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Romans 6:3-7; 3 Or do you not
know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been
baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him
through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the
dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of
life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the
likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of
His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified
with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we
should no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed
from sin.
The Scripture speaks of baptism in several ways in various settings.
For our purposes today we will look at one of those implied in this text. Believer
Baptism
We have seen in our past study that “There is a sense in which
baptism means each believer has been placed into the body of Christ.”
We may call this Holy Spirit Baptism. Today we want to see that
there is a sense in which baptism means each believer is to be
identified with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection by being
immersed in water and thus brought into the fellowship of the local body
of believers, (the local church) administering the baptism. We may
call this Water Baptism or Believer Baptism.
1. The Picture
Romans 6:4,5; 4 “Therefore we have been buried with Him through
baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead
through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5
For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death,
certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection,”
It is of vital importance that we see what is represented in baptism.
a. By Definition
W.E. Vine notes that “baptisma
(bavptisma , (908)), baptism, consisting of
the processes of immersion, submersion and emergence (from baptoµ,
to dip), is used (a) of John’s baptism, (b) of Christian
baptism.”
The fact that the word means to immerse is significant especially as it
depicts the identification with Christ in death, burial and resurrection
as our text states.
b. By Description
Paul uses the language of symbolism as He speaks of being “united
with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in
the likeness of His resurrection.” Likeness comes from the word homoioµma
(oJmoivwma , (3667)) denotes that which is
made like something, a resemblance. Immersion into water is the only
appropriate mode to symbolize identification with death, burial and
resurrection.
2. The Practice
Those who were placed into The Body of Christ at
Pentecost were joined by many others who having professed faith in Christ
were baptized in water. See Acts 2:41 So then, those who had
received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three
thousand souls.
3. The Principal
Why be baptized? The Lord gave instruction known as the Great
Commission. The Local Churches are to take the Gospel to the world and
baptize those who are born from above and receive His Word in faith.
Matthew 28:18-20; 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching
them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age.”
a. It is the Commission of Christ
Himself
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth . . .”
b. It is a Three-fold Command of Christ
1/ Make Disciples
This involves preaching the Gospel and seeing those who believe commit
their lives to Christ as Lord. A disciple is one brought under the
disciplines of another—namely Christ! Today’s “going forward with no
change in one’s life doesn’t cut it in the New Testament.
2/ Baptize the
Believers
These devoted believers are to be baptized (immersed) in water as a
testimony of their two fold identification; with Christ in death, burial
and resurrection, and with His body of believers—the local church. Failure
to submit to Believer Baptism is failure to obey Jesus Christ.
3/ Teach them to be
Followers of Christ
New believers are to be fed and nurtured so that they may grow into
spiritual adulthood and be fitted for service in Christ and His
Have you trusted Him for yourself, personally?
"And
there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven
that has been given among men, by which we must be
saved." Acts
4:12
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