Christ 2R Culture

What Do I Need To Know About Baptism?

February/12/2020 02:46 PM Filed in: Christian Faith | Christian Life
Baptism is an exciting moment in the Christian life. It is the biblical way to make a public statement of our faith and trust in Jesus. If you are considering baptism, here are some of the important things you need to know…

Baptism doesn’t save us.

The Bible is clear. We are not saved by baptism. We are saved by placing our faith in Jesus Christ to save us from our sin. We are saved by our trust in Christ, not by the actions we do for Christ.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV)


We are saved by our belief in Christ, not baptism.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)


We are saved by God’s grace and simply by faith. If we were saved by baptism, we would be saved by our works.

…he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,… Titus 3:5 (ESV)


The Bible again clearly says we are not saved by any good works we do for Jesus. We are saved by our simple faith and trust in Him.
Baptism-squashed

Baptism is a picture.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:3–4 (ESV)


The action of being immersed in water illustrates dying and being buried with Christ. The action of coming out of the water illustrates resurrection with Christ. This verse also teaches that baptism by immersion is the preferable way for a Christian to be baptized.

Baptism is also like a wedding ceremony. Just as a wedding ceremony is a formal public proclamation of the decision a couple has made for marriage in their heart, baptism is the formal public proclamation of our faith in Christ, a decision we have made in our heart.

Baptism is a matter of the heart.

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,… 1 Peter 3:21 (ESV)


Peter tells us it is not the act of baptism that is significant, as if baptism washes dirt off our body, it is the appeal of our heart to God when we are baptized that is important. This means it doesn’t matter if you are baptized in a pond of dirty water, a river of running water, or a pool of chlorinated water. While the act is important, it is the state of the heart in the act that is important.

Baptism is a matter of obedience.

But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Acts 8:12 (ESV)


In the Bible, public baptism always followed a decision in the heart to follow Christ. When someone trusts in Christ, it is an act of biblical obedience to be baptized. In the early church, those who refused to be baptized were saying they didn’t truly believe. In the early church, an unbaptized believer was unheard of. A person who claimed faith in Jesus, but did not want to make a public proclamation of that faith was not considered to have true faith.

Baptism comes with a blessing.

Whenever we obey the word of God, God is pleased with our steps of obedience to His Word. If you haven’t been baptized, you are denying yourself the blessing of obedience to Christ in this area of your life.

What if I was baptized as a child?

Some denominations conduct baptisms of children when they are infants. They often do this in hopes that a child will be saved by this act of their parents. Outside of “household” baptisms in Scripture, which possibly included infants, we do not see infant baptism practiced in the New Testament. The New Testament consistently shows adult believer baptism as the normative practice. While some adults consider their infant baptism to be a valid baptism for their life, many other adults—that were baptized as infants—choose to also be baptized as adults so they have the joy of making a public proclamation of their faith that they remember choosing. There is nothing wrong with being baptized as an adult if you were baptized as an infant.