Believe and Be Baptized

Buried under the water

When we hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, we encounter a person that can be life changing. As we read the Gospels you are faced with a life that is so different than anything we see in this world. Jesus said Jn: 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Some may react and say “How Dare He make such a claim” He was either crazy, a liar or He was just telling the Truth. Many different religions will try to point you in the direction of “Truth”; but Jesus said “I am the Truth” The truth now goes from some scattered bunch of ideas to a Person, a person that is GOD incarnate. Not only did he make this claim, but He then backed it up by rising from the dead. Peter said 2Pt:1:16: “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” What Peter is saying here is that they didn’t make this story up. He saw and heard the Master with his own eyes and ears. He was convinced enough to be willing to die for it, and he did. He was crucified upside down in Rome. I believe God required him to be martyred for us today. So we would see that he was convinced himself and it was indeed life changing and required his life here on Earth. I make this point as evidence of his faith. All of our faith is built on evidence. Let me make this analogy. When we go to sit in a chair we are willing to trust it because the evidence is such that you believe it will hold you. You look at it, and it seems strong, you may have seen others sit in it, and therefore based on the evidence you are willing to trust that it will hold you so you take a step of faith and sit in it. Then you have the knowledge that the step of faith you took was valid. We can only know God by faith. St. Augustine said “man seeks to have knowledge without faith, but without faith he will have neither knowledge nor faith.” Faith comes first, and then if the faith is real the knowledge and fruit will come as a result of that faith. Faith also grows. We must be faithful in that which is least in order to receive more. Lk: 16:10: “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”
As we walk daily we have opportunities to trust him, and grow in faith.
Are you saying “ok ok what does this have to do with being baptized?” Well if you noticed the title of this post it is Believe and be Baptized so I wanted to touch on faith first because baptism is an act of faith.
The word Baptize comes from the Greek word “baptizo”. It means to wash and immerse/submerge. We are a three part being, Body Soul, and Spirit. So in a way there are three baptisms. When we come to Christ and encounter HIM, and I want to emphasize HIM, (not just some doctrine) something happens. We see a wisdom and a love that is far greater than what we have seen or known. I spoke of knowing God through His creation in another post, but there is obviously so much more revealed about Him in the written Word. When we truly meet the Lord, and we recognize the truth, something happens inside. Your heart and/or soul is moved. Then a decision is made because you have then also seen yourself. Hopefully that decision is to recognize that you want Him to be the Lord of your Life, not to be your own lord. You give yourself to Him who loved you and died for you. 1Cor:6:20 “ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price” and God breathes His spirit in you and you are “born again”. In a sense this is the baptism of the soul. I say Baptism because in a sense you are submerging your soul to submit to Him. Let me explain. The soul is the seat of the Will, Heart/Emotions and Mind/Intellect. Do you see the oneness and threeness again? I said we are a three part being and in each part there is the threeness again. We see this pattern in the Tabernacle of the congregation that the children of Israel carried through the wilderness. It is a type of the Body of Christ. There was the “Outer Court” it was significant of the Body which has three parts; Flesh, Blood, and Bone. These correspond to the three aspects of the outer court. The Gate/fence, Brazen Alter, and Bronze Laver (these can be a whole additional lesson). Then was the “Holy Place” It contained the “Table of Showbread” = The Will, which is displayed continually before God. It is submitted to God “Not my will but thine be done” also in the holy place was the “Golden Lamp stand” = The mind/intellect submitted to God “the mind of Christ the Wisdom of God” and last in the holy place was the “Alter of Incense” = The Heart/Emotions It was the sweet smelling savor that came up before the Throne of God in the Holiest of All. The Incense represented the worship, praise and prayers of the saints. Yes you guessed it the “Holiest of All” is representative of the Spirit. And we enter into the spirit through praise and worship “Hallowed be thy name” In the Holiest of All sat the “Ark of the Covenant” where God rested. Inside the Ark where three objects which represent the three aspects of the spirit. There was Moses tablets of stone = Faith, a bowl of Manna = Hope and Aarons rod that budded = Love
Salvation begins with the baptism of the soul; a calling upon God, a humbling yourself before Him, and submerging of your soul.
Water Baptism is the baptism of the body. It is a physical identification with the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rom: 6: 3: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5: For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7: For he that is dead is freed from sin.”; This is the outward expression of a profession of faith. The old man is dead with Him on the Cross, and then we are buried under the water and come up in the likeness of His resurrection. 1Pt:3:21: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:” Peter is here telling us that baptism is a helpful part of our salvation. Sometimes people don’t exactly know when they were “Saved” or “Born again” (if you will excuse those religious right expressions, but they stole them from us and they are real.) It isn’t always because you said “The sinner’s prayer”. Sometimes it happens seemingly over a period of time, or you just always knew it in your heart. But then at some point you profess your faith Rom: 10:10: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Then when you are baptized you know you have a time in space where you cut off the flesh by faith and identified with the Cross. Remember Jesus Himself was baptized. Mt: 3:14: “But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?” Mk: 16:16: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” This verse sees baptism as part of being saved, the natural extension of faith; but notice it is the unbelieving that causes the damnation, not the failure to be baptized. It is meant to be a blessing and a joyful experience, not something that you should feel required to do, but something you desire to do. In the book of Acts it shows the believers where baptized. Acts: 8:12: “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” When people come to me and say “you mean I have to be baptized?” I say “no, you get to be baptized”. May I recommend the sea or a lake or a river? It doesn’t say anywhere in the scripture that it must be done by an “ordained minister” any believer will do, for you are doing it unto the Lord.
Acts: 2:38: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This brings us to the third baptism, the “Baptism of the Spirit” Acts: 1:5: For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. I will do another post on the Baptism of the spirit. This is a whole other subject, but it is God empowering His Church.
Mt: 3:11: I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Amen Lord Jesus.