Bible Study Course

Baptism

Welcome to booklet number two in this series, dealing with the subject of Baptism. This matter is often misunderstood, delayed, and twisted as to its meaning. The Bible is very clear on this subject, so please get a KING JAMES translation of the Bible, and begin another exciting study in God’s Word!

 

Chapter 1

 

I. What Is Baptism?

 

A. The meaning of baptism.

Note: The word baptize comes from the Greek word bapto (the New Testament was first written in Greek). The word means, “to dip, to immerse, to cover wholly (completely).” This is the meaning of the word, so three things must happen when you are baptized:

#1 - You must be immersed - “put down into the water.”

#2 - You must be submerged - “totally covered by the water.”

#3 - You must be emerged - “brought up out of the water.”

Getting baptized any other way does not fulfill

the meaning of the word baptize.

 

B. The manner of baptism.

1. In Matthew 3:6, John the Baptist was baptizing people in ____________.

Note: Please notice that John the Baptist was baptizing people “in Jordan” (in the Jordan River). If the proper manner of baptism was sprinkling people with water, then why would they go in the river? Granted, children may like to get in the water whenever they can (they like to walk through mud puddles, instead of going around them), but adults are not normally like that. Adults do not enjoy walking around with their feet sloshing in soaking wet shoes. Adults do not like to go around in soaking wet clothes that cling heavily to them. If sprinkling was the proper manner of baptism, then they would not have gone in the water. They would have stood beside the water, and just dipped their fingers down into the water and lightly sprinkled the person.

2. In verse 16 of that same chapter, Jesus went up out of the __________ after getting baptized.

Note: The former point is made again. If the proper manner of baptism was sprinkling, then why were they in the water and had to come up out of it?

3. According to Acts 8:38, both Philip and the eunuch “went ________ both into the water,” and then Philip baptized (immersed, covered) him with water.

Note: Remember the eunuch’s question? (see verse 36) “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” If sprinkling was the proper manner of baptism, then why did he ask about being baptized when he saw that they were near a body of water? If sprinkling was an acceptable manner of baptism, then why did he not ask as they were traveling along, “Philip, would you please stop the chariot; break out your canteen; and baptize me (sprinkle me)?” Why did he not do that? Because he knew that the very meaning of the word baptism means to go down into the water.

 

There is never any mention in the Bible of “sprinkling”

or “pouring” water over someone to baptize him.

 

Note: If a person says, “I have been baptized” (which means, dipped down into, immersed, covered with water), when he has really only been sprinkled, then he is giving a statement which contradicts itself. He either has never learned the meaning of baptism, or else he is being deceitful in his use of words.

Illustration: If your mother told you to wash the dishes, would you be obeying her if you:

#1 - Just rinsed the dishes off under the faucet?

q YES q NO

#2 - Just sprinkled them under the sprayer?

q YES q NO

Neither of these would be obeying. She would expect you to dip those dishes all the way down into soapy water and scrub them good. If you insist that you washed them, then you are being deceitful in your use of the word wash.

It is important to obey parents. How much more important it is to obey God! When He tells us to get baptized, He expects that

we will do it in the manner that He commands.

 

C. The message of baptism.

Note: Baptism is an outward act of identification with someone or something. That is why the manner in which you are baptized is so important, because it is a message in picture form.

1. Please read Matthew 3:1-11, and fill in the following blanks.

    a. John’s message was for people to repent, because the kingdom of heaven was “at ________” (close or near). (vs. 2)

    b. The people went out and publicly identified themselves with his message by being “________________ of him” and confessing their sins. (vs.6)

    c. John said that there was coming after him a person who “is ________________ than I,” a person whose shoes he was not worthy to bear. (vs.11)

 

John’s message was that the long awaited Messiah

(the Savior) was coming, and that people needed to

repent and get ready for Him. Those people who

believed his message openly identified themselves

with it by being baptized.

 

Note: It is obvious that some were coming just for the outward show and did not really believe, as is seen in verses 7 and 8.

Matthew 21:25 explains that some refused to believe that John’s message was “from ____________,” and not just of men.

2. In Matthew 3:13-17, Jesus was baptized by John to be identified with fulfilling “all __________________________.” (vs.15)

Note: Jesus had never sinned, so He had no need of repentance. But Jesus did want to be publicly identified with John’s message from heaven, so He was baptized.

3. Matthew 28:18-20 states that we are to get baptized “in the name of the ____________, and of the ______, and of the __________ __________.”

4. Romans 6:3-5 shows that ______________ is a picture of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

Note: The message of baptism is that we are publicly identifying ourselves with Jesus Christ, the Messiah. When we go under the water, it pictures our death to the old life of sin. When we come up out of the water, it pictures our new life in Christ. Baptism is therefore an outward picture of what has taken place inwardly in our hearts.

 

When people get saved, they should not be ashamed

of the Lord Jesus Christ. God has provided a means to

do this very thing — getting baptized. There is no better

way to show that you are unashamed of the Lord Jesus

Christ, than to publicly submit to believer’s baptism.

 

5. Romans 10:11 says, “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ______________.”

 

REVIEW:

1. The word bapto means, “to ______, to immerse, to cover wholly (completely).”

2. A person is giving a statement which ______________________ itself if he says, “I was baptized by sprinkling.”

3. Baptism is an outward act of ____________________________ with someone or something.

4. We are to get baptized in the name of:

a.

b.

c.

5. When we go under the water, it pictures our __________ to the old life of sin.

6. When we come up out of the water, it pictures our new ________ in Christ.

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Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Final Test  Liberty Bible Course Directory