Passages Concerning Water Baptism into Christ

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INTRODUCTION

I. I wonder if many people believe that only a few passages in the NT deal with the significance of water baptism. 

II. With this lesson, I want to impress upon our minds the necessity of baptism within God’s conditions for salvation (the forgiveness of sins). 

III. All who are of sound mind & age of accountability must hear/believe/repent/confess/be baptized/live faithfully to obtain the mercy, grace, and peace found only in Jesus Christ. 

IV. As Christians, it would be helpful to see how often water baptism is mentioned in the NT and have a list at our disposal to refer to once in a while. 

V. The following is a list compiled many years ago, which I have referred to many times in the work of preaching. I would like to make it available to you. If there are any that I have left off or that I have misjudged as needing to be included, please let me know!

VI. John’s baptism was for the remission of sins, but he was looking forward to Jesus’s coming as the Messiah. The baptism that Jesus commanded (E.g., Jn. 3; Matt. 28; Mk. 16; etc.) requires belief in Him as the resurrected Christ. 

BODY

  1. Baptism is an initial condition of discipleship (Mt. 28:18-20).
  2. Jesus said those who believe & are baptized will be saved (Mk. 16:15-16). 
  3. The necessity of repentance & remission (forgiveness) of sins is to be preached in Jesus’ name, and that message was to be proclaimed, beginning at Jerusalem (Lk. 24:46-47).
  4. Unless one is born of the water & the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:3-5). 
  5. Believers were commanded to repent & be baptized for the remission (forgiveness) of sins, beginning at Jerusalem (Acts 2:36-39). 
  6. Men and women were baptized upon hearing preaching concerning the kingdom of God and the authority/Lordship of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12). 
  7. Starting with Isa. 53, Philip guided the Ethiopian eunuch, preaching Jesus to him. Because of his strong belief in the message, the man of Ethiopia was eager to be baptized (Acts 8:36-39)!
  8. After persecuting and seeing the resurrected Jesus, Saul of Tarsus neither ate nor drank for three days. When Ananias instructed Saul, he arose and was baptized, before receiving food (Acts 9:18-20).
  9. Peter commanded Cornelius, along with Cornelius’ relatives and close friends to be baptized by the authority of the Lord (Acts 10:48). Peter told him what he must do (10:6); words by which he and all his household would be saved (11: 14). 
  10. Lydia heard the things spoken by Paul, her heart was opened, thus she and her household were baptized (Acts 16:13-15).
  11. The Philippian jailer and his family had the word of the Lord spoken to them, they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, were baptized, and thus saved (Acts 16:30-33).
  12. When Paul was in Corinth, many who heard him believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8; Cf. 1 Cor. 1). 
  13. Upon believing in Jesus as the resurrected Lord, the Ephesians Paul encountered were baptized in His name (Acts 19:3-5). 
  14. While addressing the mob in Jerusalem (after his 3rd preaching journey), Paul said that Ananias taught him how to call upon the name of the Lord – through washing away sins in the act of baptism (Acts 22:14-16)!
  15. Recounting his conversion and efforts of preaching to King Agrippa, Paul emphasized repentance, turning to God, and doing works that were befitting repentance (Acts 26:19-20; Cf. Lk.24:26-47; Acts 2:36-38).
  16. In teaching the saints of Rome not to continue in sin, Paul pointed to their burial with Christ in the waters of baptism, emphasizing a lifestyle necessary for obtaining eternal life (Rom. 6:1-4).
  17. Paul taught the Corinthians that baptism should be performed in Jesus’ name (1 Cor. 1:12-13). 
  18. Harkening back to their conversion, Paul told the Corinthians that they were washed, sanctified, justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 6:9-11; Cf. Acts 22:16)
  19. To not be jealous of another’s spiritual gift(s), Paul told the Corinthians they were all baptized into one body (1 Cor. 12:13).
  20. One is baptized for spiritual renewal in view/anticipation of their eventual resurrection from the dead (1 Cor. 15:29-31).
  21. The salvation offered to mankind, in/through Jesus Christ, fulfills the spiritual seed promise made unto Abraham (Gal. 3:26-29). 
  22. Given the great blessings afforded in Christ, Paul taught the Ephesians to walk worthy of the calling with which they were called, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, mindful of the one Lord, faith, baptism, etc. (Eph. 4:4-6). 
  23. Again, to the Ephesians, Paul said the giving of Christ for the church was so that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of the water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, without blemish (Eph. 5:25-27). This hearkens back to baptism (for the remission of sins/being added to the Lord’s body, Cf. Acts 2)!
  24. Warning the Colossian brethren against falsehood, Paul said they had everything they needed in Christ. And to emphasize his point, he spoke of baptism as a working of God (Col. 2:11-12)!
  25. Those who say that preaching baptism is not a necessity for salvation really have their work cut out for them in explaining away so many plain statements made in Scripture (Tit. 3:4-7). 
  26. Speaking of plain statements in the Bible, the apostle Peter wrote that of that which now saves us – baptism, the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus, in Whom has been granted all authority (1 Pet. 3:21-22). 
  27. Finally, let us observe that the same Hebrews who were challenged to grow in their knowledge of spiritual matters (Cf. Heb. 6:2) were not to forget the commitment they made when becoming disciples of Jesus (Heb. 10:19-23). 

CONCLUSION

  1. The NT contains many passages concerning water baptism. I hope this list can help you establish, confirm, or reaffirm your faith. 
  2. Moreover, I pray that this lesson and list of passages will help equip you with the conviction necessary to speak to others on the importance of this matter. Use this list as you see fit. 
  3. As we end things for now, what must one do to become a Christian? 
  4. Jesus taught obedience (Mt. 7:21-23; 28:20; Lk. 6:46). He also taught that unless we believe in Him, we will die in our sins (Jn. 10:31-39). He taught repentance (Lk. 13:3; 24:46-47), confessing Him before others (Mt. 10:32-33), and baptism as a necessity (Mt. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15-16; Jn. 3:5). 
  5. He teaches faithfulness unto death (Rev. 2:10).    

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