Study Outline
Preparation for water baptism16
Formulas Apostles21 used
Preparation to receive the Spirit22
Sin is buried ‑ old habits broken24
Bury the old, walk in the new25
Old Testament types & shadows27
WATER
BAPTISM
If you ask most
Christians about water baptism, they would probably give you the standard clichés
about an outward sign of an inward change or making a public confession of
faith, which would be about the extent of their knowledge on the subject. But
water baptism has profound spiritual implications with Biblical and historical
significance.
John the Baptist
was the forerunner to announce the coming of Christ, and he introduced water
baptism as part of his message of repentance. And when Jesus came, he publicly
endorsed John and insisted that John baptize him to fulfill all righteousness.
Jesus commanded his followers to be water baptized, and the Apostles continued
the practice. Throughout history, the practice of water baptism has been
changed, corrupted, and persecuted, and like other biblical mandates and
teachings, the truth always comes under attack.
Many people have
paid a high price for converting to Christ in Muslim, Hindu, or communist
countries, and when they get baptized, they may risk being imprisoned, beaten,
and even killed. What is the great spiritual significance of water baptism that
would encourage people to risk their lives by being baptized? Hopefully, by the
end of this study, we will have a greater appreciation for the profound impact
that water baptism has had on history and can have in our lives.
Before we begin
with water baptism in the New Testament, we can look at the Old Testament, they
had something very similar to water baptism, and it was a ceremonial
purification by immersion, bathing, or washing, which goes back to the times of
Moses and the law. According to the law, the Jewish people would ceremonially
cleanse themselves before going to the tabernacle or temple in preparation for
approaching God.
The law had
specific instructions regarding the water source used for purification. They
could use a river or a mikvah. The mikvah is a gathering of water, similar to a
pool, which had a freshwater source with drainage and was a permanent enclosure
(Leviticus 11 &15). The Jewish people would bathe or immerse themselves in
water as part of their purification before going to the temple or for
purification from some uncleanness. In Jerusalem, archeologists uncovered many
Mikvahs near the temple mount, dating back to the time of the second temple,
and used in Jesus' time.
Some aspects of
the ceremonial cleansing in a mikvah are still active today with religious
Jews. In preparation for a traditional Jewish wedding, the bride will go to the
mikvah to make herself ceremonially clean before the wedding. And when someone
converts to Judaism, part of their indoctrination is to be made ceremonially
clean by being immersed in water. The act of immersion
in water for ceremonial purification was already a part of the Jewish mindset,
so when John the Baptist and Jesus began their ministries, no one questioned
them about baptism. Everyone knew it represented repenting from sins,
purification, and changing to live in righteousness. However, the religious
leaders refused to acknowledge that they were sinners and would not repent or
get baptized, especially if it meant submitting to John's authority. Jesus
confronted and condemned them for their lack of repentance and refusal of
John's baptism and used that as a witness against them, exposing the apostate
condition of their hardened hearts. At the same time, he endorsed baptism as
the way of righteousness.
Matthew 21:23-32 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was
teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By
what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave
you this authority?" Jesus replied, "I will also ask you one
question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these
things. John's baptism where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from
men?" … Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax
collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. …
John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe
him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw
this, you did not repent and believe him.
Every
follower of Jesus should be water baptized at the earliest convenient time, as
was the pattern seen in the Bible. Let's look at a few reasons why a sincere
follower of Jesus should be water baptized.
Jesus
came to John and asked to be baptized by him. John felt unworthy and preferred
to reverse roles, but Jesus explained to John that he came to fulfill all
righteousness. Thus, Jesus endorsed John and water baptism as a righteous act
of obedience.
Matthew 3:13 ‑
17, Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be
baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need
to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let
it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all
righteousness."
Jesus set the
example by being baptized, and then he commanded his disciples to go to all
nations and make disciples and baptize them. Every generation of disciples is
responsible for their generation of souls. Jesus commands us to go and baptize,
and that's not a request or an option.
Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority
in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The book of acts
has numerous examples of water baptism. Where they differ from modern churches
is that when they had a new convert to Christ, they immediately baptized them.
There were no classes, sign-up sheets, or waiting periods. The standard
operating procedure for the first church was to go from repentance and
salvation directly to water baptism immediately, without any hesitation, on the
same day. Sometimes they received the Holy Spirit before they were water
baptized and sometimes afterward.
On the day of
Pentecost, 120 disciples were praying, there was a mighty rushing wind and
tongues of fire, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in
tongues. A large crowd gathered to see what was happening, and Peter stood up
and preached. At the end of Peter’s message, 3,000 people converted to Christ,
and all 3000 souls got water baptized the same day.
Acts 2:41, Then those who gladly received his word were
baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
Persecution arose
in Jerusalem, and the disciples became scattered and preached the gospel
wherever they went. A deacon named Philip went and preached to the city of
Samaria, and multitudes of people came to Christ, and he baptized them in
water.
Acts 8:12‑13, 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. Then
Simon himself also believed; and when
he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the
miracles and signs which were done.
Later, Peter and
John went to Samaria and prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit.
That shows that water baptism is a good step of obedience and preparation to
receive the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:14-17 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard
that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy
Spirit. For as yet He had fallen
upon none of them. They had only
been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
After Philip left
Samaria, he met an Ethiopian in a chariot who was reading from the prophet
Isaiah and asked Philip about whom the prophet was speaking. Philip started
from Isaiah and preached Christ to him. Then the Ethiopian saw some water and
asked to be baptized. Philip only had one condition, and he said if you believe
with all your heart, the Ethiopian replied, "I believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God." They stopped the chariot, and they both went down into
the water, and Philip baptized the Ethiopian.
Acts 8:36‑38, 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?" 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." So, he commanded the chariot to stand still. And
both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
That interaction between Philip and the Ethiopian
revealed several key points. The first is faith in Christ, in other words, a profession
of faith, with the conviction and understanding of who Christ is and what he
did on the cross to forgive our sins. So, infants who are too young to
understand repentance and faith in Christ and unbelievers are not candidates
for baptism. Secondly, He was immediately baptized upon his profession of
faith, showing the urgency of baptism. Third, they went down into the water,
demonstrating that baptism is by immersion in the water, proving that
sprinkling is an incorrect mode for baptism.
While on his way
to persecute Christians, Saul, later known as Paul, had a vision of Jesus. Paul
saw Jesus brighter than the noonday sun, and the glory of Christ blinded Paul,
and Jesus instructed him to go into the city for further instructions. Paul did
not eat or drink for three days, and Jesus spoke to a disciple named Ananias to
go pray for him. Ananias met Paul, and after a few words, he prayed for him,
and Paul got immediately healed from his blindness.
So here is the
situation, you just met Jesus, you've been blind and haven't had a thing to eat
or drink for three days, so what is the most urgent thing you need to do? The
obvious answer is that you must be water baptized! Immediately, Paul was
water-baptized, and food and water took a distant second place on his to-do
list.
Acts 9:1‑17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and
laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who
appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy
Spirit. "Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and
he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. So, when he
had received food, he was strengthened.
Peter did
something very scandalous for the early Jewish disciples because he went to the
house of a Gentile (non-Jewish person), contrary to Jewish law and tradition.
His name was Cornelius, and he was a Roman military commander in charge of 100
soldiers. God had prepared Peter and Cornelius by giving them both separate visions
miles apart from each other. The Spirit specifically spoke to Peter not to
consider Gentiles unclean and to go to Cornelius's house. When Peter preached
to Cornelius, his whole household was saved and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Then Peter commanded that they should also be water baptized which is the
logical next step for believers.
Acts 10:44‑48, While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard
the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as
many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured
out on the Gentiles also for they heard them speak
with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who
have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to
be baptized in the name of the Lord.
While on a
missionary journey, Paul came to the city of Thyatira and preached to a group
of women. And Lydia, with everyone in her house, got saved and water baptized.
Later, Lydia's house became the meeting place for the local believers.
Acts 16:14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a
dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to
Paul's message. When she and the
members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home.
While Paul was
preaching in Philippi, a riot broke out, and he and Silas were beaten, flogged,
and thrown in jail. Sitting in his jail cell, Paul and Silas were praying, and
suddenly there was an earthquake. The prison doors opened, creating a risk that
all the prisoners could escape. The head jailor was about to commit suicide,
and Paul stopped him and then preached to him. The Jailor brought Paul to his
house, and everyone in the house believed and immediately got baptized. The
entire process of coming to faith in Christ and getting baptized happened
overnight.
Acts 16:30-33 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what
must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus,
and you will be saved you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his
house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their
wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.
Paul's custom was
to go to the Jews first, so when he went to Corinth, he went into the synagogue
and preached Christ to the Jews. The Jews strongly opposed Paul, so he left and
went to the house next door, which belonged to Justus. But Crispus, the ruler
of the synagogue, and everyone in his household and many Corinthians believed
Paul's message of Christ and got baptized.
Acts 18:8 Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire
household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him
believed and were baptized.
When Paul came to
Ephesus, he met twelve disciples of Apollos, who were only familiar with the
baptism of John the Baptist. Being baptized in the name of John the Baptist did
not meet the requirements of Jesus, who required faith or belief in Christ, and
performing the baptism in Jesus' name or in the name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. Paul re-baptized these believers in the name of Jesus.
That example gives
an endorsement for the act of being re-baptized if prior baptisms were
incorrect. And after Paul re-baptized them in Jesus' name, they received the
baptism of the Holy Spirit, showing that water baptism is a preparation to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 19:2‑6, So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did
you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. Paul said,
"John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe
in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When
Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in
tongues and prophesied.
Paul rejected
baptism in John the Baptist's name, so he baptized in Jesus' name. Some people
teach there is no salvation unless a person gets baptized with the formula of
saying, in Jesus' name. That would be fine if they didn't make it a condition
of salvation or didn't have an erroneous agenda. They deny the Trinity of God,
believing that Jesus is the Father, Jesus is the Son, and Jesus is the Holy
Spirit. Also, they make baptism a condition of salvation, which is false. Jesus
accomplished everything needed for our salvation when he said, "it is
finished" on the cross. The only requirement is to believe what Jesus did
for us, so we cannot earn salvation by works, including baptism. We get
baptized in obedience to the command of Jesus because we are saved, not to earn
salvation.
The baptism
formula varies in Biblical accounts. Jesus said to baptize in the name of all
three persons in the Trinity, but Paul and the other Apostles did baptisms in
Jesus' name. To be safe, they could include both formulas saying; in Jesus'
name, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Correctness with words, or semantics, is not the point. Once again, salvation
is not achieved or earned by proclaiming the correct words over a person during
a baptismal service or if even someone never gets baptized because salvation is
only by faith in Christ alone.
Matthew 28:19 "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,
John the Baptist
did not accept all candidates who offered themselves for water baptism. When
John discerned insincere people at his baptisms, he gave them scathing rebukes.
Matthew 3:7‑9, "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and
Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers,
who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ... And think not to
say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that
God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."
Later the chief
Priest challenged Jesus’ authority, so he asked them about the baptism of John,
was it from God or man? This highlighted Jesus endorsement of baptism, while
revealing the priest’s unbelief.
Matthew 21:25-27 John's baptism
where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?" They
discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will
ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?'
But if we say, 'From men' we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet." So, they
answered Jesus, "We don't know." Then he said, "Neither will I
tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
Like
John the Baptist, we also need discernment to detect insincerity and lack of
conviction in the candidates for baptism. The following is a list of characteristics that qualify candidates for
baptism.
There
must be signs that somebody has genuinely repented, and there should be
evidence or fruit as evidence. For example, if someone was a thief, they should
stop stealing and restore whatever they have stolen. Whatever sins a person was
involved in, they need to stop doing them and repair the damage as much as
possible
Matthew 3:1‑12 Produce fruit
in keeping with repentance … The ax is already at the root of the trees,
and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown
into the fire. "I baptize you with water for repentance.
Acts 2:38, "Then Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized."
The
word of God should be an obsession for any new believer. But receiving the word
of God is more than just listening to someone else preach. The word of God is
our daily bread, and we should daily study, memorize, share, and put it into
practice. Those who gladly receive the word of God should get baptized.
Acts 2:41-42, "Then they that gladly received his word were
baptized: and the same day were added to them about three thousand souls.
And they continued steadfastly
in the apostle’s doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in
prayers."
Acts 16:31‑34,
Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him
and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night
and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were
baptized … and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
It is meaningless
for an unsaved sinner to get dunked underwater, just to come out of the water a
wet unsaved sinner. Candidates for water baptism must be born again or should
not get baptized.
Acts 8:12-13, "But when they believed Philip preaching the
things concerning the Kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were
baptized, both men and women
(Notice that there is no mention of children, The Bible
has never endorsed child or infant baptism!)
Acts 8:26‑40, 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?" 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." So, he commanded
the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into
the water, and he baptized him.
Acts 16:31‑34, So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and
your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all
who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed
their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
Mark 16:16, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved;
but he who does not believe will be condemned.
When you bury the
dead, you don't leave them lying on the ground and sprinkle a little dirt on
their forehead. The very word "baptism" has the meaning of being
completely submerged or immersed. When you bury a body, you dig a hole six feet
deep and cover them with dirt, or the decomposing body could be exposed. So,
because water baptism symbolizes burial, complete submersion under the water is
essential to baptism.
Colossians.2:12 "Buried
with him at baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith
of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."
Why would John
need much water if he only needed to sprinkle a little water on their heads?
John needed much water to fully submerge the person baptized, representing
burying the dead body of the old life.
John 3:23, "And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to
Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized."
John the Baptist
did not sprinkle water on Jesus' head. Jesus went under the water and came up
out of the water.
Matthew 3:14‑16, When He had been baptized, Jesus came up
immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and
He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. (Also, Mark 1:10)
Why would Philip
and the eunuch go down into the water and come up out of the water? Why didn't
Philip just fill a cup with water and dump it on the eunuch's head? That would
have been easier, but it would not have had the same symbolic significance.
Philip completely submerged the eunuch underwater, representing the burial of
the old way of life.
Acts 8:36‑38, 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?" … And both Philip and the eunuch went down
into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more;
and he went on his way rejoicing.
The Apostles were
careful not to baptize in their name and always deflected all the honor and
glory to God. They did not want baptism to be a source of contention among
believers.
Acts 2:38, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins."
Acts 19:5, "When they heard this, they were baptized in
the name of the Lord Jesus."
1 Corinthians
1:13-15 Is Christ
divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were
you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you
except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own
name. Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not
know whether I baptized any other.
Acts 10:48, "And he commanded them to be baptized in the
name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days."
In the book of
Acts, we see that people were receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit when
they were being water baptized.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 8:15 ‑17, "Who, when they were come down, prayed for them,
that they might receive the Holy Ghost: For
as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they
their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost."
Acts 19:5-6, "When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had
laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spoke with
tongues, and prophesied."
Notice how Paul describes
how we relate our experience to Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. The
gospel is that we have been crucified with Christ when we are born again,
buried with him at water baptism, and resurrected with Christ to walk in
newness of life by the power of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians
15:3-4 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to
the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to
the Scriptures,
Galatians 2:20 I
have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body,
I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Romans 8:10-11 But if Christ is
in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your
spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of
him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised
Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives
in you.
During our life of
sin, before we accepted Christ, we accumulated a record of sinful habits and
lusts that perverted our character and contaminated our minds, like immorality,
drug abuse, alcoholism, and so forth. Those memories of sin and what remains of
the immoral habits and practices from our old life are what the Bible calls the
body of sin.
We
renew our minds and transform our lives by relating our life to Christ's death,
burial, and resurrection. Every time the old life tries to surface, we must
reckon that the old sinful person that we used to be is dead, crucified with
Christ, and our old life of sin has been buried, at water baptism. So, now it
is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives his life through me. To eliminate
the "body of sin" or the old sinful character and sins of the past,
we must develop a habit of crucifying our old body of sin, bad habits, and evil
character and bury it. Every time our old sinful self tries to come back to life,
we must re‑crucify and re‑bury them.
Romans 6:2‑8 … How shall we who died to sin live any longer
in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into His death? 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. For if
we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also
shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old
man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that
we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from
sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with
Him
We must
continuously consider ourselves dead to our old life of sin and re-bury it every
time we feel it rising inside us. Then we must put on the character of Christ,
who makes us a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all
things have become new.
Colossians 3:5‑10 Put to death,
therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity,
lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of
God is coming. You used to walk in these
ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such
things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from
your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self
with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in
knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Ephesians 4:22‑24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of
life, to put off your old self, which is
being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of
your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness.
We can renew our
baptism commitment every time we recognize any sinful urges rising within us.
We fight sin by reckoning ourselves dead, buried, and raised from the dead with
Christ. In the process, we distance ourselves from our old life of sin that
used to control us, and we develop the character of Christ in our lives.
The Bible has many
different types and shadows, or stories that can have varied meanings, the literal,
spiritual, and symbolic meanings that reveals various aspects of Christ from
the Old Testament. Let's look at a few examples.
In Noah's time,
the world had become so corrupt that their thoughts were only evil
continuously, so God had to send judgment in the form of a flood. All the
world, except Noah's family, were drowned in the great deluge of water and were
buried under the flood waters. When Noah left the Ark, he walked out into a new
world and a new life. Noah's salvation through the water symbolizes baptism. That
salvation is the "pledge of a good conscience toward God" by the
resurrection of Christ. In the old life, pre-flood and baptism, our thoughts
were only evil continuously, but our water baptism is a pledge to control our
thoughts and maintain a pure conscience before God.
I Peter 3:20‑22,
… when God waited
patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few
people, eight in all, were saved through water, 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, who has gone
into heaven and is at God's right hand with angels, authorities and powers in
submission to him.
We will give an
abbreviated description of Israel's exodus from Egypt, but you can read the
full text in Exodus chapters 1-15. For 400 years, the children of Israel were
slaves in Egypt until God raised Moses to liberate and lead Israel to the
promised land. The Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
refused to release Israel from their bondage, so God sent nine devastating
plagues, but Pharaoh continued to
harden his heart and refused to give Israel their freedom. Then God sent a
tenth and final plague, the death of the firstborn. But God spared Israel from
death by having them put the blood of a lamb on their doorpost, so death passed
over their houses.
Exodus 11:11 … It is the LORD'S
Passover. 'For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will
strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt
I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
'Now the blood shall be a sign
for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over
you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the
land of Egypt.
There was death in
all the Egyptian households, and finally, Pharaoh surrendered and released
Israel from its bondage. However, Pharaoh changed his mind and took the entire
army of Egypt in pursuit of Israel. But God put a pillar of cloud and fire
between Egypt and Israel and opened a path of escape for Israel through the Red
Sea. God divided the waters like walls on either side and dried the ground for
the 2.5 million Israelites to escape from the Egyptians.
Exodus 14:21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and
the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and
made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So, the children of
Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a
wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
God lifted the
pillar of fire, and Pharaoh and the Egyptian army attempted to follow Israel
through the Red Sea. When Egypt was in the middle of the Red Sea, God caused
the walls of water to collapse on them, drowning them all.
Exodus 14:27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and
when the morning appeared, the sea
returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So, the
LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned
and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came
into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.
The entire exodus
of the children of Israel from Egypt is like an allegory of our spiritual
journey. Egypt is a type of the world system, and Pharaoh is a type of who we
were before salvation when we were king over our own life in bondage to sin. We
resisted God's will, and it was a continuous inner struggle. Christ is our
Passover lamb who delivers us from the bondage of sin when we submit to His
will.
1 Corinthians 5:7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a
new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover,
was sacrificed for us.
We reckon
ourselves dead with Christ. But there may be a temptation to backslide to let
the old Pharaoh back into our life. We may miss Egypt and the old life of sin
with all our old Egyptian sin buddies, and they will come chasing after us. But
the pillar of God's presence stops them as we run through the midst of the sea
to the other side, heading toward the promised land, or God's land of promises.
Our old Pharoah and the army of sins follows us into the depths of the sea, but
the walls of water baptism collapse upon them, burying our past sins and the
power that Egypt had over our lives. Therefore, if we reckon that the old
sinful person, we used to be is dead and buried, we are free to live a new life
in Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:1‑6, For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact,
brothers, that our forefathers (Israel) were all under the cloud and that
they all passed through the (Red) sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the
cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the
same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
The tabernacle was
Israel’s portable place of worship, which Paul said was a pattern of heavenly
things. The priest in the outer court of the tabernacle had three
responsibilities, to offer animal sacrifices on the brazen altar, they washed
with water at the bronze laver and anointed with oil before entering the Holy
Place. The altar points to the cross and being born again. And, washing at the
laver points to water baptism, and the anointing points to the baptism in the
Holy Spirit.
Exodus 30:18‑19, "You shall also make a laver of bronze, with
its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the
tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, "for
Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it.
The priest working
in the tabernacle or the temple would wash at the laver to cleanse themselves
from the dirt, blood, and sweat that resulted from their work in the tabernacle
service. That represents the washing of water by the word of God. the laver and
water baptism are like being washed by the word, which we can and should do
daily.
John 15:3 (Jesus’ speaking) "You are already clean
because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also
loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse
her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to
Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but
that she should be holy and without blemish.
Another aspect of
the laver is that they made it from brass mirrors donated by Israelite women.
Mirrors represent the word of God.
Exodus 38:8 He made the laver of bronze and its base of
bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the
door of the tabernacle of meeting.
James 1:22-25 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer,
he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes
himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he
who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a
forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he
does.
So, the laver was a type of water baptism representing washing and
renewing that comes from obedience to the word of God.
Let's review the information and reasons for water
baptism.
#1. Jesus commanded his followers to be
baptized.
#2. Jesus was baptized to fulfill all
righteousness.
#3. The first church baptized new
believers immediately.
#4. Re-baptism is required if the first
baptism wasn’t valid.
#5. The formulas used in Baptism.
a). The formula that
Jesus said to use was in the name of the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit.
b). The formula that the
Apostles used was in the name of Jesus, and in the name of the Lord.
#6. Qualifications for potential
candidates to be baptized.
a). They must have the
fruit of repentance.
b). They must believe in
Christ.
c). They must be obedient
to the word of God.
d). They must be born
again.
e). Lost sinners are not
qualified to be baptized.
F). Infants and small children not
capable of comprehending salvation should not be baptized
#7. The mode of baptism is by complete
submersion.
a). They baptized where
there was much water
b). They went down and
came up out of the water.
c). Baptism represents
the burial of a dead body.
d). Sprinkling is not an
acceptable mode of baptism.
#8. Water baptism is preparation for the
baptism of the Holy Spirit.
#9. How we relate to the death, burial
& resurrection of Christ.
a). When we are born
again, we consider ourselves crucified with Christ, and we put to death our old
sinful thoughts and actions whenever they try to come back to life. That's how
we relate to Jesus' death on the cross.
b). After water baptism,
we can reckon our old life of sin to be dead and buried. Every time the old
sinful person we used to be, tries to come back to life, we mentally consider
them crucified and buried with Christ.
c). After receiving the
baptism of the Holy Spirit, we leave the past dead and buried and consider
ourselves resurrected with Christ to walk in the newness of life, allowing
Christ to live through us, being led by the Holy Spirit.
#10. Old Testament Types and Shadows of
baptism.
a). Before Noah's flood,
the people only had evil thoughts, but Noah was saved through the water, the
water buried the old world of sin, and we are baptized as an appeal for a pure
conscience.
b). When Moses &
Israel passed through the midst of the Red Sea, Pharaoh and his army followed
and were buried under the water. Pharaoh represents our hardness of heart in
our old sinful life, his army represents the power of sin. Egypt represents the
sinful ways of the world, or worldliness. Christ delivered us from the power of
sin, the old hard-hearted rebellious person we used to be, is buried in the
waters of baptism, in the Red Sea, and we leave our worldly lifestyle behind
us, in the past.
c). In the tabernacle and the temple,
the priest would wash with water at the brazen laver, which represents how we
are washed by the water of the word of God.
To understand our
modern baptism, we will look at the roots of the movement that sprang out of
the Protestant reformation and the Anabaptists to give us a historical
background and context. That knowledge will be valuable to appreciate the
sacrifice and severe price paid to bring us something we take for granted,
namely the believer's baptism.
After the
resurrection of Christ, the church experienced tremendous growth and severe
persecution for the first 300 years. But around 313 A.D., Emperor Constantine
made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire and blended it with pagan
religions and the Roman government. For 1,000 years, the faith and teachings of
Christ had been perverted, controlled, and institutionalized by the Catholic
Popes, and opposition voices were silenced or killed. Only the Catholic
priesthood and educated elites had access to Bibles, and those Bibles only
existed in Hebrew, Greek, or Latin, which were dead languages to ordinary
people.
The Catholic
church held a monopoly over Christianity, the Popes exercised great power over
secular governments and rulers, and there was no separation between church and
state. The Popes weaponized their authority and enforced tyrannical rule,
elevating the priesthood to a class above the laity. Popes claimed Papal
infallibility, papal edicts were non-negotiable, and they exterminated all
opposition, while the priesthood themselves were above the law, wicked and
corrupt beyond measure.
The Catholics held
sole proprietorship of the Bible, keeping the people ignorant and dependent on
the priests for Biblical information. Producing Bible translations in the
spoken language or unauthorized preaching was a crime punishable by death.
Heretics, meaning faithful Christians who disagreed and spoke out against
Catholic teachings, were cruelly tortured and then subjected to public
humiliation and suffering in agonizing executions. That form of terrorism
worked to strangle religious freedom.
The Popes derived
power from keeping the people ignorant, compliant, and in fear. Although they
were persecuted and martyred, the opposition voices that first started as a
small trickle gained strength and eventually became a mighty torrent. Persecution
always causes the people of God to flourish by removing hypocrisy and sin,
which produces godly character and more believers.
On October 31,
1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis (or disagreements with Catholicism) on
the door of the church in protest. Then the dam of pent-up opposition to the
Catholic religious stranglehold burst forth in a spiritual revolution called
the Protestant Reformation. The movement gained momentum and began to spread
around the world. Martin Luther and others translated the Bible from Greek,
Hebrew, and Latin into German, English, and other languages commonly used by
the general public. Many reformers were deemed heretics and became casualties
in the war for spiritual freedom.
But the word of
God spread, creating a purge from the religious oppression and false teachings
that had held the people in bondage for centuries. The discussions amongst the
reformers, once held secretly for fear, were now becoming more public, and
differing opinions were developing into different factions. The reformers had
to face correcting centuries of error and attempting to realign the church with
scriptural precepts demonstrated in the book of Acts by the first church.
The leaders at the
forefront became movements, so the followers of Luther became Lutherans,
Calvin’s followers Calvinists, and so forth. In 1525, only eight years after
Luther’s 95 Thesis, there came a split between the reformers. There were many
disagreements, but the two that came to the forefront were regarding the church
government and infant baptism.
The Lutherans,
Calvinists, Zwinglians, and Anglicans believed in church and state as one
governing body, and the opposition believed in the separation of church and
state. The leaders in favor of church and state were all former Catholic
priests and were against changing the power structure because they were at the
top of the pyramid and fought for the status quo. That form of church hierarchy
legislates secular laws to enforce their doctrine. The government-authorized
institutional churches professionalized the ministry by separating and
empowering the priesthood against the untrained laity or ignorant congregation.
Institutional church services were extremely orthodox, like the minutes of a
business meeting with one speaker and a crowd of spectator constituents.
Every prayer,
word, and ritual were mindless routines, timed, dead, and dry, following the
traditions of men established by the Catholic church. The opposition longed for
religious freedom and to return to the pattern described in the Bible's book of
Acts and felt Zwingli and others were not going far enough, so they parted
ways. The opposition longed for religious freedom and to return to the pattern
described in the Bible's book of Acts and felt Zwingli and others were not
going far enough, so they parted ways.
In a case of
"becoming what you hate," the group that unified the church with the
state used their power to persecute the reformers who wanted to go further by
giving freedoms to the people apart from the religious overlords. One group
broke away from the followers of Zwingli, a Swedish reformer, and called
themselves the brotherhood or the brethren, a reference to the priesthood of
all believers. Which meant they were choosing to dissolve the pyramid power
scheme in the church and put everyone on the same level as brothers, like a
family. But their rivals did not accept their position on hierarchy or infant
baptism and spitefully labeled them Anabaptists, which means to re-baptize.
The Anabaptists
opposed infant baptism but endorsed adult or believers’ baptism because of
Biblical precedence. Anabaptists argued that someone must be of sufficient age
to comprehend the gospel, repent, and be born again before baptism, which would
exclude babies and young children. But infant baptism was the standard
operating procedure for 1,000 years, and infant baptismal dates recorded by the
church were the same as being registered as a legal citizen. Many who chose
adult baptism had their citizenship revoked, forcing them to relocate to areas
friendly to them. Others were not so fortunate, and many died as martyrs at the
hands of the Protestant Reformers and the Catholics. The Anabaptists were
deemed too radical and a danger to religious stability. King Ferdinand declared
that drowning was the best antidote for Anabaptists, and he called it the third
baptism. According to one estimate, over 10,000 died as martyrs in just one of
the three original branches of the Anabaptists, 350 in one city, and thirty
percent of those were women.
Another report
claims that more Anabaptists died at the hands of other Christians in the 1500s
than Christians who were killed by the Romans in the first 300 years of the
church. They were tortured, burned alive on the stake, or tied inside burlap
bags and dumped in the river to drown in their "third baptism." The
accounts of the Anabaptist martyrs were recorded in a book, The Martyrs Mirror
by Tieleman Jansz Van Braght written in 1660, you can find it free online, but
it is a long read, 1290 pages.
We will give a
brief biography of one of the more notable examples of martyrdom, namely Hans
Bret, who was an outspoken leader. In the city of Antwerp, Netherlands, on May
6, 1576, at 9:00 pm, Hans was arrested and charged with being re-baptized and
sentenced to death. January 4, 1577, was the day of Hans' execution. But before
leading him to his death, his executioners decided to make sure he could not
speak to his followers. Hans was a pacifist and did not put up any resistance. So,
they pulled his tongue outside of his mouth and clamped it with a tongue screw,
so he could not pull his tongue back inside his mouth. Then they took a hot
firebrand and burned the end of his tongue. The tongue swelled up so badly they
could not remove the tongue screw.
Then they led him
to the stake, chained him to it, and burned him alive. They kept the fires
burning until nothing remained but the tongue screw. His Pastor, Hans de Ries,
waited for the crowd to disperse and took the tongue screw. Later, Pastor Reis
married Han's mother, and they kept the tongue screw and passed it down as part
of Hans Bret's legacy to future generations. The
persecution forced the Anabaptists to move in search of religious freedom,
several branches have survived, and their descendants are with us today. Some
stayed in Europe, and others sailed across the ocean to settle in America,
looking to escape persecution and find religious freedom. They are the
Mennonites and Amish, which would later split into all the various Baptist
denominations.
Most Americans
have a life of comfort and ease compared to men throughout history. We are
isolated from tyranny, torture, starvation, extreme poverty, and deadly
persecution, a current threat for many Christians overseas. Even today, in
Muslim, Hindu, or communist countries, professing Christians are targets for
cruel religious persecution. If a Christian man gets baptized in a Muslim
community, he faces death, and his wife and children could get sold into
slavery. And, even though the Muslim country of Iran engages in some of the
most extreme religious persecution, it has the fastest-growing number of
converts to Jesus worldwide, with new believers getting baptized at great peril
of pain and death.
If you were in
Iran, would you be willing to be baptized? If you are in the United States or
anywhere in the western free world and are a born-again follower of Jesus,
there is no excuse for not being baptized. Water baptism is an act of obedience
to the command of Jesus. Period. Preaching the gospel and making disciples is
also part of that same command. Go, therefore, and obey Jesus.
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "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, "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
We
are in the end times; our world is changing quickly to line up with Bible
prophecy. Jesus said the signs of his return would be like birth pangs, growing
globally in intensity and frequency. We are seeing those signs happening weekly
in real-time with wars, food shortages, pandemics, shutdowns, and natural
disasters, all leading to global tyranny. There will be global persecution of
Christians and Jews, and it's not a question of if, but when. There will also
be a great falling away from Christ, and we can see it happening already.
So-called churches are already becoming sexually immoral, politically woke, and
in bed with the government. As more churches go apostate or get shut down, true
believers may have to find or create small groups for fellowship. While we have
time and freedom, we should study the scriptures, share the gospel, and watch
for Jesus to return.
This
book is part of a series of studies that all Christians should know and teach.
We call it the "toolbox series" because these studies are tools to
equip you to share your faith with others. For free resources and study
materials, visit our website at Ears2Hear.online.