The Importance of Baptism
Scott Maze
Mark 1: 9 -11; Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus had a ministry that lasted a little more than three years. Of all the things He could have started His ministry with and ended His ministry with, He started it by being baptized and concluded it by commanding the church to make disciples and baptize others. Now, since baptism was the bookends of the ministry of the Son of God, that alone should tell us that baptism is a big deal. Baptism is important, not because Baptists say it is, but because the Bible says it is. In fact, the Bible talks about baptism seventy-four times. In order to understand why baptism is a big deal, I want to answer three questions.
1. What Does Baptism Mean?
Mark 1:9-11 which is our starting text tells us in vivid detail about the beginning of the ministry of Jesus: ''In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, ''You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased'' (Mark 1:9-11).
''And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age''' (Matthew 28:18-20).
If you went back in time, two thousand years to the days of Jesus, you would have heard a Greek word used in every day language to describe a variety of situations. That Greek word is the word Baptizo. The word meant to immerse, dip, or dunk. It was used to describe ships that sunk in the sea or cloth that was dyed in a certain color. One ancient Jewish historian even described a man that was murdered by baptism. In other words, he was drowned. For a long period o ...
Scott Maze
Mark 1: 9 -11; Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus had a ministry that lasted a little more than three years. Of all the things He could have started His ministry with and ended His ministry with, He started it by being baptized and concluded it by commanding the church to make disciples and baptize others. Now, since baptism was the bookends of the ministry of the Son of God, that alone should tell us that baptism is a big deal. Baptism is important, not because Baptists say it is, but because the Bible says it is. In fact, the Bible talks about baptism seventy-four times. In order to understand why baptism is a big deal, I want to answer three questions.
1. What Does Baptism Mean?
Mark 1:9-11 which is our starting text tells us in vivid detail about the beginning of the ministry of Jesus: ''In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, ''You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased'' (Mark 1:9-11).
''And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age''' (Matthew 28:18-20).
If you went back in time, two thousand years to the days of Jesus, you would have heard a Greek word used in every day language to describe a variety of situations. That Greek word is the word Baptizo. The word meant to immerse, dip, or dunk. It was used to describe ships that sunk in the sea or cloth that was dyed in a certain color. One ancient Jewish historian even described a man that was murdered by baptism. In other words, he was drowned. For a long period o ...
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