The Reason We Need To Be Baptized In Water

 

The Reason We Need To Be Baptized In Water

Rev Gary L Evensen

20Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

1 Peter 3:20-21

When the subject of water baptism is brought up there are a great number of trains of thought on the subject.

Some teach:

  • Baptism is to join a church
  • Baptism is to be born into the kingdom of God
  • Baptism is an outward confession of an inward faith
  • Baptism is unnecessary for salvation
  • Baptism is necessary for salvation
  • Baptism is optional
  • Baptism is not optional
  • Baptism is done by sprinkling
  • Baptism is done by immersion
  • Baptism is done with rose petals (no joke)
  • Baptism is performed silently
  • Baptism is performed by calling on the name of the Lord

Some are similar some are contradictory, and really the fact of the matter is mans teachings do not govern the Word of God, but the Word of God governs mans teachings.

Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16:19

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matthew 16:19 (KJV)

The Apostle Peter was given the power to bind and loose the keys to the kingdom of heaven but no other Apostle, no other man, no angel in heaven, was given that authority.

It was no coincidence that the Apostle Peter preached the 1st sermon on the day of Pentecost when he culminated his message after the people were under conviction in Acts 2:37-39 and said:

“Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

38Then 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. 39For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Acts 2:37-39 (NKJV)

The people called out what shall we do??

And the words that the Apostle Peter spoke were, according to the words of Christ, then bound in heaven.

The words that the Apostle Peter spoke did not contradict the words of Christ!

But rather he fulfilled the words of Christ!

There are 3 references to Water Baptism in the Gospels, they are:

  • Matthew 28:19
  • Mark 16:16
  • Luke 24:47

The Apostle Peter fulfilled all three when he spoke those famous words on the day of Pentecost when he told them:

38Then 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 (NKJV)

Lets compare the words of the Apostle Peter to the 3 scriptures to the gospels.

Starting with Luke 24:47 Jesus said:

47And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luke 24:47

In the first sermon of the church age, Peter said repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (some versions translate remission as forgiveness)

Jesus said repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name beginning at Jerusalem.

The words of Peter fulfilled the words of Christ in 4 areas

  • 1- He preached repentance
  • 2- He preached the remission (forgiveness) of sins
  • 3- He preached that baptism should be administered in his name
  • 4- He preached this for the 1st time at Jerusalem

The Apostle Peter fulfilled the words of Christ in Luke 24:47

In Mark 16:16 Jesus said:

16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Mark 16:16 KJV

While the scripture does not say he that believeth and is not baptized shall be damned, baptism is an act of faith that we perform because we believe. Obviously an unbeliever would not consider being baptized and because of the importance of water baptism as stated in our text scripture would be damned!

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us
1 Peter 3:21 KJV

The Apostle Peter again fulfilled the words of Christ in Mark 16:16

In Matthew 28:19 Jesus said:

19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Matthew 28:19 (KJV)

As we look at this scripture we see an apparent contradiction between Acts 2:38 and Matthew 28:19, but really there is no contradiction, the Apostle Peter fulfilled the words of Christ rather than merely repeating them.

The 1st thing to note is that Jesus told them to baptize them in the NAME (singular), not NAMES (plural).

STRONGS CONCORDANCE G3686
ὄνομα
onoma on’-om-ah
From a presumed derivative of the base of G1097 (compare G3685); a “name” (literally or figuratively), (authority, character):—called, (+ sur-) name (-d).

If you look up the word name ( Greek onoma)you find the Greek definition means the name (literally or figuratively) — the called surname.

Father, Son and Holy Ghost are not called surnames they are titles

The word title in the English language means:

A formal appellation attached to the name of a person or family by virtue of office, rank, hereditary privilege, noble birth, or attainment or used as a mark of respect.

The Word name in the English language means:

A word or words by which an entity is designated and distinguished from others.

A title and a name are 2 different things.

An Idiom in the English language is used like this:

By the authority of: Open up in the name of the law!

The scripture in Matthew 28:19 is written as an idiom, or more simply put an expression, but meant to be fulfilled by an action!

People make this scripture very complex but its very simple, and the simpleness is found in what is the NAME (singular) of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost?

The scripture declares that there is only One God and the titles Father, Son, and Holy Ghost all describe that one God, so the phrase in Matthew 28:19 simply describes the one name of the one God.

The a prophetical utterance the prophet Zechariah wrote:

9And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one
Zechariah 14:9

We do not have 3 names of God, Father is not a name, Holy Ghost is not a name, but we know that the name of the Son is Jesus, and prophet prophesied his name would be one.

As the Apostles told the religious rulers of there day when the lame man at the temple received his healing in Acts 3

16And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong,
Acts 3:16 KJV

It’s the same working of faith that is evident when we are baptized in his name.

It’s his name through faith in his name when applied in water baptism that results in the remission of sins!

It wasn’t faith in his title as Son, It was faith in his name Jesus!

Again The Apostle Peter fulfilled the words of Christ in Matthew 28:19

As we continue in this study there is a concept that we need to understand, and that concept is that the blood of Jesus Christ is applied to your sins for the 1st time when you are baptized.

This is why the scripture declares that we are baptized for the remission of our sins.

Some versions speak of remission, some forgiveness but if we look into the Greek we find a deeper meaning

G859
ἄφεσις
aphesis af’-es-is
From G863; freedom; (figuratively) pardon:—deliverance, forgiveness, liberty, remission.

The penalty of sin is removed at baptism, the Greek aphesis speaks of deliverance, pardon, liberty and freedom!

This is why people speak of a freedom and cleanliness they feel when they are baptized in Jesus name because they have been delivered and pardoned from there sins and have received liberty and freedom when there sins were remitted in the waters of baptism.

When you are baptized in Jesus name the chains of sin which had you bound are broken and you receive freedom over those things

4Therefore we were 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. 5For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin.
Romans 6:4-7 (NKJV)

The chains are broken through water baptism but it takes the infilling of the spirit of God for you to live for God and stay free from sin??

How is that possible, because the wages of sin are death, and the blood being applied to your life through baptism frees you from your final destiny which was judgment of sin!

Think of the dirtiest, nastiest things that you have done in your life.

By faith the blood is applied to your life at the time of baptism, and you are free and clean from all past sins which you have committed, even the dirtiest nastiest things are washed away.

It was not coincidence that when Jesus was dying on the cross and the soldier thrust the spear in his side that water and blood came out

34But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
John 19:34 KJV

The scripture declares:

7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Ephesians 1:7 KJV

This is why our text scripture read:

21The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us
1 Peter 3:21 KJV

Because it’s the application of the blood in our life!

1 Corinthians 10:1-2 speaks about baptism of old

1Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
1 Corinthians 10:1-2 (NKJV)

Passing through the Red Sea was a type of Water Baptism

Hebrews speaks of this:

29By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
Hebrews 11:29 KJV

Do you ever wonder why it was called the RED sea, its another type of the blood in the water.

The Egyptians which are a typology of sin in the OT, could not pass through the blood.

When your sins are remitted at the waters of baptism you are freed from them and the ensuing judgment and sin has no more dominion over you, because you’ve been freed from sin.

In 1st John 5:8 the scripture declares there are 3 that bear witness on the earth, the Spirit, The Water and the Blood. And these three agree.

When you baptized have faith in his name, have faith in his blood, that through the waters of baptism your sins will be remitted.

Baptism is more than joining a church, it’s the birth of the water as spoken of in John 3 which will be the topic of another lesson.