1. Jesus wants believers to declare publicly their faith in Him. Read Matthew 10:32-33
Have you ever heard of a carpenter’s practice of clinching a nail? Clinching a nail is driving it into a board and bending the extended portion of it down on the other side. The nail cannot be pulled from the board. Professing Jesus publicly is like clinching a nail. Faith and assurance of salvation are strengthened.
Most churches provide opportunities, at the conclusion of the worship services, for people to make public their commitments to Jesus. If you have not declared publicly your faith, you should do so at the next public worship service you attend. Upon making this commitment, you should be baptized.
2. Baptism is an act of obedience that declares your faith in Jesus.
A test of whether a person is a true follower of Jesus is his or her obedience to Jesus’ commands. Read 1 John 2:3.
3. Jesus commanded baptism. Read Matthew 28:19-20
This was not a suggestion or an option for His followers. If we are not baptized, we are disobedient. Jesus set the example by being baptized. Read the account of Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3:13-17.
4. In the New Testament, new believers were baptized. Read Acts 2:37-38, 41, 47
These verses clearly indicate that new believers followed Jesus by being baptized. Now read Acts 8:35-38. After the Ethiopian believed, he was baptized.
5. Baptism expresses your love for Jesus. Read John 14:21
On a sheet of paper, rewrite the verse in your own words.
6. Baptism pictures two things:
(1) What Jesus did for you – He died for your sins, was buried, and came back to life. Read 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.
(2) What has happened to you – You died to an old way of life and have been raised to live a new life in Jesus. Read Romans 6:3-4.
The Bible teaches that the method of baptism was immersion (completely placing a person under water and immediately bringing him or her back up). Immersion is the only form of baptism that adequately pictures this meaning.
REVIEW: Scripture reveals that baptism involves four things:
- The right person – a believer
- The right reasons – obedience and declaration of your new faith
- The right method – immersion
- The right authority – a local New Testament church (read Acts 2:41:47)
The essentials of baptism are:
- Believe in Jesus for salvation
- Make your commitment public
- Request to be baptized by immersion
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