BAPTISM 

In Matthew 28:19,20 Jesus commands His disciples to "go and make disciples 
of all peoples, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and 
of the Holy Spirit ..." 
 
Notice that the people were "made disciples" of before they were baptised. 
This tells us that there are certain requirements which must precede 
baptism. These are: 
 
	1. Hearing and believing (Mark 16:16) 
	2. Repentance (Acts 2:38) 
	3. Whole-hearted acceptance of Christ (Acts 8:37) 
 
Note that "believing in Christ" is not simply believing that Jesus existed, 
but is believing that He died for our sins and has therefore saved us. (1 
Corinthians 15:1-4) 
 
WHY BAPTISM? 
Peter describes baptism as the "pledge of a good conscience towards God", 
an act of faith if you like. But why should we make this pledge by the act 
of baptism instead of simply making some spoken declaration? By comparing 
baptism with the example of Noah and the flood as Peter did (1 Peter 3:20-
22) we can see at lease three answers: 
 
	1. It is the way that God has told us to go. 
	2. There is no other alternative suggested. 
	3. It leads to a new life. 
 
WHAT SORT OF BAPTISM? 
Today there are a number of different types of baptism being practised. 
Basically they fall into two groups: 
 
	a. Baptism by immersion. 
	b. Baptism by affusion, or sprinkling. 
 
From at least two accounts of baptism in the New Testament we can see that 
the Biblical method is baptism by immersion, that is where teenagers or 
adults are totally submerged beneath the water. (See John 3:23 and Acts 
8:36-39) Sprinkling probably came in where there was difficulty finding 
enough water (in desert areas for example) and infant baptism came in due 
to a strange theology which made people believe that if their children died 
without being baptised they would go to hell! 
 
THE MEANING OF BAPTISM 
This type of baptism was not just chosen at random, it is a deeply symbolic 
act. By entering the water the believer shows that he is leaving his old 
life behind. By being submerged beneath the water he shows that he is dying 
to his sins. By being lifted up out of the water he shows that he is 
beginning a new life lived under the direction of Jesus who also died, was 
buried and resurrected for us. 
 
Today baptism has some other important functions as well. By being baptised 
in public we are making a promise to everyone that we have decided to 
follow Christ. We have told everyone that we are beginning a new life. Also 
baptism is generally recognised as the step by which we enter a particular 
church family.