The story is told of a preacher who had just started serving with a new congregation and for eight Sundays in a row, he preached about baptism.

The elders were growing tired of hearing about baptism and decided to assign the preacher a text for the next Sunday that would hopefully result in a sermon on a different subject, rather than another sermon about baptism.

So, the elders approached the preacher and asked him to preach next week on Genesis 1:1; the first verse of the Bible.

When the next Sunday arrived, the preacher started his sermon: “My text for today’s sermon is Genesis 1:1. ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’  As you know, the earth is two-thirds water, which leads me to the subject of my sermon: water baptism.”

As this study of the 7 Ones began with the subject of Christian unity, I am reminded of the familiar story of two old Quakers who were chatting. The one said to the other, “You know, sometimes I think that everyone in the world is a bit off except for me and thee. And, sometimes I wonder about thee!”

We smile at that story because we recognize ourselves in it. We all are prone to think, “I alone see things clearly and everyone else is a bit off.” I wonder how people can be so blind as not to see things my way!

Unity among believers is a big deal in the Bible. Jesus prayed for it just before He went to the cross (John 17).

One of the things that is so sad is to realize that these seven ones that are supposed to lead to unity are actually some of the most hotly disputed doctrines and I am sure that Satan is the cause of that.

People have differing ideas about the method of baptism: Some believe that sprinkling or pouring of water over a person is an acceptable form of baptism, whereas others believe that baptism must involve a person must be completely immersed in water.

People have differing ideas about who should be baptized: Some believe that infants and young children should be baptized, whereas others believe that a person must be old enough to believe in Jesus and understand what it means to be a  disciple of Jesus before they are a candidate for baptism.

The most popular belief about baptism practiced by many  today says that baptism is an outward expression of an inward change and teaches that a person is saved when they receive Christ by saying the sinner’s prayer, and then they can be baptized at a later time to make their faith profession public.

If you work in prison ministry, some say you can postpone baptism and wait until you are released to take care of it in order to be added to their church’s membership.

Still others, like us, believe that baptism is an integral part of the salvation process and is the moment when a person’s sins are washed away and they get into Christ.

If baptism is not necessary, then why is it included in the list?  Nothing else on the list is optional or unimportant! These seven ones are the basis for unity and baptism is listed as one of the seven, unalterable, absolute truths that all Christians must embrace.

When speaking of the one Baptism Paul could not have had in mind the question or debate of where it was of pouring, or sprinkling, or immersion. Only immersion was practiced in the time of the apostles.

The earliest case of sprinkling for baptism on record is that of Novation in 251 A. D., who was “baptized” upon his bed while sick by pouring a large quantity of water over him.

According to the historians, immersion was nearly the universal practice until the Middle Ages when the Roman Catholic church declared at the Council of Constance that immersion and sprinkling were of equal validity.

Paul was certainly not referring to Holy Spirit baptism as the one baptism that was the common experience of the church. Baptism in the Holy Spirit was an exceptional experience. On the day of Pentecost, the apostles were baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5; 2:4). About ten years later, at the house of Cornelius, Peter saw the Holy Spirit fall of Cornelius and his household.

In telling about this, Peter said that the Holy Spirit fell on them, “as at the beginning. Then remembered the word of the Lord how that he had said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 11:15-16).

The idea of baptism is introduced in the New Testament in the ministry of a man named John. He was so connected with the act of baptism that he earned the name, John the Baptist.

John preached a message of repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah.

In Acts 19, the apostle Paul found some people who considered themselves disciples of Jesus.

He found some disciples ² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” “No,” they told him, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” ³ “Into what then were you baptized?” he asked them.  “Into John’s baptism,” they replied.  ⁴ Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy. (Acts 19:1b-6)

The “one baptism” that we will talk about in a few minutes involves receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit (which is the indwelling of the Spirit as our seal and guide), and so Paul knew that something wasn’t right when these people didn’t know anything about the Holy Spirit.

When Paul discovered that they had only been baptized with John’s baptism, he knew they needed to receive the “one baptism,” so Paul immediately baptized them in the name of Jesus. John’s baptism was temporary, and ended with the death of Jesus on the cross. Like the law, it had met its purpose.

(Acts 2:38-39 NIV)  Peter replied, “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. {39} The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off–for all whom the Lord our God will call. So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. “

The difficulty comes in the simple definition —  or redefining – of the word eis. Is it saying that baptism is to receive the forgiveness of sins or baptism is because my sins have  already been forgiven? To say the same thing in another way: is baptism necessary in order to have your sins forgiven?

If the word eis in Acts 2:38 means their sins were already forgiven before baptism, it has to be interpreted the same way in Matthew 26:28: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Does anyone here believe that forgiveness of sins was possible for the masses BEFORE the death and the “shedding of blood” by Jesus?

The purpose of baptism was for the forgiveness of their sins and the result was receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit and their addition to the church.

In Romans 6, Paul explained many important truths about baptism: ³ Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. (Rom. 6:3-5).

Here we see Paul connecting our baptism with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Paul emphasizes the burial aspect of baptism.

• We know what it means to bury something – like when we bury a casket in the cemetery.
• When we bury a casket, we do more than just sprinkle a little dirt, or pour a bucket of dirt on a casket – when a casket is put into the ground, we cover it completely – it is buried.
• When Jesus was put into that grave, he was put in the earth and a huge stone covered the entrance to His tomb, but then Jesus came back to life and came out of the tomb.
• So, when we are “buried” in baptism, the same thing happens – we are put under the water and then we are raised out of the water a new person with new life.

Baptism is not for someone who does not understand what they are doing or who doesn’t believe in Jesus – baptism follows faith – doesn’t happen before someone believes.

The Greek word “baptisma” literally means “to immerse, to dip under, to plunge beneath.”

Then, 300 years later, in 1611, when the King James Version of the Bible was being translated, the translators decided not to mess with the tradition of sprinkling and in doing so, they instead messed with the meaning of scripture.

Rather than translate the word “baptisma” into English, they transliterated the Greek word “baptisma” and made up the English word “baptism” – which hid the original meaning of the Greek word “baptisma” which is “immerse.”

So, every time you see the word “baptism” in your English Bible, it should read “immerse.”

Every “religious group” teaches some response to God’s grace is necessary for salvation, to believe in Jesus or accept Jesus or pray to Jesus etc. The idea of responding to God’s grace is biblical (“those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace,” Rom. 5:17).

I believe the NT teaches baptism is a part of receiving it, one of the necessary responses, in view of the clear statements that connect w/ salvation.

If you are familiar with “the sinner’s prayer” I encourage you to think carefully about that. I can’t find that in the Bible, Rev. 3:20 is talking to Christians.

People feel a need for a tangible beginning point, and baptism is that beginning point…a particular event at a particular point in time and an actual act which is deliberate and able to be witnessed. I believe the sinner’s prayer is a way of filling the void left when people remove baptism.

So baptism is an immersion in water of a person who understands and believes the good news about Jesus and who is willing to follow Jesus as his One Lord.

• This is what we believe & teach & something you need to do if you want to be a member of Rockville.
• If you’re not quite there yet in your thinking, that’s okay. Our walk w/ God is a journey. But I encourage you to be thinking, praying, & studying about this.
• It is a vital part. I’d love to talk with you about it if you wish. Or if you think I’m wrong about this, I’d be glad to dialog with you.

(Galatians 1:6-9 NIV)  I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel– {7} which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. {8} But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! {9} As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

(Galatians 3:26-28 NIV)  You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, {27} for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. {28} There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Why is this so important? Because the religious world is good at giving “false confidence” in this area.

If we believe in the One Baptism, we’ll do two things: Get baptized, w/ understanding, w/ faith, w/ the intent to follow Jesus. If you haven’t done that, I urge you to do so.

Because it’s associated with being saved, it’s really, really important.

Glad to discuss it with you further.  Live like you’ve been baptized (not “follow the rules”). Parallel <> baptism and death, burial, & resurrection of Jesus.