Very Basic Truths Regarding Water Baptism.
- 1. Physical water cannot, itself, affect metaphysical realities: the sins of man cannot be "washed away" by the use of water. [Note Acts 22:16 in respect to what it actually says: "kai nun ti melleis anastas baptisai kai apolousai tas hamartias sou epikalesamenos to onoma autou".]
- 2. Baptism into water is a physical metaphor of the truth of our placement into Christ by the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
- A. According to Romans 6:3-10 , the baptism into water reflects our baptism by the Spirit into Jesus ...
- 1) The reality all men understand: immersion into water will result in physical death if that immersion is permanent. This clearly identifies us with our baptism into the death of Christ, Who, for our sakes, submitted Himself to the death imposed upon Sin by the Law.
- 2) The next reality is something that few men really accept -- arising from the environment of death into Life which signifies our identification with the resurrection from the dead: this is the foundation of the promise of Eternal Life, death having been permanently set aside.
- B. According to multiple records in the Book of Acts, baptism into water is an action taken only after one has "believed"; Acts 10:42-48 [focus upon 10:43] being one of several such texts.
- 3. From these facts, baptism with water becomes a physical level metaphor of what happens when a person "believes" and it is enjoined upon all who believe because it "cements" the spiritual baptism as just as real as the physical baptism.
- 4. We baptize with water because Jesus commanded us to do so ( Matthew 28:19-20 ) as a kind of "first step" in the command to "make disciples".
- 5. And we baptize with water because it is a action that identifies us with the message of the Gospel. [Note Paul's re-baptism of the disciples of John in Acts 19:1-7.]
- A. The Gospel begins with "by grace" alone.
- B. Then it moves to "through faith" alone.
- C. And it ends with Jesus Christ as the sole object of that faith.