Chapter 10 Water Baprism - Raised to New Life

Chapter 10

WATER BAPTISM - RAISED TO NEW LIFE

Let us begin this study with prayer,

Father God,

I come before You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father, through Your Word, please reveal Your ways to me. Help me to not only understand but also to obey them. Lord, cause me to walk with You, be with You and really come to know You. For Your Holy Name’s sake I ask.

Amen

INTRODUCTION

In a previous study we found that every one of us needs to be born again. When we are born again, we receive forgiveness of our sins and are transferred from the dominion of darkness to the Kingdom of God. In addition, the Holy Spirit now dwells inside the born again believer to bring forth in our lives His fruit of righteousness. We also saw that the new birth occurs when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and call upon Him to save us from our sins. To remind us of this, let us read from,

Romans 10:9-13

"[9] That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. [11] As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." [12] For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, [13] for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.""

We also found that once we become born again believers in Jesus Christ we are to be baptized. To refresh our memories, let us read what Jesus said when He sent His disciples to go and preach the good news.

Mark 16:15-16

"[15] He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. [16] Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."

It is noted that this baptism, that is the baptism with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is commonly called Christian baptism or the believer's baptism.

With this in mind, one is left with the questions of, “Why baptism? And “What is the purpose of baptism?”

To gain insight into the answers of these questions, let us first read the definition of what it means to be baptized. According to W.E.Vine’s “Expository Dictionary of the New Testament”, the Greek meaning of the word baptism is:

"consisting of the processes of immersion, submersion and emergence, that is to dip. "The phrase “to baptize”: "was used among the Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment or the drawing of water by dipping the empty cup into a bowl full of water."

With the above definition in mind we will see that the purpose of the believer's baptism is to demonstrate or signify that our old self, the one without the Holy Spirit, is dead and that we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. Thus, through water baptism the believer is to bury or cover their old self, the one void of the Holy Spirit and crucified with Christ, and emerge from the water with the new self, the one filled with the Holy Spirit, into a new life. To see this, let us read from,

Romans 6:3-4

To gain a better understanding of the believer’s baptism, we will,

1. Discover and explore the various types of water baptisms that are identified in the Bible.

2. See that the disciples obeyed Jesus' command to baptize those who believe and place their faith in Jesus Christ.

3. Review the Great Flood and Israel's passage through the Red Sea to see that they were a foreshadowing to teach us about the believer's baptism.

4. Review the purpose and blessings of the believer's baptism.

VARIOUS WATER BAPTISMS

As one reads the Bible, we find that God has ordained at least four types and purposes of baptism. There are three types and purposes of water baptism:

1. Baptism of repentance

2. Baptism of priestly ordination

3. The believer’s baptism

In addition to water baptism, there is also a fourth baptism.

4. Baptism of the Holy Spirit (This is a separate study))

Since the Bible identifies at least three different kinds of water baptisms we must be very careful in our study of the believer's baptism to only utilize the Scriptures that pertain to it. To help insure that we do not misquote the Scriptures for our study of the believer's baptism, we will first perform a short study of the baptisms of repentance and ordination.

Baptism of Repentance

To gain insight into the baptism of repentance, we begin by recognizing that the mission of John the Baptist was to bring the nation of Israel to repentance. To see this, let us read from,

Matthew 3:1-6

"[1] In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea [2] and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." [3] This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" [4] John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. [5] People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. [6] Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River."

Let us notice the following verses,

2 … John’s message was one of repentance.

3 … The purpose of this repentance was to: “…prepare the way for the Lord…”

6 … After hearing John's message to repent, the people confessed their sins and were baptized.

It is noted that the above events took place before Jesus revealed Himself to Israel. Thus, this baptism was not the baptism for the born again believers. Since John the Baptist's mission was one of repentance, the baptism he administered was a baptism of repentance. According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, in this context, repentance means: “to feel so contrite over one’s sins as to change or decide to change one’s ways.”

What is also important to note is that this baptism of repentance was to be done in faith and in sincerity. To see this, let us read what John said to those who came to be baptized.

Luke 3:7-14

"[7] John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? [8] Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. [9] The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." [10] "What should we do then?" the crowd asked. [11] John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." [12] Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" [13] "Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them. [14] Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely--be content with your pay.""

Let us notice the following verses,

8 … Basically, John told the Jews that just because they were born into a Jewish family, they were not necessarily saved. To prepare for God’s Kingdom and the arrival of Jesus Christ, they were to bring forth fruits of repentance. The application for us is the same. Just because we may have been born and or raised in a Christian family does not imply we are saved.

9 … John warned the people that unless they truly desire to change, they were in trouble.

10 … The people asked John, “What shall we do?”

11-14 … John gave them some examples of the fruit of repentance.

Will this type of repentance alone save us? No! (1) Repentance or the desire to change the way we live, is needed to prepare the way for our Lord. Let us recall this was one of the conditions for our new birth and (2) we must never forget that we can never be good enough to earn our way into heaven. It is only by God’s Grace. As a reminder, let us consider,

Romans 3:20

"[20] … no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."

With this background, we also find that while Jesus was still on earth even His disciples baptized the people. To see this, let us read from,

John 3:22-23

"[22] After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. [23] Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized.”

Now let us read from,

John 4:1-2

"[1] The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, [2] although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples."

Let us notice the following verse,

2 … Jesus was not baptizing, just His disciples.

In reflecting upon the above Scriptures, two questions come to mind: (1) “What kind of baptism did Jesus’ disciples perform?” And: (2) “Why did Jesus not baptize?” The baptism that Jesus’ disciples were performing was a baptism of repentance. To see this, we must put this baptism into the context of Jesus’ teaching. His overall message is summarized for us right at the time when He began His public ministry.

Matthew 4:17

"[17] From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.""

Secondly, “Why did Jesus not baptize?” The Bible tells us that Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit not water. To see this, let us read what John the Baptist said about the coming of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 3:11

""[11] I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

In other words, the baptism that Jesus performs is not with water but with the Holy Spirit and fire (This is a subject of another study).

Let us now move on to the,

Baptism of Ordination

A second type of water baptism identified in the Bible is the one prescribed as part of the ordination into the priesthood. To see this, let us review what God commanded to be done for the anointing of Aaron and his sons into the priesthood.

Exodus 40:12-16

""[12] Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. [13] Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest. [14] Bring his sons and dress them in tunics. [15] Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue for all generations to come." [16] Moses did everything just as the LORD commanded him."

Let us notice the following verses,

12 … They were to be washed with water, a type of water baptism.

13 … They were to be anointed and consecrated, that is set apart. It is noted that the anointing and consecration to God was accomplished by pouring of oil on the item or person to be consecrated, in this case it was Aaron and his sons. To see this, let us read from,

Exodus 40:9

""[9] Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy."

It is noted that in the Old Testament oil was a symbol to represent the anointing and consecration by the Holy Spirit.

Let us notice that verse 15 tells us that this anointing, washing and wearing of tunics was for entry into the priesthood.

With this background, let us now consider the baptism of Jesus Christ. It is given to us in,

Matthew 3:13-17

"[13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. [14] But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" [15] Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. [16] As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. [17] And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.""

Let us notice the following verses,

13 … Jesus came to John for baptism. Why? Clearly, Jesus did not need to be baptized for repentance. As it turns out this was to be a baptism into His priesthood, which is His position as mediator between God and man. In Hebrews 4:14-16 we discover that Jesus in now our High Priest.

15 …Jesus told John that to fulfill the requirements of the law, that is fulfill all righteousness (obedience to the Father), it was proper for Him to be baptized. In other words, to assume the position of High Priest it was necessary, as prescribed in Exodus, for Him to be baptized into this position.

16 … Jesus is baptized in water and then the Holy Spirit comes upon Him, that is the anointing and consecration.

17 … God the Father gives His approval by saying, “This is My Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased.”

From this point on and after His trial in the wilderness, Jesus’ public ministry began.

The third type of water baptism addressed in the Bible is the,

Baptism of the Believer

As we read in the beginning of this chapter, this is the baptism that Jesus told His disciples to perform for the believer. To refresh our memories let us read again from,

Mark 16:15-16

"[15] He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. [16] Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."

JESUS' DISCIPLES BAPTIZED THE BELIEVERS

As we read the book of Acts we find that Jesus' disciples obeyed His instructions. In other words, after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into Heaven, they preached the good news and baptized those who believed.

So that there is no doubt in our mind that baptism is to accompany belief and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, let us read three examples from the many given relative to the disciples activity in this area. The examples we will cover are: (1) baptism on the day of Pentecost, (2) baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch and (3) baptism of Cornelius and his household.

Baptism during the Feast of Pentecost

To read about the baptism during the Feast of Pentecost, let us read what happened after the Apostle Peter explained to the people about the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues. To do this we go to,

Acts 2:37-41

"[37] When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" [38] Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." [40] With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." [41] Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day."

Let us notice the following verse,

41 … Those who accepted his message, that is became believers in Jesus Christ or in other words Christians, were baptized.

Baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch

The conversion and new birth of the Ethiopian eunuch is recorded in the book of Acts. This time we will read from: “The New King James Version”.

Acts 8:26-38

[26] Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. [27] So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, [28] was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. [29] Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” [30] So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” [31] And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. [32] The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. [33] In His humiliation His justice was taken away, and who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” [34] So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” [35] Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. [36] Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” [37] Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” [38] So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

Baptism of Cornelius and His Household

For our third and last example, let us read about the conversion of Cornelius and his household. It is interesting to note that God used a vision to reveal to the Apostle Peter that His gift of salvation was not only for the Jewish people but also for the Gentiles. After the vision God brought three men to escort Peter to the household of the gentile Cornelius. Peter was sent there to preach the Gospel to them. To read about this event, let us go to,

Acts 10:19-20

"[19] While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three men are looking for you. [20] So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.""

Let us now read what happened while Peter was presenting the Gospel to Cornelius and his household.

Acts 10:44-48

"[44] While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. [45] The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. [46] For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, [47] "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." [48] So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days."

Let us notice the following verses,

44 … While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came upon the people. Also note in this instance, the Holy Spirit came prior to the time they were water baptized, thereby dispelling the belief that water baptism is a requirement for the Holy Spirit.

45 … The Jewish believers were surprised that the Holy Spirit was also given to the Gentiles. To put this into perspective, let us remember that the Jewish people believed that they, the Jews, were the chosen people. In fact as one reflects on how the Lord moved Peter to go to the home of Cornelius (Acts 10:1-23), we realize that this incident was not only to save Cornelius and his household, but also designed, by God, to teach the Apostle Peter, the rest of His disciples and us that Jesus also came for the Gentile.

47-48 … Since God the Holy Spirit came upon the Gentiles; Peter realized that they could not be denied water baptism.

OLD TESTAMENT FORESHADOWINGS

This now brings us to the questions of, “What is going on? What does the believer's baptism signify?” To find out, let us begin by reviewing the Old Testament foreshadowing of Noah and of Israel’s passage through the Red Sea.

To help us understand the believer's baptism, the first foreshadowing that God gives us is,

Noah and the Great Flood

To begin our study of this event, let us read from,

Genesis 6:9-17

"[9] This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. [10] Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. [11] Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. [12] God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. [13] So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. [14] So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. [15] This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. [16] Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. [17] I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish."

Let us notice the following verses,

9 … Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people and walked with God.

11-12 … All the people of the earth corrupted their ways.

13 … Because of their corruption, God decided to destroy all the people.

14-16 … Since Noah was a righteous man, God decided to save him and his family. Thus, Noah is told to build an ark.

17 … God's intention was to destroy the corrupted life or evil with water.

After the flood waters subsided, God told Noah and his family to leave the ark and replenish the earth. To see this let us read from,

Genesis 8:15-20

"[15] Then God said to Noah, [16] "Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. [17] Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you--the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground--so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it." [18] So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives. [19] All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds--everything that moves on the earth--came out of the ark, one kind after another. [20] Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it."

As we stop and reflect upon what had occurred, we first see that there was the death and burial, through water, of all the corruption. Then, Noah and his family were set free to begin a new life free from the corruption.

The second foreshadowing with respect to the believer's baptism is,

Israel's Passage through the Red Sea

The events we are about to read take place after Pharaoh released Israel from their bondage. However, Pharaoh had a change of heart and decided to pursue Israel. To see what happened, let us begin by reading from,

Exodus 14:10-22

"[10] As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. [11] They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? [12] Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" [13] Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. [14] The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." [15] Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. [16] Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. [17] I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. [18] The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen." [19] Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, [20] coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. [21] Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, [22] and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left."

Let is notice the following verses,

10-12 … The people were terrified at Pharaoh’s approaching army.

13-14 … Moses assured the people to not be afraid. He told them God will fight for them and will be delivered from the oppression of Pharaoh.

15-18 … God provided Moses the plan. Specifically, Moses was to raise his staff over the sea and God will part the sea so that on dry ground Israel can pass through it.

19-20 … Notice how the angel of God and the pillar of cloud came between God’s people and the forces of evil. In a similar fashion He protects us, the Christian, from the spiritual forces of evil.

21-22 … Moses stretched out his hand, the sea parted and Israel safely passed through.

Let us now read from,

Exodus 14:26-31

"[26] Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." [27] Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept them into the sea. [28] The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen--the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. [29] But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. [30] That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. [31] And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant."

Let us notice the following verses,

26-28 … Once God’s people were safely through the Red Sea, Moses again stretched out his hand. This time the waters flowed back and covered Pharaoh’s entire army.

29-31 … Finally delivered from the oppression of Pharaoh and Egypt, Israel feared the Lord and placed their trust in Him and His servant, Moses.

As with Noah and the great flood, we again see in this event the death and burial, via water, of the evil, corrupting forces. And, as was with Noah and his family, Israel was set free to begin a new life so they could freely follow, worship and serve the Lord God Almighty.

PURPOSE OF THE BELIEVER'S BAPTISM

As we read the Scriptures one discovers there are at least three significant spiritual things that occur. These are:

1. In baptism we proclaim in a physical way that we have become new creatures.

2. We receive a confirmation that we are in right standing before God.

3. We become ordained into the Royal Priesthood.

To see this we begin by noting that through water baptism,

We proclaim in a physical way that we are now a new creature

What we find is that the baptism Jesus Christ calls the believer to, is the baptism into Himself. By faith in Jesus Christ our submersion into the water of baptism signifies the burial our old self which, when we were born again, was crucified with Christ. Then, as we rise up out of the water, we rise to a new life in the resurrected Jesus Christ.

Now one may ask, “What is this old self that was crucified with Christ and buried in the water of baptism?” Prior to our new birth, we did not have the Holy Spirit living inside us. Thus, our old self was composed of our soul, body and our sinful nature.

The new self or new creation, which occurred through the new birth, is the one who has the Holy Spirit living within them. Thus, we are now composed of our soul, body, sinful nature and God the Holy Spirit. To help us live a life pleasing to God, the Holy Spirit is now present to fight against the sinful nature. Hence, the new person is no longer enslaved by the sinful nature. Thus, we bury our old self in baptism, we and God are confirming that we are no longer the same person but new. To see this, let us read what the Holy Spirit says, through the pen of Paul, about the believer’s baptism in,

Romans 6:3-7

"[3] … don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] 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. [5] If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. [6] For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- [7] because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."

Let us notice the following verses,

3 … Those baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death, that is our old self was crucified with Jesus Christ.

4 … Our old self was buried with Him in the waters of baptism. We do this so that as Jesus was raised from the dead, we also may now live a new life.

6-7 … So that we should no longer be slaves to sin, our old self was crucified and buried with Him. Thus, as God set Noah and Israel physically free from their bondage to worship and serve Him, we, through faith in Jesus Christ, have been spiritually set free from our old self to also worship and serve Him. To see this, consider the following,

Romans 6:11-13

"[11] In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. [12] Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. [13] Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness."

Let us notice the following verses,

11 … We are to consider ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12-13 … In other words, we are not to behave as Israel did constantly wanting to return to Egypt; in our case to return to the life of sin. Instead, we are now to present ourselves to God and offer our body as instruments of righteousness to Him.

In reflecting upon the above we come to realize the Bible is teaching us that we are no longer in bondage to sin. To confirm this, let us read from,

Romans 6:14

"[14] For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."

Thus, the choice is now ours. We can yield ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus' commands, or we can yield to the temptations and lusts of our flesh. To see this let us prayerfully read how the Holy Spirit describes this conflict between the Holy Spirit and the flesh, which is the sinful nature, of the born again believers in,

Galatians 5:16-17

"[16] So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. [17] For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want."

(This subject of living our new life by faith in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit is the topic of another study.)

The second purpose and blessing to be received from water baptism is that,

We receive a confirmation that we are in right standing before God

In reflecting upon the fact that in baptism we in effect bury our old self and emerge into a new life in Jesus Christ we come to realize that the believer’s baptism also fulfills John's baptism of true repentance. As a consequence of this act of baptism we are saved from our inward fears and questions of whether or not we are in right standing before God.

This is best illustrated by reading what the Apostle Peter said as he was relating our baptism to Noah and the flood.

1 Peter 3:20-22

"[20] … God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, [21] and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, [22] who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him."

Perhaps the best way for us to receive a clearer reading of what the Apostle Peter said is to read verse 21 as given in, “The Amplified Bible.”

“[21] And baptism, which is a figure [of their deliverance], does now also save you [from inward questionings and fears], not by the removal of outward body filth (bathing), but by [providing you with] the answer of a good and clear conscience [inward cleanness and peace] before God, [because you are demonstrating what you believe to be yours] through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

The third and last benefit we will cover with respect to the believer’s water baptism is that,

The Believer's Baptism Also Fulfills the Requirement for our Ordination

In the first letter of Peter he identifies the true born again believers as God’s chosen people and belonging to a royal priesthood. To see this let us read the following excerpt from Peter’s letter.

1 Peter 2:9-10

"[9] But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. [10] Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

Let us notice the following verses,

9 … You are now a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging, that is consecrated, to God!

10 … You are the people of God and are the recipients of His mercy!

Since, the true born again believer is already filled with the Holy Spirit, the remaining requirement for entry into a royal priesthood is water baptism. Since, all things are fulfilled in Jesus Christ we find that the believer’s baptism also includes our ordination or consecration into a royal priesthood.

CONCLUSION

So what is the point? What is the message of it all? In reflecting upon all we have covered, there are three main points to be made.

The first point to be made is that by faith, in baptism we bury our old self that was crucified with Christ and rise from the water into new life in Jesus Christ. To see this let us read from,

Galatians 3:27

"[27] for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."

The second point to be made is, as we saw in 1 Peter 2:9-10, through faith in Jesus Christ our baptism was also part of our ordination into a royal priesthood. Thus, you and I can now, in Jesus’ name, freely enter into the Throne Room and approach God the Father. To see this, let us read from,

Ephesians 3:12

"[12] In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."

The third point to be made is that the true born believer in Jesus Christ is now in right standing before God the Father. To see this let us read from,

Romans 8:15

[15] For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

With all this in mind let us close our study by reading the following exhortation from,

Colossians 3:1-17

"[1] Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. [3] For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. [4] When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. [5] Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. [6] Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. [7] You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. [8] But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. [9] Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. [11] Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. [12] Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. [13] Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. [14] And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. [15] Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. [17] And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Blessed be the Lord forever!

AMEN and AMEN