Baptism Basics (Acts 8:26-39)

There is the story of four pastors who gathered for coffee every Monday morning for a time of reflecting together on how each one’s ministry was doing. One pastor shared with the group that he was having quite a problem with bats gathering in the church bell tower, and wanted help in finding ways to get rid of them.

The first pastor responded, “I had the same problem. After church one Sunday I took out my shotgun and starting shooting at the bats.”

“Did it work?” the bat infested pastor asked.

“Nope!” said the gun toting preacher. “All I did was shoot a bunch of holes in my roof, and I still have bats”.

The second pastor responded, “I had a bat problem too.”

“What did you do about it?” asked the pastor with the problem.

“I set a bunch of traps in my church and I ended up catching all 165 bats by the next morning. I then loaded the traps onto my truck, drove the bats 500 miles away from the church, and turned them loose.”

“Did it work?” asked the pastor with the bat problem.

“Nope! By the time I drove back to the church, those little vermin had followed me all the way home, and they’re back flying around in my church”.

The last pastor had a big smile on his face. “I got rid of all my bats.”

“How did you do it?” asked the others.

“All I did was baptize them, make them members of my church, and I haven’t seen them since!”

We laugh at that old joke because there is an element of truth to it. Many people view baptism as the end of their commitment to Christ. These folks believe that baptism is an act that assures them of heaven and the blessings of church membership. They have no real plans of being anything more than a name on the roll and having a place to get married or buried.

Of course, baptism is not the culmination of our commitment to Christ; it is the commencement of our commitment to Christ. Baptism is not the finish line; it is the starting line.

As we examine Acts 8:26-39, we will learn some important things about baptism.

[Acts 8:26-39]
26 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.)
27 So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship,
28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.”
30 Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth.
33 “In humiliation His judgment was taken away; Who will relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.”
34 The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?”
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.
36 As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?”
37 And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38 And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.

Philip, the deacon evangelist, had been preaching in Samaria to the north of Jerusalem. At the same time, God knew that there would soon be a man in a chariot in the middle of the desert far to the south of Jerusalem who was seeking truth. So God arranged a divine appointment. Their paths intersected and we have this story to illustrate some truths about baptism.


1. BAPTISM'S OPPORTUNITY
God freely offers eternal life to all, but only a few will receive this wonderful gift. The next step of faith is baptism. Notice the man’s surprise in verse 36 when he says, “Look! Water!” Why is he surprised? Because you don’t expect to find abundant water in the middle of the desert. The fact that God made sure there was enough water in the desert to immerse the man tells us that baptism is an important step in the life of the Christian. Just as God supplies the opportunity for you to come to Christ, he also gives you an opportunity to commit to Christ.

So why is baptism such an important step for a believer in Christ?

A. Baptism Depicts Christ
The Apostle Paul tells us that baptism is a public testimony of the sacrificial death of Jesus. Listen to Romans 6:1-4,

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

It is important that baptism be a complete immersion in water. The word “baptize” means “to immerse or to dunk.” Note what Paul is saying in Romans 6:3-4. The act of lowering, submerging, and raising a believer out of the water pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

B. Baptism Defines Christians
Paul tells us in Romans 6:2 that baptism also symbolizes dying to sin. The end of verse 4 tells us that, after dying to sin, the raising out of the water is a symbol of starting to “walk in newness of life.” Baptism is the first step in a new walk of faith.

“In the early days of the church, baptism was a declaration that the believer was definitely identifying himself with that group of people who were called Christians and were despised and hated. To be a Christian meant something. To identify yourself with those who were called Christians meant persecution, maybe death; it meant being ostracized from your family, shunned by friends. And the one act which was the final declaration of this identification was BAPTISM. As long as
a man gathered with Christians, he was tolerated, but when once he submitted to baptism, he declared to all the world, I BELONG TO THIS GROUP OF CHRISTIANS, and immediately he was persecuted, hated, and despised. In baptism, therefore, the believer entered into the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ. A person might be a believer and keep it strictly a secret and thus avoid unpleasantness and suffering, but once he submitted to public baptism he had burned his bridges behind him. . .”  (Pamphlet, Water Baptism, p. 27).



Yesterday was the 174th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo on March 6, 1836. On that day, 183 men gave their lives for Texas’ independence from Mexico. In the midst of that epic 13-day battle, the commander of the fort, Col. William B. Travis, received word that reinforcements would not arrive in time to save them if they chose to stay and fight. Travis was faced with a decision. They could flee and save their lives, or they could stay and fight--buying precious time for Sam Houston to get the rest of the Texas army ready to fight. They could save their lives and forfeit Texas’ independence, or they could forfeit their lives to save the new republic. Travis assembled the 184 defenders and told them of the choice they would have to make. They could not withstand many more onslaughts from the 5,000 enemy troops. If they stayed, they would die.

With his sword, Travis drew a line in the sand and said, “If you are willing to stay and fight, step over the line. If you don’t want to step over the line, you may flee under the cover of darkness tonight.” Every man stepped over the line but one. The 183 who stepped over the line are heroes--schools, counties, streets and buildings memorialize their names throughout Texas.

What about the one who snuck out? His name was Lewis Rose. He lived the rest of his life in shame, hiding his identity and drifting without purpose. He died alone and was given a pauper’s grave. Have you ever heard the song, “The Yellow Rose of Texas”? The song was originally written about the “yellow” (cowardly) Lewis Rose. Many years later, the words were changed to honor a fictitious beautiful blonde-haired woman, because everyone enjoyed the tune, but didn’t want to remember a man who wouldn’t step over the line.

Baptism is a “stepping over the line” in the life of Christian. It is a public testimony that you are committed to following Christ and are willing to be part of a band of believers in a local congregation. It defines who you are in the eyes of others.


2. BAPTISM'S OBEDIENCE
Jesus gave this command in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

A. The Ethiopian knew baptism was important.
After Philip proclaimed the Gospel of Christ, the Ethiopian knew that he needed to be baptized. Notice verse 36 again.  As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?”

Even those without Christ know that baptism is an important act of obedience for those who follow Christ.

B. The Ethiopian knew baptism was imperative.
If something is “imperative” that means that it is not optional, but expected. A person who possesses a saving faith in Jesus will desire to be baptized. That is the meaning of the Apostle Peter’s words in Acts 2:38. “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

The word “for” in Acts 2:38 is the Greek word “eis” which means “because of.”  If I said, “Fred is in jail for stealing cars,” am I saying “Fred is in jail so he can steal cars.”? No, that doesn’t make any sense. What I am saying is, “Fred is in jail because he was stealing cars.”

Peter is saying, “Repent, and because your sins have been forgiven, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  When we repent, we receive the Holy Spirit; and, as a result of repentance, evidenced by receiving the Holy Spirit, we are to be baptized.



3. BAPTISM'S OBSTACLES
Did you notice the Ethiopian’s question in verse 36? “What prevents me from being baptized?” That is a question that needs to be asked by those who claim to believe in Christ and have not been baptized after coming to faith.

A. A Lack of Belief
In verse 37 Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” Philip told the man that what was preventing his baptism was his lack of belief. If he would believe that Jesus was the Messiah—the only One Who could save him--and place faith in Jesus, he could be baptized. To this, the Ethiopian said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” He responded with faith and made a public confession of Christ.

In Acts 16:29-33 we have the account of Paul and Silas in the jail at Philippi. At midnight, while they were singing praises and praying, God sent an earthquake that opened all the cell doors and caused the chains to fall off the prisoners. The guard who had been listening to all this became convicted that he needed this glorious salvation that gave Paul and Silas such peace and strength.

29 And [the guard] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house.
33 And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household.

Like the Ethiopian, the guard needed to believe before he could be baptized.


B. A Lack of Understanding 
The Ethiopian mistakenly thought baptism would bring him salvation. That is why he asked about being baptized before he confessed Christ. The act of baptism has never saved anyone.

I know that some may not like what I’m about to say. I understand that some may even become angry and will want to dismiss me as a “crack-pot” because what I am saying goes against a lifetime of personal belief and generations of denominational teaching. If you are one of those people, know that it is because I love you that I will speak the truth of the Bible. In every instance of baptism in the Bible, a choice to believe is openly confessed and then baptism follows.

Some people think they are going to heaven because they were baptized as an infant. There is not one single incident of infant baptism in the Scriptures. In fact, the practice was begun four hundred years after Christ by those who rejected that salvation is by grace through faith. There is nothing wrong with dedicating a baby to the Lord, but there is no such thing as “baptizing” a baby in God’s eyes. I warned you that I was going to make some of you upset. Instead of shooting the messenger, I beg you to honestly search the Scriptures for the truth.

Baptism is an act of public identification with Christ. Many have not truly been baptized because they don’t have a biblical understanding that baptism is not a religious rite or a religious sacrament. It is an act of commitment to Christ.


C. A Lack of Commitment
So, why have some who have believed in Christ and have a proper understanding of baptism’s purpose not been baptized? It is not because of a lack of belief or a lack of understanding. Sadly, for those Christians it is a lack of commitment. They just don’t want to commit themselves to the cause.

Baptism is a lot like a wedding ring. Baptism is symbolic of the washing away of our sins. It is also symbolic of a new way of life. It has been said that Baptism is to the Christian faith what the wedding ring is to a marriage. If I didn’t wear my wedding ring, you might question my commitment to my wife. Like the wedding ring, baptism says I am committed to serving Christ.

It is now time for you to make a decision. Jesus has taken the Sword of the Word of God and drawn a line in the dirt.

*Some here may need to say, “Yes, Lord, I will declare that I am committed to you and this church and be baptized.”

*Some here may have been saved and baptized in the past but need to say, “Yes, Lord, I am going to be committed to this church and I’m going become a member today!”

*Some here may be like the man from Ethiopia and need to claim Christ as their Savior and follow their confession of faith with baptism.

Remember I love you and, most of all, Jesus loves you. The line has been drawn. A challenge is before you. Will you step over the line to join the battle, or will you flee over the wall in the darkness?