Bible Study Week: The Sacrament of Baptism

One particular, Wednesday, during early morning hours, I was reading through the last chapter of the Book of Daniel. The first verse in the same chapter spoke about the great distress that would come upon the earth during the end times and that only those that have their names written in the book of life would be delivered. It goes on to say in verse two that some will receive everlasting life whilst some will be relegated to shame and everlasting contempt. I paused and re-read these two verses a couple of times and wondered to myself if truly my life is a reflection of one who was called. For a while, I had put off the idea of being baptized and had not given it much thought, however it was at this point of reflection that I decided to read more on the topic and take action. I believe that taking action is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life aside from believing in Jesus Christ.

To answer the idea of what baptism is and its importance to the believer we will look at what our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ said concerning this particular topic as well as the actions that the early church performed to align itself to this command. In John 3:5, Jesus Christ says, "Veryly, I say unto you, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and of Spirit". Later on in the story, post resurrection, Jesus Christ is quoted in Mark 6 vs 16 saying, " whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned". Earlier on during my Christian journey, I did not quite understand this later passage but now I realize that the baptism Jesus Christ referred to in Mark 16:16 was the baptism by water and by the Spirit. It is an action that comes as a consequence of believing that Jesus Christ was truly the Son of God, sent to us to deliver us from our sins.

Another passage that has eluded me for years is 1 John 5:5-8 which talks about the one who overcomes. According to these verses, the Apostle John describes the characteristics of one who overcomes as firstly: one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Secondly, an overcomer becomes a believer by water and blood of Christ, following the example of Christ. Thirdly, the Spirit bears witness that this person is indeed a believer because, He, is the Spirit of Truth. Apostle John goes on to say that they are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit. There fore, for your name to be written in the book of life, these three which are as a matter of fact one, should be in agreement. This assertion, that the Holy Spirit bears witness makes perfect sense because, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 speaks of a believer being sealed by God and being given the Holy Spirit as a pledge. Beyond doubt these verses address the issue of baptism by the Spirit. One might ask the question, "what about the baptism by water? How does this fit into the equation?

To answer this question, let us refer to 1 John 5:8 which says that there are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, the water and the blood, these three agree in one. The water that our lord and Savior spoke of in John 3:5, bears witness too of our faith. To put this into context, Apostle Peter describes the flood in the days of Noah as water that symbolizes baptism (see 1 Peter 3:20-21), baptism that now saves and is defined by Peter as "a pledge of a clear conscience toward God". When you believe in Christ in the early Church, you would typically back up your belief with an act of faith or pledge of clear conscience before God through baptism by water, which the Spirit and the blood of Christ bears witness to. We see a pattern in the Acts of Apostles, were Apostle Paul, the Eunuch, Cornelius as well as many others were baptized by water first after believing and then receiving the Holy Spirit after baptism by water. This entire exchange of pledges between God and man can be liken to a binding agreement in lame mans terms, where one pledges by an act faith to God and God follows up with an affirmation of the same pledge by sealing a believer with the Holy Spirit. Apostle Peter summaries it well when addressing a crowd in Acts 2:38-39 by saying, "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. The promise is for you and your children, for all who are far off- for all whom the Lord will call".

My takeaway from the teachings of Apostle Peter on the subject of baptism is that those who are called, whose names are written in the book of life must show themselves approved by following this prescribed process outlined in the scriptures. It is a pattern Jesus Christ set for us as an example when John the Baptist baptized him by water to kick-start his ministry and the early church followed this example diligently in their ministrations to people.

To the Galatians, Apostle Paul described baptism as an act of clothing yourself with Christ (see Galatians 3:26-29). Through repentance followed by getting baptized, you are effectively taking off your old garment of sin and shame making a conscious decision to put on eternal life through Christ. It is an announcement, that you now belong to Christ, that you have become Abrahams seed and an heir according to the promise.

Dear reader, I will conclude our bible study week by leaving you with the words of Ananias to Apostle Paul when he was still Saul, found in Acts 22:16; "What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized and wash your sins away, calling upon his name."

May the Grace and peace of the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.