Baptism, A Burial

Text—Rom. 6:3-4

Introduction

A.   Baptism has become a controversial subject

1.   Some don’t understand the idea of water connected to salvation.

2.   Some don’t think baptism is necessary at all.

3.   Read Racoon Smith story.

 

B.   We hammer on it because no one else will.

1.   We don’t believe in Baptism Only.

2.   We know there are other steps required; belief, repentance, confession, and living faithfully

 

C.   We’ll look at the different modes of baptism.

 

I.           The Different Modes of Baptism

A.   Baptism; an outward sign

1.   Sinner’s Prayer

a.   Accept Jesus as personal savior.

"Jesus, I believe that you are the holy Son of God. I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and that you rose from the dead. You are my salvation. Please wash all my sins away and make me a child of God. I give my life to you today. Amen"

From the tract: "What Is Meant By Salvation?"

 

b.   How does a prayer wash away sins?

c.    Baptism is “showing” of your salvation.

 

2.   Faith alone

a.   Contradicted in scripture Jas. 2:17,22,24

b.   Belief, Confession, Repentance, etc.

 

B.   A Christening

1.   Webster’s Dictionary definition

2.   A dedication of a child

3.   Christening of a boat

 

B.   Pouring (Affusion)

1.   According to document known at the Didache, pouring or affusion was acceptable if there wasn’t enough water present.

2.   By 2nd century became widely acceptable

3.   Pour 3 times; Father, Son, Holy Spirit

4.   Bible examples—

a.   ISBE—On the other hand affusion is certainly a more vivid picture of the bestowal of the Holy Spirit which is equally symbolized in baptism. No definite information is given of the mode in which baptism was administered in apostolic times. Such phrases as "coming up out of the water," "went down into the water" (Mk. 1:10; Acts 8:38) are as applicable to affusion as to immersion.

 

                                                                                                 i.    “Pour out my spirit” (Joel 2:28-29)

                                                                                               ii.    “Coming up out” = The spirit descended on Jesus after he came out of the water.

                                                                                              iii.    How do you pour (water) the H.S. on a person if Jesus received it afterwards?

 

b.   Cornelius and Jailer.

                                                                                                 i.    Speculation: Not enough water to immerse

                                                                                               ii.    Poured instead.

 

 

C.   Sprinkling (Aspersion)

1.   Catholic—Pope doctrine

a.   257 AD—Baptism by sprinkling for adults instead of immersion first used as an exception for those on sick beds, but it caused great dispute.

 

b.   753 AD—Baptism by sprinkling for those on sick beds officially accepted.

 

c.    1311 AD—Baptism by sprinkling accepted as the universal standard instead of immersion for all, not just the sick. (Council of Ravenna)

 

d.   Sprinkle 3 times; Father, Son, Holy Spirit

 

2.   It is not the amount of the water or the method of its application which can cleanse from sin: "Whence it appears that the sprinkling also of water prevails equally with the washing of salvation .... and that where the faith of the giver and receiver is sound, all things hold and may be consummated and perfected by the majesty of God and by the truth of faith." (ISBE, Baptism—Non-immersion, Cyprian)

 

3.   Bible support for Sprinkling

a.   Ezek. 36:25-26,

"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

 

b.   Num. 19:12-13,

'He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him.

 

                                                                                                 i.    For someone touching a dead body

                                                                                               ii.    Purification, not forgiveness of sins

                                                                                              iii.    Not used for everyone

 

D.  What about infant baptism?

1.   200 AD--Immersion of infants who are dying, but considered sinless. (Tertullian V.12)

 

2.   416 AD--Infant baptism by immersion commanded of all infants (Council of Mela, Austin was the principal director)

 

3.   Bible support

a.   Excerpt from ISBE…

In the Old Testament, promises to parents included their children. In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost Peter declares to his hearers that the gospel promise is "to you and to your children" and connects this with the invitation to baptism (Acts 2:38-39). It is also noteworthy that children shared in the Jewish baptism of proselytes.

Then we find in the New Testament narratives of baptisms that "households" were baptized--of Lydia (Acts 16:15), of the jailer at Philippi (Acts 16:32), of Stephanas (1Cor. 1:16). It is never said that the children of the household were exempted from the sacred rite. One has only to remember the position of the head of the household in that ancient world, to recollect how the household was thought to be embodied in its head, to see how the repentance and faith of the head of the household was looked upon as including those of all the members, not merely children but servants, to feel that had the children been excluded from sharing in the rite the exclusion would have seemed such an unusual thing that it would have at least been mentioned and explained.

(On PPT) Our Lord expressly made very young children the types of those who entered into His kingdom (Mk. 10:14-16); and Paul so unites parents with children in the faith of Christ that he does not hesitate to call the children of the believing husband or wife "holy," and to imply that the children had passed from a state of "uncleanness" to a state of "holiness" through the faith of a parent. (ISBE, Baptism—Non-immersion)

 

b.   Denom. Use Mk. 10 as scriptural authority to baptize infants and small children.

 

                                                                                     i.        Doesn’t say they were baptized.

                                                                                   ii.        They were blessed by Jesus.

                                                                                  iii.        If taken literally, then all of the disciples, and others, would be condemned for they didn’t receive it as a little child.

                                                                                  iv.        Vs. 15 represents the mindset of an individual; innocent and humble like a child.

 

c.    If there are no children in the house, then it isn’t a household?

 

                                                                                     i.        How many people make up a household?

 

                                                                                   ii.        How do we know that there were infants in both locations?

 

d.   But the bible says, Ezek. 18:20, soul that sins

                                                                                                 i.    How can a man be responsible for the sins of a child?

 

                                                                                               ii.    They can teach them, yes. But they can’t answer for them.

 

                                                                                              iii.    Remember RACOON JOHN SMITH STORY

 

e.   Mk. 16:16, “He who believes…”

                                                                                     i.        Can an infant believe?

                                                                                   ii.        Do they understand the concept of sin?

 

 

E.   Immersion

1.   Greek word—Baptizo: To baptize, primarily a frequentative form of bapto, to dip, was used among the Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment, or the drawing of water by dipping a vessel into another, etc.

 

a.   Plutarchus uses it of the drawing of wine by dipping the cup into the bowl (Alexis, 67)

 

b.   Plato, metaphorically, of being overwhelmed with questions. (Euthydemus, 277)

 

                                                                                                 i.    If overwhelmed, can sprinkled be used?

 

                                                                                               ii.    What about pouring?

 

2.   Example: A dipped cone

a.   Ice cream tipped upside down

b.   Dipped into chocolate

c.    Not sprinkled nor poured

 

 

II.         What about Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:12?

1.   Commentary for non-immersion…

 

·        Cannot affirm that immersion was the universal mode of baptism

 

·         The other manner of baptizing, by pouring or sprinkling water, sufficiently expresses the same two things: our being by this ordinance purified from the guilt of sin, and bound and qualified to keep ourselves pure from the defilement of it.

 

·         he seems here to allude to the manner of baptizing in those warm Eastern countries, which was to dip or plunge the party baptized, and as it were to bury him for a while under water.

 

2.   Unite with him in his death, Vs. 5

                                                                       a.    Raised from the water, physical

                                                                       b.    Raised from the dead, spiritual

 

3.   You can’t raise someone from the water having been sprinkled or poured.

 

4.   Immersion then is your only correct mode.

 

 

III.      Purpose of baptism

A.   Wash away sins—Acts 22:16

 

B.   Added to the church—Acts 2:42

 

C.   Importance of Baptism in conversion—Show chart for Book of Acts

 

1.   If baptism isn’t important, why was everyone baptized in scripture?

 

2.   Why did Luke write in Acts 2:47, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved”? Those who were baptized were saved.

 

3.  Why did Paul say in Gal. 3:26, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ”?

Conclusion

        Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38