5 Questions About Believer's Baptism.

Instructor: Bro. Michael McDowell

I. What Is Baptism?
A. The First Step of Obedience After Salvation.
· Baptism is the first act of service for Christ, after you have been born again.
B. Why Was Jesus Baptized?
· Jesus was baptized as a sign of affiliation of what John the Baptist was preaching. John was preaching, “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world”. Jesus was sinless, so it certainly was not because He was lost, or a sinner needing to be saved.
· Jesus was also baptized as an example to believers before He started his public ministry in Israel. (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, and Luke 3:21-22).
· Matthew 3:13-17: This is important due to the fact that Jesus was baptized in order to be obedient to God’s plan. The point here is that submission and obedience is the most important aspect of Baptism.
C. Other Bible Characters That Submitted to Baptism After Salvation.
· The Ethiopian Eunuch. (Acts 8:26-39)
· The Apostle Paul. (Acts 9:18)
· The Philippian Jailer. (Acts 16:25-33)
II. What Is the Purpose of Baptism?
A. The Picture Portrayed By Baptism. (Romans 6:1-7)
· Baptism pictures the Gospel, (Death, Burial, and Resurrection) of Christ.
· Baptism is a public testimony of a newly saved person’s identification or affiliation with Jesus Christ.
· As Christ died, was buried in a tomb, and resurrected, in baptism us going under the water is a picture of death, us surrounded by the water is a picture of the tomb, and finally us coming up from the water is a picture of the resurrection.
III. Who Should Be Baptized?
A. The Requirements for Baptism.
· A person must be born again, illustrated by the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:26-39.
· A heart belief, and confession of Jesus Christ as Savior.
· There are no cases of baptism in the Bible of anyone but believers. (Acts 8:12, 18:8)
IV. What is the Method of Baptism?
A. Immersion of the Believer in Baptism.
· Again, the baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch is the best example. (Acts 8:26-39)
· Jesus was baptized in like manner. (Matthew 3:16)
· As mentioned earlier, baptism is a picture of the gospel of Christ. The only way to bury someone is to put them completely underground, or entombed in a structure. Nobody was ever sprinkled in the Bible, because you can’t bury someone completely with only sprinkling a little dirt on them.
V. How Is It Important to Be Baptized?
A. Service and Spiritual Growth.
· Baptism is part of the great commission, and is need for the believer. (Matthew 28:19-20)
· Before anyone can be taught to follow Christ, they must first be willing to submit to the first act of obedience. If one refuses to obey God at the first step, he will do later also.
B. Not Needed for Salvation.
· Baptism is not needed to be saved, it is an ordinance of the saved. (Ephesians 2:8-9)