Baptism Bible Study Notes for Thursday

 

Water Baptism

Definition: the Christian religious rite of sprinkling water on to a person's forehead or of immersing them in water, symbolizing purification or regeneration and admission to the Christian Church. In many denominations, baptism is performed on young children and is accompanied by name-giving

 

Paedobaptism:

  • Entire households were baptised (Acts 16:30-33)

  • Cyprian and Augustine (Roman Catholic): It removes the guilt of Original Sin. Causative rather than declarative.

  • Huldrych Zwingli: Covenant Theology: A replacement to Jewish circumcision. Those born within Israel receive the mark of God's covenant, albeit a gentler (no pain) and inclusive (inc females) version, reflecting the gospel. 'Birth into the believing community'.

  • Often involves sprinkling the infant's head, or making a sign of the cross.

  • NT silent on the matter, not suggesting disapproval.

  • Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Congregational, Presbyterian, Methodist, most others practise this.

     

    Believers' Baptism

  • Prominence in the radical Reformation: Anabaptists, Baptists. Declarative rather than causative.

  • A sinner is converted to faith in Christ, and is then baptised to publicly show this.

  • Marks the birth into relationship with God

  • Tends to be by total immersion.

  • NT silent on the matter, suggesting approval.

  • Baptist, Pentecostal, Brethren and others practise this

     

    Bible Verses

     

  • Matthew 3:13-17 Jesus' baptism

  • Matthew 28:19, 20 Great Commission

  • Acts 8:35-38 Ethiopian Eunuch

  • Acts 16:31, 33 Phillipian Gaoler

  • Romans 6:3-6 Baptism and Christ's death

  • 1 Corinthians 12:13 Baptism and Unity

  • Galatians 3:27 Baptism linked to salvation

  • 1 Peter 3:21

 

 

Questions:

 

  1. What if someone dies without having been baptised?

  2. If baptism represents repentance, why was Jesus baptised?

  3. Should someone christened as a baby seek adult baptism when converted?

  4. How soon should someone be baptised?

  5. Does it matter who performs the baptism?

  6. Should a baptism be a public event?

  7. What does this mean: "Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?"     (1 Cor. 15:29, NASB) ?

     

    “A man who knows that he is saved by believing in Christ does not, when he is baptized, lift his baptism into a saving ordinance. In fact, he is the very best protester against that mistake, because he holds that he has no right to be baptized until he is saved.”

     ~ Charles Spurgeon