Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So, he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. (Acts 8:36-38 NKJV)
One of the most beautiful and powerful moments in the life of a New Testament Church is the observance of water baptism. But it often becomes a source of confusion for many believers. However, the Bible offers many answers to our questions about baptism.
Water baptism is:
• Identifying with Christ in a way that pictures outwardly our inner spiritual rebirth, the old man having been buried with him and spiritually raised to walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-11)
• Our word “baptize” is not a translation, but a transliteration of the Greek baptizō which means to completely immerse in water. This is because it pictures a death and burial of the old man and the resurrection to new life in Christ.
• An immediate step of obedience after trusting Christ as Lord and Savior. There is nothing in Scripture that indicated a delay among early believers to see if their faith was genuine. In fact, baptism was the first opportunity to demonstrate the genuineness of their faith as we see in the story of the Ethiopian and others in Acts.
• An identification with Christ’s church. Thus, baptism is to be done with the witness of the local church whenever possible (1 Cor. 12:13). The Ethiopian’s case is a rare exception, for he would be launching the church in Africa as a first-generation believer and witness.
• A sign or symbol of the New Covenant. All the biblical covenants seemed to be established with a sign. Examples include the rainbow for God’s covenant with Noah and circumcision for God’s covenant with Abraham. Many argue that the Lord’s Supper, specifically the part of the Passover that Jesus reinterpreted as a foreshadowing his body and blood broken and shed for us, is the ultimate sign of the New Covenant. Perhaps that is true. But when Jesus gave the church its mission statement, it was to go and make disciples “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28)
Water Baptism is not:
• A saving sacrament. It was virtually unheard of for the early believers to not be baptized, so much so that baptism was almost synonymous with conversion (Acts 2:38). However, we must remember that the ritual of baptism is not a work that saves. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Water baptism, as mentioned above, becomes an outward expression of an inward reality. Unfortunately, too many place their trust in religious ritual for salvation, rather than in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
• An often-repeated experience for spiritual renewal. There are many calls for believers to renew their faith and love in the New Testament. None of them call for believers to be baptized again. Instead, they are to let their repentant and victorious life be the evidence and picture of renewal and rededication. Just as “there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism… (Ephesians 4:5) spiritually speaking, the believer only needs to be baptized once after trusting Christ as Savior and Lord.
• A mere emotional “jumpstart” to a new spiritual plateau. We sometimes hit a wall or feel like we’re in the doldrums spiritually. In moments like this we may need to dig deeper into the Word, pray more fervently for breakthrough, or invite counsel and accountability into our lives. But, if you are a born-again believer who has already experienced the biblical baptism described above, we should not view additional baptisms as the key to breakthrough. This could lead to a form of ritualism in your life.
Understanding what baptism is and what it isn’t, let us endeavor to lead people to faith in Christ as we witness in the power of the Holy Spirit. If you have not trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, won’t you do so today? If you have, but have never experienced believer’s baptism, please speak with your pastor today and schedule that as soon as possible!
Pastor Robby Brown 