2 Great Ordinances of our Faith and His Church - Part 2
Sunday, March 20, 2022
2 Great Ordinances of our Faith and His Church - Part 2
Acts 8:26-40
Christ decree 2 great ordinances are our faith in his church.
The first I spoke in Part 1 the accepting of the bread and cup of Holy Communion or the Lord's supper.
We delve into its origins, we were shown what the Passover meal consisted of, also how the leaven bread and the element of wine within the cup or the symbolic aspects of Christ broken body and his shed blood upon the cross meant.
Part 2 I will offer the word in the great ordnance of Christ bride the church “water baptism.”
Active physical baptism was not a unique concept for the 1st century church for centuries before Christ decree to be baptized by water.
The Jews practiced baptism as a traditional act of purification and the initiation of converts to Judaism. It seems to have its origin in Leviticus when the Levites were required to submerse themselves is an act that was called tvilah this act was unnaturally water fed bath called a mikvah.
Again, this was purification before God, A priest was forbidden to enter temple and this was completed, the main need for this was there had been physical contact with a corpse.
It wasn't until 70-year captivity that the act of water submersion was done to convert converts to Judaism.
Then came along Jesus’ second Cousin John the Baptist.
As we know God made a purpose for John even in the womb that he would be the voice crying in the wilderness, “the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world.”
The baptizer or what was known as John's baptism was not the same as that which Jesus did decree for the believer to do.
In Matthew 3:11 John said “I baptize you with water for repentance.”
It was an act of symbolic representation of changing one's mind and going to in a new direction in life. It also was the persons identification with the coming messianic Kingdom.
In Matthew 3:6 we see that converts " confess their sins they were baptized by him in the Jordan river. This baptism by John demonstrated a recognition by physical water baptism that we are Christ’s disciples, and he is our Lord.
Thus, is the difference between John's and Christ water baptism.
The ordinance of water baptism is practiced by the best of my knowledge by all Christian assemblies.
I'll bet there are not always churches unity on the implementation and spiritual meaning of it.
My doctrine and our settled theology and doctrine of water baptism has several components.
First water baptism done correctly is to be full body submersion. Baptisms based term is from the Greek which is baptized to submerge or to be plunged.
When done in the New Testament scripture it is always noted that the person went down into the water and came back out of it again. And also, in today's text.
And Philip baptized him and then verse 39a says and “when they were come up out of the water…”
Logically to come up out of the water they had to have gone down into the water first right?
So when we are submerged in water baptism the symbolism is that “the old man” who we were before our salvation is buried and when we arise from out of the water it is representing “newness of life". ”
When the Eunich saw the water his question to Phillip was in essence “what is holding me back from this?”
Phillips response was simple “Nothing” all you have to do is come to salvation “through your heart's belief in Christ as your Savior.”
At the moment the Eunich accepted Christ.
Understand that the order was salvation first and then water baptism
Paul wrote any fusions 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God it is not of works at least any man should boast."
We are saved by our faith in Christ Jesus and by grace of his son blood was washes away our sins and old man.
it is not by the act and work of baptism. Baptism to say again is the outward evidence and physical identification of what the Holy Spirit did already within.
Second: Bible to discernment of why the washing away our sins can never occur by a physical act.
If water baptism determines ones cleansing of our hearts and the actual washing away of our sins, then why did Jesus submit to water baptism by John?
Jesus was God, sinless. there were no sins that were truly needed to be washed away.
Jesus was baptized:
here are the reasons in my opinion:
to identify himself with sinners.
To be physically identified by John.
to be introduced as the long-awaited Messiah.
to fulfill all righteousness.
to symbolize his death and resurrection
There is not one hint that he did so out of any aspect of salvation needed two think that this is ludicrous.
Next if water baptism was necessary for eternal life, then how could Jesus promise the repent thief on the cross “that today he would be with him in paradise.”
How about a hypothetical in the 21st century a man or woman was his accepted Christ as their savior and before they can be baptized, they are killed in an accident so then... That person was denied of one sentence, a desire for spiritual cleansing and a commitment to follow God's law is ones desire of the Messiah is coming.
The baptism by decree by Christ is still a symbolism of repentance, cleansing, and commitment, but Christ's baptism gives a different emphasis.
His baptism marks are identification with Christ passion his burial and his resurrection.
It is an outward expression of the cleansing that the Holy Spirit has done within us when the act of verbal confession of our sins occurs. Christ is received in our hearts as Savior and Redeemer then the spirit washes as clean, and we become justified with God. “Just as if we had never sinned.”
We can tell people what God has done in making us new, by the washing away of our sins, but we also are instructed by Jesus to show everyone eternal life then because they did not receive water baptism? that doesn't even make sense.
Thirdly: we do not believe as many customs do that it is proper or necessary to baptize a child.
Mainly, because there is no scriptural basis or precedent for it.
There is certainly basis and precedent for little children to be dedicated as even Christ was, we do so here.
The child and infant is guiltless and innocent before the eyes of God and until the child is capable of distinguishing spiritual right and wrong and their need for personal repentance, they have no need of it.
To the ordinance of water baptism is to be observed after our personal salvation in Christ.
Christ decreed it and expected us to do so as the physical evidence of the spiritual cleansing that's already been done.