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Sermon

What Is Baptism?

Speaker
David Capoccia
Scripture
Matthew 28:19-20

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

This passage teaches us the biblical meaning of Christian baptism from Matthew 28:19-20. We are reminded that baptism is not a saving ritual, nor is it an optional tradition — it is the obedient, public testimony of a new believer’s faith in and saving union with Christ, symbolized by immersion in and rising from water.

Key Lessons:

  1. Baptism is an act of obedience commanded by Christ himself — failing to be baptized or to baptize new believers is disobedience to the Lord’s commission.
  2. Baptism does not save; it is a testimony of saving faith that has already occurred through repentance and belief in Jesus.
  3. Baptism pictures the profound spiritual reality of union with Christ — being immersed into God and God dwelling in the believer, like a spiritual marriage where everything is shared.
  4. Water baptism specifically pictures four realities: cleansing salvation, empowerment for holiness, escape from God’s judgment, and joining to Christ’s church.

Application: We are called to examine whether the realities pictured in baptism — cleansing, holiness, judgment escape, and union with Christ — are true for us personally. If we have believed in Christ but have not yet been baptized, we should pursue obedient baptism as a public testimony of faith.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why is the order of the Great Commission (go, make disciples, baptize, teach) significant for understanding what baptism is and who it is for?
  2. How does the imagery of marriage help us understand what it means to be spiritually united with Christ, and how does baptism picture that union?
  3. If baptism doesn’t save us, why does Jesus still command it — and what might our reluctance or delay in being baptized reveal about our hearts?

Scripture Focus: Matthew 28:18-20 provides the Great Commission framework showing baptism as commanded obedience for new disciples. Romans 6:3-5 illustrates dying and rising with Christ. Mark 1:15 defines saving faith as repentance and belief. 1 Peter 3:20-21 connects baptism to judgment escape, and 1 Corinthians 12:13 ties baptism to church joining.

Outline

Introduction

Well, today is an exciting day at our church. As Pastor Greg mentioned in the announcements, we not only get to witness five baptisms, but we also get to hear five testimonies concerning the salvation of five precious souls by Jesus Christ.

But before we witness those baptisms or hear those testimonies, I thought it would be helpful for us all to briefly consider what baptism is.

If you’re going to witness these baptisms today, you want to know what these baptisms mean because there is a lot of confusion today about baptism, including over who it’s for, how it’s done, and what it’s about.

The Confusion Surrounding Baptism

Some churches baptize infants. Maybe some of you were baptized as babies.

Was that baptism valid before God? If so, what did it do for you? If anything, some churches baptize not by immersion in water, but by sprinkling or pouring.

Does the mode of baptism matter at all?

Some churches teach that the ritual of baptism itself grants saving grace. They say that you cannot be saved. You cannot go to heaven unless you are baptized.

“Some churches teach that the ritual of baptism itself grants saving grace.”

They say that baptism cleanses you from original sin or grants you God’s forgiveness. They say that baptism is how you receive the Holy Spirit.

In contrast, many Christians believe that baptism isn’t important at all. They have therefore never gotten around to being baptized. They say it’s just tradition, just a cultural ceremony with no real spiritual significance and no real life impact.

Why worry about getting baptized?

A Biblical Definition of Baptism

Therefore, in this mini sermon, I want to define for you what Christian baptism is according to the Bible and then support that definition via three important clarifications regarding what baptism means. These clarifications come from Matthew 28:19-20 and a few other Bible passages.

Let’s start with a definition. What is baptism? Here’s the definition I’m offering you: Baptism is the obedient testimony of a new believer’s faith in and saving union with Christ as symbolized by that believer’s being immersed in and raised up out of water.

That definition has many parts. Let me read through it again: Baptism is the obedient testimony of a new believer’s faith in and saving union with Christ as symbolized by that believer’s being immersed in and raised up out of water.

“Baptism is the obedient testimony of a new believer’s faith in and saving union with Christ.”

This definition, if true, answers much of the confusion I mentioned earlier. Is baptism for infants? No, it’s for believers.

Does baptism itself transfer saving grace? No, baptism is only a symbolic testimony.

Does the mode of baptism matter? Yes, because it illustrates what baptism means.

Is baptism important? Yes, because it is a matter of obedience.

The Great Commission Text: Matthew 28:18-20

Now, to support this definition, let’s look at the key text of Matthew 28:19-20. Please take your Bible and turn there.

If you don’t have a Bible, feel free to use one of the Bibles that we’ve provided. You can find our passage on page 994.

These two verses are at the very end of the apostle Matthew’s gospel. Gospel there just means the record of Jesus’ life and ministry. These are the two verses at the end of Matthew’s gospel.

Right before these verses, Jesus has just risen from the dead in Jerusalem and told his disciples to meet him on a certain mountain in Galilee. There Jesus announces to his disciples the great commission. That is what is to be the primary mission of Jesus’ people, the church, while on the earth.

“Jesus announces the primary mission of his people, the church, while on the earth.”

Now, rather than completely expounding—that is, explaining these verses and their application—we’re just going to focus on what these verses say about Christian baptism and what they clarify about Christian baptism.

Let me read the verses and we’ll add verse 18 just for a little bit more context. Matthew 28:18-20.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, his disciples, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 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.

Baptism Is an Act of Obedience

Lovely words from the Lord. The first important clarification about baptism from these verses is number one: baptism is an act of obedience.

If you look here at verses 19 and 20 in Matthew 28, you can see that Jesus is ordering his disciples to certain actions. They are going out into the world. Christians are to make new disciples, baptizing these new disciples, and teaching them everything that Jesus has commanded for his people.

None of these four actions are optional. They are all part of a commission given by the Lord himself to his people to be embraced and obeyed.

“Baptism is an act of obedience — part of a commission given by the Lord himself.”

So what does this mean for baptism specifically? It means that the church baptizing new believers is a matter of obedience. And it means that new believers being baptized is a matter of obedience.

Said negatively, if Jesus commands the church to baptize and we don’t do it, we’re in sin. And if Jesus gives the command to be baptized and you don’t do it or you don’t seek it, then you are in sin.

You might ask, why does Jesus care about this water so much? Does baptism itself save?

Baptism Is a Testimony of Saving Faith

Or here’s a second important clarification about baptism from these verses. Number two, baptism is a testimony of saving faith.

Baptism is a testimony of saving faith.

“Baptism is a testimony of saving faith.”

Look at verses 19 and 20 again and notice the logical sequence of the action words. They are chronological.

First, believers are to go. Then they are to make disciples. Then they are to baptize them. Then they are to teach the new disciples everything Jesus has commanded.

The Order of the Great Commission

You cannot rearrange the order of these commands as you want. Would it make sense to teach someone everything Jesus has commanded before that person even became a disciple of Jesus?

Or would it make sense to make disciples without actually going out to meet people who could become disciples?

No. Indeed, there is an implied order here.

So what does this mean for baptism specifically?

Again, if we just notice the order, baptism is not an action you perform before someone becomes a Jesus disciple or even to make someone become a Jesus disciple. Rather, baptism is something the church does after someone becomes a Jesus disciple.

“Baptism is something the church does after someone becomes Jesus’ disciple.”

And how does someone become a Jesus disciple?

Must a person perform penance, go through various Sunday school classes, or undergo secret religious ceremonies?

No. But what does Jesus himself say in the Bible? Mark 1:15.

The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. Now, that’s gospel with a small G there. That just means good news. Repent and believe in the good news.

So friends and brethren, hear this.

Salvation by Repentance and Faith, Not Ritual

Baptism itself does not save anyone.

It does not, as the Roman Catholic Church teaches, provide initial justification or initial salvation, which you then must complete by your own faith and good works, that is obedience to God’s commands. No good work or religious ritual could ever save anyone because the Bible says we are all born spiritually polluted. We are by nature rebels against God with thoroughly sinful hearts, thoroughly sinful records and deserving of his wrath.

So how does God save anyone?

Not by works, not by rituals, but by simple repentance and faith.

“Baptism itself does not save anyone. God saves not by works, not by rituals, but by simple repentance and faith.”

A person repents, meaning God so moves in a person’s heart that the person turns away from his sin, his self-rule, and his self-righteous attempts to earn God’s favor to turn instead to Jesus.

When you think repentance, just think turning. It’s a change of heart, a turning from sin, self, and self-righteousness to God.

What Saving Faith Really Is

A person then also believes in Jesus or puts his faith in Jesus. And this belief is not simply affirming that Jesus was a real person, that Jesus is sinless, that Jesus is God, that Jesus came as a man to live a perfect life, to die for sinners, and to rise again bodily from the dead.

Saving faith includes those things, yet it is so much more. Saving faith is an entrusting of oneself to Jesus.

“Saving faith is an entrusting of oneself to Jesus.”

You say to Jesus from the heart, “You are the only savior and lord. Only you can make me right with God by your perfect life and by your substitutionary death on my behalf.

Only you are the Lord worthy of all worship and obedience. Therefore, I take you at your word that anybody who comes to you, you will forgive and save on the basis of simple faith. And as a sign of my sincerity and in gratitude to you, I will now follow you as your true disciple.”

This is what saving faith is. It is an entrusting of oneself to Jesus. Jesus is the one who saves you, and in thankfulness you begin following him as a disciple.

Baptism as Testimony in the New Testament Pattern

What does saving faith have to do with baptism?

As I said, baptism is the testimony of saving faith. A public symbolic proclamation that the person has repented, believed, and become Jesus’ disciple.

This is the pattern we see over and over again in the Bible, in the New Testament, especially in the book of Acts, which is a book of the history of the church’s first days. What is the pattern? A person believes in Jesus, then he’s baptized, and then he’s added to the church. Always that sequence.

Water baptism functions as a public testimony of someone believing in and following Jesus.

“A person believes in Jesus, then he’s baptized, then he’s added to the church. Always that sequence.”

But you might ask, couldn’t we just tell people that we’re following Christ? Why the need for water?

Baptism Is a Picture of Union with Christ

Well, here’s a third important clarification about baptism. Number three, baptism is a picture of union with Christ. Baptism is a picture of union with Christ. Look again in Matthew 28:19.

“Baptism is a picture of union with Christ.”

And notice that Jesus doesn’t just command to baptize, but to baptize in a particular way. It says in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

What’s this all about? Baptizing in the name. Well, this is not merely about baptizing according to the authority of God or to place people under God’s authority. Again, it is more than that.

Rather, to be baptized into the name of God is to be baptized into God himself through Christ.

Spiritual Marriage: Joined to Christ by Faith

You see, the reason anyone can be saved on the basis of mere faith is because of what that faith does. Faith joins a person spiritually by union to Jesus, God’s son—in a kind of spiritual marriage. And what happens when people get married? Well, they become one and they share everything together.

When you get married, your troubles and triumphs become your spouse’s and vice versa. You now experience all of life together, no longer separately.

So it is with all those who believe in Jesus. They become spiritually joined to Christ, one with Christ.

Thus all their sin debt and condemnation before God become his, and he has dealt with them once and for all at the cross.

But all of Jesus’ eternal life, his righteousness, his heavenly blessings—they become the believer’s forever because he’s now one with Jesus.

“All Jesus’ eternal life, his righteousness, his heavenly blessings — they become the believer’s forever.”

And this joining is not merely abstract.

Mysteriously, the Bible says that at salvation we are spiritually placed into Jesus Christ while Christ is placed into us by the Holy Spirit. We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and Christ indwells us by the Spirit.

Marriage is one way to describe this precious biblical doctrine of union with Christ. But baptism is another.

Because you see, another way that the Bible describes salvation is being baptized into Christ.

Immersed into the Godhead

This is what we read earlier from Romans 6, right? You’re baptized into Christ, not physically through water, but spiritually by faith. You are immersed into him and he into you.

By means of him you are immersed into the whole Godhead. Because if you are in Christ and Christ is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, well so are you. You are immersed into the Trinity.

“You are immersed into him and he into you. By means of him you are immersed into the whole Godhead.”

The whole Godhead meanwhile is made to dwell in you spiritually as a new temple.

How appropriate then, considering the spiritual realities, that a new disciple’s testimony of saving faith and spiritual union with God is this water rite called baptism.

And that even fits with the term for the rite. Baptism is just a Greek word transliterated into English that means immersion.

Again, the waters themselves do nothing spiritually, but they picture momentous spiritual realities: by faith being immersed into God and God being immersed into you. That’s what this immersion in water pictures.

In fact, we can go a little bit further.

There are four aspects of spiritual union with God that in the Bible are specifically highlighted in baptism.

Cleansing Salvation

Baptism brings out these aspects of spiritual union with God by way of picture. The first one of these is 3A. What I’m putting as 3A in our outline is cleansing salvation. Baptism pictures cleansing salvation.

Acts 22:16 is an example. Water has long been associated with cleansing. When you see someone being baptized, what you’re seeing is a testimony that person has been fully cleansed, fully washed and made clean by immersion into Jesus.

“What you’re seeing is a testimony that that person has been fully cleansed by immersion into Jesus.”

Holiness Empowerment

That’s what the water picture is showing you. A second aspect is holiness, empowerment. Baptism pictures holiness, empowerment.

And Romans 6:3-5 is an example of this. Being baptized into Jesus, believers were made spiritually to die with Jesus on the cross and rise with him again to new life.

Thus, in water baptism, you see the testimony of believers having died both to sin’s penalty and power in his life and being raised up to walk in new holiness and an enjoyment of God’s life forever. Those spiritual realities are pictured by what you see in the water.

“Believers were made spiritually to die with Jesus on the cross and rise with him again to new life.”

Died to sin, raised up to new life in Christ.

Judgment Escape

Third, 3C, we see judgment escape pictured in baptism. Judgment escape and 1 Peter 3:20-21 is a good example of this in the Bible.

We actually sang about this partly in the songs earlier in the service. Water sometimes represents God’s judgment in the Bible, and the Bible even links this idea with baptism.

Just as Noah and the ark pass safely through the waters of God’s overwhelming flood judgment on sin, so believers by faith in Christ pass safely through the waters of God’s wrath into life forever.

“Believers by faith in Christ pass safely through the waters of God’s wrath into life forever.”

Church Joining

This is what you see pictured in baptism. You have water as a cleansing. Think of water as judgment which believers are safely brought through and out of by faith in Christ.

Fourth and finally, baptism pictures what I’m calling 3D church joining. First Corinthians 12:13 is a good example of this. A bonus of being joined to Christ by faith is that you are joined through Christ to all his people because they’re joined to him too.

When you see someone being baptized, you’re not only seeing testimony of their being joined to Jesus, but also their being joined to his people, the church, even a local assembly like ours.

“You’re not only seeing testimony of their being joined to Jesus, but also being joined to his people, the church.”

This is what the baptisms that you are going to see today are all about. They are, as I said at the beginning, the obedient testimony of a new believer’s faith in and saving union with Christ as symbolized by their being immersed in and raised up out of water.

Application: Are These Realities True for You?

My question to you as I prepare to pray is, are the realities pictured in baptism true for you?

Oh, it’s all grace ceremony. We have a lot of things to celebrate. But what about you?

Do you have cleansing salvation? Have you been empowered unto holiness? Have you escaped the judgment? Are you in truth joined to Christ in his church?

“Are the realities pictured in baptism true for you? Baptism symbolizes those things but doesn’t accomplish them.”

Baptism symbolizes those things, but baptism doesn’t accomplish those things. They’re just a testimony of what has already happened.

Have they happened for you?

A Call to Obedient Baptism

And if they have, praise God. But will you offer obedient testimony of this by way of baptism if you haven’t already?

Again, baptism doesn’t save you, but it is something that Christ has commanded for you if you have been saved. Have you obeyed that command? Have you been baptized as a public testimony of faith in Christ?

If not, as Pastor Greg mentioned earlier, we have a class coming up soon—a pre-membership and baptism class. I’d love to talk with you about it further there, as I’ll be leading that class.

Baptism candidates are now dismissed to go prepare for the baptisms. Allow me to close in prayer.

“Baptism doesn’t save you, but it is something Christ has commanded for you if you have been saved.”

Closing Prayer

Lord, thank you for baptism. You do all things well. The two ordinances, the two rights that you’ve given to your church, baptism and the celebration of the Lord’s table, picture so beautifully for us salvation realities.

We are glad to obey this command to engage in this right, this memorial ritual.

I pray that you would bless the baptisms that we are about to see. But I pray, God, for any of those who the symbols of baptism are not yet true, that they would become true. That you’d be pleased to save by means of simple faith in your gospel and repentance from sin.

Lord, be pleased to save any here who are not yet in Christ. For those who are, let them walk in even more joyful and faithful obedience as a result of the encouragement of these baptism testimonies. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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