DAY 1 - False Teachings about Baptism
There are two main heresies (i.e., false teachings) about baptism:
a. Baptism is required to acquire salvation
b. Since baptism is not required to acquire salvation, then baptism is
not important.

Let us look at the first heresy on baptism:  baptism is required to
acquire salvation.
Some people are teaching that in order to receive salvation, a person
has to be baptized.  This means that without baptism, a person can not
be saved.  Now, let us look at what the Bible is saying.
(i).  "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
(Rom 10:13)
(ii). "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and
believe
in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
(Rom 10:9)
None of these verses say anything that a person has to be baptized to
be
saved.  In fact, there is no verse in the Bible that suggests that
salvation is required to receive salvation.

Now, let us look at the time when Jesus was on the cross with two other
people.  At that time, one of them believed that Jesus is Lord and
Jesus
said that the person would be with Him in paradise.  This is an example
of one person that believed and received salvation even though the
person has not been baptized.

Let us look at the second heresy on baptism: since baptism is not
required to acquire salvation, then baptism is not important.  On the
other hand, some people are teaching that you only need to believe and
be saved and do not have to baptized.  This is not true either.  There
are two things that Jesus did during his life of ministry:
(i) He started his ministry by being baptized.  Before he started his
ministry, Jesus went to John the Baptist to be baptized.
(ii) Jesus completed his ministry by commanding his disciples to teach
and baptize people.  "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
Mat
28:19-20.

Baptism must of great important for Jesus to start his ministry with it
and to complete his ministry by commanding his disciples to teach and
baptize people.

So today we have seen that even though baptism is not required to
receive salvation, baptism is of great importance and can not be
ignored.  Baptism is definitely commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ for
every believers.  Being baptized is being obedient to God's command.
 
 

DAY 2 - Method of Baptism
Baptism comes from a Greek word, "baptizo."  This is not a translated
word, instead it is a transliterated word.  Transliterated means that
the word is just simply taken from the original language into another
language.  So, the word baptism is just adopted into the English
language.  (Note:  another example of a transliterated word is like the
word "computer."  In the Indonesian language, that word is
transliterated into the word "komputer.")  The word baptizo means to
"IMMERSE."

Now, we will look at verses from the Bible that taught us about the
method of baptism:
(i) Baptism requires WATER. Mark 1:8  "I baptize you with WATER."
(ii) Baptism requires MUCH water, PLENTY of water.  John 3:23 "Now John
also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was PLENTY of
water."  Baptism requires a lot of water.
(iii) Baptism requires the people to GO DOWN into the water.  Acts 8:38
"Then both Philip and the Ethiopian WENT DOWN into the water and Philip
baptized him."
(iv) Baptism requires BURIAL/DEATH UNDER water.  Rom 6:4 "We were
therefore buried into him through baptism into death in order that,
just
as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we
too may live a new life.
(v) Baptism requires COMING UP OUT OF water.  Mark 1:9-10 "At that time
Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the
Jordan.  As Jesus was COMING UP OUT OF the water, he saw heaven being
torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove."

Now, this is the reason why we see baptism as follows.  There is much
water in a river or a huge container.  Then, the pastor and the new
believer GO DOWN into the water.  The pastor asks the new believer if
he/she has accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.  This is to give an
opportunity for the new believer to "CONFESS with his/her mouth" that
Christ is Lord.  (Rom 10:9-10).  After hearing the answer, the pastor
baptizes the person "in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy
Spirit."  (Mat 28:19-20)  The pastor then BURIES the new believer UNDER
the water to symbolize the death of the old life.  Finally, the pastor
brings the new believer to COME UP OUT OF water to provide a testimony
that now the new believer can lead a new life.

The day after tomorrow, we will see why God sets the method of baptism
like what we have discussed above.
 
 

DAY 3 - When should a person be baptized?
When should a person be baptized?  Some people are teaching that a
person has to be a mature Christian before he/she can be baptized.
Now, let us see what the Bible says.  The Bible shows that after a person
receives Christ as their Lord and Savior, then the person is baptized.
This was clearly done in Acts 2:41 at the Pentacost, "Those who accepted
his message (i.e., Peter's message about salvation) were baptized, and
about three thousand were added to their number that day."  So in this
verse we see that as soon as a person receives Christ, then the person
is baptized.  The person does not have to be a mature Christian first
before he can be baptized.  After being baptized he'll start growing in
Christ and go through a process of becoming a mature Christian.

Now, on the other hand, some people are teaching that a person can be
baptized even before the person receives Christ as their Lord and
Savior.  Baptism should be done only after a person receives Christ.
Baptism is only for believers.  Over and over again we see in the Bible
that baptism is only performed after a person accepted Christ.  We saw
in Acts, "those who accepted the message were baptized.", then we saw
again that only after the Ethiopian received Christ that Phillip
baptized him.

So when should a person be baptized?  A person should be baptized soon
after he receives Christ as his Lord and Savior.  A person does not have
to be mature first before he/she can be baptized, but at the same time,
a person has to receive Christ, before he can be baptized.

DAY 4 - What is the meaning of baptism?

(i) Baptism is a seal of commitment.  Baptism is to make real the inner
experience of salvation.  It is an INSIDE experience that is displayed
by an event OUTSIDE.  This is like having your wedding ring.  The
wedding ring itself is not the marriage, but it symbolizes the
marriage.  The wedding ring works as a public display that states that
"I am married."  It reminds us of our commitment to our spouse and God.
The wedding ring is a seal of commitment.  That's what baptism is all
about.  It symbolizes our salvation.  It is a public testimony that we
have accepted Christ and it reminds us always that now we are dead in
sin and alive in Christ.
(ii) Baptism is a symbol of salvation.  Salvation includes the
following: "If we have been united with him like this in his death, we
will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.  For we know
that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might
be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because
anyone who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with
Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. .. . In the same
way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
(Rom 6:5-14).  Now, this death in the old self and the new life in the
new self is illustrated in baptism.  That's why the method of baptism
includes the burial under water and the resurrection, i.e., coming up out of water.
(iii) Baptism is a sign of obedience.  Sure, baptism is not required to
receive salvation, but it is required for an obedient living in Christ.
After all, Jesus commanded his disciples to go, baptize and teach.
(Jesus did this right before he ascended to heaven.)

Now, if we understand the meaning of baptism, then we can see why God
creates the method of baptism to ACCURATELY symbolize the meaning of
salvation.  In addition, understanding the meaning of baptism allows us
to see that baptism is only for believers.  Only after a person accepted
Christ, he can be baptized.

~ END ~