When someone says, “I want to be baptized,” there are some critical things to know, to understand and to do, starting with a respect for the all-authoritative nature of Scripture. Additionally, to be a proper subject for Bible baptism and to properly obey this part of God’s plan, one must understand:
2. Man’s desperate need for salvation. Man’s relationship with God (or more rightly stated, man’s right relationship with God) is of utmost importance, for dire consequences await those who are not in a proper relationship with the God of heaven. The Bible vividly depicts that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23) and that “the wages [thereof] is death” (6:23). Those who want to be baptized must grasp the gravity of their condition and the absolute desperation with which they turn to God!
3. God’s full plan of salvation. Too often we shortchange God’s plan of salvation by focusing, almost exclusively, on one piece of His plan to the neglect (sometimes) of the full plan. Having a full appreciation of baptism necessitates having a full appreciation of God’s entire plan. There is not one single act or step alone that saves man. Truly, we are saved by the wonderful grace of our Lord (Eph. 2:5, 8), and we must never turn so inward that we lose sight of His precious gift! Still, God’s grace teaches us (yes, grace teaches, Titus 2:11-12) that salvation from sin comes through faith (Eph. 2:8; Gal. 3:26), which willingly turns away from sin and toward God (Acts 3:19; 26:18), joyfully confesses its confidence of heart (Rom. 10:9-10) and is immersed in water (1 Pet. 3:21). One’s salvation does not stop there, for it is just beginning! God’s grace requires faithful living according to His Biblical standard (1 John 1:7; Rev. 2:10). Yes, before one is baptized, he not only needs to “know the steps” in order to be able to “recite them,” but he needs to be able to appreciate God’s plan as He alone has ordered it!
4. The purpose of baptism in God’s plan. It is absolutely essential that one understand the precise purpose which God assigned to baptism. While it is a “good” thing to do and a “right” thing to do and an “important” thing to do (all very true), none of these represent the actual purpose for which God requires one to be baptized. To be a proper subject for baptism and obey this part of God’s plan properly, one must understand that baptism is “for” (meaning, in order to obtain something not yet possessed) salvation from sins (Mark 16:16), forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16), entering a right relationship with God (Matt. 28:19), placing one into Christ (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27), placing one into Christ’s church (Acts 2:41+47; 1 Cor. 12:13; John 3:5), becoming a child of God (Gal. 3:26-27). Without this as its purpose, baptism has no purpose! (More next week)