water baptism
"Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...." Matthew 28:19
The English word "baptize" is a transliteration (substitution of letters of one language for those of another) of the Greek word "baptizo". Baptizo means to make whelmed (ie. fully wet) and comes from the root word "bapto", meaning to cover wholly with a fluid, as in "dip".
Following believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, the new convert is commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water in the name of the Lord. This is the first priority after a person repents of their sins and places their trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. As we continue to study about foundations of the Christian faith, it is important to remember, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith --- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God --- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). Baptism doesn't save us. The Bible says baptism is, like repentance, a gift from God. It is a very special gift by which God cuts off our sinful nature and buries it in the waters of baptism.
Water baptism is more than a ritual or religious exercise. It is a foundation of the Christian life in which God does a supernatural work according to our faith. It is also an outward affirmation of the inward commitment the believer has made to Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life.
All Christians are admonished to be water baptized. Weakness in the Christian life or continually being overtaken by sin can often be traced back to a person's failure to obey the command to be baptized. There are four main reasons why some people fail to get baptized.
The command and requirements to be baptized.
> Jesus said, "Whoever ________________ and is baptized will be saved." Mark 16:16
> Peter set a condition for baptism as well as commanding it for new believers when he said, " _____________________, and be _________________, every one of you..." Acts 2:38
> Peter preached to a man named Cornelius and his household. After this he " ________________ that they be _____________________ in the name of Jesus Christ..." Acts 10:48
> Both men and women were baptized. " _______________ Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.." Acts 8:12
What happens when we repent, believe, and are baptized in water:
A. DEATH: Our old man (old sinful nature) is crucified
> Just as Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, the Bible says, "I have been _____________ with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." Galatians 2:20
> When we are baptized into Christ Jesus we are baptized into His _________________ Romans 6:3
> We know that "our old self was ________________ with Him that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin -- because anyone who has ____________ has been freed from sin." Romans 6:6,7
B. The old man is cut off
> Circumcision is the cutting away of something unclean. The Bible says, "In Him you were ______________, in the putting off of the _________________, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with Him in ______________." Colossians 2:11,12
> We know that our "old self" was crucified with Jesus, that the body of sin might be done away with. We have seen that the old man (the body of sin) who is dead is cut off. Why does God do this? "That we should no longer be _____________________." Romans 6:6
The English word "baptize" is a transliteration (substitution of letters of one language for those of another) of the Greek word "baptizo". Baptizo means to make whelmed (ie. fully wet) and comes from the root word "bapto", meaning to cover wholly with a fluid, as in "dip".
Following believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, the new convert is commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water in the name of the Lord. This is the first priority after a person repents of their sins and places their trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. As we continue to study about foundations of the Christian faith, it is important to remember, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith --- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God --- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). Baptism doesn't save us. The Bible says baptism is, like repentance, a gift from God. It is a very special gift by which God cuts off our sinful nature and buries it in the waters of baptism.
Water baptism is more than a ritual or religious exercise. It is a foundation of the Christian life in which God does a supernatural work according to our faith. It is also an outward affirmation of the inward commitment the believer has made to Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life.
All Christians are admonished to be water baptized. Weakness in the Christian life or continually being overtaken by sin can often be traced back to a person's failure to obey the command to be baptized. There are four main reasons why some people fail to get baptized.
- Ignorance: Some Christians have never learned the Biblical meaning and importance of baptism. (Acts 19:1-3)
- Pride: Sometimes if a person has been a Christian for sometime before learning about baptism, they think they are doing alright without it, and don't need it to live a victorious Christian life (Luke 7:30)
- Fear: One confirmation of the powerful effect of baptism is the great opposition some people face from their family and friends over the issue of baptism. (Acts 2:41, 5:13)
- Religious training: Some people have gone through a ritual before they chose to receive Jesus as their Lord, or one that is not strictly Scriptural, and maintain they have been baptized, even when the Word of God teaches differently. (Acts 19:4-5)
The command and requirements to be baptized.
> Jesus said, "Whoever ________________ and is baptized will be saved." Mark 16:16
> Peter set a condition for baptism as well as commanding it for new believers when he said, " _____________________, and be _________________, every one of you..." Acts 2:38
> Peter preached to a man named Cornelius and his household. After this he " ________________ that they be _____________________ in the name of Jesus Christ..." Acts 10:48
> Both men and women were baptized. " _______________ Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.." Acts 8:12
What happens when we repent, believe, and are baptized in water:
A. DEATH: Our old man (old sinful nature) is crucified
> Just as Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, the Bible says, "I have been _____________ with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." Galatians 2:20
> When we are baptized into Christ Jesus we are baptized into His _________________ Romans 6:3
> We know that "our old self was ________________ with Him that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin -- because anyone who has ____________ has been freed from sin." Romans 6:6,7
B. The old man is cut off
> Circumcision is the cutting away of something unclean. The Bible says, "In Him you were ______________, in the putting off of the _________________, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with Him in ______________." Colossians 2:11,12
> We know that our "old self" was crucified with Jesus, that the body of sin might be done away with. We have seen that the old man (the body of sin) who is dead is cut off. Why does God do this? "That we should no longer be _____________________." Romans 6:6
C. Burial
> Anytime someone dies, we bury them. "Therefore we were ____________ with Him through _____________________ into death." Romans 6:4
> We were ___________________ with Him in baptism. Colossians 2:12
D. Resurrection
> The hope we have in God through Jesus is that when we die we will be resurrected to life. We were "buried with Him in baptism and _________________ with Him through _______________ in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead." Colossians 2:12
> We were buried with Him through ______________ into death, in order that just as Christ was _____________________ through the glory of the Father, we too may _____________." Romans 6:4
E. We are forgiven of our sins
> "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ _____________________________." Acts 2:38
Other examples of water baptism
> Philip used the Scriptures to preach Jesus to an Ethiopian eunuch. The next thing he did was teach about water baptism. The eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be _____________?" Acts 8:35,36
> When the Lord opened a women named Lydia's heart to heed the things spoken by Paul, she and her family were ________________. Acts 16:13-15
> Paul's jailer in Philippi got saved when Paul spoke the Word of the Lord to him and all who were in his house. The result was that immediately he and all his family were ____________ Acts 16:30-33
> A man named Crispus believed on the Lord with all his household. The result was that many Corinthians _____________ and were ______________. Acts 18:8
> And now what are you ______________? Get up, be ________________ and wash your sins away, calling on His name." Acts 22:16
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> Anytime someone dies, we bury them. "Therefore we were ____________ with Him through _____________________ into death." Romans 6:4
> We were ___________________ with Him in baptism. Colossians 2:12
D. Resurrection
> The hope we have in God through Jesus is that when we die we will be resurrected to life. We were "buried with Him in baptism and _________________ with Him through _______________ in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead." Colossians 2:12
> We were buried with Him through ______________ into death, in order that just as Christ was _____________________ through the glory of the Father, we too may _____________." Romans 6:4
E. We are forgiven of our sins
> "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ _____________________________." Acts 2:38
Other examples of water baptism
> Philip used the Scriptures to preach Jesus to an Ethiopian eunuch. The next thing he did was teach about water baptism. The eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be _____________?" Acts 8:35,36
> When the Lord opened a women named Lydia's heart to heed the things spoken by Paul, she and her family were ________________. Acts 16:13-15
> Paul's jailer in Philippi got saved when Paul spoke the Word of the Lord to him and all who were in his house. The result was that immediately he and all his family were ____________ Acts 16:30-33
> A man named Crispus believed on the Lord with all his household. The result was that many Corinthians _____________ and were ______________. Acts 18:8
> And now what are you ______________? Get up, be ________________ and wash your sins away, calling on His name." Acts 22:16
Back to Foundations Class