The History of Baptism
- It is true that we do not use instruments in our public worship and we do place a heavy emphasis on the need to be baptized in order to be saved.
- Because of this some think that these two features were invented by us and we are unique in these practices.
IE. - That a cappella music and baptism by immersion is a "Church of Christ" thing.
- For those who are not members of the church this is understandable, but for us who are N.T. Christians, we need to be able to explain and teach about these things clearly. You see brethren:
v Baptism is not a modern religious invention, it has a history as long as Christianity itself and this morning I'd like to review that with you.
I. Purification / Water.
· Water has always been used by God in a symbolic way:
IE. - The Flood - Action and symbol of judgement and purification.
- Moses and the Red Sea - Way to Freedom = Jews
- Way to Judgement = Egypt
- Separates life from death.
· This symbolism crystallized as the priests were appointed to serve at the tabernacle in the desert and part of their preparation for service was to bathe in water as a way of demonstrating their purification from the world and separation for priestly service. Ex. 29: 1-9 - Note the order. (Read)
1. The tabernacle was built.
2. The priestly garments were made.
3. The sacrifices were prepared.
4. The priests were purified with water.
5. The garments then put on.
6. The sacrifices were offered at the tabernacle.
· In this way God taught the people to associate water with spiritual cleansing in preparation for entry into His presence and service.
IE - Washing of hands = innocence DT. 21: 6
- To "be washed form sin" - Ps.51: 2
· Eventually the Jews extended this symbolic purification to those who were being converted to Judaism.
· By the time of Jesus if a Gentile embraced the Jewish religion, he was required to do three things:
1) Be circumcised.
2) Take a ritual bath 7 days after his circumcision.
3) Offer sacrifice at the temple.
· The idea of purification associated with water was not only a Jewish concept; it was practiced among Gentiles as well.
- The oriental mystery religions required a ceremonial cleansing in water (sometimes a rushing stream) in order to be admitted to their religion.
v The point here is that by the time of John the Baptist and Jesus and the Apostle, the association of water and moral purification or new birth or sanctification was a familiar concept in the minds of both Jesus and Gentiles
II. Baptism In The N. T.
A. John The Baptist
· The first mention of baptism in the N. T. is through the preaching of John the Baptist.
- His preaching was a mixture of the old and new:
1. Old Teaching - His life and style of preaching was like the prophets of old (Desert / Hellfire).
- Jesus compared him to Elijah Mt.17: 12
- He commanded that the people be purified from their old sinful lives through water (baptism), an idea they were familiar with from the O.T. and current practice.
2. New Teaching - The promises of the O.T., that a messiah was coming, were about to be fulfilled. (He referred to this as the kingdom being at hand)
- When the Saviour came, He would purify them not with water but with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Mt.3: 11
- The meaning of this became clearer as Jesus and His Apostles began their ministry and preaching.
B. Jesus - We see that …
.. Baptism figures prominently in Jesus' work because it is the first event that takes place in His public ministry. Mt.3: 13-16
- John baptized Him at His insistence and the Father speaks from heaven and the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a dove.
- The only place in Scripture where the Father, Son and Holy Spirit appear simultaneously.
· A new element is added here, that baptism is not only for purification but also a way to respond to the will of the Father, to do what is right.
- Jesus had no sin, no need of purification but needed to do the will of the Father perfectly.
- Baptism was thus shown to be a command of God and Jesus was willing to submit to it to demonstrate His perfect obedience.
- The people did it to show obedience and to be purified - Jesus only for obedience.
· After John's imprisonment and death, Jesus' ministry of miracles and teaching begins to accelerate.
· He continues with John's preaching theme and practice of baptism but now proclaims that the kingdom of God is not just coming, it is now at hand - Mt.4:11
· John says that Jesus, ".. made and baptized more disciples, though He Himself did not baptize." John 4: 1-2
- So Jesus Himself is baptized and carries on the practice in His own ministry before His death on the cross.
· After His death and resurrection the Lord spent 40 days comforting, encouraging and teaching His Apostles.
· Matthew and Mark record one of the important principles that He commanded them to teach and practice after His departure:
- Mt. 28: 18-20 - They were to preach the gospel and make disciples by baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
- They were to teach all of Jesus' commands, including this one to their disciples who were to pass it on to future generations.
- Mk.16: 16-18 - The same command but
this time He establishes
the necessity of obedience
the penalty for disobedience.
· Even though water was used in Jewish and Gentile religious rites, Jesus now takes this practice of Baptism and gives it His own significance, His own conditions.
- Without Jesus' stamp on baptism, it is just water, just symbolism. But as the divine Son of God, Jesus gives baptism its power and true meaning.
v Because of Jesus' words, baptism becomes part of the Christian religion, part of a believer's life, part of the Apostles' preaching, something that can no longer be changed or neglected by man because it now belongs to God.
C. The Apostles.
· Jesus commands baptism but He leaves to the Apostles the task of preaching it, performing it and explaining it.
1. Preaching / Performing Baptism
· The need to be baptized as part of a response to God's offer of salvation is found in all of the preaching of the Apostles.
- Acts 2: 1-38 - Peter's first sermon climaxes with the exhortation to be baptized as a response to the peoples' question " What shall we do?"
.. and he answers, "repent and let each of you be baptized." Acts 2: 38
- Acts 22: 17 - Paul's first action upon believing in Jesus was to be baptized. - during his missionary journeys he baptized those who believed his preaching of the Christ - Act 19: 5
· There are 10 examples in the book of Acts alone where people who have heard the gospel and respond by being baptized.
v You really only need one example of something in Bible to prove your point, God has provided 10 examples to demonstrate baptisms' role and importance in the preaching and response to the gospel.
2. Explaining Baptism
· The book of Acts is a history of the early Church and so it describes what the Apostle said and did.
· As far as baptism is concerned, the Apostles did as Jesus commanded them:
- They preached that people needed to be baptized.
- They baptized the people who believed.
· It is left to the writers of the epistles to explain the significance and meaning of baptism. For example:
A. Baptism as a burial - Rom.6: 3-4 (Read)
• The word baptism comes from a Greek word Batizo which means to dip or immerse.
• The Greeks had another word for the pouring of water or the sprinkling of water is the fact that throughout the N.T. the word baptizo is used tells us that immersion or burial in water is the correct format for baptism.
• In Romans Paul explains why this is so. The burial in water accurately simulates the actual spiritual process taking place.
- Just as Jesus died and was buried and resurrected in His glorified body.
- We die to sin and are also buried in a watery grave and resurrect new creations who will one day receive glorified bodies.
· They are many such explanations of the significance at baptism by other writers.
- Luke says that sins are forgiven and the Holy Spirit is received at baptism - Acts 2:38
- Paul explains that Christians enter the church or the body through baptism - 1Cor. 12:13
- He also describes baptism as the way that one "puts on" Christ or establishes a relationship with Christ. - Gal.3:26
- Peter says that baptism is the way an individual appeals to God for a clear conscience and salvation 1Pet. 3:21
· And so throughout the N.T. the Apostles preach, perform and explain the significance of Baptism.
v Through their efforts the early church carried on the teachings and practice of the Lord concerning this and other facts of the Christian faith.
III. Baptism And The Early Church.
· Although the record of the preaching and practice of the Apostles end at the close of the 1st century, history records that the early church continued faithfully in their examples and teaching.
· In the October 1996 edition of the Christian Chronicle there is an article describing the architecture of 500 early Christian church buildings from the 3 - 5th century AD. Some interesting features:
1. Most shaped in the form of a cross.
2. Style of Roman or Greek administration buildings (Small one 60ft x 45ft x 20)
3. Many were elaborate, marble or polished floors, columns to high ceilings.
4. Certain features.
- Separate halls used for fellowship, meals (at the back)
- Rooms to store items used for benevolence to the poor.
- Large auditorium with benches
- Raised stage area with pulpit and chairs for elders, who sat there during worship.
- Teaching rooms (classrooms)
- Elaborate baptisteries, usually at the side of the building with connected changing rooms
- The baptisteries were very interesting:
- They were made in different designs (cross shaped, round, rectangular etc.)
- Decorated - Fish / water / grapes etc.
- They all had stairs and could contain about 4-5 feet of water.
- Every building had a baptistry and every baptistry was purposefully designed to provide for enough water to immerse.
v The conclusion of course, is that after the Apostolic age the early church continued its practice of water baptism by immersion as had been taught and performed by Jesus and the Apostles before them.
IV. Baptism And The Middle Ages.
· By the fourth and fifth centuries now forms for baptism (pouring and sprinkling) were introduced as the emergence of the Roman Catholic Church developed.
· These practices were carried on well into the Middle Ages until the Protestant reformation.
· With the translation of the Bible into the language of the masses there was a return to the original biblical form of Baptism by total immersion.
- Protestant reformers and scholars understood the original languages and meanings and began to re-introduce the Biblical form of baptism into their religions (baptism by immersion)
· It wasn't until the "Restoration" movement of the 18th century however that the churches of Christ restored not only the original form of baptism (burial in water) but also began to emphasize the original Biblical role and purpose of Baptism:
· Baptism was necessary in order to:
- To become a disciple - Mt.28: 18
- To obey Christ - Mk.16: 16
- To be born again - John 3:5
- To receive forgiveness and the Holy Spirit - Acts 2:38
- To be added to the Church - Acts 2: 47
- To be united to Christ - Gal.3: 26
- To have a clear conscience - 1Pet.3: 21
· These were not "new" ideas, they were Biblical teachings long ignored that were restored as part of the main teachings on baptism in the N.T.
v And so we find ourselves in the modern era teaching and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and including in that preaching the central role baptism as the proper response of faith of one who has believed in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, repented of their sins and is ready to become His disciple.
SUMMARY / INVITATION.
· Whenever there is a debate over the subject of baptism we simply ask people to look at the Bible and see that we are merely teaching what Jesus and the Apostles and the early church taught about this subject.
- And we must do this because the Bible also commands that we must not add, subtract or change anything contained in God's word (Rev.22: 18-20)
- Hopefully we have followed this instruction in all matters including the teachings on baptism.
· On the basis of this lesson I ask that you review carefully the reasons why you were baptized and the way it was done.
- If you were not baptized by immersion then your baptism is not Jesus' baptism, not according to God's word and you need to be re-baptized.
In addition to this…
- If you did it for reasons other than what I mentioned today, other than reason contained in the N.T., then even if you were immersed, you've done it for the wrong reason - need to be re-baptized
- Baptism is to be done for the right reason and in the correct manner.
v If you realize that you need:
- to be baptized
- to be re-baptized
- restored
- need to study it more.
…come forward now or contact me after.