LESSON THIRTY-TWO

BAPTISM

(1)

OUTLINE

1. The importance of baptism:
   1. Being the initiation of the New Testament dispensation.
   2. Being the fulfillment of righteousness before God.
   3. Refusing to be baptized being the nullification of the counsel of God.
   4. Being the Lord’s charge before His ascension.
   5. Being the apostles’ teaching.
   6. Being a step for the entrance into the kingdom of God.
2. The meaning of the word baptism.
3. The significance of baptism:
   1. To be baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
   2. To be baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
   3. To be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
   4. To be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ.
   5. To be baptized into Christ.
   6. To be baptized into the death of Christ.
   7. To be baptized into the Body of Christ.
   8. To be baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit:
      1. Water being the symbol of baptism, and the Holy Spirit being the reality of baptism.
      2. Typified by the sea and the cloud in which the children of Israel were baptized.
   9. To be baptized by water:
      1. Water being the means of salvation.
      2. Typified by the water through which Noah and his family passed.
   10. Baptism being an appeal to God.

TEXT

The Lord’s salvation has many aspects, some of which we need to receive by believing, while others we need to partake of by being baptized. To believe is to exercise the inward faith to receive one aspect of the Lord’s salvation; to be baptized is to take an outward action to partake of another aspect of the Lord’s salvation. If we believe but are not baptized, we receive only one aspect of the Lord’s salvation and thus obtain only a partial salvation; we will not be able to partake of all the aspects of the Lord’s salvation and thus enjoy the complete salvation. Hence, we must believe and be baptized (Mark 16:16) that we may partake of all the aspects of the Lord’s salvation and receive the complete salvation.

1. THE IMPORTANCE OF BAPTISM

A. Being the Initiation
of the New Testament Dispensation

The first thing God did in the beginning of the New Testament dispensation was to send John the Baptist to preach the baptism of repentance (Acts 10:37; Luke 3:3). Hence, John was the first servant sent by God in the beginning of the New Testament, and the baptism of repentance which he preached is the initial teaching of the New Testament. This indicates the importance of baptism in God’s New Testament plan and arrangement. We may say that baptism opens the New Testament dispensation. Just as the truth of baptism was God’s initiation of the New Testament dispensation, so the practice of baptism marks the beginning of our enjoyment of the New Testament blessings.

B. Being the Fulfillment
of Righteousness before God

The importance of baptism is seen even more clearly in the need of the Lord Jesus to be baptized. Although He was the Son of God who came to be the Savior of mankind, because He became a man, He needed to keep God’s ordination for man in the New Testament dispensation. As a man, it was fitting for Him to act according to God’s procedure to fulfill all righteousness before God (Matt. 3:13-16). “Righteousness” is to be right by living, walking, and doing things in the way God has ordained. In the Old Testament, righteousness was a matter of keeping the law that God gave. Now, in the New Testament, God sent John the Baptist to baptize people. To be baptized was to fulfill righteousness before God, that is, to fulfill the requirement of God. Since it was fitting even for the Lord as a man to be baptized to fulfill such righteousness before God, we can see how important baptism is. Not only was He Himself baptized to fulfill all righteousness before God, but He also baptized people through His disciples (John 3:22; 4:2) that they might do God’s will in compliance with God’s procedure to fulfill righteousness before God. This also indicates the importance of baptism.