Biblical Meanings of Baptism

A sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ the Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 1 April 2007, 25 Aug 2013, 18 June 2023

Introduction:

As we study the Washed By God book, I hope we see that there is so much more to baptism than the issue of whether or not infants should be baptized, and whether to sprinkle, pour, or immerse in water. Let’s start with a more basic question:

1. WHY do Christians baptize people?

A. Jesus Commanded it (Great Commission) – this is the main reason

• Matthew 28 “Make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded”

• And the Apostles carried it on at Jesus’ command (Acts 2:38, 8:12, 18:8)

B. Initiatory Sign

• Note that baptism is the first act of obedience for someone who believes in Jesus.

• “Make disciples baptizing… and teaching...” “Believed and baptized,” said Jesus. And then Peter: “Repent and be baptized.” It is the beginning of a new life in relationship to the one true God.

• In the Old Testament, the initial sign of believing in the one true God, of turning away from sin and of discipleship among God’s people was the sign of circumcision, the cutting off of a bit of flesh from every male.

• Thus, when Gentiles became Christians at first, in Acts 15:5, the Jewish believers assumed that these Gentile Christians needed to be circumcised in order to fulfill their initiation into being part of the people of God.

• The apostles and the elders gathered together to consider this matter” but they decided not to require circumcision. Paul then writes these words about the abrogation of circumcision: “Anyone called after being circumcised should not re-cover himself; anyone called in uncircumcision should not be circumcised. The circumcision is nothing and the uncircumcision is nothing, but rather it's [about] keeping the commands of God.” (1 Cor. 7:18-19, NAW)

• The initiatory sign of a covenant relationship with God had been completely changed from circumcision to water baptism.

1. The sign of circumcision which actually ended up shedding some blood was no longer to be used because Jesus had shed His blood on the cross once for all and there was no need to shed blood anymore. It was now replaced by a bloodless sign – the washing of water.

2. Perhaps another reason for this change was so that Jews who already had the first sign of circumcision could take upon themselves the new and different sign of baptism when they believed in the name of Jesus.

• To re-baptize someone who has already had water applied to them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, destroys the meaning of baptism as an initiatory sign, for Ephesians 4:5 teaches that there is only “one baptism.”

C. Covenantal continuity

Wait a minute! Is it appropriate to say that there is a continuous way of looking at the covenant relationship with God from the Old Testament to the New Testament? I want to give you 5 reasons why I believe the answer is Yes!

1. Galatians 3 shows continuity between the covenant with Abraham and the new covenant:

1. Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 and Habakkuk 2:4 to prove that neither Abraham nor anyone else in the Old Testament was saved by doing certain works, but that they (as well as we in the New Testament) are saved by faith in Christ:

2. The sign of the covenant with Abraham, namely circumcision, is implied in Paul’s discussion of the Abrahamic covenant here in Galatians 3, but note how he ends the passage by talking about baptism instead of circumcision!
   Galatians 3:26-29 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27) For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; [and Paul adds “neither circumcised nor uncircumcised” in the parallel passage in Colossians 3] for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29) And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.”

3. So here we have a continuity between the salvation by faith in Christ that Abraham experienced in the OT - the covenantal relationship signified by circumcision, and the salvation by faith in Christ that we experience in the NT signified by baptism.

2. Colossians 2 shows this same relationship between the covenants:
   Col. 2:11-13 “in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12) having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13) When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions…”
   Did you hear that Paul called baptism “the circumcision of Christ”?

3. The covenants God made always had a provision for the next generation’s participation in the covenant. Continuity was intentionally written into God’s covenants:

1. In the covenant God made with Noah when he stepped off the ark, God promised blessing to Noah’s descendents: Genesis 9:9: “behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you.”

2. To Abraham, God said: (Genesis 17:7) “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.”

3. It shows up again in the law-covenant God gave through Moses, which was for adult Jews as well as their little children and their foreign slaves: (Deuteronomy 29:10-13) “All of you stand today before the LORD your God: your leaders and your tribes and your elders and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little ones and your wives - also the stranger who is in your camp, from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water - that you may enter into covenant with the LORD your God, and into His oath, which the LORD your God makes with you today, that He may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you, just as He has spoken to you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

4. Listen to the same provision for children in the Davidic covenant: (2 Chronicles 21:7) “Yet the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.”

5. It shouldn’t be any wonder, then that children are also included in the New Covenant.
   In Acts 2:38-39 Peter explains, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” The New Covenant, just like all the covenants before it, includes the children of God’s people¹.

4. Another reason to consider the covenants of God as continuous is the fact that they are all called by a common name both in the Old & New Testaments: the “Everlasting Covenant.”

1. The Covenant with Noah in Gen 9:16 is called the “everlasting covenant,”

2. Throughout Gen 17, the covenant God made with Abraham is called the “everlasting covenant,”

3. Lev 24:8 calls the Mosaic covenant with temple sacrifices and sabbaths the “everlasting covenant,”

4. 2 Samuel 23:5 calls the Davidic covenant the “everlasting covenant,”

5. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel then promise a “new covenant” which they also call the “everlasting covenant,” saying it will include the descendants of God’s people in the future and it will be like the covenant with David².

6. Hebrews 13:20-21 Interprets Ezekiel’s prophecy as being fulfilled by Jesus, saying, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.”

5. Not only is the same name applied to all the different developments of the covenant God made with mankind, but even the names for the different developments of the covenant are not as different as you might think. The word “new” which the Bible³ uses in the phrase “new testament/new covenant” is not the Greek word for “brand-new” or “novel,” but rather a word meaning “unused/unknown/refreshed” (Arndt & Gingrich Lexicon). The New Covenant is not something essentially different, but rather a renewed covenant built upon the principles of the Old Testament covenants of our unchanging God.

So WHY do we baptize? (Review)

• Jesus commanded it in the Great Commission,

• It signifies the beginning of a new life in relationship with God,

• and it is a symbol of the eternal covenant of God with man in Christ.

2. WHAT is Baptism and what does it mean?

A. What it does NOT mean:

1. Some fear that if you aren’t baptized you won’t go to heaven, but:

1. Romans 4:9-12 teaches that it is faith in Jesus that saves us, not outward signs, for Abraham was considered righteous by God BEFORE he was circumcised.

2. Likewise, Jesus promised the thief on the cross that he would “be with [Him] in paradise” even though the thief wasn’t baptized between his confession of faith and his death.

3. So you can still get to heaven without being baptized, but since Jesus commanded that we be baptized, it would be wrong to disobey this command if we are able to obey it.

2. Some believe that everyone who is baptized will go to heaven, but:

1. Getting someone wet is not a ticket to heaven!

2. Rom 9:6-8 makes it clear that not everyone who receives the sign of the covenant with God will be saved. Ishmael, although circumcised, was not a son of promise. Not all children will be saved.

3. Even Simon the Samaritan who was baptized under Phillip’s ministry received this curse from Peter, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!” Simon perished and went to hell even after he was baptized.

4. Baptism is a sign of the inward regeneration of the Holy Spirit, and if there has been no regeneration, then no amount of water can save a person.

B. So, what DOES Baptism mean? Most Christians agree that:

1. Matthew 28 specifically says to baptize “into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

2. The Jews were already familiar with ceremonial washings which they called “baptisms” (Heb. 6:2, 9:10), including the baptism of John, so the apostles understood this baptism to be done with water. Their use of water is explicitly mentioned in only two places,

1. one where Phillip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch in water,

2. and 2^nd where Peter says to the six men who traveled with him from Joppa to Cornel­ius’ house, “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized.” (Acts 10:47)

3. Note that the baptism of John was not enough; it had to include the name of Jesus:

1. Six times in the Bible, the statement is made that the baptism of Jesus would supersede the baptism of John⁴,

2. and Paul re-baptized into the triune name the believers in Ephesus who had only received the baptism of John (Acts 19:3-4).

4. However, over 75% of the time, the Bible says folks were “baptized in/into/with” something else other than water!

C. Further Biblical Meanings

Baptism is a sacrament filled with much meaning to the believer because it symbolizes all of these things which are promised to us by God when we become followers of Jesus!

1. FIRST MEANING: Being redeemed by the death and blood of Jesus

1. In the Old Testament sacrificial system, blood from each of the animal sacrifices was sprinkled on the altar, and, in certain cases, on the people.

2. Hebrews 9 relates this to the work of Christ, referring to the fact that both the Old Testament sacrifices and the death of Jesus involved the shedding of blood and the “sprinkling” of that blood upon people to atone for sin, the former Mosaic sacrifices being a “pattern” and a “figure” for the latter sacrifice of Jesus.

3. It should not come as a surprise therefore, that the Bible speaks of Jesus “sprinkling” people with His blood,

   1. first in Isaiah 52:14-15 “behold my Servant… He shall sprinkle many nations…,”

   2. then in Hebrews 12:24 “and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling...”

   3. and 1 Peter 1:2 “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sancti­fication of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ”

4. So, the act of sprinkling in the Bible was used in the context of symbolizing and sealing the blood of the Messiah to atone for the people of God. Similarly today, baptism is a sign and seal of Jesus’ atonement for believers.

2. SECOND MEANING: Cleansing from the impurity of sin

1. In the Old Testament, sprinkling and washing with water were done whenever a person came to present a sacrifice in the temple (Psalm 26:6).

2. People would wash their hands to symbolize their innocence (Deut. 21:6) (Pontius Pilate also did that concerning his trial of Jesus.)

3. but Job made it clear that no amount of washing hands can really make one innocent of sin (Job 9:30). The outer washing symbolized inner cleansing from sin.

4. Ezekiel 36:25 implies that these ceremonial washings represented God’s cleansing of His people from their spiritual impurity: “And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.”

5. The writer of Hebrews supports this: “let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience” (Heb. 10:22).

6. Paul explains how this works in Titus 3:4-7 “according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which He poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that, being made righteous by His grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

7. John says the same thing more succinctly in Rev. 1:5 “[Jesus] who loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.”

8. The fulfillment of all the Old Testament ceremonial washings is in the work of Jesus who cleanses us from all sin.

3. THIRD MEANING: Changing identity to be associated with the name of Jesus

1. One out of four times that the Bible speaks of baptism, it speaks of baptism into someone’s name. Baptism means that we have changed our identity to identify with Jesus. (Matt. 28:19 “baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”)

2. 1 Cor. 10:2 says that all the Israelites “were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” When the Israelites hid behind that cloud and crossed over the Red Sea, they received a new identity. The sea closed back up, sealing any chance of returning to Egypt. This event separated Israel from the nation of Egypt, and from then on, they were followers of Moses in a new nation of God. This is an O.T. symbol of baptism - an event which signifies a change in identity.

3. Galatians 3:27 “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ”
   In 1 Cor. 10, it was the nation of Israel being identified with Moses, here it is the church being identified with Christ.

4. In India, it has been a tradition that when a Hindu converts to Christianity, they change their name to a Bible name when they are baptized to signify their change in spiritual identity.

4. FOURTH MEANING: Dying to the old life and forsaking it

1. 10% of the Biblical references to baptism have an association with death/resurrection.

2. Paul speaks of baptism as being like a burial and a resurrection in Romans 6:4 “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

3. Baptism symbolizes the fact that we have been crucified with Christ and no longer live for ourselves but all our life is now from God’s Spirit.

5. FIFTH MEANING: Changing social involvement to become a member of the church

1. 1 Cor. 12:13 “For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body…”

   1. Here is the only explicit reference to baptism being about membership in the body of Christ – the church.

   2. Our primary associations change in baptism from being associated with the world to being associated with God’s people (the church).

6. SIXTH MEANING: Changing roles to become a priest and king in Jesus’ kingdom

1. Priests in the Old Testament were sprinkled with blood, oil, and water to consecrate them for their special ministry (Ex. 29:21, Lev. 8:30,Num. 8:7).

2. The New Testament teaches us that believers nowadays have the status that the priests in the Old Testament did. When we become Christians, we are consecrated in baptism to a new role, that of priests who offer up - not animal sacrifices but - spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise to God: “You also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5-9)

3. Kings and prophets were also anointed for their special jobs⁵. Hear what the Apostle John says in the book of Revelation: “To Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to God and His Father” (Rev. 1:5-6; cf. 5:9-10 & 20:6)

4. 1 John 2:27 also mentions an “anointing” from the son of God that believers had received which taught them all things. The context appears to parallel the Great Commission and refer to the baptism they received after they confessed faith in Jesus and received the promise of eternal life and before they had received the teaching of “all things whatsoever I have commanded.” John relates this also to having the Holy Spirit.

7. SEVENTH MEANING: Receiving the Holy Spirit

1. Throughout the O.T., we find the phrase, “I will pour out My Spirit upon you.”

   1. Proverbs 1:23 “I will pour out my Spirit upon you; I will make known my words unto you.”

   2. Isa. 44:3 “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your seed, and my blessing upon your offspring.”

   3. Ezekiel 39:29 “I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, says the Lord Jehovah.”

   4. Zecheriah 12:10 “I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace”

   5. Joel 2:28-29 “your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.”

2. Peter said that the prophecy of Joel was fulfilled at Pentecost: Acts 2:33 “having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this, which you see and hear.” and another echo of this fulfillment came in the home of Cornelius in Acts 10:45 where it says, “on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

3. But Paul, in Titus 3:4-7, associates this outpouring of the Holy Spirit with the events surrounding every Christian’s salvation: “He saved us, through the washing of regen­eration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that, being justified by His grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Salvation, regeneration (being born again), being justified (made righteous), and being made heirs of eternal life are all the beginning of the Christian life, and right along with these things comes a rich outpouring of the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and guide us toward righteousness (John 16:8).

4. The pouring of water in baptism symbolizes the outpouring of the Spirit upon God’s people. The Isaiah 32 image of God pouring His blessings over the head of whoever is thirsty and the water flowing off that person’s body to form rivulets in the dry ground as a symbol of the outpouring of God’s Spirit upon the person and that person’s children is a powerful image. So is the Titus passage – speaking of the washing of regeneration and the Spirit being “poured” upon us richly through Jesus Christ.

So we see that:

• Baptism does not guarantee salvation

• Baptism is to be done with water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

• Baptism carries a rich set of meanings, including these seven:

  • Being redeemed by the death and blood of Jesus

  • Cleansing from the impurity of sin

  • Changing identity to be associated with the name of Jesus

  • Dying to the old life and forsaking it

  • Becoming a member of the church

  • Becoming a priest and king in Jesus’ kingdom

  • The blessing of the Holy Spirit

3. How can we apply all this information?

   1. If you have not trusted Jesus to save you from your sin and make you right with God, this is the first step – even if you have been baptized before.

   2. If you are a believer in Jesus and have not been baptized, that is the next step of obedience to Jesus’ instructions.

   3. If you are already a baptized believer, meditate on these sevem meanings of your baptism and live out its significance:

1. You have been redeemed by the death and blood of Jesus:
   Are you acting as though you do not own your body anymore? “You have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:20) Is your body a living sacrifice to praise your Redeemer?

2. You have been cleansed from the impurity of sin:
   Are you living a pure life, seeking to obey all that Christ taught? (2 Corinthians 7:1) “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”

3. You have changed identity to be associated with the name of Jesus:
   “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 13:14) Are you living as a representative of Jesus? Can the world see what Jesus is like when it observes you?

4. You have died to your old life: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20) Are you keeping old sinful habits alive, or are you living already in the first installment of the eternal life you are promised?

5. You have changed social involvement to become a member of the church:
   Is the church the place you look to find friends, mentors, and disciples – and to hang out? “[Y]'all have come to the mountain of Zion and to the city of the Living God – to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in a festival, and to a church of firstborns who have been registered in heaven, and to a Judge [who is] God of all, and to the spirits of righteous persons who have been made perfect... Therefore do not leave out the gathering together of ourselves (as the custom is with certain persons), but instead encouraging each other…” (Hebrews 12:22-23; 10:25, NAW)

6. You have changed roles to become a priest and king in Jesus’ kingdom:
   Are you interceding for other people like a priest, praying for lost souls? Are you taking spiritual leadership in your home as a spiritual king under the authority of King Jesus?

7. You have received the Holy Spirit: Do you ask Him to remind you of any sin you need to confess? Do you ask Him for wisdom when you need to make a decision? Do you seek to exercise spiritual gifts in His power, or do you operate from you own strength?