BAPTISM
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Baptism is a monumental event in a kingdom minded believer's walk with Jesus in which a believer makes a public confession of their faith.
Water Baptism Overview
1. What does it mean to be baptized?
a. The word used in the Bible for baptize comes from the Greek word “baptizo," which means "to dip, plunge, submerge, or immerse." It is the act of having one’s entire body dipped into water.
2. Why should we do it?
a. We are instructed to do so in the Bible.
Mark 16:16 (KJV)
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
Acts 2:38 (KJV)
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.
b. It symbolizes our spiritual rebirth that occurred when we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is a representation of us experiencing the same death, burial and resurrection that Jesus did.
Romans 6:3-4 (KJV)
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 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.
c. It is a public declaration that we have turned over a new leaf.
In doing so, we acknowledge that the Father redeemed us and that we will now seek to bring Him glory by how we live.
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1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV)
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
d. It aids us in our walk. As the below scripture explains, we are set free from our past (i.e. demonic influences, past hurts, failed relations, addictions).
Colossians 2:11-15 (MSG)
Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It’s not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you’re already in—insiders—not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin.
If it’s an initiation ritual you’re after, you’ve already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection. God raising you from the dead as he did Christ.
When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the cross and marched them naked through the streets.
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3. Is it different from sprinkling?
Yes, sprinkling is having water droplets placed on your head. It doesn’t equate to being fully immersed in water nor is it endorsed in the Bible.
4. Next steps
Through the work of the cross, we are re-born at our confession of Christ as our Lord and Savior. Being water baptized, joins us to the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. His victory is our victory. It doesn’t mean our lives will become perfect or that we will never sin again. But, it means we can experience everything God has for us and the ability to never sin again. As we yield to God’s leading, we should find ourselves sinning less. And our lives becoming richer in Him. This occurs by spending time in prayer, reading the Word, attending service and finding ways to serve others.
