10
And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

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:

12
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.


3. John’s baptism

1
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

2
He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

3
And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

4
Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

5
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

7
And all the men were about twelve.

8
And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.

9
But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.

10
And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

11
And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:

12
So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

4. An improper “mode” (such as sprinkling or pouring)

b. On the positive side, the baptism of the Great Commission is:

1. Immersion (the Greek word means to submerge, plunge, dip, immerse)

2. Immersion in water

36
And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

38
And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

39
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

3. The one baptism

5
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

4. A burial

12
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

5. Very important

16
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

ii. Who should be baptized?

a. Baptism is for those who have been taught

19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
 

8
And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.


b. Baptism is for those who believe

8
And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

c. Baptism is for those who are guilty of sin

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.

d. Baptism is for those who are penitent (have repented)

19
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

e. Baptism is for those who confess Christ

37
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
 

Romans 10:9,10

9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.


f. Baptism is for men and women

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.

g. Baptism is not for infants – for they do not meet (nor can they meet) any of the above criteria

iii. How should I be baptized?

a. In water

36
And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

38
And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

39
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
 

26
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

b. In much water

23
And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

c. I should go to the water

13
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

14
But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

15
And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

16
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
 

36
And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

38
And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

39
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.


e. should be buried in the water

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.

 Colossians 2:12

12
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

f. I should be planted there

5
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

g. I will be washed pure from sin

22
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

16
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

h. I should be resurrected from the water

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.

I. I should come up out of the water

16
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

39
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

IV. Why should I be baptized?

a. For the remission of sins:

1. We are lost apart from obedience to God

23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2. Jesus died for my sins

28
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

28
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

3. I need His blood

22
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

23
It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

24
For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

25
Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

26
For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

28
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

29
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

b. Baptism is where the benefits of His blood are received

28
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

16
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

16
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

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.

V. What are the effects of baptism?

a. Obedience to God

8
Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

b. It fulfills righteousness

15
And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

172
My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.

46
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

c. Our sins are washed away; we are pure

22
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

d. We are saved

16
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

e. We are put into Christ - (and His body/ church/kingdom)

3
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

5
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

13
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

47
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

F. We are made heirs

16
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

4
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

VI. When should I be baptized?

a. When I believe what the Bible says about baptism (note the way that questioners responded

37
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

6
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

b. Today

14
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

41
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

c. Immediately

33
And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

Conclusion:

a. In light of the fact that baptism is mentioned so often in the New Testament, and in light of the fact that the above questions are definitely answered in the New Testament, and in light of the fact that almost no one teaches these things, the emphasis on this subject is entirely appropriate

b. If you have never studied this subject, or if you have never obeyed this commandment, we plead with you to take the time immediately to attend to it. Remember, it was Jesus Who made it part of the Great Commission

The Great Commission

PART Six b
THE ACT OF OBEDIENCE: BAPTISM

THE BIBLE CONTRAST

Mark 16:16

6
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Bible order: Believe................Baptism...............Saved

Reverse order: Believe............Saved..................Baptism

Acts 2:38

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.

Bible order: Repent..............Baptism...........Remission

Reverse order: Repent.........Remission...........Baptism

I Peter 3:21

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:

Bible order:........................Baptism....................Saved

Reverse order:.....................Saved.....................Baptism

Acts 22:16

16
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Bible order: Arise..............Baptism............Wash away sins

Reverse order: Arise......Wash away sins.......Baptism

Colossians 2:11,12

11
In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

12
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Bible order: Dead.................Baptism.................Raised

Reverse order: Dead..............Raised................Baptism

Romans 6:3,4

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.

Bible order: Dead.................Baptism...............New life

Reverse order: Dead.............New life.............Baptism

Galatians 3:26,27

26
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

27
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Bible order: Faith..............Baptism............Put on Christ

Reverse order: Faith........Put on Christ...........Baptism