Baptism
Acts 8:12
“But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.”
Baptism
One of the very easy and clear teachings of Jesus is that when
we have learned about the Gospel of the Kingdom and are ready to
make a decision to believe it, and thus follow Jesus, then we
should be baptized in water. A baptized friend who shares your
beliefs can perform this baptism. If there are other members of the
church available they can be witnesses to this solemn occasion.
With a simple prayer one is just dipped in water. This is a public
statement of one’s intention to be a Christian. Baptism is an
apostolic practice because Jesus commanded it. Peter followed the
command and commanded it also. He was simply following the
orders of his Master.
Baptism is a symbolic washing away of our former life of
rebellion against God and our ignorance of His great Plan. Paul
also compares baptism with the death and burial of Jesus and his
coming back to life. We start a brand new life when we are
baptized to seal our response to Jesus’ command to believe his
Kingdom Gospel and live the Christian life. We do not need to
have years of training before baptism. In the New Testament
people committed themselves to Jesus after just some basic
teaching, a basic exposure to the Gospel and the aims and claims
of Jesus. The eunuch in Acts 8 was instructed by Philip in the
fundamentals, and then he asked Philip to baptize him in water and
they went down into the water together (Acts 8:36-39).
In Acts 8:12 Philip baptized some Samaritans “when they
believed Philip as he preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and the
name of Jesus Christ.” Men and women got baptized to declare
their allegiance to Jesus publicly. Just as Jesus had preached the
Kingdom and sown the seed of immortality, so Philip carried on
the same Kingdom evangelism. He was planting the seed of
immortality in the heart of his converts.
Acts 2:36-38
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 8:36-38
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?” 37 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.” 38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
Acts 16:30-33
And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
Acts 22:13-16
‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. 14 Then he said, “The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of his mouth. 15 For you will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16 ‘And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
Romans 6:4-5
Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
1 Peter 3:21
There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
What Is So Difficult About Water Baptism?
Christian baptism is both by water and by spirit. In John 4:1-2 we learn that “Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were).” John 3:22 says that “Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judea, and there Jesus was spending time with them and baptizing.” There is no doubt therefore that Jesus baptized in water (although the actual act of immersion was performed by his agents, the disciples). This initiation ceremony was baptism performed by Jesus — Christian baptism in water.
The Great Commission Commands Baptism
The great commission mandates that disciples until the end of the age go into all nations and teach whatever Jesus taught. [Matthew 28:19-20]… is a clear command from the lips of Jesus, and it features amongst the marching orders of the Church.
The Apostles clearly understood it that way. Peter’s appeal to his first-century audience has not become obsolete: “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). The typical initiation into the Church is by repentance, believing the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Name of Jesus Christ, and baptism in water. Acts 8:12 provides an early creed: “When they believed Philip as he proclaimed the Gospel about the Kingdom and the Name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, both men and women.”
Spirit Baptism Does Not Replace Water Baptism
As if to leave no possible loopholes, Luke reports that even after the reception of Holy Spirit, the Gentiles were to be baptized in water. Peter was only following his Lord’s command when he called for water and ordered “them to be baptized who have received the holy spirit” (Acts 10:47-48). When Paul discovered converts who had received John’s water baptism only, he immediately administered Christian water baptism into the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:5). The New Testament Church certainly did not teach that spirit baptism replaced Christian water baptism. The two go together as the standard way in which a person is joined to the body of Christ. Late in his career Peter can still talk of “baptism which saves” us, as “an appeal to God for a good conscience” (1 Pet. 3:21). Of course, no one is suggesting that there is anything “magical” in the water. What counts is the childlike submission to the ordinance prescribed by Jesus. It is a simple matter of obedience.
Baptism without a persistent continuation in the Christian life cannot save a person, any more than a one-time decision which is not followed by commitment. Salvation is by grace and faith, which means also (in Paul’s words) “obedience from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed” (Rom. 6:17). That teaching included baptism. This way of inviting converts to become Christians is a part of what salvation by faith meant to the Apostles. They taught the “obedience of faith” everywhere (Rom. 1:5; 16:26).
Baptism is Obedience
God has given us a proper procedure for admission to His Church. Baptism in water is a public renouncing of sin and a determination to serve God and the Messiah. Labels like “carnal ordinance” or “legalism” misrepresent the apostolic teaching about Christian water baptism. Jesus himself was baptized in water (Luke 3:21). He made and baptized converts (John 4:1), and he ordered his followers to make and baptize converts (Matthew 28:19-20). … The Apostles, in mandating water baptism, were obedient, as we should be, to the command of Christ. And recognizing the lordship of Jesus is the heart of what it means to be a believer. There is no genuine confession of Jesus as lord without obedience (Rom. 10:9).