Acts 8:36b
"Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"
The subject of "water baptism" may be one that is entirely new to you. Or, depending on your background and upbringing, could be a confusing topic as many denominations and churches teach it differently. This booklet is designed to answer common questions people have and present the heart of the matter from scripture to you. We won't be able to cover every question or situation in these pages, but if you have any further questions, this can be worked out with an elder of Hope Rock Church.
Above all, if you have put your faith in Jesus, we would like to encourage you to be baptized!
Justified by faith alone because of Christ alone
It is of primary importance to start by laying the foundation that the Bible tells us salvation is achieved by Jesus Christ, and by having faith in Jesus and Jesus alone. Baptism does not bring salvation to you, but we will see that it is nevertheless an important component of a life in Christ.
Romans 3:26 says that God is the one who is "just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:26.) To be "justified" is to be "made right before God". God makes us right by forgiving our sins because of what Jesus did on the cross.
God has made a clear way of salvation. It is a way that is not dependent on our ability to be righteous (we all fail at that) but is dependent on Christ’s life, work, death and resurrection: all of which happened in history.
Isaiah 51:5-6
"But he [Jesus] was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
1. When Jesus died on the cross, he became a substitute for the punishment due to us.
He stood in for us and represented us to God, so that his victory over death and sin - evidenced by his resurrection - becomes our victory, through faith in Him.
2. When He died on the cross, He became sin for us
2 Corinthians 5:21
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
This is the Great Exchange – Jesus knew no sin and never sinned, but on the cross He became sin, suffering the punishment of it, so that your sin would not be judged and you would not be punished. He took your sin and in exchange you received His perfect righteousness. Think about that – God sees you as righteous before him, because of Jesus! This is what we mean when we say Jesus justified you before God and your sins are forgiven. This is all yours simply by believing in Jesus!
What Happens When We Trust Christ by Faith?
1. By trusting Jesus, we spiritually enter into his death and die to the law.
What this means is we died to what was condemning us – God’s standard, His law. We are no longer judged by God’s law but are judged by Jesus’ work, which was perfect. "You also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the de I ad, in order that we may bear fruit for God." (Romans 7:4.) So you live your life free from condemnation – you need no longer live with guilt! It’s all been paid for! The law no longer accuses you because you are in Christ!
Of course, if we do not put our faith in Jesus, we stand condemned because we are still trying to live by our own righteousness, and therefore the law accuses us. We remain prisoners to sin. "But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe." (Galatians 3:22). Therefore, salvation comes by faith, not via any works you do!
2. By trusting Jesus, we are also spiritually raised with him and are set free from sin.
God vindicated Jesus even though mankind condemned him to the cross, by raising him from the dead. "For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin." (Romans 6: 5-7) You were once a slave to sin, you are now no longer under any obligation to obey your old desires and those things that hold us all captive. You can live the life of Jesus in this world!
3. By trusting Jesus, you enter into His Kingdom and inherit the victory He secured over evil in this world.
Colossians 2:15 (NIV) says, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Evil, which is ultimately spiritual (demonic), exhausted itself on Jesus, trying to get Him to call down judgment on mankind. But instead he cried “Father, forgive them!” (Luke 23:34.) When we believe in Jesus, the spiritual powers of evil have no further claim on us. We are brought out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9) - and now, as God’s people filled with His Spirit, we push back this darkness as we advance and multiply His Kingdom.
All this shows us that we enter into Jesus' eternal life through faith in Him. We are given the Holy Spirit and are united into Him. Dying and being raised with Jesus means you are "born again" (John 3:3). You are saved! Then the promise goes further: one day when we physically die, we will also be raised with Him physically.
The theological phrase for this Great Exchange, this setting us free, is “justification by faith alone”. The only way you are justified is not by your work but by your faith – by believing in Jesus, which is His work done in you as well (John 6:44). There is no other way, no loophole, no law or code or work that saves you. You are justified by faith alone because of Christ alone.
How Salvation Relates to Baptism
Ephesians 2:8-9
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
We are not saved by any work, including baptism. We are only saved by Jesus, which we access through faith and because of God's grace.
Baptism in water is therefore not an act that grants you salvation or can guarantee a "ticket to heaven". Rather, it is a necessary act in response to the salvation God already gives you in Jesus once you come to faith in Him.
It is a 'necessary' act because the scriptures command us to do it. Even more, it is an act that represents all mentioned above - baptism represents that you "die with Christ" (going under the water) and then are "raised" with Him (coming back up).
We will now unpack why it is important, but we need to reiterate that:
A. God does not 'love you more' if you are baptized. You were loved already - that's why Jesus died for you! (John 3:16)
B. You can't be baptized and think you need not believe in Jesus or live a life in accord with the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a sign of your commitment. It is not a religious ritual that guarantees you anything. God is not interested in ritual but in relationship!
Yet, baptism is very important for this relationship. We will now see why.
Water baptism is important for the following four reasons:
1. It is a picture of what has happened
When we have faith in Jesus we are "baptized into Christ" (Galatians 3:27). The word "baptism" comes from the Greek word "baptiso" which means "to immerse, dip, plunge into or bury" and is always used in its intensive form, meaning to completely submerge. You are completely submerged into Christ. Romans 6:3-11 puts it in several ways:
"3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
“5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”
Going under the water depicts how we are united with Christ in His death, dying to ourselves, and coming up again depicts how we are united with Christ in His resurrection, living our new life. It is a graphic depiction of what has happened to you and an objective event in our lives that we can look back on and remember. This is especially helpful when we are struggling with whether we have really been saved!
2. It is a picture of what will happen
It is not only a picture of what has happened to us in our past, but also a picture of our hope to come, where we will physically be resurrected from the dead.
Romans 6 continues:
9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."
3. It is a public confession
Coming to faith in Christ Jesus means that, for the first time, you realize that you are personally to blame for the sins you've committed (you 'repent' of your sins) and that no good works of any kind will actually put you into the right with God or even yourself. Jesus began His preaching saying, "The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15.)
However, to repent does not mean that you are sorry for your sins and will, from now, be a good person. That approach means you still are trying to live up to God's standards in your own righteousness. Instead, it means to place your faith fully and only in Christ. You cannot rely on your own works to save you. You can't make yourself good enough for eternal life. Nothing and no-one can justify you except God himself, just as Ephesians 2:8-9 says above.
Once you have faith in Jesus, the next step is always water baptism, as it is a public declaration of your faith; a public confession of your commitment to Jesus. It is the outward and visible sign of your inward, and unseen, rebirth. So invite your family when you get baptized. This is it, you're committing to a new life here.
4. It is joining with God's people
Ephesians 4:
"1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
"4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
Water baptism is a public commitment to God's people, the Church of Jesus Christ. It is publicly saying that you now identify as a Christian, as part of God's Church, and will be committed to the further work of God's Kingdom in the world and the unity of God's church, bearing with others in love, and walking in the calling God will give you.
As we can see, water baptism depicts a spiritual reality that takes place when you come to faith in Jesus. It's not more than this, but it is also not less. It is not a light matter as it represents a life-long commitment to Christ.
Got more questions on water baptism?
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All scripture quotations are ESV, unless otherwise indicated.