Vince Lombardi was one of the most famous American football coaches of all time. In
fact, the ultimate trophy in that sport is named after him. He had great success in the
college ranks as a coach, but one day he got the opportunity to coach in the professional
league. The players were skeptical of one who had no professional experience. The team
he was hired to coach had not had a very good record. It is said that on the first day of
practice Lombardi walked into the locker room and held up a football and said, “Boys,
this is a football.” Imagine how ridiculous that had to sound to some of those players
who had been playing football their entire lives. His point was that in order for them
to be successful they had to get back to the fundamentals and play the game correctly.
They ended up winning several championships under his leadership.
One of the fundamental teachings of the New Testament is baptism. “Therefore, leaving
the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not
laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of
the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of
eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits” (Hebrews 6:1-3). Nearly every Christian
denomination teaches baptism and emphasizes it to one degree or another. However, there
is a lot of disagreement over this very basic teaching of the Bible, which is why we have
to keep coming back to such a basic subject. This is sad, as this is the same issue the
Hebrew Christians were facing two thousand years ago. We want to study that fundamental
teaching in this video to see if we can come to a better understanding.
There are four questions we will ask and answer as part of this study. First, we will ask,
What is baptism? Second, What does baptism do? Third, What does baptism NOT do? And last,
What does baptism mean? We hope you will have your Bible and study along with us.
First, what is baptism? Two thousand years ago when someone used the word “baptize”
there was not the confusion there is today. Public use of words brings about changes in
definitions. For example: the word “naughty” used to mean that someone was extremely poor;
they had naught. Today we know it to mean that someone is misbehaving. If we want to
know what someone means we have to let them define the terms so that we can come to an
understanding regarding their meaning. Since the Bible was originally written in Hebrew,
Aramaic and Greek, those who translate it into English must use words that will help
us understand what the original authors meant. The Greek word for baptize is “baptiso.”
However, when the Bible was translated into English several hundred years ago, “baptiso”
was never translated; it was transliterated. In other words, the translators invented an
English word by changing the Greek letters into English letters: “baptiso” to “baptize.”
So if we can find out what baptiso meant 2,000 years ago we can know what it means today.
In every New Testament example of baptism it is always a burial. For example, Acts 8:36-39
reads, “Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said,
‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’ Then Philip said, ‘If
you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip
and the enuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.” They both went down into
the water so Philip could immerse him. Romans 6:4, “Therefore we were buried with Him
through baptism…” And Colossians 2:9-12, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting
off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him
in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God,
who raised Him from the dead.” We can reason from this that God has never intended or authorized
sprinkling, or pouring water over a person to be a substitute for biblical baptism, just
as we would not consider a sprinkling or pouring of a little dirt on an object as a proper
burial.
Today people use the word “baptize” to mean simply a religious ceremony where one
joins a church by having water poured or sprinkled over them, but that was not the case 2,000
years ago. The word meant to immerse then, and it still means it today. So we know what
Jesus meant when He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned”
(Mark 16:15-16).
Second, what does baptism do? First, it takes away your sins. “Then Peter said to them,
Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). And again
in Acts 22:16, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your
sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Baptism washes away our sins.
The Bible also teaches that baptism saves you and adds you to the church. 1 Peter 3:21,
“There is also an antitype which now saves us – baptism (not the removal of the filth
of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ.” It is at the point of baptism that, through the resurrection of Jesus, one is
saved from his sins. No doubt we would all agree that one must first believe, repent
and confess, but it is in baptism where our sins are removed. Not only that, but when
one is saved, he is added to the group of other saved individuals. Peter, on the day
of Pentecost, answered the question of those who realized they were lost in sin and asked,
“What can we do?”, told them to repent and be baptized. Then notice what took place:
“And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from
this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40). It is worth noting here that though they believed
and were told to repent and be baptized, they were not saved yet. But notice the next verse:
“Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand
souls were added to them” (Acts 2:41). The question is: To what were they added? The
Bible gives the answer a few verses later. “Praising God and having favor with all
the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts
2:47). When souls are baptized into Christ they are saved and Jesus adds them to His
church.
Third, baptism gives rebirth. Notice the words of Titus 3:3-5, “For we ourselves were also
once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice
and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God
our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”
God’s kindness, love and mercy work through the washing in baptism to give us a clean
slate! Wouldn’t it be great to know that all the regrets of your past have been forgiven?
Listen to the guilt of those were there on the day of Pentecost: “Therefore let all
the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both
Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Paul described what those in the Corinthian church had been
like before they were saved. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit
the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers,
nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you
were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). They were washed clean from their
sins.
Fourth, it puts you into Christ where all spiritual blessings are found. “For you
are all the sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized
into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). And once we are in Christ, we can
enjoy all the spiritual blessings that are found there: “Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
That is what baptism does, but now let us notice what baptism does NOT do. First, baptism
does not take away all your problems. I have baptized people in prison, and when I left
they stayed behind. Just because one is baptized into Christ does not mean that the problems
of life will not still come.
Second, baptism does not change your physical environment. If you are baptized, you will
not automatically get a new job, nicer house, or a raise. God will bless you with the things
you need, but baptism does not change things physically.
Third, it does not make temptation go away. There are many who believe they must overcome
all the temptations of life before they can obey the gospel. And yes, repentance is involved
in our salvation. We must make a determination to turn away from our sinful lifestyle, but
don’t think you will no longer have any desire for the fleshly things that ruined
your relationship with God in the first place. However, once you are in Christ, there will
be a big difference: “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness,
we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us
from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His
word is not in us. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not
sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the
whole world” (1 John 1:6-2:2). For those of us who are in Christ, we now have Jesus
on our side helping us overcome sin, and going to the Father on our behalf.
Last, what does baptism mean? Many argue that those who believe sins are washed away in
baptism take away from the grace of God, and the necessity of faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing
could be further from the truth. We know that we are saved by God’s wonderful grace, “For
by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift
of God” (Ephesians 3:8). However, God tells us how to access His grace so that we can
be saved. We symbolically go through the sacrifice that Christ made for us. “Or do you not
know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
Therefore we are buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we
also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:3-4). Baptism is a representation
of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. When one is baptized the old person he or
she used to be, and all his or her sins, die and are buried. A new person rises up from
that watery grave to walk in a new life.
We have seen what baptism is, what it does, what it does not do and what it means. We
hope that you will examine the Scriptures we have shared with you and study this further.
If we can be of more help, please contact us.