Jude 20; Acts 22:16
The words are in what is called the middle voice which means that the charge was, “get thyself baptized!”
The Purpose of Baptism There is a personal conversion of the believer. Acts 8:36,37- “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? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Verse 38- “And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”
There is the public confession of the believer. – Salvation is an inward experience; baptism is an outward expression of that inward experience. – Baptism is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. – The purpose of baptism is not salvation but declaration.
The Prerequisite of Baptism Acts 2:38, “ Repent, and be baptized in the name of the Lord.” Acts 10:48, “ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.”
It is an intimate act of obedience. It is an important act of obedience. – To put their baptism off is to indirectly teach them that the commands of the Lord can be fit into our plans and schedules.
The Procedure of Baptism The meaning of baptism. The model of baptism. – Matthew 3:16- “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water” – John 3:23- “And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.” – I Peter 2:21- “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps”
The message of baptism – Every believer needs to be baptized and baptized in the fashion God commands and intends. That is why if you were sprinkled or poured upon, or you were a member of a church that preaches baptism for salvation or salvation by works, you are not scripturally baptized and need to be baptized the way the Lord modeled and commanded us to be.