More Word to the World

Paul’s baptism

Let’s go to Acts 22:13 and follow the story of the Baptism of Paul:

Acts 22:13-16
13 [Ananias] Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

It is important to note that the Greek word for “calling on” is epikaleomai, is the passive form of the word. That means that the action described in the verse was being taken by someone else. In other words, Ananias called on the name of the Lord over Paul as he baptized him. Paul was baptized in the name of Jesus matching the other accounts of baptism in Jerusalem, Samaria, and Caesarea.

Acts 9:17 tells us that Ananias also laid hands on Paul and he received the Holy Ghost (Acts 13:9 also confirms that he was filled with the Holy Ghost). Do we know if Paul spoke in tongues when he received the Holy Ghost as occurred in the other Acts accounts? That is not specifically recorded anywhere but Paul did say:

Corinthians 14:18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:

And speaking in tongues was part of the detailed salvation experience recorded in Acts 19 when Paul did the same thing to the 12 men of Ephesus that Ananias had done to him. When Paul baptized those 12 men in Jesus’ name and laid hands on them, they received the Holy Ghost and they spoke in tongues, and even prophesied (Acts 19:1-6).

Philip continues beyond Samaria

Before we leave Philip for the next “Acts 1:8 map” destination, we find Philip doing another missionary work that resulted in the gospel message getting to Africa. We do not have a record of Philip actually going to Africa, but when he left Samaria, he met a man from Ethiopia on the road to Jerusalem who worked for the queen of Ethiopia.

Acts 8:27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,

Philip observed that the man was reading the scripture and Philip used that as an open door to talk about Jesus:

Acts 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

Once again, while preaching Jesus, he must have included the need to be baptized as he had done in Samaria in 8:12 and 16, for after preaching to him, the man asked:

Acts 8:36 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?

Philip made sure that the man believed that Jesus was the Son of God first, and then he baptized him.

Why would God need to be baptized?

Since baptism is for the remission of sins, why was Jesus baptized? For two reasons:

(1) It was to fulfill a sign promised to John the Baptist

John 1:33-34
33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

(2) As an example of doing the right thing

Matthew 3:15 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.

Is Jesus’ baptism evidence of a three-person deity?

Some believe Matt 3:16 is a reference to the existence of God as a three-part trinity relationship. Let us examine the scripture carefully.

Matt 3:16-17
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.

We previously pointed out from Col 1:15 and Heb 1:3, Jesus Christ was the “image” and “express image of his person” – which means the physical presence of the invisible God. From eternity past, God has always been a Spirit that totally fills the universe.

Isa 66:1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

The “Spirit of God descending like a dove” is not a different Spirit from the voice that spoke, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” There is no scriptural evidence to support the idea that the invisible Spirit of God who fills the entire universe somehow ceased to fill the universe when He became man. He continued to be omnipresent throughout the universe while at the same time He confined His human form to one place at a time. His voice could be heard in heaven while His body was on earth.

Consider some relevant questions:

Can God hear prayers all over the earth at the same time? Yes He is omnipresent

Can we have a Holy Ghost power-packed service at our local church where everyone can say, “God was there!” and yet across town, across the state, or across the world, someone else may be praying while driving his car and feel the presence of God? Yes He is omnipresent

Or while one woman in Bloomington steps dangerously close to death in an accident at work and cries out, “Jesus!”, can God be there for her at the same time a little child is kneeling at an altar in Ethiopia receiving the Holy Ghost? Yes He can be at both places at the same time—He is omnipresent

Can God be present with his hair dripping wet in a muddy river and at the same time be heard as a voice from heaven? Yes, He is omnipresent. Matt 3:16 and 17 are not references to a three-part deity, but a God who is everywhere at all times. It is important to not force a passage of scripture to conform to our tradition but rather interpret it in light of other scripture.

Baptism

In the introduction of the last lesson, I mentioned that the temptation was Jesus’ second official act as an adult. Let us briefly discuss the first “official” event that started Jesus’ public ministry, His baptism.

We stop off at the baptism scene to emphasize three things.

(1) First some trivia: How old was Jesus when he was baptized?

Luke 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, …

Next, we will look into the baptism itself:

Matthew 3:13-17
13 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.

What is the purpose of baptism?

The next two things we will emphasize about baptism is:

(2) it follows repentance (a sorrowful acknowledgement of sin and expression of desire to forsake it); and

(3) it provides remission (washing away, taking away, removal) of sin.

John declared in:

Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance:…

And he refused to baptize those who had not repented.

And the reason for baptism was declared in:

Mark 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

And we are of course familiar with Acts 2:38 which tells us that we must repent and then be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. So if that is the case about baptism, why would Jesus need to be baptized?

Christians are instructed to do life in the name of Jesus.

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

A child of God wants to keep close to the will of God so prior to taking any action, like making a phone call, sending an email, making a road trip, or preaching, it is a right thing to pause first and say, “In the name of Jesus.” Those are not magical words or a good luck charm, but a mindset that indicates that my undertaking is going forth in Jesus’ name. It is a way to seek God’s blessing and direction in all of our activities.

When we give thanks for what God has provided, we are also to give thanks in the name of Jesus Christ.

Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

When we pray, we are also to pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

John 14:13-14
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name , that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name , I will do it.

Several states have issued edicts that stat that prayers given in certain public places may not be given “in the name of Jesus Christ.” Prayer in these public forums must be “non-sectarian”, in other words, done without the name of the deity. Of course, for Christians, that is bogus. We know that all power is in the name of Jesus and that as Christians, that is just a thing we do—we pray and petition to Christ in His name. That is not an option.

And rightly so, many Christians raised up a complaint about the infringement of our constitutional right to the free practice of religion. Many spoke out in favor of the Christians and were shocked at such an anti-Jesus’ name proclamation.

But in another area where the name of Jesus is equally required by scripture to be invoked, many preachers and entire Christian organizations ignore. I believe Christianity needs to be recalled to this edict:

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

To be biblically correct and follow the examples of scripture, baptisms must be done with the invocation of the name of Jesus Christ. Despite that, I heard a radio minister say something like this: “What we say when we baptize is not important as long as we baptize by immersion in water.”

All I can say is, “Really! It doesn’t matter!!! What about the above commands?”

Christians everywhere, may we be just as inclined to defend the invocation of the name of Jesus Christ when we baptize as we are when we pray. Do all in the name of Jesus Christ.

Disciples of John at Ephesus

After Cornelius’s household found God by coming through the same plan introduced in Acts 2 and Acts 8, we now move beyond Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and head to the uttermost part of the world (based on Acts 1:8)—Ephesus. This was the capital city of Asia . There Paul was on his third missionary journey and found some men whom Paul identified as believers. These men already been baptized but to was according to John’s baptism. This is how that encounter went:

Acts 19:1-6
1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

Here we find some important facts. A similar pattern of “How to come to God” was demonstrated here when compared to what was seen in the earlier studies. The Holy Ghost came on the believers, they spoke with tongues (and prophesied), and they were baptized in the name of Jesus. It is also true that what you believe is important because these believers needed a little more truth. And how you are baptized is also important. These men had already been baptized but when it was learned that they had not been baptized in Jesus’ name, they were rebaptized.

Cornelius’ household

We continue looking at detailed examples in the Book of Acts where the message of salvation was delivered and acted upon. Jesus had instructed his disciples in Acts 1:8 that the message (witness) would be delivered powerfully in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria , and to the end of the earth. We examined the beginning in Jerusalem and Judea in Acts 2, and Samaria in Acts 8. The initial launching point for getting the message to the ends of the earth was the delivering of it to the Gentiles. Up to this point, the first Christians had been of Jewish background.

Next on the recipient list were Gentiles who had some understanding of the Jewish God and His Word. We find them gathered in the home of a Roman Centurian named Cornelius. Cornelius had been praying for something similar to the theme of our Bible study, “How to find God.” He was asking God to show him the way. The answer came in the Apostle Peter. Peter introduced them to the same message and demonstration that they had experienced in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-4, 38). This is what happened while Peter was preaching:

Acts 10:44-48
44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord….

It is no coincidence that we see here given to Gentiles a repetition of the same basic elements that were seen as responses to the Jew’s saving faith: baptism in the name of Jesus and receiving the Holy Ghost as evidenced by the recipient speaking with tongues. More examples of this to come…

Analogy concerning “faith alone”

If you know a little bit about the Bible, you probably know that we are saved by faith and not by works. Then how are we to understand the Bible’s commands to repent and be baptized? Aren’t repentance and baptism works though?

When considering how to find God, it is important that we realize that it is faith alone that saves us. How then are we to understand the Bible’s commands to repent and be baptized?

Saving faith necessarily expresses itself through repentance, water baptism, and receiving the Spirit. We do not have the power to turn from sin. God leads us to repentance and grants us power to repent. We do not have the power to submit ourselves to the name of Jesus through baptism. God leads us to baptism and grants us the remission of sins through it. We surely do not have the power to take the Holy Ghost. God gives it as a free gift to those who have saving faith.

Man’s role is to believe the gospel, seek repentance, submit to water baptism, and allow God to fill him with the Spirit. These responses to God’s drawing Spirit does not earn or pay for salvation, but it is a necessary response for receiving salvation.

If I tell you that I have $10,000 for you, all you have to do is meet me at the bank tomorrow at 10 am (the meeting is a condition upon which the receiving the gift depends). If you really believe me, you will show up at the bank tomorrow at 10 am. By you showing up at the bank, does that mean you have earned the money? No, still a free gift. Your appearance though, was necessary to receive the gift. If you do not show up, you will not receive the gift and the responsibility for the failure will fall totally upon you (lack of faith in the promise).

We must respond to God in faith by seeking repentance, remission of sins at water baptism, and the Spirit baptism. If we seek, God will graciously grant our petition and we receive salvation totally as a free gift, not as an earned right. If we do not respond though, we will not receive the promise, and the blame falls completely on us.

Summary of baptism

We are studying the topic, “How can I find God?” We have discovered from scripture that coming to God requires having faith that Jesus will save you, expressing that faith through obedience by repenting (turning away from, forsaking) of your sin, and finally by being baptized.

In the Bible we find several specific examples of how people were baptized and the examples were very much the same in form. A pattern emerges in scripture of how baptism should be done:

by immersion, and

in the name of Jesus Christ.

We summarize that second point here from the previous several lessons:

Baptism should be done in a singular name:

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name…

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name…

In Matthew 28:18 Jesus set the context describing His power so baptism is about the transforming power of the name of Jesus.

Mark and Luke described the same situation as Matthew 28:19 and both show that Jesus was the only name mentioned.

The early church baptized in the name of Jesus Christ:

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 8:16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

Acts 10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Acts 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

Jesus is the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

And finally, God revealed that He has one name:

Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

Revelation 22:3-4
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

What is meant by the phrase, “the name of the Holy Ghost”? Is Holy Ghost a name? Rather than being a name, it is one of the titles that refer to God, or an operation of God, or a manifestation of God. As we saw with “the name of the Father”, Jesus associated His own name with the Holy Ghost.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

To get some context for Matthew 28:19, let us go back a verse and read verse 18:

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

That statement provides an opening proclamation that we need to think about. To paraphrase it, Jesus said, “I’m in charge here so make disciples for me and baptize them in my name.” Jesus is the king of this Kingdom. He is in charge. We become His servants. And we take on His name and not that of some other person, or even simply the titles that refer to Him. Children born or adopted into my family will take on the family name, not any title I may hold. So it is when we are born into the family of Jesus Christ. We take on His name by having that name called over us in baptism.