THE DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS

“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms…” Heb6:1-2

The next pillar of foundation that we are going to look at is the doctrine of baptisms.

The word baptism is the Greek word baptizō which means to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk). Literally it means to place something into something else.

It was used in ancient Greece to describe a sinking ship. When a ship capsized they would say that it had been baptized. This carried the idea of the ship being swallowed up into the water, being immersed into the water and entering into the water entirely and losing its independent identity.

Before Jesus, baptism was a ceremonial washing that would occur before a transition in one’s life. An example of this is the baptism of John which is also known as the baptism of repentance. It is where after hearing John’s message people would make the decision to repent and change their way of life. 

After making this decision they would go to John who would baptize them to symbolize this transition that had just happened.

Baptism symbolizes a death of the old and a resurrection in newness.

There are 3 major baptisms and transitions that are taught in the New Testament. These are;

a)      Baptism into Christ

b)      Baptism in water

c)      Baptism in the Holy Spirit

There are always 3 elements to a baptism.

a)      The baptized

b)      The baptizer

c)      The element being baptized into

BAPTISM INTO CHRIST. OUR NEW IDENTITY.

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” 1Cor12:13

a)      The baptized is the believer

b)      The baptizer is the Holy Spirit.

c)      The element baptized into is the body of Christ. (In Him)

Our baptism into Christ is the first baptism that we experience. It happens when we are born again. The Holy Spirit takes us and baptizes us into Christ. He immerses and places us into the body of Christ. He puts us in Him. He hides us in Christ.

He gives us a new identity whereby from that moment henceforth we are no longer of ourselves and God no longer sees us in ourselves. Instead we become in Christ and from that moment onwards God sees us in Christ.

This new state is constantly referred to throughout the New Testament with phrases like ‘in Him, through Him, of Him, in Christ, by Him’ and so many others.

The effect of this is that our identity is now in Christ. Because we are placed (baptized) into Jesus' body, we no longer relate to God on our own merit. We are now in Christ and relate to God in Jesus.

In other words, the Holy Spirit placed me in Jesus and when God looks at me He sees me in Jesus. He sees me exactly as He sees Jesus. He treats me exactly as He treats Jesus. He relates to me exactly as He relates to Jesus. And this is the only way God relates to us. In Christ.

One of the most important things Adam lost in the fall was his identity in God. His reference point. His definition of who he was, where he came from, why he was here and where he was going. When the devil tempted him and Eve he got them to doubt or deny their identity. And this is the same temptation we all face on a daily basis. To deny who we really are.

Jesus is the only solution to this crisis of identity. He is God’s answer to the identity problem. Jesus didn’t come to improve our lives or to make us better people. He came to become our life. He came so that in Him we live and move and have our being.

He came to define who I am so that in Him I am. As a believer, a new creation, my entire identity is in Him, by Him, through Him. He defines who I am.

The implication of this is that when a person becomes born again and gets baptized into Christ, they enter into a new kingdom, a new family, they receive a new citizenship, they become a brand new person and everything in life changes.