THE COMMISSION & COMMAND

Matthew 28:19
Water baptism is an outward demonstration of the inward work that God has done in you. Water baptism is an act of obedience in which you publicly declare to the world that your old life is dead and buried and your new life is now identified with Christ. Many people have been baptized as infants, or even as children, before they really made their own personal decision for Christ. The scriptural precedent for water baptism shows that this act of faith should take place after a person has confessed Jesus as his or her personal Lord and Savior.

OUR EXAMPLE

Matthew 3:13-17 – Jesus’ Baptism
Acts 2:38, “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 8:12, “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.”
Acts 8:36-39, “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. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.”

WHAT IS THE PREREQUISITE FOR BAPTISM?

Acts 18:8, “Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.”

THE SYMBOLISM OF BAPTISM

Romans 6:3-9, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?4 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. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him”

Through baptism, we identify with Christ’s Death, Burial, and Resurrection.