What is Baptism?

Hey, how you doing today? My name is Joshua Tapp. I’m with True Words Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

I want to talk about baptism today. What is baptism?

Baptism in water is when you go completely under the water and then come up out of the water.

When Should You Get Baptized?

Water baptism in the Bible is something you should do only if you know for sure you’re saved and going to heaven because of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for you.

Acts 8:36-37
And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?  ³⁷ And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Notice the Bible, the word of God, the truth, says that the only requirement to be baptized is to believe with all thine heart that Jesus is the Son of God. If you believe Jesus is the Son of God, you know 100% for sure that he is able to save from your sins right now.

Prior to that Scripture in Acts Chapter 8, Philip preached Jesus to that man who wanted to get baptized and that man believed or trusted in Jesus Christ before he was baptized.

Get Saved Today and Then Come Get Baptized

If you aren’t 100% sure you would go to heaven when you die, please see: How To Get To Heaven. You only have to be saved once and water baptism is not a part of salvation.

Water baptism is a good work you should do after you’ve been saved. So get saved first and then get baptized. This is the order that God wants things done.

You must understand what it means to believe in Jesus Christ and to put all your trust in him for salvation before being baptized.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Notice that the Bible says that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The Bible doesn’t say that you must get baptized in water to be saved.

Acts 16:30-31
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  ³¹ And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

To be saved from hell, you simply need to trust Jesus to be saved. After you’ve been saved and have received the free gift of everlasting life, the next step, Biblically, is to get baptized in water.

Baptism is the Next Step of Obedience to Jesus Christ

Once you’ve believed in Jesus Christ and have been saved forever, the next step to showing Jesus that you love him is to get baptized.

John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.

And we know that Jesus has commanded us to get baptized in water.

Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Since Jesus commands us to be baptized in water, we should do what he’s asked us to do. And we should do things in the order the Bible tells us.

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.

Hear the Gospel, believe the Gospel, and be saved. Then get baptized in water as soon as you can.

What If You’ve Been Baptized Before?

Many people that we preach the Gospel to that get saved tell us that they’ve been baptized before. But, you must first believe in Jesus Christ to be saved.

Most people who have been baptized before also believed that the water baptism was a part of them getting to heaven. I was taught that growing up in a “Christian” church. I thought I had to get baptized, be a good person, repent of my sins, ask forgiveness, pray, and follow God’s commandments to get to heaven. But that was me believing in myself.

My first baptism didn’t count because I wasn’t saved at the time. I still believed in myself and my good works to earn my way to heaven. I wasn’t believing in Jesus Christ.

I just got in the water, went under the water, and got wet. And I thought the water was washing my sins away. But that wasn’t true. Only Jesus can wash our sins away.

Revelation 1:5
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the sacrifice he made so you and I can be saved forever.

If you’ve been baptized before but you didn’t believe correctly before being baptized, you should get baptized again. Your baptism counts only after you’ve been saved. It’s perfectly fine to be baptized again if you’ve been baptized once, twice, or many more times. You simply need to be saved before you get baptized.

And you might be wondering why get baptized. What is baptism exactly? Most people don’t know this so let me explain.

Baptism is a Picture of the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

When Jesus went to the cross, he died on the cross. His body was buried for three days and three nights in a tomb. His soul went to hell for those same three days and three nights.

He paid our penalty for sin.

On the third day, Jesus arose from the dead. This is called the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

When you’re saved, you have already put all your trust in the work that Jesus did to pay for all your sins. You already believe that it’s Jesus alone who can save you.

When you get baptized, you walk into a body of water where there is enough water to go completely under.

John 3:23
And John also was baptizing in AEnon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

You stand in the water dead because of sin. You aren’t actually dead. This is a picture or a like figure of death.

An ordained man, a pastor or a deacon, the only two offices within a church according to the Bible, then takes you and puts you under the water for a brief moment. For example, I would be one of the people who could baptize you at True Words Baptist Church.

This is a picture of the burial of Jesus Christ. You are being buried with him when you go under the water. You aren’t actually being buried in a tomb. This is a picture or like figure.

I would then lift you straightway up out of the water. When you are lifted up out of the water, this is a picture of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 3:16
And Jesus, when he was baptized, 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:

So, again, baptism in water is simply a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s you saying publicly that you believe in his death, his burial, and his resurrection. You know that baptism in water isn’t saving you. It’s Jesus that saved you already.

Why Get Baptized At Church?

When you do this in front of the church, publicly, you are showing your faith to others. When you show your faith, this helps others and is considered a good work that God rewards you for doing.

James 2:18
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

God wants you to show your faith by doing the good work of getting baptized in water.

You should invite your family, friends, and co-workers to see you get baptized. This might even help some of them get saved too and get baptized. This is the most important thing for them and you are showing you love them when you get baptized at church.

Other people at church will be encouraged when you get baptized. When you show your faith, you are profiting others. And God will be pleased with you.

Who Should Baptize You?

All examples of baptism within the Bible were done by men who were ordained or chosen by God and Jesus Christ.

An ordained man, the pastor of the church or a deacon of the church, should be the one to baptize you. You will be able to find an ordained pastor or deacon at our church.

You cannot baptize yourself Biblically. You can, but an example of someone baptizing themselves is not seen within the Scriptures.

You can go to many different churches and get baptized in water. But we want to follow the example of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Set the Example For Us

Who did Jesus Christ choose to baptize him?

Matthew 3:13-17
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.  ¹⁴ But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?  ¹⁵ And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.  ¹⁶ And Jesus, when he was baptized, 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:  ¹⁷ And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Jesus chose John the Baptist to baptize him because he preached the truth. Jesus chose a Baptist. We are Baptist for that reason. Choose a good Baptist church that preaches the Gospel. Choose a man to baptize you that preaches the truth of how to be saved.

Notice that when Jesus was baptized, he went up straightway out of the water. You must go down into the water completely and come straightway up out of the water.

After Jesus was baptized, we also see that God the Father, from heaven, was pleased with Jesus Christ. When you get baptized following the example of Jesus Christ, God will be pleases with you in the same way.

When you follow the commandments of God, this pleases him.

When To Get Baptized

Many examples within the Bible show us that we should get baptized immediately after being saved.

Acts 8:12
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

If you wait to get baptized, you’ll be less likely to get baptized in the future. You need to go ahead and do it immediately. When you follow the examples in the Bible, you immediately get on the right track with God and are able to continue longer and longer following God’s words.

This allows you to become fruitful for God. And that’s what you want. God wants other people to be saved. And you’ll be working towards God’s will for you and for others.

God will be greatly please with you, he will bless you, and he will reward you.

An Eternal Reward In Heaven

God rewards you when you follow his commandments. He doesn’t have to reward us because he already gave us the greatest gift of everlasting life or heaven. But he wants to reward us.

The same way I love to reward my children when they do what I’ve asked them to do. God loves to reward you. He has an eternal reward in heaven for your baptism that he wants to give you. It will last forever and is greater than anything you can imagine.

Matthew 6:19-21
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  ²⁰ But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  ²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

He wants you to have that reward forever. I do as well. Please come get baptized and get that reward.

If you have been saved, I know for sure I’ll see you in heaven. If you don’t have that reward when I see you in heaven, I am going to be very disappointed. It’s so simple and easy to come and get baptized. It doesn’t take that long.

Step By Step Baptism With Us

• Call me, text me, or email me. Say, “Hey Josh, I want to come and get baptized.”
• We will setup a good day and time for you to come. This is usually going to be the very next service unless you can’t make it.
• Invite your family, friends, and co-workers if you would like.
• Come to the church service. At the end of the service, you will come forward to the front for baptism. I will meet you there at the front.
• Bring some decent clothes that won’t show anything when you are wet. You will go get changed into your clothes in the bathroom while we sing some songs.
• Come back to the front. You will step into the baptismal full of water.
• I will ask you if believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I will ask you if you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior. You simply say yes if you have.
• I will then baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I will quickly place you under the water and quickly bring you up out of the water.
• We will get a picture and video of you being baptized. We’ll make sure we get that to you afterwards.
• We’ll help you out of the baptismal. Get you a towel to cover up as you come out of the baptismal. And provide you with some towels to dry off. You can then go back and change into your normal clothing.
• We’ll cheer for you and clap for you after you are baptized.
• Now you are well on your way to becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. You took that next step of obedience to Jesus Christ.
• And then we’ll help you from there to continue to follow in his footsteps.
• We will provide you with a framed baptismal certificate at one of the next church services. You’ll want to hang this on your wall at home for all to see.

I hope this has given you a good overview of baptism in water. If you have any other questions about getting baptized, please let me know.

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God’s 3-Step Plan For You

1. Get Saved
2. Get Baptized (You Are Here)
3. Go to Church