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Welcome to Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig. Thank you for joining us in Defenders. Last week we began a new locus of our course on the doctrine of the Church, and we introduced the subject of the sacraments or the ordinances administered by the Church. Today we want to look more closely at the practice of baptism. When you look at the biblical data concerning baptism, it's remarkable how much of the New Testament data speaks to the issue of baptism. Just from the number of passages dealing with baptism in the New Testament, you could already infer that this is an extremely important practice in the New Testament church. The New Testament indeed opens with the figure of John the Baptist on the scene, who is proclaiming a baptism of repentance and calling people to be baptized in the Jordan River. Let's look at Mark 1, 4, 5. Mark writes, John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea and all the people of Jerusalem, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins. So right at the beginning of Jesus ministry you have this enigmatic figure of John the Baptist calling people to the Jordan to repentance and baptism for sin. Significantly, Jesus himself was baptized. He was among those in Judea who went out to John the Baptist to submit to John's baptism. Matthew 3, 13, 17 Record then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? But Jesus answered him, let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And lo, a voice from heaven saying, there, this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. So Jesus himself submitted to John's baptism before the commencement of his own ministry. Thereafter, Jesus continued the practice of baptizing others. Interestingly enough, he himself was involved in carrying out a ministry of of baptism. We wouldn't know this fact apart from a brief passage in the Gospel of John which John records in chapter three, verses 22 to 24. He writes, after this, Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea. There he remained with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there, and people came and were baptized for John had not yet been put in prison. Here Jesus is carrying out a ministry of baptism contemporaneously with John the Baptist. John hadn't yet been arrested and and Jesus is carrying out a similar ministry of baptizing people at the same time as John. Turn over now to John 4:1:3. Now, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John, Jesus ministry was becoming so successful that more people were coming to Jesus to be baptized than were coming to his cousin John. John then adds his parenthetical comment. Although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples, so he was apparently delegating the duty of baptizing to his disciples disciples. And then John says he left Judea and departed again to Galilee. Here again then we see Jesus ministry of baptizing people, doing it through the agency of his disciples whom he had called to follow him. When we turn to the Book of Acts following Jesus, death, resurrection and ascension, we discover that the practice of baptism did, did not disappear. Baptism was not something that simply belonged to that early time of the earthly ministry of John and Jesus. Rather, baptism typically accompanied conversion. In the Book of Acts, when people came to Christian faith, they were baptized. And so the practice of baptism continued in the early church. Look at Acts, chapter 2, verses 37 to 38. 41. This concerns persons who were converted through Peter's preaching at the feast of Pentecost. Luke writes, now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the disciples and brethren, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So those who received his word were baptized. And there were added that day about 3,000 souls. So when people were convicted of the message of the Gospel, what they were supposed to do by way of response was to repent and be baptized in Jesus name. Look then at Acts, chapter 8, verses 36 and to 38. This is the story of the conversion of the Ethiopian official who had been visiting Jerusalem and was on the way home. And Philip shares with him the Gospel. Luke writes, and as they went along the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, see, here is water. What is to prevent my being baptized? And he commanded the chariot to stop. And they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. The response of the Ethiopian eunuch to Philip's sharing the gospel was to say, well, then, baptize me now. Here's water. Here's. And Philip does baptize him. Turn over then to Acts, verse 19a. This is the story of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee and the chief persecutor of the early Jesus movement in Jerusalem. He sees a vision of Jesus on the Damascus road, which leaves him blind and helpless. He goes into Damascus and a Christian named Ananias comes to meet Saul and to carry out the Lord's instructions to Ananias. We read in Acts, chapter 9, verses 17. And following so Ananias departed and entered the house and laying his hands on him, and he said, brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized again. The immediate response to his conversion is to submit to Christian baptism. Turn over then to Acts, chapter 10, verses 45 to 48. This is the story of Peter's preaching to the household of a Roman centurion. Cornelius for the first time now, the Gospel of goes to Gentiles, not to other Jews, but to actual Roman persons. In verse 45 we read and the believers from among the circumcised who came with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, can anyone forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit, just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. These Gentiles, hearing the proclamation of the Gospel, received the Holy Spirit. And Peter says, why not proceed then with baptism? Can anyone prevent me from baptizing them? And no one can. And so they are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. This is the regular pattern over and over again. In the Book of Acts, Christian conversion is accompanied by baptism in the name of Christ. In Galatians 3:27, Paul says this. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Now look how closely baptism is linked with Christian conversion in that sentence. As many of you as were baptized into Christ and have put on Christ. I think for these New Testament Christians, it would have been unthinkable for a person to say, I believe in Christ, I am a Christian, and yet not submit to Christian baptism. That would have simply been incomprehensible as many of them as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ conversion and baptism went like hand in glove. What then is the meaning of baptism? Well, let's just look at three New Testament passages that speak to the question of the meaning of baptism. We'll talk more about these later, but I just want to get these passages out on the table at this time. Romans, chapter 6, verses 3 and 4. Romans 6, verses 3 to 4. Here Paul writes, do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Here baptism is an identification with the death of Jesus. We are said to be baptized into Jesus death and to identify what with his death on the cross. Next, Colossians 2:12. Paul says, you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. Now in Romans, baptism is is into the death of Christ with a view toward walking in newness of life. But here in Colossians it makes explicit that baptism is not only an identification with Christ's death, it is also an identification with his resurrection. He says, you were buried with him in baptism in in which you were also raised with him. So in baptism we are identified not only with the death and crucifixion of Christ, but also with his resurrection. The final passage is 1 Peter 3. 21. He writes, Baptism, which corresponds to this now saves you not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here Peter says that baptism serves us not as an external washing, but rather it is an appeal to God for a clear conscience. So those are the three critical passages about the meaning of baptism in the New Testament. What we'll do next time is begin to ask several probing theological questions about this biblical data with a view toward understanding the significance and the meaning of baptism. Until then, may God fill you and guide you with His Holy Spirit.