Salvation In Christ: Lesson Six

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BAPTISM (IMMERSION) INTO CHRIST

Baptism (immersion) is part of the gospel, or good news, about Christ. In fact, the gospel message is not complete without it. (Read Mark 16:15,16 and Acts 8:35,36). If we believe the whole gospel of Christ, we will believe what it teaches about baptism (immersion).

The Bible teaches about four baptisms:

1 -- The baptism of John the Baptist (Luke 3:3)
2 -- Fire baptism (Matthew 3:11)
3 -- Holy Spirit baptism (Matthew 3:11)
4 -- The baptism of the great commission (Matthew 28:19 and 20)

Today there is only one baptism (Ephesians4:5). Which of the four is the one baptism of the New Testament? The baptism (immersion) of John the Baptist (Immerser) was given before Jesus worked and died. It was given to make people ready for Him. It was not given in Jesus' name. When the New Testament period began, the baptism (immersion) of John ended. It had done what it was given to do. (Read Acts 19:3-5).

The baptism of fire will be given by Christ after the end of the world, when bad people are sent to hell. (Read Matthew 3:11 and 12 and Revelation 21:8).

Holy Spirit baptism was promised by Jesus in Mathew 3:11 and was given by Him. It was given to the apostles (Acts 2) and to Cornelius (Acts 10).

The one baptism (immersion) of the New Testament, the one which is given now, is the baptism (immersion) of the great commission. This baptism (immersion) is commanded by Christ and is to be obeyed by men until the end of time. (Read Matthew 28:18-20). Let us study what the New Testament says about the one baptism (immersion).

WHAT?

The baptism (immersion) of the great commission, the one baptism, is to be carried out by men. The only baptism (immersion) obeyed by men in the New Testament is water baptism (immersion). Therefore, the one baptism is water baptism (immersion). (Read Acts 8:38).

HOW?

Baptism (immersion) is doing something. The Bible says that we are buried when we are baptized (immersed). In Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12, baptism (immersion) is called a burial. When something is buried, it is put under the ground. When we are buried in baptism (immersion), we are put under the water. We are not buried by having water sprinkled or poured on us, as some people teach. That would not be a burial.

We are then raised with Christ to a new life. (Read Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12). As Christ was buried in the tomb -- and then was raised from it to live again, so we are buried in baptism (immersion) -- with water all around us -- and raised from the water to live a new life. We cannot be raised from a few drops of water.

WHAT ABOUT THE BAPTISM BY IMMERSION OF JOHN THE BAPTIST?

The baptism of John the Baptist (Immerser) was *not* the one baptism (immersion) of the New Testament, but it was water baptism (immersion). John did baptize (immersed) where there was much water (John 3:23). It takes much water to bury, or baptize (immerse), a person. (Read Acts 8:36,38 and 39; Matthew 3:6; and Mark 1:9).

The baptism that Christ commands every man is always immersion, for that was the original meaning of the word "baptize." To baptize is to immerse. To immerse is to baptize.

WHY?

We must be baptized (immersed) into Christ to be saved. The New Testament teaches this. The reason we are saved when we are baptized (immersed) is not because we are good enough to be saved. We are saved because Jesus Christ was good, not because we are. He lived without sinning and then gave His life on the cross so that His blood could cleanse us from our sins. We are cleansed by His blood when we believe and obey Him. We have to obey Him to be cleansed but it is not our obeying that cleans us. It is Christ's blood that cleans and saves.

In our lesson about faith in Christ, we studied about baptism (immersion). We saw that we must both believe and obey to gain the salvation Christ has for us. We will study some of the same verses in this lesson because they are important.

"Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38).

"Unto remission of your sins" means "to have your sins forgiven or cancelled." Some people say that our sins can be forgiven even if we are not baptized (immersed). If that were true, then we would not need to repent, or turn away from sin, either. But this verse says that both baptism (immersion) and repentance are needed for sins to be forgiven. The words "unto remission of sins" also are found in Matthew 26:28, where Christ's blood is being talked about. And, of course, we must have Christ's blood to be saved.

BAPTIZED INTO WHAT?

INTO CHRIST'S DEATH

Romans 6:3,4 says that men are

"baptized into his (Christ's) death"

and now

"walk in newness of life."

When we come into Christ's death, we are cleansed by the blood which He gave for us when He died. (Read John 19:33,34; Hebrews 9:22; and Ephesians 1:7).

Romans 6:3 clearly and simply says that baptism is the way we come into the death of Christ. Those who have not been baptized (immersed) have not come into His death, have not had their sins forgiven, and do not live the new life.

INTO CHRIST

"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27).

How does this verse say we come into Christ?

By baptism (immersion).

Where is salvation?

In Christ (Romans 8:1).

We must be baptized (immersed) to be in Christ, and we must be in Christ to be saved.

"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away;behold, new things have come." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Those who are not baptized (immersed) into Christ do not put Him on, and therefore are not saved.

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily; I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).

This is what Christ says about the new birth mentioned in John 3:3. We come into the kingdom, where we are saved from sin by Christ, when we are "born of water and the Spirit."

A NEW BABE

We know that two things happen when a baby is born: the baby is conceived and delivered. The new birth happens the same way. We are conceived by the Holy Spirit through the word of God (Read John 16:7, 8, and 13; 1 Peter 1:23.) Then we are delivered into Christ through the one baptism (immersion). When a baby is born, he passes from his mother's womb, where he has had water all around him (see John 3:4), into the open world. When we are baptized (immersed), we have water all around us, and then we are "born of water" into a new life where we are saved in Christ. This is what Romans 6:4 teaches.

WHEN?

"They then that received his word were baptized ..." (Acts 2:41).

This verse says that the people were baptized (immersed) when they received the divine word. Those who were not baptized (immersed) rejected that word.

"He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48).

We cannot be saved without being baptized (immersed), because we cannot be saved if we reject the word of Christ.

Other verses which teach that we must be baptized (immersed) to be saved are Mark 16:16; Acts 10:48; and 22:16; and 1 Peter 3:20,21.

WHO?

The New Testament teaches that believers who repent, or turn from their sins, are to obey the one baptism (immersion). There is not a single command or example for baptizing (immersing) babies in the New Testament. Babies have no sin, because "sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3:4). "Where there is no law, neither is there transgression" (Romans 4:15). Laws are not given to babies, and no one expects them to obey. Christ said that they are innocent and pure (Matthew 18:3 and 19:14). They do not need to be saved, because they are not unsaved -- they are safe!

The only commission Jesus gave about baptism (immersion) is the great commission. The great commission is Jesus' instructions to His apostles before He went back to heaven. In it, He said that those who are taught the gospel and believe it are to be baptized (immersed) (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15,16). Babies should not be baptized (immersed) because they cannot be taught the gospel, and they cannot believe it. Those who baptize (immerse) babies do it without the authority of Christ.

"Repent ye, and be baptized" (Acts -:38).

Babies cannot repent. Therefore, they cannot be baptized (immersed). When we compare Acts 2:38 with Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:15,16, we see that believers who turn from their sins are the people who are to be baptized (immersed).

There are other parts of the Bible that teach that only adults who believe and repent of their sins should be baptized (immersed). Some of these are:

"they were baptized both men and women" (Acts 8:12)
"he commanded them to be baptized" (Acts 10:48)
"many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized" (Acts 18:8)
1 Peter 3:21, which says that the baptism which saves us is an appeal to God for "a good conscience."

Have you been baptized (immersed, buried) in water "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" so that your sins can be forgiven?