Jesus was crucified for you’re sin and mine. In other words, you crucified, and continue
to crucify Christ through sinning. Peter
tells this message to a crowd in the passage below. A few of the listeners may have been of those
who conspired to kill Christ. However,
certainly some of them were not.
Regardless of this fact, Peter told all of them the following:
Acts 2:36-47
36 "Therefore
let all
37 When the
people heard this, they were cut to the
heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
38 Peter
replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.
39 The promise
is for you and your children and for all who are far off-- for all whom the
Lord our God will call."
40 With many
other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves
from this corrupt generation."
41 Those who
accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to
their number that day.
42 They devoted
themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of
bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone was
filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the
apostles.
44 All the
believers were together and had everything in common.
45 Selling
their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
46 Every day
they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their
homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
47 praising God
and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number
daily those who were being saved. (NIV)
The members
of this crowd probably understood baptism from 1st Century Jewish
proselyte baptism, as well as perhaps being acquainted with John the Baptist’s
ministry (Skarsaune 2002) of repentance and obedience to God. Today, however, very few, if any, people have
that background. So I wrote a 5-page
article correcting a common view of water baptism and other “entrance liturgies”
that are usually offered to proselytes.
To find out what baptism is not, you can read this article entitled “Spiritual
Works Salvation – and Popular Evangelical Christian Sorcery”.
What then
is baptism?
These passages
explain the mystery of how dying & being born again can be symbolized or
even occur through a sacrament, or outward behavior.
Rom 6:1-13
1 What shall
we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
2 By no means!
We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
3 Or don't you
know that all of us who were baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were
therefore buried with him through baptism
into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through
the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 If we have
been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united
with him in his resurrection.
6 For we know
that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done
away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--
7 because
anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we
died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
9 For we know
that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no
longer has mastery over him.
10 The death he
died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same
way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do
not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
13 Do not offer
the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer
yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer
the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (NIV)
Colossians
2:12
having been buried with him
in baptism and raised with him
through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
(Whole Chapter: Colossians
2 In context: Colossians
2:11-13)
Water
baptism by immersion replaced the Jewish entrance rite of circumcision.
Colossians 2:11-12
11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful
nature,[1]
not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done
by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead.
It
therefore grafts the gentiles into the seed of Abraham.
Gal 3:26-29
26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ
Jesus,
27 for all of
you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28 There is
neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in
Christ Jesus.
29 If you
belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise. (NIV)
A Jewish
neighbor once told me that Jesus brought Judaism to the Gentiles. Isn’t that what Messiah was supposed to
do? In verse 20, He tells His Jewish
disciples to teach them (the Nations) to obey everything that he commanded
them. The entrance rite for new
disciples is baptism.
Matt 28:19-20
19 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,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."" (NIV)
Mark 16:15-20
15 He said to
them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
16 Whoever
believes and is baptized will be saved,
but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
17 And these
signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons;
they will speak in new tongues;
18 they will pick up snakes with their
hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all;
they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
19 After the
Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the
right hand of God.
20 Then the
disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and
confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. (NIV)
John 3:5-7
5 Jesus
answered, "I tell you the truth, no
one can enter the
6 Flesh gives
birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
7 You should
not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' (NIV)
I heard
that the Church Fathers unanimously understood this verse to be referring to
the new disciple’s water baptism by immersion.
I have not checked on that claim because the church father’s writings
are very difficult to search manually.
Historically, the idea of an un-baptized Christian did not exist until
the 1500s. Interestingly, Wikipedia’s
article on Baptism
in Early Christianity concludes in favor of immersion.
Paul writes
the following to some Corinthians that he converted:
1 Cor 6:9-11
9 Do you not
know that the wicked will not inherit the
10 nor thieves
nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the
11 And that is
what some of you were. But you were washed,
you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and by the Spirit of our God. (NIV)
He points
these converts to their “washing” as their point of sanctification and
justification. The Greek word for
“washed” used here is “baptizo”, the same word from which we get the English
word “baptize”.
1 Peter 3:18-22
He was put to death in the body but made alive by the
Spirit, 19through whom[4]
also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20who disobeyed
long ago 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, 21and
this water symbolizes baptism that now
saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge[5]
of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with
angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
True
Christians debate on whether the baptism or the pledge saves you. I don’t debate on that. Obedient believers,
will repond the revelation that they have had the opportunity to recieve regarding being water baptized through immersion as a disciple. If you are obedient, you will obey Christ’s
command to be baptized. This is among the first of many fruits of repentance (Acts
Replacing the entrance rite of baptism with other ones is often unnecessary and disobedient. Linc Hudson, in his book entitled
“Neighborhood Church Planting”, asserts thusly:
We should reconsider the role baptism plays in receiving the
Gospel. (Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts
8:12, 8:35-38, 10:44-48, 16:14-15, 16:30-33, 18:8, 1`9:4-5, Acts 22:16, Rom.
6:3-4, I Cor. 10:2, Gal. 3:26-27, Col. 2:11-13, Pet. 3:21.)
©
Paul L. Hudson, Jr. 2001
One time an
evangelist asked me these questions:
When I
answered “no” to all of them, he said, “Ok, well lets just lay that aside
then”. Months later, a missionary made
another good point.
“There are sometimes exceptions to God’s rules or
commands. That does not mean that we go
around and teach exceptions. We are
commanded to teach His rules, and follow his commands.”
Matt 28:19-20
19 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,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."" (NIV)
Acts 10
44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all
who heard the message. 45The circumcised believers who had come with
Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even
on the Gentiles. 46For they heard them speaking in tongues[2]
and praising God.
47Then Peter said, "Can anyone keep these people from being
baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." 48So
he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
He was
convinced that the new converts were disciples, because they had received the
Holy Spirit. They would not have received the Holy Spirit if
they had not repented:
Acts
Acts 5
32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom
God has given to those who obey him."
As soon as you
decide that you want to leave
everything and follow Jesus, you should
ask a disciple to baptize you.
Acts 8
34The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking
about, himself or someone else?” 35Then Philip began with that very
passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36As they traveled along the
road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?”[f] 38And he gave orders to stop the
chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip
baptized him. 3
Acts
16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins
away, calling on his name.'
This is the
biblical way to respond to the Gospel message:
Acts 16
13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we
expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women
who had gathered there. 14One of those listening was a woman named
Times have changed
The
disciple that you ask to baptize you may or may not baptize you without getting
to know you for a while. While this may at first seem inconsistent with the
examples above, you should consider that Cornelius,
Acts 9
10In
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11The Lord told him, “Go to the
house of Judas on
13“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I
have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your
saints in
15But the Lord said to Ananias,
“Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and
their kings and before the people of
17Then Ananias went to the
house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the
Lord–Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here–has sent me
so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18Immediately, something like scales
fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food,
he regained his strength.
Today, God’s law is no longer considered a part of the Gospel
message by most “Christians”—but this is no gospel at all. Those who preach this
way are not disciples. You would not
want them to baptize you anyway.
Baptized into who? For what?
Some
disciples prefer to only baptize potential converts who they personally know
are serious about obeying the gospel. This may be because they do not want to
defile a holy sacrament by baptizing someone who does not understand the
sacrament. In this way, they want to
avoid participating in water
sorcery. They may prefer to engage
you in “baptismal counseling”. This is
similar to a preacher requiring marriage counseling before performing the
sacrament with you. Baptism is said to
be the sacrament of marriage with Jesus Christ.
Studying documents like this and the links herein may bring questions to
a potential convert’s mind. Such c andidates can ask
questions and receive proper teaching about baptism during formal or informal
baptismal counseling.
Beyond
counseling, many disciples have different views and ways of immersing a new
convert. Some offer to baptize it
monthly or annually as an organized church event, while others prefer to do it
immediately in a pool, bathtub, or other spontaneous location. If you are picky about your own preferences
for your baptism (or even if you are not picky), then you need to begin
planning immediately—that is if you:
John the
Baptist knew a lot about baptism. He
would not baptize those who had not repented. He told them to first obey the gospel.
Luke 3 (New International Version)
7John said to the crowds coming
out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from
the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do
not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you
that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9The
axe 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."
10“What should we do then?” the
crowd asked.
11John answered, “The man with
two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should
do the same.”
12Tax collectors also came to
be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
13“Don't collect any more than
you are required to,” he told
them. 14Then some soldiers
asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don't extort money and don't
accuse people falsely–be content with your pay.”
15The people were waiting
expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be
the Christ.[b] 16John answered them all, “I
baptize you with[c] water. But one more powerful than I will
come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit
and with fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his
threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the
chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18And with many other words John
exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.
19But when John rebuked Herod
the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the other evil
things he had done, 20Herod added this to them all: He locked John
up in prison.
The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus
21When all the people were
being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was
opened 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a
dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am
well pleased.”
23Now Jesus himself was about
thirty years old when he began his ministry.
The
Ethiopian Eunuch may have already been a catechumenate (baptismal
candidate) convert to Judaism for three-years, if he happened to be an Essene[i]. He was reading Isaiah. If he was not already a Jew, he was very interested
in becoming one. Most of the examples in
scripture are either studied Jews or studied converts to Judaism. They knew they were getting more than wet. Baptismal candidates should also first count the cost.
Before you
dunk your candidate, you might use either or both of the following
liturgies. If they can’t recite the
creed, you could ask them questions like the Lutherans do.
Episcopal Church (
The Episcopal Church uses the Apostles' Creed as a Baptismal Covenant for those who are to receive the Rite of Baptism
A. A series of questions is then asked, to which the reply is always "I renounce them":
Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God?
Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God?
Do you renounce all sinful desires that draw
you from the love of God?
B. The second half of the query is asked, to which the reply is always "I do":
Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior?
Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love?
Do you promise to follow and obey him as your Lord?
C. The Apostle's Creed is then recited by candidates, sponsors and congregation, each section of the Creed being an answer to the celebrant's question, 'Do you believe in God the Father (God the Son, God the Holy Spirit)?'
Lutherans, like Roman Catholics, use the Apostles' Creed during the Sacramental Rite of Baptism:
Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth?
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead?
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting?
Following each question, the candidate answers by saying "Yes, I believe".
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles%27_Creed )
Especially
if your baptismal candidate has a Catholic background, you might want to make
sure they don’t confuse "catholic"
with Catholic, and "communion
of the saints" with the expanded Catholic Communion of Saints.
I have combined
the above elements into a unified Christian Baptism Liturgy that could printed
out and used by most Christian groups to guide their implementation of the
sacrament of Baptism:
Baptism
Liturgy
I. Confession unto Salvation
A. A series of questions is asked by the Baptizer (catechist), to which the candidate (catechumenate) replies, "I renounce them":
1. Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God?
2. Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God?
3. Do you renounce all sinful desires that draw
you from the love of God?
B. The second half of the query is asked, to which the reply is always "I do":
1. Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior?
2. Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love?
3. Do you
promise to follow and obey him as your Lord?
II. Confession unto the Gospel
Following each question, the candidate answers by saying "Yes, I believe".
Do you believe:
1. in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and
earth?
2. in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord?
3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary?
4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified [for
your sins], died, and was buried?
5. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose
again?
6. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right
hand of the Father?
7. He will come again to judge the living and the
dead?
8. in the Holy Spirit, [who indwells and empowers
believers to follow Jesus]?
9. the Holy [Apostolic] Church, the communion of
saints?
10. the forgiveness of sins?
11. the resurrection of the body?
12. and life everlasting?
Something
unusual happened after Jesus was baptized.
He was baptized in the
Holy Spirit. Here began his miraculous
ministry. His 2nd baptism was
unique from the other biblical accounts which almost always included speaking in tongues and never
included a dove and a voice from heaven.
The fact that He was baptized
in the Holy Spirit immediately after his water baptism was not
unusual. This may have been the normal
experience of the early church:
John Chrysostom (345-407), bishop of
Corinthians 12 :
"This whole place is very obscure: but the obscurity is
produced by our
ignorance of the facts referred to and by their cessation,
being such as
then used to occur hut now no longer take place... Well:
what did happen
then? Whoever was baptized he straightway spoke with
tongues... They at
once on their baptism received the Spirit... [They] began to
speak, one in the
tongue of the Persians, another in that of the Romans,
another in that of
the Indians, or in some other language. And this disclosed
to outsiders
that it was the Spirit in the speaker" (John
Chrysostom, Homilies on First
Corinthians, 29, NPNF, 1st ser., XII, 168).
http://www.talkaboutreligion.com/group/alt.religion.christian.pentecostal/messages/364652.html
That is why
I mention the second baptism
here. Although it is an advanced topic,
a new convert should be open to it occurring during or after their water
baptism. If they are not open to it,
then it will not happen. This does not
invalidate the sacrament, however, if it does not. This ideal scenario described above by
Chrysostom is actually very rare today.
However, if you and your baptizer are open to it, then you can learn
more about it and hope for the best.
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