Christianity. Baptism a Sacrament
What constitutes a sacrament?
• They are mandatory divine ordinances instituted (commanded) by Christ himself.
• They are ordinances in which material elements are used as visible signs of God’s blessings. The material element distinguishes the sacrament from the reality that it signifies
• They are means of grace to the one who partakes of them. God has chosen to use them to encourage and strengthen faith in believers, by reminding the believer of what they signify and of the faithfulness of the One who has given them.
• They are seals, certifications or confirmations to us of the grace they signify; they attest that we are His children and we are in fellowship with Him. The sign of baptism points to out identification with Christ by faith.
• There are two sacraments 1. The Lords Supper 2. Baptism.
Baptism is a means of grace and conveys blessing, because it is the certification to us of God’s grace and in the acceptance of that certification we rely upon God’s faithfulness, bear witness to His grace, and thereby strengthen our faith…In the Lord’s Supper that significance is increased and cultivated, namely, communion with Christ and participation of the virtue accruing from His body and blood. The Lord’s Supper represents that which is continuously being wrought. We partake of Christ’s body and blood through the means of the ordinance. We thus see that the accent falls on the faithfulness of God, and the efficacy in the response we yield to that faithfulness.
John Murray
The act of Baptism.
Study of the word baptize points to the primary meaning as baptism as a sign of our union with Christ through the Holy Spirit, therefore we find many references to being baptized with or by the Holy Spirit, or being baptised ‘into’ Christ or ‘in the name of ‘ Christ.
Matt 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
There are maybe four closely related words for baptism in the New Testament, but they don’t necessarily have the same meaning.
1. Bapto means to ‘dip’ or ‘immerse’
2. Baptizo may mean ‘immerse’ but it also occurs with a variety of other meanings, which in turn lead to a proper understanding of what the passages using this word signify. Strongs No 907
3. Baptismos to wash cups etc Strongs No 909 Mark 7:4-8
4. Baptisma used of John’s baptism Strongs 908
Often when a word is translated into English we have no exact interpretation, we often keep the word or a form of it in the translation, therefore baptizo is most often used as baptise in English. If it had meant just immerse then the Matt 28:19 would have read as below
Matt 28:19
. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, immersing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Also John would have been called ‘John the Immerser.’
Classical Greek.
The classical Greek literature was used from about 400BC up to the second century after Christ, until approximately 200AD. In this literature the word baptizo always pointed to the meaning of a change taking place i.e. a garment being immersed into a dye, or by drinking to much wine and getting drunk.
A great example of this type of text and meaning comes from a Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200BC. In a recipe for making pickles he used both words. Nicander said that the vegetables should first be dipped (bapto) in boiling water then baptized (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. The first was a temporary dipping and the second produced a permanent change in the vegetable.
Gal 3:26-27
27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
This particular verse gives a good understanding of the word baptized being used metaphorically as means of those who have been ‘immersed’ being identified with Jesus Christ.
The word baptiza being used metaphorically does not mean that it must be used in that way in passages dealing with the sacrament of baptism.
J.M. Boice
Boice makes a good point above so we are careful to consider all of scripture to give a fuller understanding of what is being revealed by the scriptures to the believer.
Mark 16:16
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
There are those who would say that unless we are baptized we could not be saved, but here at Ebenezer IM we believe that we cannot be saved by any other means than by God’s gift, that being the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary.
Eph 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Mark 16:16 becomes theologically parallel to John 1:12 and also Romans 12: when we read the verse, ‘whoever believes in me and is identified with me will be saved.’ Jesus requires our intellectual belief plus our personal commitment.
John 1:12-13
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
Rom 12:2
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
We believe the verses above teach us there should always be a personal identification with Jesus by the one who believes, that salvation comes God’s way and not the way we think it should. He requires that we are identified with Christ Jesus through baptism.
Being baptized into Moses.
1 Cor 10:1-5
1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
A second verse illuminated by the metaphorical meaning of the word baptizo is the phrase above baptized into Moses. The people of Israel were obviously not immersed either in the sea or the cloud. The cloud was behind them separating them from the Egyptians and it was the Egyptians who were immersed into the sea and drowned. The meaning of this passage is simply that before the Red Sea crossing the Israelites attitude was that of rebellion, after the crossing, it should become obedience and rejoicing.
Col 2:12
2 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
The above lends itself to the meaning of immersion. “Buried with Him in immersion.” Again metaphorical it would be easier understood as “ showing our unification with Him through this act of immersion, we will be raised with Him through our faith in the power of God”
Our Identification with Christ in our Baptism.
Rom 6:3-4
Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
I believe a better understanding and interpretation for baptism could be identification or being identified with, although this does not give the fuller meaning or understanding of the sacrament of baptism.
Because of God’s grace we can claim this identification with Christ’s death through faith and so the power that sin in our life is broken and we are set free to serve the Living God, therefore our union with Christ in His death can refer to our life here and now.
Rom 6:5-7
5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
Because we are united (identified) with His death through faith Paul the apostle tells us it is a certainty that we will be united with Him in His resurrection.
1 Cor 15:21-23
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
1 Peter 3:18-22
s, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand-with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
2 Tim 2:18-19
19 Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."
Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:4-5
"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
Acts 19:3-7
So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?"
"John's baptism," they replied.
4 Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
There is indeed only one baptism that is ‘true baptism into the Lord Jesus Christ.’ That is being united and identified with Him in mind body and spirit. It is indeed a not just a spiritual or emotional experience, but an experience also of the mind that one is mindful of being identified with Christ and respond to the call of Christ upon our lives.
Eph 4:1-6
4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were called to one hope when you were called- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
It is indeed a matter of telling the world that you want to be identified with the thoughts, words and actions that have been given by the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a matter of letting those about and around you know that you live and love the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus did the same for us, letting the world know that He loved us and was prepared to die for us. His actions are the evidence of His words and so ours should be the same. If he was prepared to die for me, the least I can do is get dipped and changed (baptizo) for Him.
John 3:16-21
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
This act of baptism that is spoken about by Philip and Peter is a life changing experience.
Acts 8:36-39
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
It is not an act that saves you but simply your pledge to man and to God that you are united and identified to Christ, for which receive God’s blessing.
1 Peter 3:21
21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.
Standing up for God and being counted.
Matt 3:15
15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness." Then John consented.
It is fit and proper to be immersed and by doing so identified with Jesus Christ, His death, resurrection, ascension and the fact that one day He will return to collect those who hear his voice.
Elijah asking the people to choose.
Elijah before the great miracle on Mount Carmel asked the people of God how long they would waver between God and idols and they did not answer. They had a chance to stand up and commit to God but said nothing.
1 Kings 18:21
"How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him."
But the people said nothing.
Is your rooster going to crow?
Peter denied Jesus three times when having the chance to be identified with Him.
Matt 26:69-74
69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said.
70 But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.
71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth."
72 He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!"
73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away."
74 Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!"
Immediately a rooster crowed.
Amen