Baptism
Greetings, Wayne, a servant of God, by the grace of God, teaching truth under the authority of Jesus Christ to any who are willing to receive it, or as Jesus put it, to any who have ears to hear (Mat 11:15).
It is recommended that the teaching on repentance be read first before considering baptism. The New Testament is a new covenant between God and those He calls out from this present evil world sealed with baptism (Joh 6:44; Act 2:39; Joh 6:27; 2Co 1:21, 22; Gal 1:4).
The teaching on repentance contains a brief history of the house of Israel, the people God had made the first covenant with in the Old Testament. So it is important to understand how and why that first covenant was broken.
It is also important to understand that the laws of God, as well as the Holy days He requires to be kept or observed by His people, still apply to the newly baptised Christian.
I will be the words in green. Purple highlights will emphasize important words or phrases of truth.
Mat 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
Mat 3:2 And saying, Repent [Greek: reconsider; feel compunction (guilt leading to repentance)] you: for the kingdom of heaven [of God] is at hand.
Mat 3:3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias [Isaiah], saying, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Here is the section of Isaiah John the Baptist was referring to:
Isa 40:3 The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isa 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.
So what we have in these last two verses are prophecies. The first verse of John the Baptist and the second verse of Jesus the Christ, both fulfilled early in the New Testament.
Now in the Old Testament, with the first covenant, the people verbally made a seal or promise to keep the covenant:
Exo 19:3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob [Israel], and tell the children of Israel;
Exo 19:4 You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Exo 19:6 And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which you [Moses] shall speak unto the children of Israel.
Exo 19:7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.
Exo 19:8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD has spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
So we see that the covenant between God and the house of Israel was a verbal agreement to keep the commandments of God.
Circumcision or uncircumcision was not a primary concern. The apostle Paul understood this perfectly:
1Co 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God [is something].
Here is a quick summary of what became of that first covenant with God:
Deu 31:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods [idols, statues, images] of the strangers of the land, where they go to be among them, and will forsake me [and His commandments (Isa 48:18)], and break my covenant which I have made with them.
And as a result of that first covenant being broken:
Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Read 1 Kings chapter 11 to see how and why God divided the house of Israel into the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was an husband unto them, says the LORD:
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel [now speaking of all the descendants of the original house of Israel]; After those days, says the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Confirming that the people of God are fully aware of the requirement to keep His commandments.
In the New Testament, the new covenant is sealed with full immersion baptism and a warning:
Mat 3:6 And were baptized of him [John the Baptist] in Jordan [full immersion into the river], confessing their sins.
Now the warning:
Mat 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which brings not forth good fruit [good works (Mat 5:16; Act 9:36; Eph 2:10; 1Ti 6:18; 2Ti 3:17; Tit 2:14, 3:8, 14; Heb 10:24; 1Pe 2:12)] is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost [Spirit], and with fire [Mal 4:1-3]:
Jesus confirming:
Mat 7:19 Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Again concerning fire, with Jesus explaining the seed and weed parable to His disciples:
Mat 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares [weeds] of the field.
Mat 13:37 He answered and said unto them, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man [speaking of Himself];
Mat 13:38 The field is the world [Mat 24:14]; the good seed are the children of the kingdom [Act 8:12]; but the tares are the children of the wicked one [Eph 2:2];
Mat 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil [Rev 12:9]; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels [Mar 13:24-27].
Mat 13:40 As therefore the tares [weeds; Mat 13:22] are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom [Dan 7:14, 27; Luk 9:11] all things that offend, and them which do iniquity [deeds against the commandments of the Lord [Lev 5:17];
Mat 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 13:43 Then shall the righteous [Psa 140:13] shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father [Luk 12:32]. Who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Speaking to His disciples.
A baptised Christian of Jesus the Christ ought to be doing exactly what He says:
Luk 6:46 And why call you me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? And confirming the baptism and receiving of the Holy Spirit, the words of the Lord Jesus Christ:
Luk 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry [wait] you in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power from on high.
Act 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, says he, you have heard of me.
Act 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but you [disciples; learners; pupils] shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost [Spirit] not many days hence.
Here is the account of the promise of the Holy Spirit being fulfilled:
Act 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come [one of God's required Holy day observances mentioned in the introduction], they were all with one accord in one place.
Act 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost [Spirit], and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The speaking with other tongues was in other languages to the people around them who could understand those languages and not incoherent babblings:
Act 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Having first been introduced to the severity and fear of God in regards to the new covenant of baptism by water and fire, let us now prove that the promise of eternal life in the Kingdom of God, through full immersion baptism, is available to all in the world who call upon His name (Rom 10:13) in obedience to His commandments (Psa 119:166).
I highly recommend that you read all of Acts 2 for a deeper understanding of repentance, baptism, and the receiving of God's Holy Spirit.
Here are some scriptures relating to the promise of life (through the Holy Spirit) from God the Father:
Act 2:32 This Jesus has God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Act 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost [Spirit], he has shed forth this, which you now see and hear [everyone hearing the apostles in their own language].
Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he says himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit you on my right hand,
Act 2:35 Until I make your foes your footstool.
Act 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified [by chanting for that crucifixion (Mat 27:23)], both Lord and Christ.
Act 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Now, the following verse is the answer to all who have questioned their direction in life and have been exposed to, or "called into" (Joh 6:44), the truth of God:
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent [Greek: think differently; reconsider], and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost [Spirit].
Reconsider. Do you continue along with the traditions of the world that have been established by men or do you give your full attention to the truth of God?
Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
If you are understanding the truth of God perfectly (Joh 17:17; Jer 23:20), God the Father may be calling you.
Act 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort [Greek: call near], saying, Save yourselves from this untoward [Greek: warped; perverse; crooked] generation.
Act 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
More on the promise:
Act 13:32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
Act 13:33 God has fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he has raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, You are my Son, this day have I begotten you [Psa 2:7].
Now, confirming the promise is not just to the house of Israel, but to the whole world (Gentiles) as well. From Jesus:
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him [by the actions of repentance and baptism and enduring, in belief, till the end] should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Confirmed by the apostle Paul to the Gentiles:
Gal 3:26 For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if you be Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Eph 1:13 In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel [the gospel of the Kingdom of God (Mar 1: 14, 15)]:
2Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
From the book of Hebrews:
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:15 And for this cause He is the mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament [first covenant in the Old Testament], they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Heb 10:36 For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise.
From the apostle Peter:
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
And summing up the promise with the apostle John:
1Jn 2:25 And this is the promise that he has promised us [called and baptized of God], even eternal life.
So we have learned that baptism is all about repenting and coming out of the unfruitful works and traditions of the world (Mar 4:19; Eph 5:11) and turning to God with a life-long commitment to His commandments and good works (Titus 3:14, 2Pe 1:8).
Mat 10:22 And you shall be hated [Greek: loved less] of all men for my name's sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved.
Freely I have received, freely I have given.
Farewell,