Believer's Baptism

Q: What does the Bible say about believer's baptism?

The Bible affirms that believer's baptism is a vital act of obedience and public confession of faith. Believer's baptism is central to the Christian faith, as illustrated in Jesus’ own baptism and commanded in Matthew 28:19-20. It symbolizes the believer's identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, as stated in Romans 6:3-4. Baptism serves as a public declaration that the individual has believed in Christ and is committed to walking in newness of life, fulfilling the command given by our Lord to make disciples of all nations.

Q: Why is baptism important for Christians?

Baptism is important as it represents obedience to Christ, a public declaration of faith, and symbolizes the believer's identification with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Baptism holds a significant place in the life of a Christian because it is an outward sign of an inward faith. In Matthew 3:13-17, we see Jesus fulfilling all righteousness through His own baptism, modeling for us the importance of this act. It signifies the believer's commitment to Christ and the transformation that occurs in their life. Romans 6:4 explains that baptism represents the burial of the old self and the raising to a new life, embodying the essence of the believer's faith journey. By being baptized, Christians publicly declare their faith and commitment to following Christ.

Q: How do we know believer's baptism is true?

Believer's baptism is affirmed through Scripture as a command of Christ and exemplified by His own baptism, establishing it as a foundational practice for the Church. The truth of believer's baptism is firmly rooted in the commands and examples set forth in Scripture. Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize all who believe in Matthew 28:19-20, indicating that the act of baptism is essential for those who have faith in Him. The New Testament consistently showcases examples of baptism following belief, as seen in Acts where individuals like the eunuch and Lydia were baptized after they expressed faith in Christ. These evidences support the practice of believer's baptism as a biblical mandate that aligns with the portrait of salvation presented throughout the New Testament.

Q: What is the significance of baptism by immersion?

Baptism by immersion symbolizes the believer's identification with Christ's death and resurrection, representing the burial of the old self and the emergence into new life. Baptism by immersion is significant as it closely mirrors the biblical portrayal of baptism found in the New Testament. In Romans 6:3-4, Paul emphasizes that through baptism, believers are symbolically buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life. This mode of baptism not only aligns with Christ’s own baptism but also exemplifies the complete immersion and transformation that occurs in the life of a believer. Immersion serves as a vivid representation of dying to sin and being reborn into a new life in Christ, making it a powerful testament to one's faith and commitment.

the 12th chapter of the book
of Luke. I'm going to begin reading with
verse 4 of Luke chapter 12. This is our Master speaking, and he says, And I say unto you,
my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and
after that have no more that they can do. But I forewarn you
whom you shall fear. Fear him. Fear God. which after he hath killed hath
power to cast into hell, I say unto you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for
two fatherings, and not one of them is forgotten the full God? But even the hairs of your head
are all numbered Fear not, therefore, you are
of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, that whosoever
shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of Man also
confess before the angels of God. But he that denieth me before
men shall be denied before the angels of God." What is it to
confess Christ before men? Paul wrote in Romans 10, If thou
shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus to be Lord, and believe
in thine heart God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt
be saved. For with the heart man believeth. under righteousness
with the mouth confession is made under salvation. What is
it to confess the Lord before men? Well, I brought a message
on that some time ago in which I gave four things. To confess
Christ, first of all, is to believe Christ before God in your heart. That's where all of this begins.
If I confess something with my mouth which I do not believe,
that makes me a hypocrite. It would be better if I didn't
confess it. I read in Psalm 116 a few moments
ago where David said, and Paul repeated it, I believed, therefore
have I spoken. Don't speak till you believe.
Don't confess anything until you believe it. I believe, therefore
have I spoken. That's where it starts. I believe
I'm a sinner. I really believe that. I believe
that God will judge sinners and the soul of sinners shall die.
I believe that. I believe that God gave his Son
to die for sinners. He came into this world to save
sinners. I really believe that. I'm not just talking. I believe
that. I believe Jesus Christ, by his perfect obedience and
righteousness, makes us holy before God, whom he represented. And his blood literally cleanses
us from all sin. I believe that. Therefore I confess. But don't confess if you don't
believe it. Don't lie to God. All right. Second, and I gave
you this briefly, to confess Christ is to identify with his
people. is to identify with the things
of God. If a man believes God, he'll
love God's house. David said, I was glad when they
said to me, let's go to the house of the Lord. He said, I'd rather
be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to dwell in the tents
of wickedness. I love thy house, O God. I love
thy law. God's people love God's law.
They love God's They love God's house, they love God's people,
they love everything identified with God. They even love the
universe, the stars and the moon and the sun, which God has made,
which shows forth his glory. They delight in them. They love
the things of God, and they identify with the things of God. And then
thirdly, to confess Christ is to believe him in here. and to
be identified with the things of God. And thirdly, it's to
walk in daily conversation and conduct with God. It's to confess
him. Let your light so shine before
men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father
which is in heaven. As you have received Christ,
walk in Christ. Walk in Christ. Out yonder day
by day. It's not just coming to the and
saying, oh, how I love Jesus, and then going out in the world
and living contrary to that, is to walk with him, to mind
the things of God. That's confessing Christ. That's
confessing Christ. And then, fourthly, is to confess
Christ in believer's baptism. Now, that's what it is to confess
Christ. It's first in the heart, to love
him. to trust him, to believe him.
It's to be identified with God, identified with the things of
God and the people of God. It's to walk in such a way that
God is glorified, that men observe us and listen to us, our conduct,
our conversation, our attitude, our spirit, and glorify God. They took note of the disciples
that they'd been with Jesus. And then, fourthly, is to confess
Christ in believer's baptism. Now, that's my subject tonight,
believer's baptism. And I want to show you the privilege.
I went all the way to Pikeville this morning to baptize a believer. I drive to Miami, Florida, to
baptize a believer, to have part in such a service, because of
the privilege of it. the privilege of it, the importance
of it, the significance of it, the beauty of it. It's just a
beautiful service. It was a beautiful time. And
I'm going to try to show you those things in this message
tonight. Hope God will give me some liberty to do so. Let's
turn first of all to the book of Matthew, the book of Matthew. A believer ought to be baptized
because our Lord was baptized. Our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized. Now, if you look at Matthew 3,
verse 13, then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan, that is, to
the Jordan River, unto John. to be baptized of him. Are you
with me? Matthew 3, verse 13. Jesus, our
Lord, came to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. But John
objected. He said, I have need to be baptized
of thee. Comest thou to me? Our Lord then said to him, Jesus
answering, said unto him, Suffer it to be so now. For thus it
becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. Now, what
our Lord said to John was this. It questions not which of us
is most excellent. Our Lord is more excellent than
John and more excellent than Moses, more excellent than the
angels, more excellent than the tabernacle or the priesthood. John said, I have need to be
baptized with thee, and you come to me. That's not the question.
Our Lord said the question is, it's our responsibility to fulfill
all righteousness. Now, John, it's your duty to
baptize. My Father sent you to baptize. He commanded you to baptize.
You baptized with a baptism of repentance. John the Baptist
was saying to these people that the Christ is coming. John the
Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets. And he was
saying what Moses said and what David said and what Isaiah said.
The Messiah is coming. the Messiah's coming. He's saying
what Abel believed, and what Abraham, the day Abraham saw,
and that of which Moses wrote, the Messiah's coming. Repent. Take your place as sinners. Repent. Confess your sinner. Confess
that you deserve death, that you deserve judgment, that you
deserve the wrath of God, and be baptized with a baptism of
repentance. And look with faith to the coming
Messiah. And our Lord Jesus said to him, he says here, it becometh us,
not only me but you, to fulfill all righteousness, John. God,
my Father sent you to baptize me. Do it. Now, it becomes me. It is my pleasure, it is my duty
to be obedient to my Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ became
a man. He's a representative of a people. Though he was a son, yet he learned
obedience for the things he suffered. And it was required of him to
fulfill all righteousness for us. Baptism was one of the Father's
commandments. Our Lord Jesus Christ was circumcised
when he was eight days old. Imagine this, the Son of God
circumcised? Yes, when he became a man. He
was circumcised. His son of God, when he came
into this world, his mother, being a poor woman, offered a
sacrifice of turtle barrels for this male child that opened the
womb. Our Lord, when he was twelve
years of age, went to Jerusalem, just like any other Jewish boy,
to fulfill all righteousness. Our Lord Jesus Christ literally
actually went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and listened
to those fellows up there that never said a word, to fulfill all righteousness.
And then he came down here by this river, because he's the
obedient son, he's the representative person, he's the full, complete
Savior, and he said, John, baptize me. it becometh us to fulfill
all righteousness. That's right, to fulfill it. And it says in verse 16, And
Jesus, when he was baptized, Matthew 3, went up straightway
out of the water. And, lo, the heavens were opened
unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove,
and lighting upon him. And the voice from heaven said,
This is my beloved in whom I'm well pleased. He does what he does in obedience
to the one who sent him, the Father. Now, if there was no
other reason in this Bible, if I just shut it right there and
go home, for me to be baptized, that's sufficient enough. If
it's God's command, I don't have anything to debate. That's what
my Lord said. John backed off. He said, John, that's not the
issue. That's not the issue. The issue is my Father's will.
And I'm here to fulfill the will of my Father. And when he was
baptized, the heavens opened and the Father said, this is
my son. Now, that wasn't the depth of
his humiliation. He went a lot further than that
on the cross, but that's the beginning of it. That was the
beginning of his ministry. All right. Turn to Matthew 28. Matthew 28. Now, our Lord commanded
his disciples to baptize all who believe. All who believe. Matthew 28. Now, our Lord who
died on the cross was buried and rose again, and he gathered
his disciples, his apostles, before him. There were eleven
of them. Judas was dead. He had killed himself, committed
suicide, hanged himself. son of perdition from the beginning,
that he gathered the eleven about him. And Jesus said in Matthew
28, verse 18, And the Lord Jesus came and spake to these disciples,
and he said, All authority, all power, authority is given to
me. He's the sovereign Savior who
will quicken whom he will. And we're going to do his will.
These disciples are going out to do his will. And he's with
them, and his power is with them, his authority is with them, his
will is with them, his purpose goes with them. So that he preceded
his commission with those words. I'm sending you in my name, my
power. All right. Go ye therefore with that in mind, and teach
all nations. Now, what's that teach all nations?
Make disciples. are Christians, are believers
of all nations. Our Lord has a people of every
tribe, kindred, nation, tongue unto heaven. You go preach the
gospel to all nations. And they preach the gospel, and
the gospel will make disciples. The gospel will make Christians.
The gospel will make believers. It's the gospel that's the power
of God of the salvation. You go preach it. And then do
what? Then baptize them. Preach the
gospel to them. by which they're converted, and
then baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit, and then do what? Verse 20, and then teach
them. Then teach them. Teach them to observe everything
that I've delivered unto you and that I've taught you. Teach
them! And lo, I'm with you always, even to the end of the earth. Now, who's to be baptized? Well,
we find out from this scripture right here. Only believers are
to be baptized. He said you first go and make
disciples. You first go and make believers.
You first go and preach the gospel to them. And when they hear that
gospel and believe that gospel, then you baptize them. And then you teach them. Then
you teach them to observe these things I've commanded you. Look
at Mark chapter 16. Now, you say, Preacher, you don't
believe in infant baptism. Well, no, an infant can't believe,
he doesn't believe. But neither do we teach adult
baptism. I don't teach adult baptism.
There's only one way to identify proper baptism, and that's believer's
baptism. It doesn't matter if the believer
is ten years old or twelve years old. or 14, or 16, or 20, or
30, or 40, or 50, or 70, or 80, it's believer's baptism. That's
right. It would be absolutely meaningless
for me to sprinkle water upon an infant's head up here in front
of this congregation, because it's not the We're not baptized
upon the faith of our parents, we're baptized upon the faith
of our own hearts. We believe and we're baptized.
Look at Mark chapter 16, verse 15. And he said in verse 15,
he said to them, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature. That's the first order, preach
the gospel. Preach the gospel. Where is unto
me if I don't preach the gospel? If we don't, how can they call
on him in whom they've not believed? And how shall they believe in
him of whom they've not heard? And how are they going to hear
without a preacher preaching the gospel? You see, that's the
first order of business, preach the gospel. And then it says,
he that believeth, believes what? That gospel. And is baptized,
which comes first? Believing and then baptized.
You don't have anything to confess until you believe in your heart. When you believe in your heart,
you preach the gospel to them, and if they believe and are baptized,
they shall be saved. But they confess Christ after
they believe. Turn to the book of Acts. Let
me show you an illustration of this. Acts chapter 8, the 8th
chapter of the book of Acts, verse 36. Now here, verse 35. was taken by the Holy Spirit
down there into the wilderness to preach to the youth. Here
was a man interested in the gospel, concerned about his relationship
with God. And God sent Philip to preach
to him. Now, look at verse 35, Acts 8, 35. Then Philip opened
his mouth and began at the same scripture and preached unto him
Jesus. That's the first order, And as they went on their way,
it doesn't say how long he preached to them. I'm sure he preached
to them a good while. They came to a certain water,
and the eunuch said to Philip, See, here is water. What doth
hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If you believe
with all your heart, you may. Otherwise, no. I've got no right to baptize
anyone who does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ." He said,
they came to a body of water, and the eunuch says, Well, what
does hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, Just one thing
settles the whole issue. Do you, not your mom and daddy,
do you believe, where? In your heart, with all your
heart, do you believe the gospel? I preached it. Where did he preach?
And the eunuch answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot
to stand still. And they went down, both of them,
into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and they were baptized.
So who is to be baptized? It's those who believe, who believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, who believe the grace of God, who
believe the gospel. And what they're doing in baptism
is confessing, and I'm going to show you that, the mode of
baptism. Now, I know there are a lot of
folks who aren't convinced about the mode of baptism, but I'm
going to deal with that a little bit and show you the importance
of it, the mode of baptism by immersion. And you can take the
Greek word, immersion, and baptizo, and all this different thing,
and you ain't proved anything until you see the reason, the
reason for immersion, the reason for being immersed, being submerged,
being put under, being put out of sight in baptism. Now, we
do know in the New Testament that they're baptized by immersion.
There's no doubt about that. It said, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
when he came up straightway out of the water. And in Acts it
says they went down, both of them, Philip and the eunuch,
into the water, and he baptized them. Turn to John 3, and listen
to this, John 3. In the 3rd chapter of John, verse
23, it says, John also was baptizing in Enon, John 3, 23. Why was he baptizing in Enon,
near to Salem? Because there was much water
there. That's why there was much water. There was a river. There was
enough water for two people to go down into, enough water for
him to take an individual and put him all the way under the
water and come up straightway out of the water. But now here's
why. Turn to Romans 6. Now you must
turn to this and look at it. Romans chapter 6. You see, my
friend, the whole point here is that the waters of baptism
represent a grave, g-r-a-b-e, grave, a sepulchre. And baptism
is the burial, the putting away of a dead man. A dead man. That's what we're
doing. We're burying a dead man. Abraham
said, Let me bury my dead out of my sight. What do you do with
dead people? You bury them. You don't throw a little sand
on their face and leave them out there. No, you bury them
in the ground. Romans 6, verse 1. What shall we say to him? Shall
we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. God forbid. Here is the reason we don't continue
in sin. How shall we that are dead, dead
to sin, live any longer therein? We're dead. The old man's dead.
He's a new man. If any man be in Christ, he's
a new man, he's a new creature. That old man, that old dead man,
is crucified daily. He's dead. Put him under. Put him under. Put him out of
sight. He stinks. Bury him. How should we, then, dare to
sin, live any longer there? We don't. Know ye not that so
many of us, as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized
unto his death? Our Lord was crucified on the
cross for our sins. He died under the judgment and
wrath of God for our sins. And then he was what? Taken down
dead, sin killed him, and buried. Buried. out of sight, plumb out
of sight, on the third day he arose, without sin, unto salvation. Read on. Therefore we are buried
with him by baptism unto death. It's a picture of death. Baptism
is a picture of death. It's a symbol of death. We're
buried with him by baptism into death. That like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so
we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been
planted together, buried, planted together in the likeness of his
death, We shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection,
knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the
body of sin might be destroyed, put away, that henceforth we
should not serve sin. And he that is dead is free from
sin. Baptism by burial, and you take
the person And you put him clear out of sight, he's out of sight. But he rises. And our baptism
pictures, first of all, it represents the person and work of our Lord,
who died under the judgment of sin and was buried out of sight. And in him we died, the justice
of God brought upon him. every requirement. And we were
buried in Christ, and we're risen in Christ, seated with Christ
in glory. We believe that. We confess it.
We identify with him in baptism. That's what baptism's there.
Christ died, was buried, and rose again. But also it represents
our death. The Lord's table shows his death. until he comes. Baptism shows
his death and ours, too. We're dead. We're dead. We're not saying that we're perfect.
We are in Christ. But we're saying that old man's
dead. That old man's dead, and everything about him is dead.
And one day it will be a reality. He's When God says this, oh,
we're not without sin, but that old man, that old way, that old
life, as far as we're concerned, is dead and buried. We're risen
with him to walk in newness of life. That's what baptism is.
It's a burial. And I have no right to temper
with it. Verse 4, Romans 6, look at it again, "...therefore we
are buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness of life." And when I took that
dear lady this morning and put her under the water, I thought
about it, when I put her under, all her family and friends sitting
out, she's gone. In a minute, she came up with
a smile on her face. And she's saying, I'm a new person. I belong to Christ. I'm here.
I'm committed. I want the whole world to know
this. And this just doesn't get it. I don't intend to compromise.
I have no reason to. I don't have to. and his servant,
not servant of me. And if I were a servant of a
denomination, or the servant of a church, or the servant of
somebody down here with their convenience committees and conformity
committees, I may change. But not when I see Scripture
like this, buried with him in baptism. That walking newness
of life, that's Well, and to tell you something
else about baptism, it's the scriptural way to confess Christ. Don't turn to all these scriptures,
but we have so many. When Peter preached at Pentecost
in Acts 2, verse 41, it says, "...they that gladly received
his word were baptized." I don't read where they walked down to
the front. They didn't have a front to walk to. They didn't have
any buildings. I don't read where any of them
came down and shook Peter's hand and stood there and whispered
in his ear and confessed their sins. I don't see that. I see
that on television where people come down and stand and talk
to the preachers. My conflicts not with the preachers, with
God. That's where my problem is. I need to talk to him, not
you or me. I don't see that. I don't see
them going down and praying at a moor's bench, either. I see
them going to the baptismal water, saying, I'm dead. I'm crucified
with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. I glory
in the cross by which the world is crucified unto me, and I unto
the world. You take a crucified man down
and put him under. But he don't stay there, he risen.
Listen to this. When they believed Philip preaching
the name of Christ down in Samaria, they were baptized, both men
and women. When Saul of Tarsus received
his side, he arose and was baptized. Acts 16, Lydia attended to the
things spoken by Paul, and she was baptized. And on and on and
on it says that. Every New Testament believer,
when they heard the gospel, they confessed Christ by baptism. We're baptized, we're confessing
this. We're sinners. Christ came to
the world to save sinners. And he died on that cross for
our sins. That's why he was there, my sin.
My sin nailed him to that cross. And they took him down and buried
him. And he arose and ascended to the right hand of God. And
when I come into the waters of baptism, I'm saying, that's what
I believe. That's my life, that's my hope,
that's my salvation, Christ Jesus. And I want the whole world to
know that like him, I died to sin, and I buried it. The old man put under the water,
put in the grave, and I rise to walk in newness of life. And
that old man is considered dead. He is considered dead for good, forever. We parted
company, I buried him. He shows up every once in a while,
Frank, and knocks on the door, and gives me a hard time. But
as far as I'm concerned, he's dead. There's a new man in Christ. All right, now let me say this.
Brother Mann, I've heard you say a hundred times, baptism
is not essential to salvation. I'm going to say it a hundred
more, too. is not essential. The only thing
essential in salvation is Christ. Christ. He loved me and gave
himself for me. I am redeemed, not with corruptible
things such as silver and gold, not by ordinances, not by works,
not by deeds, not by faith doesn't save me, Christ does. Christ
does. I lay hold of Christ by faith,
but he's the redeemer. It's his blood that washes us
white as snow. The thief on the cross was never
baptized. I expect to see him in Glover.
I expect to see others. Abraham wasn't baptized. Moses
wasn't baptized. David wasn't baptized. I'd like
to keep company with that bunch, wouldn't you? They weren't baptized. There'd be people in Glover who
weren't baptized. There are many commands of my
Lord that are not essential to salvation. That's right. There are many
commands of my Lord that are not essential to the redemption
of my soul, but they're precious to me, his commandments are.
And who am I to sit around and argue about what's essential
and what's not essential if my Lord commands it? He said, if
you love me, you'll keep my commandments. You won't sit around and say,
well, that's not really essential. My wife just had a birthday.
I'm her husband whether I buy her a present or not. But it
sure makes a happier home when I buy her a present. See what I mean? It's not essential. My being kind to her or nice
to her is not going to change this relationship. Lord, we ain't
going to stay married until death do us part. That's what I said
in front of the preacher. I intend to keep it. God willing. So it's not essential, is it?
Not even essential I speak to her. But if you love me, you will. That's it. You see what I'm saying?
That's it based on love. It's not based on what I have
to do. I don't have to be here tonight to be saved. Do I? I never read anywhere, going
to church saves a sinner. Going to Christ saves a sinner.
But I'm here because I love Him, because I love His people, because
I want to worship Him. I don't have to give another
dime in the offering for the missionaries to be saved. That's
not what saved me, David. Not saved by doing good works,
saved by Christ's blood. But I'm not doing this to get
saved. I'm doing it because it's the
will of my Lord. I will be done. And baptized,
you say, well, it's not essential for me to do. No, I didn't say
it was. I never would say that. But my Lord commanded it. And
that's enough for me. It's confessing Christ. That's
the basis on which I feel like that anything done ought to be
done for the glory of God, because you love him. You love him, because
he said it. He commanded it. Well, I hope
that's a blessing. I hope God will use it for your
good and his glory.

Believer's Baptism

What does the Bible say about believer's baptism?

Why is baptism important for Christians?

How do we know believer's baptism is true?

What is the significance of baptism by immersion?

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Believer's Baptism

What does the Bible say about believer's baptism?

Why is baptism important for Christians?

How do we know believer's baptism is true?

What is the significance of baptism by immersion?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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