Today, we’re talking about baptism. That’s a pretty big subject, and this is a Little Lesson, so we won’t be able to cover everything, but the question is sometimes asked, “Since I believed in Jesus, should I be baptized, even though I was baptized as a baby in my church?”
Well, the answer to that question, I believe from Scripture, is very clear. Jesus told His disciples to go make disciples, teaching them to obey all that he commanded and to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20). Baptism is the very first act of obedience that we ought to see in a new believer’s life.
Baptism in the New Testament
That is, because they believe in Jesus and they know that Jesus commanded new believers to be baptized they submit to that commandment gladly and says, “I want to be baptized.” And they do it as fast as they possibly can! In the second chapter of Acts, we certainly see this. People were getting baptized the same day as their conversion.
When Philip was preaching to the Ethiopian eunuch in that chariot that the Holy Spirit directed him to join, as Philip was preaching, the eunuch said, “Hey, look. There’s water. What prevents me from being baptized?” He wanted to start in his relationship with God. He wanted to repent of his sins, and, obviously, Philip had told him something about baptism, or he wouldn’t have brought it up and then said, “Hey, there’s some water. What stops me?” Philip said, “Well, if you believe with all of your heart, yeah. You can be baptized.” So, he baptized him right then.
So, yes. Absolutely. If you haven’t been baptized since you have become a true believer in Jesus Christ, you ought to be baptized.
The Symbolic Meaning of Baptism
Another wonderful thing about baptism is that, obviously, it has symbolic meaning. Again, some will be wanting to argue with me on that because they’ll say, “Oh, it’s more than symbolic! It’s actual. That’s when you actually get born again.” I’m not going to discuss that in this Little Lesson. Okay? But there is meaning there. Right? Why did you get baptized? Because it represents our identification with Jesus Christ.
This is fundamental Christian doctrine 101. When you believe in Christ, you become one with Him. You become a member of His body. His spirit comes to live on the inside of you, and you are one spirit with Him. I’m just quoting New Testament Scriptures here, and New Testament ideas and concepts. Baptism, obviously, is a symbol of that. You’re now in Christ, and so Christ died, and so you died. You go under the water and that represents your burial. Then, you come back out of the water just as Christ came out of the grave, and that represents your resurrection. You were dead. Now, you’re alive. You came back to life.
Further Symbolism in Baptism
Perhaps a little further symbolism here—I think this is Biblical—you got washed in the water. You went down with some dirt on you. You came up clean. You were dead and dirty, and now you’re alive and clean. And, boy, that’s basic stuff! But you’d be surprised how often it’s seemingly neglected within Christian circles. Especially those that are focused on their minor pet doctrines which they want to fight about all of the time.
Let’s get back to the basics! I was dead and dirty, and now I’m clean, and I’m alive. Therefore, I’ve got Christ living in me because I am one with Him. When He died, I died. When He came back to life, I came back to life. Now, I’m going to walk in a brand new life by the power of the Holy Spirit. The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells in me, empowering me to live the kind of life God wants me to live. There is the secret.
The Holy Spirit is in us, Christ is in us, not just to be spiritual hitchhikers. They are there. They are in us to empower us to live holy lives, to do what God wants us to do. Paul wrote that God “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Ephesians 3:20).
If God is in us—think about this—God is all-powerful. There is nothing God can’t do, and God lives in us. He has infinite power. If you have even a tiny bit of God’s infinite, unlimited power, there’s nothing impossible as far as that power within you is concerned. Bare minimum, a holy life. On top of that, the power of the Holy Spirit in ministry, power for gifts of the spirit, and so on and so forth.
It’s Not That Hard to Get Baptized
Can you be saved and not be baptized? That’s a matter of debate. If a person was resistant to the idea of being baptized after their profession of faith in Christ, I would be tempted to think that their profession of faith is not really genuine. The fruit of faith is obedience, and how hard is it to get baptized? It’s not that hard!
If you refuse to be baptized, if you’re not interested in obeying Christ (doing the first thing He said you should do as a believer in Him), your claim to be believe in Him is not very convincing. It doesn’t seem like He’s your Lord. Right?
What Matters Most
Well, should you get baptized in the name of Jesus only or the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit? That’s not all that important compared to the things I’ve just been talking about. Those are the important things. Is Christ living in you?
One time I was witnessing in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I live. There was a guy reading something that was obviously somewhat pornographic. I just tapped him on the shoulder, and I said something like, “Hey. Could I talk to you about the Lord?” We began talking. As we talked, he said, “Wait. I’ve got a question for you. Were you baptized in the name of Jesus only while you were completely under the water and that was spoken over the water?” I said, “Well, actually, no. That’s not how it happened for me.” He said, “Oh. Well, it’s a good thing you stopped here because, if you haven’t been baptized that way, you’re not saved.” And this guy was just looking at porn! Oh my goodness!
Let’s major on the majors, okay? The formula for baptism, whether or not you ought to get dunked, is not as important. Of course, baptism means to be immersed, but I’m not going to tell someone who was sprinkled that that didn’t work for you… but I still think you ought to get dunked! Okay, I better stop before I create a mess here in this Little Lesson today! Thanks for joining.
