The Sacrament of Baptism

This is a picture of the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized.

The Sacrament of Baptism 1.Baptism does not appear in the Old Testament 2.Baptism first appears in the New Testament in the Gospel of Matthew 3.Jesus was the first person baptized in the New Testament 4.Jesus was baptized by his cousin John the Baptist who was later beheaded by Herod 5.Jesus commands us to baptize people who receive Christ in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit 6.Baptism is one of two sacraments in the Protestant churches 7.The other sacrament is the Lord’s Supper/ Communion.

What is a Sacrament? 1.Sacrament is from the Latin, “sacramentum” which means to make holy. 2.The root word was used by Roman soldiers when taking an oath of loyalty to the Roman army. 3.In the Roman Catholic Church, the sacraments are “outward signs, perceptible to the senses, instituted by Jesus and entrusted to the Church, as means by which the diving grace indicated by the sign is conferred, helping the individual to advance in holiness, and contributing to the Church' s growth in charity and in giving witness. 4.The Roman Catholic Church has seven sacraments but at one point has as many as 12 sacraments with one being penance where your gift or offering of service would help you or relatives to get into heaven or to spend less time in purgatory. 5.The Roman Catholic Church fathers created the sacraments starting with St. Thomas Aquinas (c. 1200)

Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church 1.Sacraments of Initiation 1.Baptism - sprinkling with water (one-time) 2.Confirmation - after studying, confirming that a person has received Christ (one-time after salvation) 3.Eucharist – the Lord’s Supper/ Communion (every service) 2.Sacraments of Healing 1.Penance and Reconciliation – priest confessional 2.Anointing of the Sick – prayer and anointing of the sick with oil 3.Sacraments of Vocation 1.Holy Orders – ordination for priesthood or ministry 2.Matrimony – marriage ceremony

Sacraments in the Protestant Church 1.Baptism – Methods of Baptism 1.Some Protestant denominations believe in sprinkling which is more of a picture of atonement (Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, Anglican) 2.Some Protestant denominations believe in immersion as a preferred manner of baptism and symbol of redemption (Baptist, Pentecostal) 3.A few churches including Presbyterian will allow for either method of baptism – immersion and sprinkling 2.Lord’s Supper – Communion – similar to Catholic church, except that we do not believe that the body and blood of Christ is purely symbolic

Meaning of Baptism 1.Baptism and baptize are derived from the Greek word “bapto” 2.The word “bapto” means dipped, like a pickle 3.A pickle dipped into pickle juice becomes changed and becomes “pickled” 4.A pickle is immersed in water so the dipping indicates immersion 5.When we are baptized it is a symbol of the change that happens when we receive Christ as Lord and Savior 6.We are “buried with Christ in baptism” and “raised to newness in life”, sharing His death, burial and resurrection

Water as a Symbol in The Bible 1.Water is a symbol of the Flood in Noah’s day which destroyed the world, having a purifying effect 2.Water is a symbol of purity and cleansing from sin when it was used by priests to bathe and cleanse themselves 3.Water is a symbol for the Holy Spirit and for the spiritual 4.Water is a symbol of physical birth (John 3 – “born of water”) 5.Water is a symbol of life – “streams of living water”; and is required to live

References to Water during the Time of Christ besides Baptism 1.Jesus’ first miracle was turning water to wine 2.Jesus met the woman at the well and asked for some water 3.Jesus told the storm to stop on the Sea of Galilee 4.Jesus told the disciples to cast their nets on the other side of the boat to catch more fish 5.Jesus was offered a sponge with some vinegar to deaden the pain of the cross that he refused 6.Jesus cried out “I am thirsty” as one of His Seven Last Words on the cross

Baptisms in New Testament 1.Baptism of John the Baptist – a baptism to repentance but not the same as the baptism commanded by Christ since He had not completed His work on the cross when He was baptized by John 2.Baptism commanded by Jesus – commanded to baptize all who receive Christ in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit 3.Baptism by the Holy Spirit into one body, into the church 4.Baptism of the Holy Spirit – some people have a more powerful experience after salvation; the people at Pentecost in the upper room received the baptism of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus 5.John the Baptist says that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Ghost and with fire. 6.At Pentecost, flames of fire fell on the people in the upper room.