What the church has done in the past is declare truth without love. And so the world has responded with declaring love without truth, which is a lie.
We have this unique challenge of being led by the Spirit which means we need to merge both truth and love.
– Lisa Bevere
We are Baptized into a Family of Servant Missionaries
Humans Are the Offspring of God
(26) Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” (27) So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female. (28) God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” … (31) God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.
– Genesis 1:26-28, 31 CSB
The overarching theme of Scripture is that God has created a perfect place to live. He created humans in His image. But humans chose to disobey God’s instruction (sin) and corrupted creation. Where initially humans had a close relationship with God, there is now separation through sin.
But God has a plan to rescue and restore the creation. He will create a new heaven and earth and dwell with His people.
God created us to be part of His family. And through His family, empowered by His Spirit, He will establish His kingdom heart by heart.
When you confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. What are you saved from? Sin and Death.
Baptism – What’s It For?
Here is a list of some things the Body of Christ (a.k.a. the family of God) will do. This is the act of discipling or making disciples.
- Reconcile others to God
- Baptize them into the Body of Christ
- Teach them everything Jesus commanded
- Train and equip them to be like Jesus
- Do the works of God
Let’s look at baptism. We are baptized into the Body of Christ (Matthew 28:19-20). We are the family of God. Let me take a moment to explain this.
Baptism is one of the ordinances of the Church. Listen to Tim Mackie’s description of Baptism.
Why We Do It
.Jesus commanded it. You will find out in John 17 that this includes you.
(19) “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) “teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:19-20 CSB
(15) Then he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (16) “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
– Mark 16:15 CSB
We see Peter carrying out the Lord’s command.
(37) When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: “Brothers, what should we do? ” (38) Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
– Acts 2:37-38 CSB
Paul compares Christian baptism to a burial. In order to be buried, a person must first die. What must we die to before we can be baptized?
(3) Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (4) Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.
– Romans 6:3-4 CSB
Paul says baptism is like a circumcision not done by human hands, but a circumcision done by Christ. What is put off during this spiritual circumcision?
(9) For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, (10) and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. (11) You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, (12) when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
– Colossians 2:9-12 CSB
What is baptism a pledge of?
(18) For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, (19) in which he also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison (20) who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In it a few – that is, eight people – were saved through water. (21) Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (22) who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.
– 1 Peter 3:18-22 CSB
This is a pledge that we will live by God’s instruction. We will live in His ways. What are the 2 greatest commands? Love God, Love Others.
What It Requires
31 And they answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved, [and this applies both to] you and your household as well.
– Acts 16:31 (AMP)
Water baptism always follows salvation. It is our public declaration of a private reality.
(9) If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
– Romans 10:9-10 CSB
How to Baptize
How About You?
Do you make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, trusting in Him only for your salvation?
Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and that God raised Him from the dead?
Do you promise to do your best to love and obey the Lord Jesus from this day forward?
If you answered YES to all three questions, then you can and should get baptized!
