So, why do Baptists make such a big deal about baptism? We won't let people be members of our
church unless they've been baptized properly. When we plant churches we require that the churches
that we plant baptize people properly. We remain in a separate denomination from other churches
because, in part, of the fact that they do not practice baptism as we believe the New Testament
teaches. The name of our denomination of churches—Baptist—is derived from our
practice of baptism. Why do we make so much of baptism? Because Jesus did.
First, Jesus made much of baptism by making baptism the focal aspect of the ministry of
John the Baptist—the ministry that prepared the way for Jesus' own ministry. The
common name for John was "John the Baptist." The focal aspect of John's ministry was baptism. The
gospels record only truncated details of John's preaching ministry, but they give plenty of
information about his baptisms. Remember, God prepared long beforehand that John would have precisely
the ministry that he had, and that his ministry would serve as an introduction to and preparation for
the ministry of Jesus. For that amazing role, of which Jesus Himself said that there was no greater
ministry on earth, God chose a baptizer.
Second, Jesus made much of baptism by insisting that John baptize Jesus Himself. Have you
ever asked yourself why Jesus was baptized? John's baptism was a baptism if repentance, but Jesus
was not repenting of anything when John baptized him. In fact, when Jesus was baptized, John and
Jesus argued over this very point (
Matthew 3:13-17).
John objected to the idea of baptizing Jesus because John baptized "with water for repentance" (see
verse 11) and
Jesus, being sinless, did not need to repent of anything. So if Jesus didn't need to repent of
anything, didn't need to "die to sin" and be "buried in baptism," and didn't need to be purified
from anything, then why was He baptized?
Jesus told John that it was "fitting…to fulfill all righteousness." Modeling for us a life of
righteousness, Jesus chose to be immersed by John the Baptist even though Jesus did not need to repent
or to be cleansed from anything. The fact of Jesus' baptism teaches us two important things. It teaches
us that baptism is a symbolic ordinance (for it cannot have conveyed grace to Jesus), and it teaches us
the lengths to which Jesus was willing to go in order to make absolutely certain that you and I would
understand that He wants us to be baptized. Jesus was not baptized for Himself; Jesus was baptized as
an example to you and to me—as a part of the life of righteousness that He fulfilled for us.
Third, Jesus made much of baptism by including a command to baptize in the Great Commission.
So, if you're curious why preachers show a lot of interest in baptism, here's a good reason. Jesus has
given a job to the churches, and baptizing every Christian believer is a key non-negotiable part of
that job. If you are a Christian believer who hasn't been baptized, I have to tell you to be baptized
becuase Jesus has commanded me to do that:
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to
the very end of the age.
Jesus didn't put much into the Great Commission. it is one of the most intense and influential teachings
that Jesus ever gave to His disciples. He put baptism into it. That's got to mean something.
Fourth, Jesus made much of baptism by leading His disciples to place the command to be baptized into
the earliest foundational teachings of the church. The very first sermon of the Christian church is
this one that Peter gave in Jerusalem in Acts 2. At the very end of that sermon, when Peter finally told
people what Jesus wanted them to do, Peter told them to "Repent and be baptized, every one of you." (
Acts 2:38)
So, not only has God commanded me to baptized you if you are an unbaptized believer, but also God has
commanded you as a believer to be baptized. If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ but have delayed
being baptized or have refused to be baptized, then you have not obeyed what Peter commanded in the name
of Jesus in Acts 2:38. You are disobeying God. With every passing day that you are not baptized, you are
disobeying God anew. If I do not tell you that you must be baptized, then I am disobeying God.
This is why only those who have been baptized can be members of the church. The person who refuses to be
baptized, upon becoming a member of the church, would have to be disciplined out of the church immediately
for the unrepentant sin of refusing to be baptized. So you see, baptism is not so much the requirement
for becoming a member of the church as it is the requirement for staying a member of the church for any
time at all.
Fifth, Jesus made much of baptism by linking baptism with Christ's own death, burial, and resurrection,
which were the central focus of his work. Baptism in the New Testament was always immersion. The Greek word baptizo
(βαπτίζω) means to immerse. Baptism serves to picture
burial and resurrection (see Romans 6),
and only baptism by immersion does so. Narratives about baptism in the New Testament consistently talk about
going down into the water and coming up out of the water, which fits the practice of immersion. Early
church facilities still existing in places like North Africa still have baptisteries designed for immersion
baptism. Only immersion is New Testament baptism.
Baptism in the New Testament always happened to people who had already believed in Jesus Christ. Nowhere in
the New Testament is an infant baptized. Nowhere in the New Testament does any person make the decision for
somebody else to be baptized. Every person baptized in the New Testament decided for himself or
herself to be baptized, and they did so after having decided to repent of his or her sins and to believe
in Jesus Christ for salvation.
Making a big deal about baptism is the natural consequence of making a big deal about the Lordship of Jesus
Christ. Being serious about obeying Him, we must be serious about baptism. Are you serious about obeying
the commandments of Jesus Christ? If so, then there's a clear place to start obeying Him. After having
repented of your sins and placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your one-and-only Savior, your first act
of obedience as a believer should be to be baptized right away. And even if "right away" passed by long,
long ago, so long as you live it is never too late to obey Christ's command. There may not always be
tomorrow, but there is always right now!