Christ's Baptism and Ours

Christ's Baptism and Ours

Before Christ ascended into heaven, He gave His disciples the great commission:

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."—Matthew 28:19, 20.

The true meaning and importance of Bible baptism is made clear in this last commission given by Jesus to His disciples. He told them to go and teach all nations, to observe all things that He had commanded. Then they were to baptize their converts "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

1. WHY WAS JESUS BAPTIZED?

Jesus not only gave a direct command regarding baptism, but He set a positive example, for He Himself was baptized.

"THEN COMETH JESUS FROM GALILEE TO JORDAN UNTO JOHN, TO BE BAPTIZED of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us TO FULFIL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS. Then he suffered him [or let him]. And JESUS, WHEN HE WAS BAPTIZED, WENT UP STRAIGHTWAY OUT OF THE WATER: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."—Matthew 3:13-17.

Jesus said to John the Baptist, "It becometh us" — or, it is proper for us — "to fulfill all righteousness." So John led the Saviour down into the Jordan and buried Him beneath the water. When Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens open, and the Spirit of God, like a dove, descending upon Him. Then the voice of God the Father proclaimed: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Baptism is a symbol of the washing away of all our sins by the blood of Christ. Peter commanded:

"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 2:38.

The water, as a cleansing agent, symbolizes a deeper cleansing — the cleansing of the human heart by the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Why, then, was Jesus baptized? His was not a baptism of repentance preceded by the confession of sin, for He "knew no sin." 2 Corinthians 5:21. Yet He asked for baptism. Why? The answer is found in Christ's words to John: "It becometh us to fulfill all righteousness."

Jesus did not need to be baptized for the remission of sins, because He was not a sinner. He needed no repentance. Our holy Saviour received baptism not as a confession of guilt on His part, but to identify Himself fully with sinners. He was an example to us. He took the steps that we are to take.

The words of God, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," show what God thinks of true obedience. How can those who really love Jesus refuse to follow His example of willing obedience?

Why was Jesus baptized? His great purpose in coming to this world was to communicate the fullness of His righteousness to lost men.

"For he [God] hath made him [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM."—2 Corinthians 5:21.

The divine means of communicating righteousness to lost sinners is through Christ's death as their substitute, and His resurrection. And baptism is a fitting symbol of this.

2. WHY SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED? (Part 1 of 3)

Salvation centers around three great acts of Jesus for us. The apostle says:

"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."—1 Corinthians 15:3, 4.

Christ made salvation possible through His death, burial and resurrection. He died for our sins. He rose to give us a new life of righteousness.

Baptism represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It symbolizes our participation in Christ's death and resurrection.

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into 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."—Romans 6:3, 4.

Baptism means dying to sin with Christ, burying the old man of sin with Christ, and rising with Christ to walk in newness of life. Salvation becomes ours when we accept baptism as a symbol of this experience and a public confession of faith in our Saviour.

The three parts of the act of baptism appropriately portray the three steps of spiritual experience. The candidate lies back in the water; the burying of his body takes place. His eyes are closed. His breathing ceases. Then he is raised up out of the water. Jesus died once for our sins. (Hebrews 9:28.) One atoning sacrifice was sufficient. Even so, a single immersion sets forth the spiritual significance of following Christ into His death, burial, and resurrection.

What does it mean to die with Christ? We find our answer in Romans 6:6:

"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."

This means that we personally accept the death of Christ in our stead by having our old sinful nature crucified with Him. It means the forsaking of every known sin, dying to all the sinful ways of the world, and letting Christ put out of our lives every habit and practice that is contrary to His will.

2. WHY SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED? (Part 2 of 3)

A young lad in a faraway land heard the gospel of Jesus, turned from his pagan ways, and became a follower of Jesus Christ. He invited his friends to come to his home the next day to witness a very special event. He told them he was going to be buried in his front yard, and wanted them all to be there. Of course, it didn't take long for this word to reach the entire village.

The next day everyone was anxious to see whether Daniel was actually going to die and be buried. As the crowd began to gather, they saw the lad digging a large hole in his front yard.

"What are you doing?" some of his friends asked.

"Why, I am digging my grave," he replied.

By this time the villagers believed that he meant what he said.

After the task was completed, a missionary arrived and helped Daniel fill the hole with water. Then as the villagers gathered around, they witnessed what to them was a strange sight. Daniel went down into the water with the missionary, was immersed, and came forth to a new life in Christ.

This young man had died and been buried. He was a new man in Christ. His life became a living testimony to the transforming power of Jesus Christ. By being baptized, we testify that it is our purpose to live a new life for God.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."—2 Corinthians 5:17.

Baptism symbolizes a death to sin and a burial. It also symbolizes a resurrection to a new life. I die to sin and self, just as if being laid in the grave; then I rise to walk in newness of life. My resurrection from the watery grave is my testimony of faith in the resurrected Christ who promises to live His life in me.

"I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the FAITH of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."—Galatians 2:20.

2. WHY SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED? (Part 3 of 3)

When a believer rises from the baptismal waters, he testifies that his only hope of a life of victory over his old sinful nature is in the risen Lord.

3. WHY SHOULD I BE IMMERSED?

When we understand the true meaning of baptism, we have very little difficulty recognizing the true form of baptism. Death demands burial. The very word "baptize" is from the Greek word baptizo, and means to dip, or immerse, or to put under water.

Our Saviour was not baptized by sprinkling or pouring. He was "baptized in Jordan." Mark 1:9.

[illegible] there was MUCH WATER there: and they came, and were baptized."—John 3:23.

When Jesus came to John for baptism, He went down into the water, was laid under the water, and then came up "out of the water." Matthew 3:15. Christ's baptism fulfilled the symbol of death, burial, and resurrection. It took "much water" to perform the sacred rite, but this would not be so if baptism consisted of sprinkling or pouring a small amount of water upon the candidate's head or body.

When John Wesley was in America in 1737, he was tried by a jury of thirty-four men in a church trial on the strange charge of "refusing to baptize Mr. Parker's child, except by dipping." The record of this trial is found in the court proceedings of Georgia. So the father of Methodism recognized that baptism means immersion.

Church history makes it clear that baptism by immersion was the practice of the early church. That baptism by immersion was being practiced in the second and third centuries is attested to in the Ante-Nicene Fathers (Vol. VII, p. 379; and Vol. III, p. 94.) Baptisteries for immersing converts have been found in many of the churches of Europe and Asia whose construction falls between the fourth and fourteenth centuries. John Calvin, the reformer, stated: "The very word baptize, however, signifies to immerse; and it is certain that immersion was the practice of the ancient Church." — Institutes of The Christian Religion, Bk. 4, Chap. 15, Sec. 19.

Dean Stanley, one of the most scholarly writers of the Church of England, declared that "for the first thirteen centuries the almost universal practice of Baptism was that of which we read in the New Testament, and which is the very meaning of the word 'baptize' — that those who were baptized were plunged, submerged, immersed into the water." — Christian Institutions, p. 21.

It was not until 1311 that the Council of Ravenna officially accepted sprinkling and pouring as equally valid with immersion. We have the testimony of the Roman Catholic Church that immersion was practiced until that time. Cardinal Pullen of the twelfth-century church explained the mode of baptism in his day:

"Whilst the candidate for baptism in water is immersed, the death of Christ is suggested; whilst immersed and covered with water, the burial of Christ is shown forth; whilst he is raised from the waters, the resurrection of Christ is proclaimed." — Cardinal Pullen (12th century), Patrologia Latina, Vol. 150, col. 315.

Why was immersion set aside in favor of sprinkling or pouring?

"For several centuries after the establishment of Christianity baptism was usually conferred by immersion; but since the twelfth century the practice of baptizing by infusion [pouring] has prevailed in the [Roman] Catholic Church, as this manner is attended with less inconvenience than baptism by immersion." — James Cardinal Gibbons, Faith of Our Fathers, p. 277.

Should we do what is convenient or should we follow the example of Jesus?

4. SHOULD INFANTS BE BAPTIZED?

Before baptism a person must first be taught the way of salvation. Jesus commanded, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them." Matthew 28:19.

Secondly, he must accept the truth as it is in Jesus, he must believe. When the eunuch asked Philip what he must do to be baptized, Philip replied: "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." Acts 8:37.

The third step in preparation for baptism is repentance. On the day of Pentecost, when the apostles were preaching with great power, Peter said: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." Acts 2:38. When we repent and confess our sins, we can be cleansed from sin by the power of Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:9.

Parents are responsible for training their children in the fear of God. They are to teach them faithfully the truths of the Bible and to set a holy example before them. But, when it comes to accepting Christ and being baptized, the choice must be made by the young person himself. (Ezekiel 14:20.) And a baby is incapable of belief and of repentance and confession, which are prerequisites to baptism.

In the year 1807 James Haldane, after having sprinkled an infant, was accosted by his young son with the pertinent question: "Father, did that child believe?"

"No," said the father. "Why do you ask me such a question?"

"Because, Father, I have read the whole New Testament and I find that all who were baptized believed. Did the child believe?"

The boy's question, "Did the child believe?" haunted the mind of that father until, after a thorough investigation, he was publicly baptized by immersion. His brother Robert soon followed his example. Whole churches saw the light of this divine ordinance flash upon them. Thousands of the most devoted in Scotland in those days, who had taken the Bible as their sole rule of faith, followed the Lord fully in this sacred rite.

The Bible has little to say about children who die before they are mature enough to choose Christ as their personal Saviour from sin and are thus not baptized. We do know, however, that there will be children saved in the kingdom of God.

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and A LITTLE CHILD shall lead them."—Isaiah 11:6.

We can trust the eternal future of our children to the Saviour who said:

"Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."—Matthew 19:14.

5. HOW IMPORTANT IS BAPTISM?

In Christ's conversation with Nicodemus, the important leader who came to Him by night, Jesus declared:

"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."—John 3:3.

It was not too clear to Nicodemus just what Christ meant by those words. After all, how could a person be born again? So Jesus explained.

"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."—Verse 5.

"Born of water" refers to baptism by water. "Born of the Spirit" means a complete change of mind and heart. In the life of one who is born again, these experiences are vital.

Water baptism is the visible symbol of an inward change. The church is commissioned to baptize as evidence that the Holy Spirit has begun the transformation of a man's character.

But someone may ask, "Is it really necessary to be baptized by immersion?" The Bible says in the very words of Jesus Christ Himself:

"He that BELIEVETH and is BAPTIZED shall be SAVED; but he that believeth not shall be damned."—Mark 16:16.

Jesus also commissioned His disciples to "teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Matthew 28:19. It was in conformity with this command that the apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost told the people to "repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." Acts 2:38. And concerning the people who accepted the gospel at Caesarea, it is recorded that Peter "commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." Acts 10:48.

The person who believes on Jesus with all his heart will urgently desire baptism. When Saul of Tarsus accepted Christ, he "was baptized." Acts 9:18. Another illustration is the experience of the Ethiopian eunuch, recorded in Acts 8:26-40.

Philip the evangelist was led by the Holy Spirit to intercept a chariot in which an important Ethiopian official was traveling. Invited into the chariot, Philip found the officer reading the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, the great prophecy of Jesus Christ.

"He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth."—Isaiah 53:7.

Read the story in the language of Scripture:

"And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and THEY WENT DOWN BOTH INTO THE WATER, BOTH PHILIP AND THE EUNUCH; AND HE BAPTIZED HIM. AND WHEN THEY WERE COME UP OUT OF THE WATER, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and HE WENT ON HIS WAY REJOICING."—Acts 8:36-39.

The prerequisite of baptism was a wholehearted belief in Jesus, the Son of God. The method of baptism took both men down into the water — the eunuch was immersed. He believed, was baptized, came up out of the water, and went on his way rejoicing in the assurance of salvation.

His baptism was one step on the road to the kingdom. According to Jesus,

"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." —John 3:5.

6. ARE ALL THE UNBAPTIZED LOST?

The thief on the cross was never baptized, but Jesus promised him a place in His kingdom. The baptism of Jesus is sufficient for those who, like the dying thief, find it physically impossible to be immersed.

The thief on the cross was "born of the Spirit." He recognized Jesus as the Lord of his life. It was impossible for him to leave the cross and be immersed in water as a sign of his change of heart. He did the only thing he could do: he confessed with his lips, his faith in the saving power of Jesus. And Jesus accepted that confession.

The dying thief was never able to go to church, was never baptized, never partook of the Lord's Supper, never brought tithe or offerings. But Christ promised him that he would be in the eternal kingdom. This is the triumph of faith. Any man, anywhere, can find salvation if he will only believe. Surely no one could be in a more desperate situation than the thief on the cross. Yet he found Christ in the eleventh hour. Augustine observed, "There is one case of deathbed repentance recorded, that of the penitent thief, that none should despair; and only one that none should presume."

Jesus Christ is no secret lover. He openly confessed His love for me by dying in my place. And my sincerity and complete surrender to Christ will be evident in my unashamed confession of Him by baptism.

Are you walking as Jesus walked? Have you begun a new life in Christ? Have you been baptized? If not, "Why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." Acts 22:16.