Water Baptism?

What is the significance of Water Baptism?

About to have one on study, but just wondering what its significance is in light of the new testament

Baptism is to be immersed under water.
It symbolizes our death to self and to
sin through Christ and when we are
raised up from the water we are raised
to walk in new life with HIM!!

In my early church days at Abbott Loop Christian Center in Alaska we had a man named Jim Feeney that taught on water baptism, and it's importance for every saved person. I loved to listen to him every time because it was such a powerful in truth.

Jesus is our example and here is what He said:

Mat 3:13 ¶ Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer [it to be so] now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

In water baptism we go down into a watery grave and come up to walk in newness of life. It is very important to be water baptized.

Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection:

and these verses also:

Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [him] through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Act 10:44 ¶ While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Act 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them] about three thousand souls.

Act 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Act 8:38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Act 9:17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, [even] Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

Act 10:47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Act 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed [their] stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

Act 18:8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

Act 19:5 When they heard [this], they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Act 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

The huge volume of scripture that speaks of water baptism is enough to show it's importance.

I just read a biography about Sundar Singh and how water baptism sent his family and neighbors into a rage against him, even trying to poison him, because baptism is an outward sign of an inward condition of the heart. It speaks of death to the world and life unto God. Newness of life.

I have seen some churches that set very little importance, if any, on this wonderful provision, and they seem to be shallow, weak, and worldly in their walks. I have also seen times where the enemy of our souls has really tried to hinder folks from intering in to this provision, because it is a turning point.

It is, in my opinion, and as far as I see in the word, of vital importance. The old man goes down into that watery grave and comes up to walk in newness of life. The old man is hit with a death blow. It is a cutting off of the past and a new era has dawned.

Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Baptism makes this possible.

I am so amazed. I did a search on Jim Feeney and water baptism and this is what I came up with. I last saw him speak this in maybe 1978, wow. Here is the link, but I'm going to cut and paste the message for others to read.

http://www.jimfeeney.org/waterbaptism.html

Water Baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Who, When, Why, and How of Water Baptism
by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.

I. Who may be baptized?

A. Believers may be baptized.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16)

See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.... And he baptized him. (Acts 8:36-38 KJV)

"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved."...He and all his family were baptized...they had come to believe in God. (Acts 16:30-34)

B. Those who have repented of their sins may be baptized.

Repent, and be baptized. (Acts 2:38)

C. There is no infant baptism recorded or taught in the New Testament.

1. Belief and repentance are required before water baptism. Infants are incapable of these things.

2. Acts 16:30-34 says the jailer "and all his family" were baptized.

a. Advocates of infant baptism presuppose that the family included one or more small children.

b. Verse 34 says, however, that the whole family "had come to believe in God". That would preclude babies, who are still incapable of such faith.

II. When should such repentant Christian believers be baptized?

Water baptism comes immediately upon receiving Jesus Christ as Savior.

Those who accepted his message were baptized. (Acts 2:41)

When they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized. (Acts 8:12)

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. (Acts 8:37-38 KJV)

The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." (Acts 16:14-15)

Many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized. (Acts 18:8)

Repent and be baptized. (Acts 2:38)

III. Why should believers be baptized?

A. Jesus commanded it.

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 28:19)

B. Water baptism was apostolic doctrine and practice.

Repent and be baptized. (Acts 2:38, Peter speaking)

So he ordered that they be baptized. (Acts 10:48, Peter speaking)

I also baptized the household of Stephanas. (I Cor. 1:16, Paul speaking)

C. We are baptized into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God. (Col. 2:12)

Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. (Rom. 6:3-5)

D. There is a remission of our sins (including a "release from" them [Amplified Bible]) in water baptism.

Repent...and be baptized...for the forgiveness of and release from your sins. (Acts 2:38 Amplified Bible)

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death....Our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (Rom. 6:4-7)

E. The triune name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit— that is, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19)— is invoked upon the person being baptized. An extensive discussion of this truth will follow in Section V.

IV. How Should Christians be Baptized?

A. By full immersion in water. Immersion baptism is the single, correct, biblical method.

At that time Jesus...was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water... (Mark 1:9-10)

Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. (John 3:23)

B. The Greek word for baptize (baptizo) means to fully immerse something in a fluid.

1. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words states that the word baptizo is a form of the word bapto, meaning to dip, and was used among the Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment, or the drawing of water by dipping a vessel into another.

2. Vine's sets forth the noun form as follows: "baptisma ... baptism, consisting of the process of immersion, submersion and emergence (from bapto, to dip)."

C. The fact that water baptism is to be by full immersion is further validated by its being likened biblically to a burial.

We were therefore buried with him through baptism. (Rom. 6:4)

Having been buried with him in baptism. (Col. 2:12)

V. In what name should Christians be baptized?

A. Christians should be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (which name is) the Lord Jesus Christ.

He commanded them to be baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 10:48 Lamsa)

They were baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 19:5 Lamsa)

Acts 10:48 and Acts 19:5 also read the full triune name— Lord Jesus Christ— in the Syriac Peshitta Bible of the church of the East.

B. Jesus commanded baptism to be in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). Since these are titles, not names, let's see how the hearers (as recorded in Acts) understood and applied Jesus' words. (Quotes from King James Version.)

God hath made ... Jesus... both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36)
Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38) Note: The full name had just been revealed in vs. 36!

...and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized... (Acts 8:12)
They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 8:16) Note: Again, the full name Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in the context.

Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all). (Acts 10:36)
Be baptized in the name of the Lord. (Acts 10:48) Note: baptism in the full three-part name spoken to the hearers in vs. 36.

That is, on Christ Jesus. (Acts 19:4)
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 19:5) Note: Again, all three portions of the name are in the context.

C. God is a trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus said to baptize in the name of the trinity— the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). That triune name is (the) Lord Jesus Christ.

1. The name of the Father is Lord.

I am the Lord; that is my name! (Isa. 42:8)

The Lord who formed it [the earth] and established it— the Lord is his name. (Jer. 33:2, brackets added for emphasis here and throughout this chapter)

The Lord [Father] said to my Lord [Jesus]. (Acts 2:34)

2. The name of the Son is Jesus.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matt. 1:21)

3. The name Christ (Greek: Christos), frequently applied to Jesus, is the name wherein the Holy Spirit, the anointing, is identified.

How God anointed [Greek: chrio] Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 10:38)

Christ [Greek: Christos] in you, the hope of glory. (Col. 1:27) Note: Jesus is in heaven, the Holy Spirit is in us!

The anointing [Greek: chrisma] you received from him [that is the Holy Spirit's anointing] remains in you. (John 2:27)

4. "God has made this Jesus...both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36).

a. He is the Lord Jesus Christ.

b. This full triune name first occurs here, Acts 2:36. It does not occur in the four gospels.

c. This name— Lord Jesus Christ— is the one understood by the apostles to be spoken at water baptism.

d. This name captures the fullness of the Holy Trinity— the lordship of the Father, Jesus the Son, and the anointing (Christ) aspect of the Holy Spirit!

D. God has given Jesus a name— Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:36)— a name that signifies the trinity's fullness dwelling bodily in Jesus.

God...gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. (Phil. 2:9-11)

God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus]. (Col. 1:19)

In Christ all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form. (Col. 2:9)

The name Lord Jesus Christ means more than the second person of the trinity. It speaks of the fullness of Deity (Col. 2:9)— the fullness of Father, Son and Holy Spirit— dwelling bodily in Jesus and signified by that triune name— the Lord Jesus Christ!

E. Biblically, then, we baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit— (the name of) the Lord Jesus Christ.

F. Baptizing in the name does not merely mean doing it in the authority of. It means invoking the name; it means speaking the name aloud. In the 'great commission,' Jesus said, "In my name they will drive out demons...they will place their hands on sick people." The apostles did this by invoking the name, speaking aloud his name. The same should be done at water baptism.

In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. (Acts 3:6, Peter to the cripple)

Finally Paul...said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" (Acts 16:18)

VI. Should Christians be Re-Baptized if They have not been Baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ?

A. Yes! In Acts 19:1-5 the new converts in Ephesus had believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and had received water baptism. But Paul discovered that they had only been baptized by the baptism of John, which was a pre-Christian baptism. So he instructed them and then had them baptized again, and this time in Christian baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

By what baptism then were you baptized? They said, By the baptism of John. Then said Paul, John verily baptized the people with the baptism of repentance, saying to them that they should believe on him who should come after him, that is, Jesus Christ. When they heard these things, they were baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 19:3-5 Lamsa)

B. Proper water baptism is scriptural water baptism. The record of the book of Acts is that Jesus' disciples obeyed his baptismal command (Matt. 28:19) by baptizing by full immersion in the triune name of the triune God— the name revealed in Acts 2:36 and other verses as the Lord Jesus Christ. Be baptized (or re-baptized) in that name!

Summary:

1. Those who have repented of their sins and have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ are eligible to be baptized. (Infant baptism fails this biblical requirement.)

2. They should be baptized immediately upon conversion to Christ.

3. By receiving water baptism, they are following Jesus' command and the apostolic doctrine and practice.

4. They are baptized into Christ's death, burial, and resurrection for the remission of and release from their sins.

5. Believers are baptized by full immersion in water.

6. Biblical baptism is done in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (which name is) the Lord Jesus Christ.

7. Believers who have not been fully immersed, or who have been immersed but not in the triune name, should be immersed in that name!

Goldminer provided all the links!

I think it's important enough that other religions don't go crazy when you say you're a Christian, it's when you get baptised that they know you are serious! I heard Art Katz testify in a sermon that as a Jew his mother didn't get upset too upset with him believing in Jesus until he was baptised. I'm sure it's that way with othrs.

I'm stunned at Jim Feeney's statement that those who have simply been baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, as Jesus commanded in Mt 28:29, must be re-baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I'm interested to find out how many others are in agreement with Feeney's interpretation of apostolic baptism.
I have already been re-baptized upon the confession of my faith (after I was baptized as an infant). The thought that this too was wrong and I need another baptizm somehow discourages me.

I cannot say that I agree with this part either, I am not a bible scholar, and think it is a matter of the heart. But it will be interesting to see what others say as well. However his emphesis on the importance of baptism is what I was really interested in sharing.

Thanks for all the answers. I had my water baptism last sunday it was cool. but it roy me wondering more. Is there a legalistic reason to be baptized. If i never got baptized would that mean i wouldn't get into heaven?

Depends on who you ask, I know some are very animate on water baptism must be done for salvation while others don't feel its necessary but good to have done.

I lean more to the side that says it doesn't necessarily must be done for salvation but is good to have done. Its a debate I really don't get into though because we could deem some things as grey areas that don't really get us anywhere spiritually or even mentally for that matter but we do tend to get a nice headache. :)

I totally agree with Ever...(can't remember the rest :)

It wasn't till three years ago that I came to really understand what it meant to be a Disciple. And ever since then I've felt I was missing the Power of the Holy Spirit. I knew I had the Holy Spirit...but was lacking the power that Jesus and the other disciples recieved. So over the last year I've been deciding if I was ready to be baptised and accept the awesome responsibility of what it means. So on June 24th, I was baptised for the first time.

My wife asked me before hand if I expected something to happen after getting baptised. I told her that I didn't want to have any expectations. I didn't want to expect something to happen such as what happened to Jesus and the dove desending upon Him. I wanted to be obiedient and then let God decide how and in what measure He blesses me and I pray I can be and even greater blessing to others.

But I tell you what...I've never had so many things go wrong in the weeks leading up to and after my baptism. One of my vehicles bit the dust, my house hasn't sold yet and I move next month. My daughter was diagnosed with Hep C, The A/C in my house gave out and my garage door broke. To say the least...I'm being tested. My daughter is my main concern...and to which my trust in the Lord remains firm.

Sorry...I didn't mean to ramble on...God bless you all.

My old Pastor used to always say that Baptism is an outward expression of an inward commitment, and I think it is worthy of repetition. I can still be married to my wife and not wear my wedding ring, but it is disrespectful to her, and setting me up for temptation.

The idea of Baptismal Regeneration is the same fallacy as thinking that a repeated prayer is what saves you. Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews are clear that the "Just shall live by faith." Not by baptism.

I have heard that the history of water baptism goes all the way back to the Maccabees, but was adopted as a serious aspect of Christianity. I have still to do some personal research on this myself, but it is what I have been taught anyway.

Jesus was Baptized...and the servant is not greater than the master...so I recon we should do it as an expression of commitment to Him, as he was committed to his Father.
Baptism is like anything in scripture that we are to do out of an attitude of faith and a loving response of obedience as an expression of commitment and gratitude toward our savior.

Baptism is a picture of being Buried into Christ's death and raised into new life according to his resurrection.

1Peter 3:21, Romans 6:3

I was baptized because I wanted to publicly declare my commitment to Christ. Ironically, just as others have mentioned in this thread, it was one of the worst days of my life, the temptation of the Devil was terrifying upon me that day, and for months afterwords. But Jesus helped me endure the temptation over time.

I was baptized because I wanted to publicly declare my commitment to Christ. Ironically, just as others have mentioned in this thread, it was one of the worst days of my life, the temptation of the Devil was terrifying upon me that day, and for months afterwords. But Jesus helped me endure the temptation over time.

That's how I feel! I have never had so many things happen to me and my family in the span of a couple of months ever in my life. Now, was Jesus tempted the entire 40 days that He fasted or was the temptations only on the last day as mentioned in Matthew 4?

What is the name of the Son in whose name you were baptized?
I believe you were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Me thinks his argument is moot.