{"id":1787,"date":"2021-02-27T17:00:37","date_gmt":"2021-02-27T22:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slentz.org\/blog\/?p=1787"},"modified":"2023-03-24T14:45:51","modified_gmt":"2023-03-24T18:45:51","slug":"baptism-in-water-a-brief-introduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slentz.org\/blog\/teachings\/7-foundations\/baptism-in-water\/baptism-in-water-a-brief-introduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Baptism in Water \u2013 A Brief Introduction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u25a1 What is Baptism?<\/h3>\n\n\n
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“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.
And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'” (Mat 3:16-17)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Baptism comes from the Greek word \u201cbaptizo\u201d \u2013 to submerge, to dip, to immerse completely in a liquid. The Greeks used this word to refer to the act of dyeing a garment \u2014 in the sense that the cloth must be completely submerged in the dye.
John the Baptist received a revelation from God concerning Water Baptism (John 1:31-33; Mat 3:1-6). Christ confirmed this fact (Mat 21:23-27) and therefore those who rejected John’s baptism \u201crejected the counsel of God against themselves\u201d (Luke 7:29-30).
John baptized where there was sufficient water to fully immerse the people (John 3:23). The Bible also points out that when Jesus was baptized by John, He was completely immersed under the water (Mark 1:10).
Even though the procedure is the same, John’s baptism and the baptism ordained by Christ differ in purpose. John’s baptism was for repentant Jews to prepare for the coming of Christ the Messiah (Mat 3:6-11). The baptism Christ ordained is a part of God’s progressive plan of salvation (Mat 28:19; Acts 18:24-25; Acts 19:3-6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a1 Who is Eligible for Baptism?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Only those who sincerely believe and have repented from their sins (Mark 16:16). Babies and small children who have not reached sufficient maturity in order to experience salvation can not be considered eligible for Water Baptism (Acts 8:12; Acts 8:36-38). Jesus blessed the small children, but He did not baptize th<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a1 Is Baptism Necessary?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Baptism is not an option! Neither is it merely a religious symbolic ritual, or a method of church membership. Water Baptism is an essential part of the Gospel. It is a necessity for the new-born child of God who wants to experience the fullness of God’s grace and grow stronger as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ (Mat 28:19; Mark 16:16). The disciples always taught new believers about the importance of Water Baptism (Acts 2:38; Acts 10:47-48; Acts 22:16).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a1 What Occurs in Baptism?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Word of God indicates that Water Baptism is a part of the progressive salvation that begins when a sinner first repents and believes in Christ (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21).
At new birth, one receives forgiveness and is saved from sin’s eternal punishment in hell; but in Water Baptism, the new-born child of God receives a victory over the \u201cnature of sin\u201d.
The \u201cnature of sin\u201d (or \u201cold man\u201d) refers to the inherited nature of rebellion and disobedience that came into the whole world due to Adam’s sin in the garden (Rom 5:19).
Since Adam first sinned, everyone is born with this \u201cnature of sin\u201d (Psalm 51:5; Jer 13:23). Death, therefore, is the only way to be completely free from its power over one’s life. This is exactly what Water Baptism is \u2013 a death and burial!
\u201cTherefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death\u2026\u201d (Rom 6:4)
\u201cBuried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him\u2026\u201d (Col 2:12)
He that is \u201cdead\u201d is freed from sin (Rom 6:7; Rom 6:11). In Water Baptism, the believer is buried with Christ. He then comes up out of the water to walk in \u201cnewness of life\u201d \u2013 a life of victory and authority over the nature of sin that previously dominated his life (Rom 6:1-6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a1 A Step of Obedience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jesus Christ was determined to be baptized by John in order to \u201cfulfill all righteousness\u201d (Mat 3:15). The immediate response from God the Father was: \u201cThis is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased\u201d (Mat 3:17). If it was necessary for Christ, how much more for those who would choose to follow Him! And what a joy to know that God the Father is well pleased with such an act!
Water Baptism is definitely an important step of obedience for the child of God. Referring to their obedience in Water Baptism, Paul told the Roman believers: \u201c\u2026ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine\u2026\u201d (Rom 6:17).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a1 A Daily Experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At Water Baptism, the believer obeys God and the nature of disobedience is supernaturally exchanged for a nature of obedience \u2013 a nature which the believer must choose daily to walk in. The body that served sin is buried and now those same body members are given to God as a \u201cliving sacrifice\u201d to do His will which is good, acceptable and perfect in every way (Rom 6:11-13; Rom 12:1-2).
Water Baptism is the believer’s first step in obedience \u2013 but not the last! As the believer considers himself dead to sin, and daily chooses to walk in obedience to God, this work of God’s grace in Water Baptism will continue to lead him onward in victory and spiritual maturity.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Rom 12:1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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