Baptism is presented as a vital ordinance for believers, illustrating identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection through immersion. The sermon emphasizes that baptism is not essential for salvation but is a voluntary confession and initiation into the community of those who have openly declared their faith in Jesus. It challenges the practice of infant baptism, asserting that only those who have personally believed and can articulate their faith should be baptized, highlighting immersion as the only form that accurately depicts the theological concepts involved.
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Mr. Meyer is so meticulous. I asked him, please have a little more singing this morning, because I have a very sore throat. Now, the last time I stood up here, I had a pounding headache. So, you see, I'm falling apart. I'm not quite sure as to what I should attribute it, but I suppose old age never comes alone. But he was very gracious and very kind. And like myself, when I'm the song leader, I usually steal a little of the preacher's time and have to apologize to him, but not Mr. Meyer. So here I have a full complement of time. You probably will get out early this morning unless I forget my sore throat and just keep on going.
Now recently I had an exercise to deal with some of the things that we as assemblies stand for, and you'll remember we talked about the breaking of bread. I suppose this is an assembly distinctive in that we observe the Lord's Supper every week. Now this sort of sets us apart from a lot of other sound believers, a lot of other believers who love the Lord Jesus and who who meet to teach the word of God and enjoy the word of God, but they perhaps break bread once a month, sometimes once in three months.
But we do believe that the Scripture teaches that the early disciples came together on the Lord's day, each Lord's day, to remember the Lord Jesus. And so that's what we do. Now we don't criticize others, it's not our place to do that. We just feel that if this is what the Lord, what they did in those early days of the church, and we can still do it, then we ought still to do it. You know, it's a surprise to a lot of believers that we don't get familiar with this service. They say, well, doesn't it lose its freshness doing it every week?
They say, doesn't it, isn't it something you get awfully familiar with doing it every week? And after all, you spend a whole hour breaking bread when our communion, which is only once a month or once in three months, is just about twenty minutes or twenty-five minutes following another service. Now, of course, the answer to that is, no, we don't. And I don't think they would either. The Word of God says, as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show forth the Lord's death till he comes. Now it may well be that there are believers who do not limit themselves to breaking bread once a week.
In fact, there are some believers who feel that every time they come together, they should have a little season of remembering the Lord. Now I don't think that this is at all grieving to him. Because when we put aside a time just to think about him and to meditate upon him and to worship him, we couldn't be spending it more profitably. So we counted a delight to welcome the Lord's people to the Lord's table. That's the reason why when we break bread together we don't ask a brother or a sister who comes, do you know this brother, you know that brother?
We just want to know, do you know the Lord? And if they know the Lord, then we feel that it's their privilege to sit down and remember the Lord Jesus with us. And it delights our hearts to have visitors who share our exercise about the Lord's table. Now there's another ordinance, and I believe there are only two in the Word of God, and the second one is the ordinance of baptism. Now I realize that probably everybody here is baptized by immersion. But I think we have to still have occasions when we go over these truths so that people know why we do what we do.
And so this morning we're going to talk a little about baptism. Also, this with regard to tonight, there has been a feeling that perhaps among us here in the assembly that we owe an explanation. to folk that we have been very remiss in not making. There are folk who come among us and they are strangers to us and they walk into our midst and they look around and they see almost all of the ladies wearing hats and they say, well, that's very strange. They don't do that in my church. They don't do that where I come from.
And it was thought that we might put a little note in the bulletin, a little word of explanation as to why we do this. After all, if we do it, then we ought to be able to explain why, and we certainly don't want to embarrass anybody who doesn't understand these things or who wonders why we do this. So instead of writing a little article like that for the bulletin, tonight I'm going to talk about it. Now I don't expect everybody to agree with me in everything, but I do think that a word of explanation is in order, and I think that since we're talking about the things that perhaps characterize us as assemblies, this is one of them, because I suppose there are not very many churches into which you go today where so many of the ladies have their head covered in a service.
So rather than do it in a... And by means of the bulletin, I thought maybe tonight we'd tell you, just explain to you why it is important to us, why it's important to the elders here, and why it's a position that the assembly takes. Now, once again, we don't want to suggest that everybody else is wrong. We don't, it's not a matter of placing censure on anyone, but it is, it's what we owe you, a word of explanation. And I'd like you all to come along tonight. and then we can chat about it afterwards and you can tell me all the things that you don't agree with me about. But it is the position the Assembly takes. It is the position that the Elders take and so just a little by way of explanation tonight.
Now let's talk about baptism. If my voice holds out, if my voice gives out, then we'll have to put out tonight until another night. But however, I want to read to you first of all some well-known scriptures from the end of Matthew to begin with. And if you want to, you can just sit back and listen. Go ye therefore, this is verse nineteen of chapter twenty-eight of Matthew, go ye therefore and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always.
even unto the end of the world. Amen." And Dan Crawford used to say, he was the African missionary, you know, real individualist, no go, no low. Go and do this, and low, I am with you always. No go, no low. All right, now let's look at Acts chapter two and see whether the disciples carried this out. Acts chapter two and verse forty-one, then they that gladly received his word, that was the word of the disciple Peter, were baptized.
And the same day they were added unto them about three thousand souls, and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayer. Now turn to Ephesians chapter four, and let's read a verse or two here. We could read from Romans six also, perhaps we ought to do that too. Chapter four of Ephesians, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all loneliness and meekness, with long suffering forbearing one another in love.
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. That's lovely language. We were reminded this morning that the Lord looks upon the heart, and the outward appearance is not so very important after all. It has its place. But notice it says, Forbearing, that is... lowliness and meekness with long suffering forbearing one another in love endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace why the Bible says where the brethren dwell together in unity there the Lord commanded the blessing even life forevermore there is one body and one spirit even as ye are called in one hope of your calling one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all.
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. I want you to keep that place while I just read to you from Romans chapter six. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death, that like us Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Shall we pray? Our Heavenly Father, we ask that by thy Holy Spirit... in a very personal way. Thou wilt minister to us this morning, each one of us. Many of us will go back in thought to the day when we, perhaps with a little trepidation, certainly with a feeling of wonderment in our hearts, climbed down the steps into a baptismal tank and were immersed in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
Some of us can remember coming up out of that water with a deep sense that what we had done was, in a brand new way, committed ourselves to a life from which we could not turn back. It will be a happy morning for us if these memories come back to us and flood our hearts, and if once again we, before thee, in the power of thy spirit, face up to the implications of the experience of our baptism. Grant it might be so. And if there should be someone here who's been puzzled about this, who perhaps has thought of it as a sprinkling of an infant or something else, we pray that it might be made clear to them and clearly the Word of God, so that perhaps a fresh blessing might come into their lives as they who trust, obey in walking with the Lord.
we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen. Now did you notice that in Ephesians four I read seven things to you, prefaced by the word one. One body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father. Now very beautifully, and the Spirit of God does this so often in the Word of God, into that number of seven things, and seven in the Bible is the number of perfection, you know, he has woven the Trinity.
One Lord, one Spirit, and one God and Father. And when we remove the Trinity from those seven, we come up with four other things that serve as an introduction to the topic this morning. There is one body, there is one hope, and there is one faith, and there is one baptism. Now the one body, of the one body, Christ, is the head. He is the head and we are the members of the body. That's a very beautiful picture that I'm not going to dwell upon this morning because there can be no more vital relationship than that which exists between the head and the body.
You can have a kidney transplant, you can have a retinal transplant, you can have various other organs, even a heart transplant, but the day will never come when you'll get your head transplanted. because it isn't possible. You would never know whether it was really you or not. It's too vital a relationship. Seems so beautiful that the Lord Jesus should have intimately associated himself with us as to say, Your bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. I'm the head, and you are the body. I'm tempted to go off on a tangent there and talk about the members and their need one of the other and their ministry one to the other and their love and and joy in one another.
But I mustn't do that. One body. And of that body Christ is the head. Now in the body we have those who believe. And it doesn't matter what label they carry. It doesn't matter how they may be designated by their ecclesiastical leaders if they are born again, they are members of the same body. We all belong to one another as members of the body of Christ. The next is one hope. And of this hope, Christ is the foundation. Everything is builded upon him. And in the hope we have why?
Those who believe do believe. Because believing in the Lord Jesus is what brings into the life brand new certainty and anticipation so that the future is not something about which we speculate, but it's something about which we can sing and speak with joy and assurance, because we know what the future holds. Our hope, the Bible says, is like an anchor, both sure and steadfast. That's very different from the kind of hope a person means when you ask him, are you going to heaven? And he says, I hope so.
Now that, of course, casts an element of doubt upon it. But the Christian's hope, because Christ is its foundation, is the strength and confidence and wonder of God. of the Christian life. One hope, and Christ is its foundation, and we know it is never going to be a forfeited hope. And then there is one faith, and of that Christ is the author. He is called the author and finisher of our faith. Now we have here why those who believe do believe.
They believe because they know that all that God has for them in Christ is theirs by believing. Who believes? The body. What they believe? The hope. Why they believe? The faith. And then one baptism, and here Christ is the instigator, for he sent his disciples out and told them to baptize. And this is how those who believe, and rejoicing what they believe, and look forward to the future with certainty because they believe, witness to their belief.
For that's precisely what baptism is. It is a confession. It is a witness by those who believe to what they believe. Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. One baptism. Now this raises immediately a problem in my mind, and I grappled with it. If there's one baptism, how come so many Christians talk about two baptisms? Baptism in water and the baptism of the Spirit. Now, if there's only one, there can't be two.
Now, I'm quite convinced that the Scripture is true, and there's no confusion here. I do not believe that the baptism of the Spirit applies to today. If anybody asks you, have you been baptized by the Spirit, the fact is that the early church was baptized into one body, a hundred and twenty of them, in an upper room, and that was the baptism of the Spirit, and we read after that, that we have been, the Lord added to the church daily such as a being saved. That's why baptism in the Spirit is referred to in the past tense. We have all been baptized into one body, and when the body came into being in the upper room, the baptism of the Spirit took place.
That's what I believe. Take it or leave it. But that's the only way that I can believe what the Bible says here, that there is one baptism, and that is not the baptism of the Spirit. That I believe is water baptism. And it's a striking thing to me that the word baptism isn't even an English word. In a moment or two I want to come to that because the translators, in order to be true to the Bible, would not take a word that was not adequate and try to translate the Greek. So they put the Greek right into the word here into our English translation. But more about that in a moment or two. Now baptism in Romans chapter six is associated with death and with burial and with resurrection.
And this is why we reject, that sounds like a harsh word, let me put it a little more kindly, this is why we cannot accept the practice of infant baptism. We believe that believers are to be baptized, because only those who know the Lord and want to confess that knowledge of Him have, we believe, in New Testament parlance a right to be baptized. Now I was sprinkled when I was an infant. It wasn't called baptism. In those days it was called christening. But in the Church of England I used to say my baptism, wherein I was made a child of God and an inheritor of the kingdom of God.
Now I lived long enough to find out that that was not true. That was not true. And although I was sprinkled, I was christened, I was still in my sin. And not until I received the Lord Jesus in my heart, as my very own personal Savior, did I become a child of God. Now there are three things about baptism I'd like you to take away with you. Three thoughts. First of all, baptism is an illustration. That is, of course, baptism by immersion. Secondly, baptism is an identification. And thirdly, baptism is an initiation.
Now, since it is an illustration, this determines the manner of the ordinance. I want to come back to that. Since baptism is an identification, this challenges the suitability of the candidate. And since baptism is an initiation, this emphasizes the solemnity of the act. Now let me dwell on those three things for the time that remains to me. If baptism is an identification, or is an illustration, how should we go about baptizing. What is to be the manner of the ordinance?
Now I've already said that we cannot accept that sprinkling is sufficient. There are those who use a method called pouring and the infant is held slightly upside down and water is poured over the head. We cannot accept this either because the only form of baptism that illustrates What Romans six tells us baptism is meant to illustrate death and burial and resurrection is immersion. Now the closest word to give the thought of baptism we can find in the English language is the word dip. And baptizers in the past have been called dippers.
But it's not an adequate word and the translators rejected it because you can take a ladle. and you can dip it in the soup, and you can ladle out the meal, but you still have a dry handle in your hand. To immerse is not an adequate word. I could take a tumbler of water, I could drop a pebble in the water, and it would be immersed. But it would not be baptized because it remains in the water. The word in the original language means to put under the water, to put right under the water, and to bring out of the water.
Now there isn't such a word in the English language. So the translators so true to God and to the word of God, they took that Greek word and instead of translating it because they couldn't, they transliterated it They gave it an anglicized, an English form, and put it into the Word of God here, and so we get the word baptize. It's not an English word, it's a Greek word, and it's there because we have no adequate English word. Now you can see how baptism is a beautiful illustration. I doubt it is anyone here who has never seen baptism by immersion. What happens is the candidate goes down, perhaps waist deep in the water, and he's asked for some expression of confession, and then the one who is baptizing him just lowers him into the water until the water closes over his head.
Now that's a perfect illustration of death. The water completely closes over the candidate. And for that split second, he remains beneath the surface of the water. And so burial is beautifully illustrated. Such a short time, but there it is. And then the water breaks and releases the candidate, and he comes up out of the water, and I can't think of a better illustration of resurrection than that. So here we have a very beautiful figure. Baptism is so very expressive, and it's not surprising since God...
thought it up and the Lord Jesus instigated it and told his disciples to go out and do it. Now mind you there was a baptism unto repentance that John the Baptist practiced. But Christian baptism depends entirely upon being a believer. Now before we leave the thought of the illustration let me remind you of some of the scriptures that bear this out. In Matthew three and verse sixteen The Lord Jesus set an example. It says he went up straight way out of the water. Now had sprinkling or pouring been sufficient, he would never have had to go down into the water in the first place, but he did.
And so gave to us an example. We read in Acts chapter eight of the Ethiopian eunuch, who remember that Philip met him, and he was reading from Isaiah chapter fifty-three. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. And the eunuch asked of whom does the prophet write of himself or of some other. And it says Philip began at that self-same scripture, and he preached unto him Jesus. and the Ethiopian eunuch, obviously, having been taught in that short time while Philip was in the chariot with him, that trusting the Lord Jesus was the only way that he could be right with God and that baptism was the way to confess it.
Eventually, the Ethiopian eunuch has the chariot stopped and says, behold, here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized? And so it says, And I'm quoting, they went down both of them into the water. And they came up out of the water. Because the only kind of baptism the disciples practiced was baptism by immersion. In fact, we are told that they baptized at Anan because there was much water there. Oh, this is so well known to you. I'm just going over ground that... Maybe before your own baptism you went over.
But it's good for us to remind ourselves of these things. So baptism is an illustration, and that's the reason why, one of the reasons why we teach it. It's in the Word of God, and we believe the Bible does not contemplate such a thing as an unbaptized believer. Now, mark you. There was one. The dying thief, today shall thou be with me in paradise. I believe this was the Lord Jesus way of proving that baptism is not essential to salvation. In fact, Paul said, Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.
Now if baptism, as the Church of Christ teaches, if baptism were essential to salvation, then Paul would certainly have been sent as much to baptize as to preach the gospel. Baptism is not essential to salvation. but you will find that everyone who believed in the Word of God for whom it was possible was baptized. That brings me to the thought that baptism is an identification. And I said this challenges the suitability of the candidate. Now any child that is taken to the church that practices this can as an infant be christened. The child has no say.
Sometimes the child reacts rather strongly and protests vigorously. But the fact is, if we read very carefully in the Scriptures, we will find that when they believed they were baptized. I remember someone saying to one of my colleagues one day, ah, but look, don't you remember that Cornelius was baptized with all his house? There must have been infants in his house. My colleague said no. Everybody in Cornelius' house was over twenty-two. Where do you get that from? They said the same place you got from the infants from. When they believed, the scripture says, Simon believed, we read, and was baptized.
The Eunice believed, we read, and was baptized. Saul's eyes were opened. Cornelius received. Lydia's heart was opened. All of these had a spiritual experience, came to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and then, in confession of that fact, they were baptized. Now I think that this is obvious. Baptism is an identification. No one has any right to apply for baptism who has not, first of all, identified himself voluntarily and deliberately with the Lord Jesus. in the death that baptism illustrates, and in the resurrection which brings about a new creation.
So we identify ourselves with the Lord Jesus in his death and his burial, and his resurrection by means of baptism. If thou believest, when they believe, Philip, we read, of another group, they were baptized. Now I'm sure that the elders here would never baptize anyone who came and said, I would like to be baptized and could not tell with certainty when they, about their knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Now there are some people don't know what hour of the day they were saved.
Some people don't know what day of the week they were saved. Some people don't remember the date. That's not important. Oh, there are some people who say it's very important. But we don't believe it's important. The question is, do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior? Are you depending upon the work that he did upon the cross to get you to heaven and not anything that you can do for yourself? Upon such a confession of faith, I'm confident the elders here would be delighted to baptize any man or any woman. But they must first of all have the assurance that you believed, because baptism... is meant for every believer and I believe for believers only.
For believers only. You see, I think it's possible for a Christian to suddenly be presented with this truth and then maybe because of a fear of water to back off it and say, no, I'm going to sidestep this one. But you know, as surely as God shows you a step, any step, your next step, unless you take it God will not reveal the one that follows. And I don't think it would be impossible to find believers whose spiritual growth stopped the day they refused to take this step, the Spirit of God having shown it to them as the next logical step, the step of confession.
So baptism is an illustration, and this determines the manner of the ordinance. It's also an identification and this challenges the suitability of the candidate. We can only baptize those who have by faith identified themselves with the Lord Jesus in the death and burial and resurrection that baptism illustrates. But then finally I said that baptism is an initiation and this emphasizes the solemnity of the act. Now I want to repeat it is not an initiation into the body of Christ. that happened the moment you accepted the Lord Jesus as your own personal Savior. It is not a means of entry into the local church.
It is an initiation into that body of believers who have deliberately and intelligently and openly and joyfully confessed the Lord Jesus as their Savior in the way that he commanded. That's what it is and initiation into, and that's very bad English, but I'll leave it right there. Now, I perhaps would be presumptuous this morning to assume that everybody here was a believer in the first place. But if everybody here is a believer, again, I would probably be presumptuous to assume that everyone has taken this step and been baptized. Now, I'm very glad, you know, that We were hearing this morning from Brother Majonia that there are lots of details left out of the word of God about lots of things.
There's no indication how old a person has to be baptized or how young a person can be and you baptize them. I do remember hearing about a little girl eight. who went to one of the elders one day after she had heard a message on baptism, and she said, I have been reading my Bible, and I kept coming across that word, and I really didn't know what it meant, but I found out what it means, and I would like to be baptized. So that elder drew his breath rather quickly because she wasn't very tall as well as not very old. And so he said, well, let me talk to the others about it. And so the elders put their heads together and they thought about her and they thought about her family and then they thought about her age and they said, maybe she ought to be a little bit older.
And so to her disappointment they said, well, we're so happy that you have this desire, but we think maybe you should wait a little bit longer. So she waited a little bit longer, about three weeks. Then back she went to the same elder and said, I would really like to be baptized. Well, three weeks is not very long, you know. That's just a little bit longer. She said, I don't mind how long you keep me waiting. as long as you promise to baptize me before Jesus comes back again. You know what they did? They baptized at the very next Sunday. They didn't want to take the risk because they knew that the Lord Jesus was on his way and an exercise like that certainly couldn't be ignored.
Do you remember the night of your baptism, those of you who are baptized? Mine stands out in my memory. I can see the scene right now and I can remember that strange feeling of elation at my heart. I felt that I had been able in a very special way to honor and please the Lord Jesus and to follow his example and to obey his word and that it had cost me something because the water was very cold in which I was baptized and shall we give to the Lord that which cost us nothing, you know. It's a good time to get baptized in the pool now because it's very warm. But the fact is, you know, you cannot obey the Lord.
You cannot please the Lord without getting a warm glow at your heart. And you know, baptism is, in a sense, a point of no return. In heathen lands, a person can trust the Lord Jesus and be truly saved and their lives be different and their fellow countrymen not treat them any differently. But the moment they are baptized, that becomes the cutting off point, and many are ostracized and some even murdered. Not because they trusted the Lord Jesus, but they dared in open confession to let everybody know about it.
This then is the second ordinance, the ordinance of baptism. I did say a little earlier, it is not a key to the Lord's table. It's not an entrance into the church. It's not an entrance into the local church. It's not a key to the Lord's table. But you know, if there was someone breaking bread who had never been baptized, I wouldn't be surprised if some godly elder exercised about the situation, went to such a person and said, you know, I'm puzzled. We're so delighted to see you at the Lord's table, so many Christians don't come regularly to the Lord's table. And it's obvious that you're exercised and burdened and you come, and it's such a delight, you're such an encouragement to us.
But we are puzzled that you should be exercised about one ordinance and not exercised about the other, because God is so consistent. And I believe that if God exercises a heart about the Lord's table, He'll exercise that heart about baptism. But I don't believe that brethren have a right to say to someone, because you're not baptized, you cannot break bread. But I do believe they have a right to ask, don't you think that God is consistent? And have a right to expect this from you, as well as the other? And you know what? I kept going until a minute after twelve. Is that so still? Let's pray, shall we?
Our Heavenly Father... These are the things that we believe. These are the things in which we find a preciousness. These are the things in which we find an outlet to do thy will, to honor thee and please thee and delight thy heart. These are the ways in which we bring encouragement and pleasure to one another. These are the ways, Lord, in which we in our own faltering and trembling and insufficient fashion try to show thee that we do love thee. That's, Lord, why we are baptized. That, Lord, is why we come Lord's day by Lord's day to break bread in remembrance of thee.
We do love thee. And we thank thee, Lord, for loving us first and weaning us away from the things that threaten to destroy us and binding us together in the same bundle of life with the people of God. I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God. Accept our thanks for all of these blessed and wonderful things we pray. May we cherish them more as the days go by. In Jesus' name. Amen.