LESSON 9
On Whom, And How Is Baptism Performed?
Not On Infants—Must Be Old Enough To Believe,
Repent, and Confess Jesus As The Christ
Even though the Bible does not authorize baptizing infants, over
the centuries this practice developed. However, this is something that man has
added to the word of God. You will recall the command of Jesus to His apostles
to take His saving gospel to the whole world. Who were to be baptized? Those
old enough to be taught and to believe: “And He said to them, ‘Go into all
the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will
be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned’ ” (Mark 16:15-16). The tiny infant is not
capable of believing until he or she is old enough to understand.
In
Matthew’s account of this same command, he records: “Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” Amen.
(Matthew 28:19-20). Can you teach an infant to “observe all things” that Jesus
commanded?
Please
observe further Luke’s account of this same commandment: “Then He said to
them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer
and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and
remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem’ “ (Luke 24:46-47). Can repentance and remission of sins be obeyed
by infants? The answer, “Certainly not!”
There
are those who try to justify their actions by saying that infant baptism is for
another purpose. But they are practicing infant baptism without any authority
from God and His word.
Baptism Is Not Sprinkling or Pouring
The Word Baptism Means:
“To Immerse, To Submerse, or Dip”
Here is another example
where man has not been pleased with the teaching of the Bible and changed it.
Sprinkling or pouring for baptism is as opposite to God’s truth as light is from darkness. Such is a contradiction of the meaning of
baptism. Paul’s teaching corresponds to the meaning of the Greek word for
baptism.
Paul
teaches that it is a burial. “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into
death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united
together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the
likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:4-5). There is NO WAY that
sprinkling or pouring can be likened to a burial and resurrection!
Paul
taught further: “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also
were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from
the dead” (Colossians 2:12). Those who would sprinkle a little dirt on a
deceased body and call it a burial would be considered as having a serious
problem. Surely God feels the same toward those who sprinkle water and call it a burial!
Should one remove baptism from its association with the death of Jesus, it would become nothing. One of the reasons why many do not accept baptism as being essential for salvation is because they remove its importance from the death and blood of Jesus. Paul speaks of it as being a form of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
“But
God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the
heart that
form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from
sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18). What is a form? If you
wanted a square of concrete, you would make a square form. If you wanted a
round shape, you would build a round form. The form is like the substance.
Thus, dying to sin as a penitent believer and being buried in baptism, is not
the death, burial and resurrection, but it is a form of it! Jesus went to the
cross for us as sinners, and he wants us to obey a form of this. Thus, baptism
pictures a form of His burial and resurrection. Consider again: “buried with Him in baptism,
in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working
of God, who raised Him from the dead. (Colossians 2:12).
Perhaps
without meaning to, those who put baptism aside as being essential for
salvation, are setting aside a form of His burial and resurrection. However,
without obeying this form by believing, repenting, confessing Him, and being
baptized, there is no promise of salvation!
Baptism Must Be Performed
When studying the
example of the eunuch from Ethiopia, we find: “Then Philip opened his mouth,
and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 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?’ 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.’ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and
the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized
him.
Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the
Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his
way rejoicing” (Acts 8:35-39).
Was
he sprinkled or poured? No, because both the preacher and the one being
baptized went down into the water, and then came up out of the water. Doesn’t
this suggest a burial? Isn’t this the only way we can obey from the heart that
form of doctrine?
But
someone might object by saying, “This immersion is a lot of trouble.” One time
we were making plans for a new baptistery, and the architect said, “If you
sprinkled for baptism like my church does, you could save a lot of expense.” To
which I replied, “But we must answer to God. Sprinkling for baptism is not
taught in the Bible.” This ended the conversation! Of what value is there in
having convenience if such does not please God?
.
Jesus Was Baptized By John In The Jordan
When Jesus was baptized,
he went to John who was baptizing in the Jordan (Matthew 3:13). Did John use a small
portion of water to sprinkle or a large quantity to immerse? Some of the movies
showing Jesus being baptized, picture Him being sprinkled. However, they must
leave the teaching of the Bible to do this. The New Testament says of John’s
baptism, “Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much
water there. And they came and were baptized” (John 3:23). Sprinkling or pouring
does not require much water! Therefore, baptism must be performed as immersion.
Since the Greek word for
baptize (baptidzo) means to immerse, to submerse or dip, Jesus was buried beneath
the water. He went in the water to be baptized, and came up from the water.
When His baptism was completed, Mark records: “And immediately, coming up from
the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon
Him like a dove” (Mark 1:10; cf. Matthew 3:13-16)
.
If baptism is to be acceptable today, we must follow God’s divine order. It must be performed on those old enough to believe, repent, and confess Him. It must be for the right purpose—for the forgiveness of sins, and by immersion as a burial. Only then is baptism acceptable to God. Those who have changed baptism to meet their own wishes will have to face Him in judgment.
1. That which Jesus
commanded to be preached (Mk. 16:15,16)
(a) Good Morals (b) Gospel (c) Philosophy
2. The description of a man
who went down into the water with Philip (Acts 8:35-39)
(a) Giant (b) King (c)
Eunuch
3. A preacher who taught a
man in a chariot (Acts 8:35-39)
(a) Philip (b) Stephen (c)
Saul
4. A body of water used
for baptizing (John 1:28)
(a) Nile (b) Jordan (c)
Kidron
5. Where John the Baptist
found much water for baptizing (John 3:23)
(a) Aenon (b) Sea of Galilee
(c) Dead Sea
6. Something that happened
to Paul and others when baptized (Rom. 6:4)
(a) Sprinkled (b) Praised (c) Buried
7. That which descended on
Jesus at His baptism (Mk. 1:10).
(a) The Spirit (b) A Raven (c) A Light Rain
8. These were to be made of
all nations (Mt. 28:19)
(a) Disciples (b) Apostles (c) Eyewitnesses
9. What does Luke add to
the remission of sins? (Lk.24:46,47)
(a) Faith (b) Service (c)
Repentance
10. The place from which the
Roman Christians obeyed (Rom. 6:17)
(a) In Worship (b) In Their Hearts (c) In A Synagogue
11. The opposite to being
raised in baptism (Col. 2:12)
(a) Sprinkled (b) Buried (c) Poured
12. A bird mentioned at the
baptism of Jesus (Mk. 1:10).
(a) Raven (b) Dove (c) Quail
Once You Have
Completed This Lesson, Go To Last Page For Grading Key. For Your Score, Take
From 100, 8 Points For Each One Missed.
Score for Lesson
9 =
SHARING GOD’S TRUTH
LESSON 10
Is It Important How One Worships God?
Must Worship Him In SPIRIT And In TRUTH
From the earliest existence of the human race, God has sought
the right worship. However, there have always been those who wanted to either
worship a false god or worship the true God on their own terms. When Cain and
Abel brought their sacrifices to God, Able was accepted and Cain was rejected.
Why? Because Cain and his offering
were rejected. “And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought
an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD, but He did not respect
Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance
fell” (Genesis 4:3,5).
Evidently
God had commanded the kind of sacrifice that He wanted, but Cain chose another,
and God rejected it. Abel had enough faith to obey God, but Cain didn’t! “By faith Abel
offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he
obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and
through it he being dead still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4).
Jesus
gave instructions to a Samaritan woman about how both Jews and Gentiles were to
worship. No longer would the place be important, but rather how they worship.
Listen to Jesus’ summation of worship to the woman: “But the hour is coming,
and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God
is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).
You
can see that for worship to be acceptable to God, there are two things
necessary. It must be done in spirit and in truth! What does it mean to worship in spirit?
The word spirit is used here to refer to the worshiper having his or her heart
into the worship. While worshiping, one must be thinking about God and
spiritual things. It is possible to go through the right acts of worship and
still fail. Thus, God wants our un-divided attention. Paul must have had this
in mind when he wrote: “What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the
spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the
spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding” (1 Corinthians
14:15).
True
worship does not depend on beautiful buildings and cathedrals. Yes, it is
important to have a place to worship for comfort and convenience, but worship
in spirit involves the heart. Paul summed this up in these words: “God, who
made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does
not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed
anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:24-25).
The
second thing mentioned by Jesus in order to have acceptable worship, is to
worship in truth. It is at this point
that millions have gone astray over the centuries. What did Jesus mean by
truth? He was referring to the instructions from God’s word. There are those
who think that one can worship as he or she pleases, but this is not true. God
has provided a book of instructions on how to worship. Each act of worship is
given in either command or in New Testament example. The only way that we can
know that our worship is based on truth is to follow God’s instructions.
Cause Worship To Be Vain
Jesus made it clear in
His teaching that not all worship was acceptable. In fact He let His audience
know that worship that was not done according to truth was vain or empty
worship. “ ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with
their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they
worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men'" (Matthew 15:8-9). Why are the commandments
of men vain? Because they ignore God’s truth!
The
teachings of men are earthly and will perish, but God’s truth will endure
forever. This fact led Paul to write: “Do not touch, do not taste, do not
handle, which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the
commandments and doctrines of men?” (Colossians 2:21,22). Why would we want to
worship in a way that displeases God, and will not last beyond this life?
To Go Beyond The Doctrine Of Christ,
Causes One To Lose God
How important is the
doctrine or teaching of Christ? Since He is the head of His church and gave His
lifeblood for it, shouldn’t His teaching be essential? The Bible considers
those who do not follow His teaching as being transgressor. The apostle John
summed up this truth this truth in the following words: “Whoever
transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the
doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9). Just how serious is NOT
abiding in the doctrine of Christ? John says that those who do not abide lose God. What could be more
serious than this?
Doctrines
of men turn from the truth! As Paul instructed Titus, he warned: “not giving
heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the
truth” (Titus 1:14). Therefore, those today that have added various
things that cannot be found in the New Testament have turned from God’s truth.
No one has the right to add to or take from God’s truth in worship. But one might object by saying, “The people like what we have added and it causes more people to come to worship.” Certainly it is good to get more people to come to worship, but if the worship they experience is made vain by the doctrines of men, what have they accomplished? It would be better to have ONE person worship in spirit and in truth than to have ONE THOUSAND worship in vain!
The
book of Revelation closes with a warning that applies to all of God’s truth. “For
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If
anyone adds
to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in
this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take
away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19). Thus, worship must be
done in spirit and according to God’s truth.
God’s Word Is The ONLY
Sufficient Guide
God’s word is the only
sufficient guide because it is inspired of God and has everything that one will
ever need to serve God. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Please
observe these two verses. Paul says that “all Scripture is inspired of God.”
This
includes the ones that please us and the ones that do not. When we are
commanded to do a certain thing in worship, we may wish to do something else,
but God does not give us that option. ALL Scripture comes from God!
Then
Paul declares that all Scripture is “given by — INSPIRATION of God.” This means that all of
them are God breathed! Thus, to disobey a Scripture is to disobey God. Since
they are “God breathed,” Paul further teaches that all Scripture is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in
righteousness. What more does anyone need? Why would we want to leave God’s truth
in worship when we have ALL that we need. To further verify this, Paul
concludes by writing, “that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Can anyone really improve on God’s truth?
Therefore,
when we worship, let us make EVERY effort to do so from our hearts (in spirit),
and in TRUTH (according to God’s word), and our worship will reach the throne
of God in an acceptable manner. Do not allow anyone to convince you that it
doesn’t matter how one worships. In the following lesson, we will be looking at
the acts of worship that are specified in the New Testament. Please study these
and make them a part of your worship to God.
Remember,
when we worship on God’s terms, our worship will always be acceptable to Him!
TRUE
OR FALSE: (Circle “T” for true; “F” for false)
T F 1. Cain’s worship pleased
God.
T F 2. It is important to
worship by faith.
T F 3. To worship in spirit is
the only thing that God requires.
T F 4. True worship requires a
beautiful building or cathedral.
T F 5. Truth in worship is
found in following God’s instructions.
T F 6. Adding new doctrines by men enriches
worship to God.
T F 7. Only Jesus, the head of
His church, has the right to specify worship in truth.
T F 8. Sincere worship is vain
worship when using the commandments of men.
T F 9. Each act in the New
Testament is given either by command or by example.
T F 10. Worship without the
heart is vain worship.
II.
MULTIPLE CHOICE: (Circle letter for Correct answer)
1. One who goes beyond the
doctrine of Christ (a) still pleases God (b) has only Jesus
(c) does not have God.
2. All Scripture is given (a) by men only (b) by inspiration of God (c) by angels.
3. The Scripture (a) fully equips (b) needs modern teaching (c) needs additional
revelations.
4. Given by inspiration
means: (a) passed from generation to generation (b) God
breathed (c) given by dreams.
5. Abel (a) offered fruits of the
field (b) a more excellent sacrifice than Cain (c) a large sum of money.
6. Worshiping in truth
means: (a) honest worship (b) with a clean conscience
(c) following only God’s
word.
7. In worship, one should:
(a) never add to or take from the word (b) always please
people (c) entertain the audience.
Once You Have
Completed This Lesson, Go To Last Page For Grading Key. For Your Score, Take
From 100, 6 Points For Each One Missed.
Score for Lesson 10 =
GRADING KEY
Lesson 9
Review – (1 B) – (2 C) – (3 A) – (4 B) – (5 A) –
(6 C) – (7 A) – (8 A) – (9 C) – (10 B) – (11 B) – (12 B) *
Lesson 10
True or
False – (1 F) – (2 T) – (3 F) – (4 F) – (5 T) –
(6 F) – (7 T) – (8 T) – (9 T) – (10 T)*
Multiple
Choice – (1 C) – (2 B) – (3 A) – (4 B) – (5 B) –
(6 C) – (7 A) *