|
Christian
Baptism
Christian baptism is about
forgiveness, identification and declaration.
It is about accepting God’s
forgiveness for our sins, symbolized in the water poured,
sprinkled or immersed in.
It is about realizing that we were
mystically united with Christ when he died and when he rose
again. This is
identification.
And it is a
declaration that we
are going to follow Jesus through life as the leader of our
life.
Jesus gave the church two sacraments
[or religious symbols]
1.The Lord’s supper [communion] and 2. Baptism.
He gave them to us to use to remember
him and to help us follow him. They are what is called:
“ a means of grace”.
They help us refocus and
strengthen
us in our belief and obedience. They also humble us to accept
ourselves as we are and to “fear” God for who he is. And
then they help us gratefully accept what Jesus has done for us.
Why should a person be
baptised?
r
· Jesus
commands us to be. Matthew 28 : 18 –20
· It is a public demonstration of our
faith and obedience.[1 John 2:4, Matt 3:15]
[Note: Jesus was baptised as an act of
obedience, not because he was a sinner.]
What
Christian Baptism is.
r
· An act of obedience which commits
the person to a life of obedience and submission to Jesus.
· A symbolic cleansing from sins,
washing away the old way of living independently from God. [Acts
22 : 16]
· An act which symbolises the new
birth [John 3:1 - 4] and the beginning of a new life. [ 2
Corinthians 5: 17]
· An act which initiates the Christian
into fellowship with other Christian.
[ Acts 2 : 36 – 41]
· An act which symbolises the death,
burial and resurrection of Jesus and the Christian. [ Romans 6 : 3, Colossians 2 : 12]
What Christian Baptism is
not.
r
· It is no guarantee of getting into
heaven. [Ephesians 2: 8,9]
· It
is no proof to a pastor or congregation that the person is a
truly repentant obedient believer in Jesus.
How is
baptism done?
r
· From the Greek word [baptidzo] and
historical evidence, it appears quite clearly that full bodily
immersion was the practice by both Jews and the early
Christians. [Gentiles were baptised this way “into Judaism”
when they wanted to become Jews.] Matthew 3: 16, Acts 8:26 –
39, John 3:23.
· Jesus
was immersed. [Matthew 3 : 13 – 16]
· Scholars
from churches which accept other modes than immersion will
concede that immersion was original and that sprinkling and
pouring were concessions. Every denomination, Protestant and
Catholic, will accept immersion as valid Christian baptism. It
appears that other forms did not come into practice until later
in the history of the church.
Who is the
proper candidate for baptism?
r
· Those who confess and repent of their sins. [
Acts 2:38; Acts17:30 ]
· Those
who are committed to following, obeying and believing in Christ.
[John 3 : 36, Matthew 28: 18 – 20]
Water Baptism
r
Many new Christians
question the reason for water baptism. They know that Jesus has
forgiven their sins, but the do not understand why they should
be baptised. The Bible is full of teaching and stories on
baptism.
Stories about baptism:
· The example of Jesus
Practice – Matthew 3 : 11 – 17,
Mark 1 : 9, Luke 3 : 21
Preaching – Matthew 28 : 18 – 20
· The
example of John the Baptist.
Mark 1: 4
· The
example of the Disciples.
John 4 : 1- 2
· The
example of the early Church.
Acts 2 : 38 – 41; Acts 8 : 12,13;
Acts 8: 36 – 39; Acts 9 : 18; Acts 10 : 47;
Acts 16: 14, 15; Acts 16 : 33; Acts
18:8; Acts 19:5.
What water baptism means.
r
Water baptism is
basically an outward sign that we want to be associated with
Christ. It gives a threefold picture of Christ as seen in his:
1.
His death. Romans 6 : 3
2.
His burial. Colossians 2 : 12
3.
His resurrection. Colossians 2 : 12.
The
Baptismal service.
r
The baptismal
service can be held in a river, a dam, at the beach, in a
swimming pool or in a church baptistry. If the person being
baptised cannot get into any of these places, or wants a
different form, sprinkling or pouring is acceptable.
The baptism usually is part of the
normal church service, or it may be a specially organised
service. It is normal for the person being baptised [the
candidate] to tell the story of their journey to baptism as part
of the baptism, usually before they are baptised. It is best to
limit this to about three minutes. The baptismal service
can also have a key mentor in the person’s life pray for them
as they come up out of the water and/or receive them with a
towel as they come out of the baptistry. It is best for all
candidates to wear togs under the clothes they get baptised in,
and it is worth trying to get the candidates to wear all white
clothes.
Once the minister and candidate are in
the water, the minister stands next to the candidate and asks
her/him questions relating to their belief. [See appendix and/or
Wesleyan Discipline] Once the confession is made the minister
puts one hand behind the neck and one hand on the folded hands
of the candidate and lowers her/him full length into the water
immersing everything. [This can be hard for a few people who are
afraid of water.] The candidate then bends her/his knees and
stands up.
The minister needs to encourage people
to congratulate the candidates after the service and to affirm
their support and sincere offer of prayer support in the post
baptism phase of their lives. It can be a time of spiritual
trial [See Matthew 3, 4.]
Preparing
the story.
r
The story each
candidate tells must be true to who they are and what they have
experienced in their life as a Christian, however short that
time is.
It is not a sermon
but a personal story. Just tell it like it is!
Try to avoid jargon
[“christianese”] so that non-church family and friends can
understand.
Some of the things that can be included
in the story:
1.
Life before coming to Christ.
2.
How you became a Christian.
3.
What it has been like since.
4.
Why you now want to be baptised.
r
When the candidate
has told her/his story and/or is in the water, the minister
shall say:
“………………..[Name] in keeping with the example of Jesus, you have presented
yourself this day that you might receive the sacrament of
baptism. Baptism is not itself the door to salvation, but rather
is an outward sign of the new birth which God has wrought in
you. It proclaims to all the world that you have taken Christ as
the Lord of your life, and that it is your purpose always to
obey him. In order that we might [further] hear your story of
what God has done for you, and that we may know that you
understand the significance of the step you are taking, we want
to ask you these questions:
- Do you believe in God the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
- That Jesus Christ the Son suffered
in your place on the cross, that He died but rose again, that He
now sits at the Father’s right hand until He returns to judge
all men at the last day?
- And do you believe in the Holy
Scriptures as the inspired Word of God? That by the grace of God
every person has the ability and responsibility to choose
between right and wrong, and that those who repent of their sin
and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are justified by their
faith?”
ANSWER: “All this I steadfastly believe.”
“Do you intend by
this act to testify to all the world that you are a Christian
and will be a loyal follower of Christ?”
ANSWER: “I do.”
MINISTER: ” ……………..[Full name ]
On confession of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ I now
baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit.”
|