Crucified With Christ Baptism as the Defining Moment

Prepared by Daniel Keeran, MSW, Victoria, Canada

1

Crucified With Christ Baptism as the Defining Moment

Prepared by Daniel Keeran, MSW

For deeper study visit www.wbschool.org

1 Confessing Their Sins Matthew 3:6 “Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” 2 All Israel Was Baptized Mark 1:5 “And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized…” 3 Rejecting God’s Purpose Luke 7:29,30 “…the Pharisees and lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, being not baptized…” 4 One Cannot Enter Into The Kingdom John 3:5 “… unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, one cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” 5 Baptism For All Nations Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” 6 Baptism In The Gospel Mark 16:15,16 “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved…” 7 Forgiveness For All Nations Luke 24:46-49 “…that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem…” 8 Forgiveness In The Gospel Acts 2:38 “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the Holy Spirit as a gift.” 9 The Word Gladly Received Acts 2:41 “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized…” 10 Things Concerning The Kingdom Acts 8:12 “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” 11 Preaching Jesus Acts 8:35,36 “Then Philip… preached to him Jesus. And as they went …the eunuch said, See, here is water; what prevents me from being baptized?” 12 Down Into The Water Acts 8:38 “Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.” 13 He Ordered Them To Be Baptized Acts 10:48 “And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” 14 Paul’s Message Acts 16:14-15 “…The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. And when she was baptized…” 15 The Word Of The Lord Acts 16:31-34 “And they spoke to him the word of the Lord, and (he) …was baptized… immediately.” 16 What Was Heard And Believed Acts 18:8 “…many of the Corinthians hearing, believed, and were baptized.” 17 He Knew Only The Baptism Of John Acts 18:25 “He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.” 18 When They Heard This Acts 19:5 “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” 19 Wash Away Your Sins Acts 22:16 “And now what are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” 20 Baptized Into Christ and His Death Romans 6:3 “… so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death”

2

21 Baptized That We Might Live Romans 6:4 “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: so that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.” 22 If We Have Been United With Him Romans 6:5 “For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.” 23 Our Old Man Is Crucified With Him Romans 6:6 “…our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” 24 If Dead With Christ, We Shall Live Romans 6:8 “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him…” 25 Dead To Sin, Alive To God Romans 6:11 “Likewise consider also yourselves to be truly dead to sin, but alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.” 26 Is Christ Divided? I Corinthians 1:13-17 “Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” 27 Sent To Preach The Gospel 1 Corinthians 1:17 “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel…” 28 Baptized Into One Body I Corinthians 12:13 “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body… and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” 29 By Faith Baptized Into Christ Galatians 3:27 “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” 30 God Made Us Alive With Christ Ephesians 2:5-7 “...God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ...” 31 The Foundations Of Unity Ephesians 4:4 “There is …one baptism…” 32 The Church Cleansed With Water Ephesians 5:25-27 “… Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word…” 33 In Baptism Buried And Risen By Faith Colossians 2:12 “… the circumcision of Christ: buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God…” 34 Saved By The Washing Of Rebirth Titus 3: 5 “… according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost…” 35 Baptism Saves Us I Peter 3:21 “… even baptism does also now save us… by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” 36 Remember Your Purging From Old Sins 2 Peter 1:9 “… and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”

EARLY CHURCH WRITINGS

135 AD, Barnabas, Chap.XI - “Blessed are they who, placing their trust in the cross, have gone down into the water; for, says He, they shall receive their reward in due time: then He declares, I will recompense them….This means, that we indeed descend into the water full of sins and defilement, but come up, bearing fruit in our heart, having the fear [of God] and trust in Jesus in our spirit.” 135 AD, Hermas, Commands 4:3:1 - "'I have heard, sir,' said I, 'from some teacher, that there is no other repentance except that which took place when we went down into the water and obtained the remission of our former sins.' He said to me, 'You have heard rightly, for so it is'"

3

135 AD, Hermas, Similitudes 9:16- “…before a man bears the name of the Son of God he is dead; but when he receives the seal he lays aside his deadness, and obtains life. The seal, then, is the water: they descend into the water dead, and they arise alive…” 175 AD, Melito - "Are not gold, silver, copper, and iron, after being fired, baptized with water ...in order that it may be strengthened by the dipping" 210 AD, Tertullian, Baptism, Chap.1- “…But we, little fishes, after the example of our Icthys Jesus Christ, are born in water…” 210 AD, Tertullian, Baptism, Chap. 7- "…in the same way as the act of baptism itself too is carnal, in that we are plunged in water, but the effect spiritual, in that we are freed from sins..." 225 AD, Origen - "...you descend into the water and you escape safely; having washed away the filth of sin, you come up a 'new man'...." 250 AD, Oxyrhynchus Papyri, V:840 – “…I and my disciples, who you say are not bathed, have been dipped in the waters of eternal life…” The practice of immersion was relaxed by Cyprian in the case of persons who were ill, but his response arises out of the practice being questioned, and Eusebius questions it himself and writes about others who strongly objected: 255 AD, Cyprian (defending the pouring of Novatian) - "You have asked also, what I thought concerning those who obtain God's grace in sickness and weakness, whether they are to be accounted as legitimate Christians, because they are not washed with the water of salvation but have it poured on them.... Whence it appears that the sprinkling also of water holds equally with the washing of salvation…We think that the divine benefits can in no way be mutilated or weakened." (Notice that Cyprian by the words “appears” and “we think,” assumes that pouring or sprinkling are acceptable alternatives to immersion which he describes as the “washing of salvation.”) 325 AD, Eusebius – “...[Novatian] fell seriously ill and was thought to be about to die. In the bed itself on which he was laying he received grace by water being poured around over him, if it is proper to say that such a one received it... When he believed, he was counted worthy of the office of presbyter by the favor of the bishop (Cyprian) who laid his hand on him for this rank. The bishop was opposed by all the clergy and many of the laymen, since it was not lawful for someone who had received pouring in bed on account of sickness to become a member of the clergy, but he asked to be allowed to ordain this one alone.” (Church History VI. xliii. 14, 17, quoting a letter from Cornelius, bishop of Rome, 251-253) 345 AD Cyril - "When going down, therefore, into the water, think not of the bare element, but look for salvation by the power of the Holy Ghost: for without both thou canst not possibly be made perfect. It is not I that say this, but the Lord Jesus Christ, who has the power in this matter…" (Cyril of Jerusalem, "Catechetical Lectures," Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol. 7, pg. 15.) 350 AD Cyril - "Bearing your sins, you go down into the water… You go down dead in your sins, and you come up made alive in righteousness" (Catechetical Lectures 3:10, 12). 350 AD Cyril - "When you go down into the water, then, regard not simply the water, but look for salvation through the power of the Spirit." (Catechetical Lectures 3:4). 360 AD, Cyril - "For as he who plunges into the waters and is baptized is surrounded on all sides by the waters...." 370 AD, Basil of Cesarea - "How then do we become in the likeness of his death? We were buried with him through baptism....How then do we accomplish the descent into Hades? We imitate the burial of Christ through baptism. For the bodies of those being baptized are as it were buried in water."

4

381 AD, Ambrose of Milan "Nor do they observe that we are buried in the element of water that we may rise again renewed by the Spirit. For in the water is the representation of death, in the Spirit is the pledge of life, that the body of sin may die through the water, which encloses the body as it were in a kind of tomb, that we, by the power of the Spirit, may be renewed from the death of sin, being born again in God." (The Holy Spirit 1:6[75-76]). “…a means was found that man might die while living, and while living rise again. What is living? It is the living life of the body, when it came to the font, and was dipped into the font. What is water, but from the earth? Therefore, the heavenly sentence is satisfied without the insensibility which death brings. Thy dipping paid that sentence…” “Yesterday we discoursed on the font, whose appearance is somewhat like that of a tomb in shape; into which, believing in the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, we are received, and plunged, and emerge, that is, we are raised up.” “And your old man plunged into the font was crucified to sin, but rose again unto God.”