outward testimony of the inward faith - the inward belief in all the accomplishments of Christ. In other words, through baptism we openly testify that we believe that God has solved all the problems we have before Him and with Him. Acts 8 records that Philip preached Jesus to "a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury" (Acts 8:27). As Philip was preaching, they came upon some water (vv. 35-36). The eunuch asked Philip, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Philip responded, "If you believe with all your heart, you may" (v. 37a). The eunuch believed. Immediately he was baptized (vv. 37b-38). This case shows that if you genuinely believe in Jesus, nothing can prevent you from taking the further step of baptism. Another biblical example is found in Acts 16, where Paul and Silas were preaching the gospel to a jailer. The jailer asked them, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (v. 30) They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household" (v. 31). The jailer and his family believed, and they were saved. But that was not all. "At that hour of the night …immediately he and all his family were baptized" (v. 33). This example shows that when you believe in Christ, you can be baptized immediately. Because faith and baptism go together, Mark 16:16 describes a believer as "he who believes and is baptized." It does not only say, "he who believes." The unbeliever, however, is simply referred to as "he who does not believe." Hence, if you are an unbeliever, there is no need to talk about baptism. But if you have already believed into Jesus Christ, you must seriously consider the matter of baptism. What is Baptism? A Baptism of Repentance Before we believed, we were by our natural birth part of the family of Adam. This Adam was the created man who rebelled against God in the garden of Eden. The result of his disobedience was death (Gen. 2:17). Because we were all born into Adam's family, we also have his rebellious nature within us. So, unless we repent and have a change of our mind, heart, and nature, we are all condemned to spiritual death (1 Cor. 15:22a). This is why we need to repent. Baptism is an outward sign of our repentance. In Peter's first gospel message to the Jews, he told them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 2:38a). Peter knew that the Jews needed to repent because they needed an inward change of their rejecting mind toward Jesus. But Peter also knew that the Jews needed to be baptized because baptism was the public testimony of their repentance. In the same principle, in the wilderness John the Baptist told the people, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matt. 3:2) Additionally he baptized the repentant ones in the Jordan River for a public testimony of their repentance (Matt. 3:6). Hence, John's baptism was called the baptism of repentance (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3). Baptized Into Christ The scriptural importance of baptism does not stop with repentance. The Bible also shows us that to be baptized is to be baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27a). As a believer, you need more than a deliverance out of Adam's family; you also need an entry into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col. 1:13b). A proper, genuine, and living baptism will complete your transfer into the living person of Christ. Through baptism you are in Christ Himself. In Christ you are made alive (1 Cor. 15:22b)! In Christ you are freed from the bondage and fate of your original rebellion as part of Adam's family, because you no longer belong to it. Your baptism is a testimony that you have already chosen to obey Christ and to live in Him! In addition, your baptism into Christ results in your putting on Christ. Galatians 3:27 says, "As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." By putting on Christ, you will not make provision, or take forethought, to fulfill the lusts of your flesh (Rom. 13:14). Instead, you can focus on walking becomingly in Christ's life. Baptized into the Triune God Jesus charges us to baptize anyone who will become His disciple. He says, "Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19). To disciple a person is to make him a follower of Jesus. The way to do this is to baptize him into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This is the name of the Triune God, who is the only God in the universe. Genuine baptism therefore makes you a disciple of Jesus by putting you into the Triune God. It immerses you into all that the Triune God is. Our God is love, holiness, light, righteousness, life, power, among other things. Because all these divine things are yours when you are in God, you can now follow Christ as His true disciple. Baptized into Christ's Death As mentioned before, we were all part of Adam's family. Consequently, an "old man"- a manner of life according to the fallen nature of Adam - existed in us (Eph. 4:22). According to 1 Corinthians 15:22a, this "old man" should die. Romans 6:3 says, "Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" This means that through baptism the "old man" is put to death with Christ on His cross. Your baptism into Christ's death brings in two results. The first is your burial. According to Romans 6:4a, through baptism into His death you have been buried with Christ. So, when Christ was buried, the "old man" was buried with Him. The old life of your old man has been crucified with Him (Rom. 6:6). The second result is the resurrection of a "new you". This is to be made alive in your spirit with the divine life. Paul says, "In [baptism] you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead" (Col. 2:12). Hence, when you are baptized into Christ's death, you also participate in His resurrection (Rom 6:5). Baptism therefore delivers you out of your inherited vain manner of life into a new manner of life in Christ's resurrection (1 Pet. 3:21b). You are brought out of your old state into a new one. In this new state you can henceforth "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4). Then your daily walk on the earth will gradually be changed into one that is totally according to the resurrection life of Christ. Baptized into Christ's Body Baptism does much more than put to death your "old man" and resurrect a "new you." It also puts you into the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13a). This means that you no longer are an individual Christian but you have become a living, functioning member of the Body of Christ. This Body of Christ is made up of all His believers, regardless of their former backgrounds (1 Cor. 12:13b). Paul says, "We, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another" (Rom. 12:5). Here in the Body we all drink of the one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13c). Through our drinking of the Spirit, the Body of Christ grows into the fullness of the One who fills all in all (Eph. 1:23). Reality of Baptism As a practice, baptism is only a symbol. First Peter 3:21 states clearly that baptism is "not the removal of the filth of the flesh." Baptism therefore does not and cannot put away the filth of your flesh, which is the dirt of your fallen nature and the defilement of your fleshly lust. By itself the practice of baptism does not wash away your sins. Notwithstanding, baptism is an important symbol by which we can gain precious spiritual experiences. For example, baptism illustrates our salvation from the corrupted world. The Old Testament speaks of Noah's generation in which "the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). God therefore judged this evil and wicked generation with a great flood. However, the same water that drowned the unbelievers in that day lifted up Noah and his family in the ark and brought them safely through the judging flood. What they found after exiting the ark onto dry ground was a new world. The old world that was so much against God was over. The water had washed it away. Noah and his family were saved from this old world by water. First Peter 3:20b-21a tell us that this Old Testament water was a picture of the New Testament water of baptism, which today saves us from the corrupt world that we live in. Baptism by water can save you. The world will try its best to hold you back! It will distract you and frustrate your Christian walk. But the same salvation from the old world that Noah experienced is yours through baptism. But this is not to say that the practice of baptism itself can save you from the world. It is only a symbol. Thus Peter also says that baptism saves you from the world "through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 3:21b). This means that it is the Spirit who will guide you into the reality of baptism (John 16:13). It was in resurrection that Christ became this Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). Without the Spirit as reality, your baptism immediately becomes an empty and dead ritual. However, the Spirit of reality honors the public testimony given through your baptism. This Spirit brings you, by your baptism, to the place where you can have a good conscience toward God (1 Pet. 3:21). In addition, this same Spirit, who is Christ in resurrection, brings to you the reality of all that Christ has passed through in His crucifixion and resurrection. Only the Spirit of reality can make the spiritual things real in your life. What a blessing it is to be baptized! Discussion Questions 1. Why should you be baptized if you have already believed into Christ? 2. What is the meaning of baptism? 3. What is the reality of baptism? Practical Tips If you have genuinely believed, don't wait to get baptized. Some believers think that they should wait to be baptized. They have many "good" reasons. One example is, "I have been a Christian only for a short while. Let me wait until I have matured a little more." Another example is, "I will wait until I have read the Bible more. Then my baptism will be more meaningful." Whatever reason you may have for wanting to delay, please remember that according to the Bible the only requirement for baptism is that you have believed into Christ. If you have believed into Jesus, don't wait any longer; you should be baptized as soon as possible. Don't be distracted by the form of baptism. This distraction is unnecessary since the Bible does not speak much about how believers should be baptized. However, one thing is clear - water is necessary. Recall that when the Ethiopian eunuch saw water, he asked, "Look, water. What prevents me from being baptized?" In Acts 10, Peter wanted to baptize the Gentile believers. He asked, "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized?" So water is necessary for baptism. In addition, the few instances recorded in the Bible show that baptism is by immersion. For example, the Bible tells us that the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip "both went down into the water." Another example is John the Baptist who baptized the Jews and Jesus in the Jordan River. What should you do if you have been baptized as a baby? Talk about it with a more experienced believer who knows your situation. At the same time, do remember that the Bible does not mention anything about infant baptism. On the other hand, the Bible has many verses putting faith and baptism together. Thus, believer baptism is scriptural. [Recall that John's baptism was only preliminary because it was to usher people into believing into Christ (Acts 19:4).] In addition, there are many cases recorded in the New Testament where baptism comes after faith. In stark contrast, the New Testament does not give any clear example of infant baptism.