SERIES: “IMPORTANT QUESTIONS”
TEXT: ROMANS 6:1-11
TITLE: “WHAT ABOUT BAPTISM?”
OPEN: A. Last week, we started a series called, “Important Questions”
1. We started with the most important question of all: “How Do I Become a Christian?”
2. This week’s message is an extension of a section of that message: “What About Baptism?”
B. I’ve both heard about and experienced some humorous things concerning baptism 1.
1. While I was still in youth ministry, I hadn’t been at a particular church for too long. One of
the young ladies in the youth group decided to give her life to the Lord. Being the youth minister
I was expected to do the baptism
The problem was that the waders for the senior minister were just a bit too small for me to
wear. The former preacher was about my size so a search was made for that pair of waders. It
didn’t take too long until they were located and I pulled them on.
What I didn’t know is that they had dry-rotted and there was a small hole in the toe of one of
the boots. As soon as I stepped down into the water, the left leg began to fill up with water.
The baptism went well but I had my suit pants on under the waders. One leg was soaking wet
and I had a family from the church waiting to take me to lunch. I had to go home and change
meet the family at the restaurant. Let’s just say we had a late lunch that day
2. At Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, one of the fellows who helps lead in
Children’s Church is a Louisville police officer. One of the kids from Children’s Church had
decided to be baptized so this fellow was the one who would perform the ceremony.
As all the candidates were getting ready for baptism one Sunday morning, the policeman
came into the preparation room and took off his jacket, revealing his service weapon. One of the
men getting baptized that morning raised an eyebrow and the police officer deadpanned: “We
have a no back-out policy here regarding baptisms.”
3. Just this past week, I heard about a preacher who pulled on his waders in preparation for a
baptism and felt something crawl up his leg. He panicked and ran out the side door, jerked the
waders off, and found that a family of crickets had set up housekeeping in his waders.
Relieved that it wasn’t anything dangerous, he went to put the waders back on but looked
around first. He found himself standing out in the church parking lot in his boxer shorts in full
view of the cars driving down the highway.
C. Baptism is taught clearly in Scripture but the subject has been confused and contended over for a
long time.
1. The Scriptures are the best and most obvious authority on this issue
--let’s use them for our guide on this issue
2. Let’s shake away some of the confusion and clarify what God wants us to understand concerning
this subject
3. Rom. 6:1-11 – “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us
who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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.
If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him
in his resurrection. 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— because anyone who has
died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with
him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no
longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives,
he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
I. THE MANDATE
A. As you read the New Testament, baptism is an obvious mandate
1. “Mandate” – “an order or command”
2. A command is something that must be followed
B. Let’s look at what the Scriptures have to say concerning baptism:
1. Mt. 28:18 & 19 – “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. 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…”
a. The One who has all authority gives the command for the church to practice this ordinance of
baptism.
b. It was obviously part of the process of becoming a follower of Jesus.
2. After Jesus resurrection and ascension, His followers were to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the
Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, Peter began to preach the first gospel
sermon. In it, he shared what Jesus Christ had done and why He had to do it. The people cried out,
“What should we do?”
-- Acts 2:38 – “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for
the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
3. Jesus Himself was baptized when He began the actual ministry part of His life. In Mt. 3: 13-15, Jesus
came from Galilee to be baptized by John. When John said he was not worthy enough to baptize Jesus
– that Jesus should be baptizing him – “Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to
fulfill all righteousness.’”
--Literally, Jesus was saying that He was doing it because it was what was right to do.
C. A command is something that requires obedience.
1. Early Christians called baptism a sacramentum (sacrament) – the Latin word for the soldier’s oath
of absolute devotion, allegiance, and obedience to his commander.
2. There was an old man who had nine cats. A friend came over to visit and noticed that there were
nine little kitty doors. He asked the old man why the cats couldn’t all use the same door. The old
guy replied: “When I say “Scat!’ I mean ‘Scat!’”
3. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “He who believes, obeys; and he who obeys, believes.”
--1 Jn. 5:3 – “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not
burdensome.”
4. If you say Jesus is your Lord and Savior but say you don’t need to be baptized, it puts you in a very
precarious position
--Some words of Jesus concerning obedience:
a. Mk. 16:16 – “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.”
b. Lk. 6:46 – “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
c. Jn. 14:23 – “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching…”
II. THE METHOD
A. The method of baptism is one of the most argued points concerning this subject
-- The Bible clearly describes the baptismal process so let’s see what it has to say concerning the method
of baptism:
1. Needs water – anytime someone is baptized in the New Testament it is with water
2. Plenty of water
--John 3:23 – “Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of
water…”
3. Going down into water
--Acts 8:38 – “Then Peter and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.”
4. Coming up out of water
a. Acts 8:39a – “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly
took Philip away….
b. Mt. 3:16a – “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water…”
5. Being buried
a. Rom. 6:4a – “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death…”
b. Col. 2:12a – “…having been buried with him in baptism…”
6. Being resurrected
a. Rom. 6:4b – “…in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the
Father, we too may live a new life.”
b. Col. 2:12b – “…and raised with him through your faith in the power of God…”
B. A look at the original language
1. Greek - baptizw
a. “dip; plunge; immerse”
b. root – “totally overwhelm”
2. How we got the words “baptize” and “baptism”
--transliteration used in the KJV
III. THE MEANING
A. Most important part of today’s message
1. Don’t get me wrong
a. The mandate to be baptized is important
b. The method of baptism is important
2. But the most important part is the meaning of baptism
B. The meaning of baptism is this: It is the complete surrender of everything you are and everything you
have to follow Jesus Christ and be obedient to Him.
1. Baptism identifies us with the death and resurrection of Jesus
a. Baptism isn’t just some magical, mystical act
--The water isn’t magical. The pronouncement of “…in the name of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit…” isn’t magical. And the person performing the baptism is not magical.
b. It is only because it’s through baptism that we come into contact with the death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus that baptism is effective.
-- Tom Ellsworth tells a story about a Christian who went on a tour of the Holy Land. When they
got to the traditional site of Calvary, the tour guide explained what had happened during Jesus’
crucifixion. He asked, “Has any of you been here before?” This Christian raised his hand and
responded, “I have.” The guide asked, “You have? When were you here?” The Christian
replied, “About 2,000 years ago.”
c. Baptism serves as both a death and a new birth
--Dr. Beuford Bryant: “The baptistry is a tomb and a womb. It’s a tomb where we’re buried with
Christ and a womb where we are born again to new life.”
2. Another reason is that it signifies your commitment to Jesus Christ as both Savior and Lord
a. In Col. 2:11-12, baptism is compared with the Old Testament rite of circumcision –““In Him you
were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the
hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 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.”
b. Circumcision was an outward sign of the complete surrender of yourself to God.
--Even your most private and intimate parts were yielded to God.
c. William James: “An impression without expression leads to depression.”
--When something makes a big impact on you, it needs to find an outward expression or you begin
to feel frustrated.
1). God created us in such a way that almost every emotion has an appropriate outlet.
--You show sadness by crying; you show fear by screaming; you show hilarity by laughing out
loud; you show gratitude by giving; you show love with a passionate embrace.
2). What do you do when you are impressed with Jesus Christ?
--When you grasp the reality of His love and you want to receive His grace, He’s provided
baptism as a means of expressing your faith.
3. A third reason is that baptism provides a needed expression of cleansing
a. Bob Russell: “When we sin we feel dirty. We feel like we need a spiritual bath. Baptism provides
this wonderful sense of cleansing and renewal—we begin with a new slate; we have a new start.”
b. Many religions acknowledge the need for cleansing from sin.
--However, no matter how much we try, we cannot erase the wretched memory of our sins.
c. Only One Person can remove our sins from us!
1). Heb. 9:22 – “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and
without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
2). Eph. 1:7 – “In him [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in
accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
C. At this point, I think I need to address some specific issues regarding baptism
1. Who should be baptized?
a. Since baptism is part of the decision process of committing all of you to Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior, needs to be someone who can honestly and carefully make that decision for themselves.
1). In logical terms, that statement eliminates small children or infants.
2). In the New Testament, the only people you see being baptized are those able to make the
decision for themselves.
2. Does baptism guarantee my salvation?
a. Baptism is not effective in and of itself.
--Several things must come first: faith, repentance, confession
b. One thing bothers me about the attitude toward baptism in a lot of Christian churches: it’s that
people treat their baptismal certificate as if it’s their divine ticket into heaven.
1). All we have to do is wave that certificate under God’s nose and He has to allow us into
Heaven.
--“Nothing in my hand I bring, only to my baptismal certificate I cling.”
2). We treat baptism as the “Be-all, end-all” of the Christian faith
a). On the contrary, the Bible teaches us that it is only part of the beginning of being a
Christian.
--There’s much more to follow.
b). We referred to Jesus’ baptism earlier in this message
--What did baptism signify in Jesus’ earthly life? The beginning of His ministry
c). When you’re baptized, you’re not saved to sit
--You’re saved to serve
2). Baptism is not effective because you got wet. It’s effective because it’s part of the process of
pledging your unending devotion to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior
a). 1 Pet. 3:21 – In a passage that points back to Genesis and the story of Noah, Peter uses the
reference to the ark as a picture of baptism: “And this water symbolizes baptism that now
saves you – 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…”
b). The water in Noah’s day separated those who knew God from those who did not know God
c. Baptism is only effective if it makes a difference in the way that you live
-- Les Christy tells about going to church camp as a young teenager. He gave his life to the Lord
and was baptized. That fall, he went back to school and fell into some of his old habits with his
friends. One day, they were all really picking on a certain young man at their school. Later that
day, the young man caught Les alone and asked, “Les, didn’t you become a Christian over the
summer?” Les sheepishly replied, “Yes.” The young man said, “Well it sure doesn’t show!”
Les says that he asked for forgiveness from that young man and began to live like he should.
d. Many of you have probably seen the movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
--The movie is about three escaped convicts who are on the run during the 1930’s
1). While on the run, two of the three criminals are involved in a baptismal scene at a river.
--They join in with the throngs of people being immersed into Christ in this river and they
immediately think that all of their past sin is gone and that they are now innocent again, and
the law can’t touch them.
2). However, there was no repentance or change of heart, they only got wet, but they thought the
“preacher had washed their sins away”.
--only Christ can do that and He’ll only do that when we place our complete faith in Him, truly
repent of our sins, and commit to following Him for the rest of our lives
3). The only one who had any wisdom in this matter was the third criminal played by George
Clooney
--Once back in the car, he reminds them: “The Lord may have forgiven you and washed your sin
away, but the State of Mississippi isn’t so forgiving and you still have a debt to pay.”
4). These escaped convicts are not theologians. Some things they got right.
--However, they illustrate what a lot of folks hope is true about baptism: Suddenly - without
thought, without repentance, without any desire for commitment – you rush in, you get baptized
and think that everything is fine.
f. Your baptismal certificate does not impress Jesus Christ.
--His only concern is the relationship that you’ve had with Him and the change you’ve allowed
Him to make in your life.
CLOSE: A. A drunk stumbled along a baptismal service on Sunday afternoon down by the river. He
proceeded to walk down into the water and stood next to the Preacher. The minister turned and
noticed the old drunk and said, “Mister, Are you ready to find Jesus?” The drunk looks back and
says, “Yes, Preacher. I sure am.”
The minister then dunks the fellow under the water and pulled him right back up. “Have you
found Jesus?” the preacher asks. “No, I didn’t!” says the drunk. The preacher then dunks him
under for quite a bit longer, brings him up and says, “Now, brother, have you found Jesus?” The
drunk gasps for air and says, ”No, I haven’t.”
The preacher in disgust holds the man under for at least 30 seconds this time, brings him out of
the water and says in a harsh tone, “Friend, are you sure you haven’t found Jesus yet?” The old
drunk wipes his eyes and sputters: “Are you sure this is where he fell in?”
1. That fellow didn’t know what he had gotten himself into.
2. There are a lot of people who don’t understand what it’s all about.
B. A number of years ago, there was a movie called Regarding Henry. Harrison Ford starred as
an immoral attorney. He fooled around on his wife, was verbally abusive to his daughter, and
dishonest in his business dealings.
One night, he stops by a convenience store to by a pack of cigarettes. He walks in on a robbery
in progress and is shot in the head. He doesn’t die from the gunshot wound but suffers some
paralysis and complete memory loss. They basically have to re-teach him everything.
As he begins to resume life as it was before the shooting, he’s appalled at the person that he was
before. He can’t believe the number of affairs that he had or that his daughter is afraid of him.
He’s upset over his former business practices. He changes everything about his life.
The question you see Hollywood asking is this: How do you change someone who is sinful and
immoral? The answer they give is pretty biblical: You kill them and start all over.
That’s what baptism is all about. Baptism is death to your old life and resurrection to new life.
When you humble yourself in faith, repentance, and confession, you are buried with Christ and
then resurrected to begin again.
