"Understanding Baptism"

A Lesson by
Rev. E. Ray Shutt, Minister of Evangelism/Bus Director
Berean Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

When we accept Jesus Christ as our own personal Saviour, we need to learn to be obedient unto Him in all things!

If we are not faithful to be obedient in the little things, then it will be very difficult for us to be obedient in the bigger things later in in our Christian life.

We read of the believers in the book of Acts chapter 2 . . .

Acts 2:41 "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."

When these folks, by faith, accepted Christ into their hearts and lives as their own personal Saviour, we notice several things.

     1 - They were glad to receive the Word of God

          a: What a blessing to know that after all we have done against God, He still loves us!

     2 - They were obedient to the Word of God

          a: They were obedient to follow the Lord in Believer's Baptism

          b: They were obedient unto the Word of God immediately

As a husband shows those around him that he is unashamed to be married by wearing his wedding band on his finger, so Christians should be unashamed to show the world that they have accepted Christ as their Saviour by following Him in Believer's Baptism.

There are a few things to note about Baptism . . .

     1 - Water Baptism does NOT save a person!

Romans 11:6 "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."

Galatians 2:16 "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

Ephesians 2:8 - 10  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

     2 - Only Born Again Believers get Baptized!

Would it make since for someone "un-married" to wear a wedding band on their hand? Certainly not!! And if they did, they would be lying to those people around them in trying to make those people think they were married (because they were wearing a wedding band on their hand like a married person) when they actually were not married!

So it is with people who get baptized as a baby or get baptized as a teenager or adult without first accepting Jesus Christ into their by faith as the Bible says to do in order to be saved.

     3 - Baptism demonstrates Obedience in the heart of the child of God

When my children were born, they began to grow immediately. I felt that they were the most beautiful babies in the hospital and wanted everyone to know that they were my children.

But what made them "my children'??

It was "the Birth" that made them mine, wasn't it?

And it is the same with us when we become Christians. We are "born again" into God's family when we, by faith, accept Jesus Christ as our own personal Lord and Saviour!

Look at what the Bible says in John chapter 1 . . . .

John 1:12-13 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Notice, it did not say "as many as were baptized", it said "as many as RECEIVED HIM, TO THEM gave He power to become the sons of God!

It is all because of God's wonderful Grace and Mercy that we have eternal life!! It is the Gift of God! And that "gift of God" must be received in order to make it mine.

Romans 6:23b says, "...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

But after my children were born into my family, my desire was, and still is today, that they would love me enough to obey me.

As they continue to grow today, they are my children because of the birth into my family. And if they live to be 100 years old, they will ALWAYS be my children because of that birth!

I can never "un-birth" them or send them back where they came from because you can not reverse a birth!

But now, they must choose to be either "OBEDIENT Children" or "DISOBEDIENT children" . My heart's desire for my children is that they will "CHOOSE" to obey me because they love me enough to do it!

When they "CHOOSE" to disobey, they are rebelling against me as their dad and against the authority that I have over them as their earthly father.

And so it is with God's children too!

You are God's child because of that "NEW BIRTH". But are you being an "Obedient child of God"?

God wants YOU, as His dear child, to be an obedient child of God.

Let’s look at this little tract so we can learn how to become "obedient children" of God . . .

Click the Picture to enlarge Front Page of Baptism Tract

Click the Picture to enlarge Inside Pages of Baptism Tract

Click the Picture to enlarge Back Page of Baptism Tract