Online Sermons
Lesson #13 – Before You Step Into The Water / Pt. #1
Series: Baptism 101 - What The Bible Says About BaptismLesson #13 – Before You Step Into The Water / Pt. #1
WHAT DOES ONE NEED TO EMBRACE PRIOR TO BAPTISM?
Are there any prerequisites to baptism and if so, what might they be?
How much Biblical knowledge is required to prepare one for baptism?
1) Belief is essential.
Are their stages or degrees of belief?
Belief leading to baptism requires more than acknowledging Jesus to be an authentic historical figure.
The belief that lays the proper foundation for baptism is explained in Heb.11:6
Without faith it impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
True belief requires the acceptance of the Lordship of Christ and a willingness to follow His teachings.
Mt.7:21 / He who does the will of My father
Note that Acts 2:36 precedes Acts 2:41 … Acts 9:5 & 15 precedes Acts 22:16 …
Acts 8:32 precedes Acts 8:37 … Acts 10:33 precedes Acts 10:48
What does the Lordship of Christ entail - - what does it mean to call Jesus, LORD?
2) Repentance is also required.
cf. Acts 2:37 4 REPENT and be baptized…
What key concepts or actions define repentance?
Sorrow … Regret … Acknowledgment of wrongdoings … A turning … A turning around
A CHANGE of heart and direction!
Does repentance necessitate fixing or correcting everything we’ve ever done wrong?
Can restitution always be made? Can sinful deeds be undone?
Could those 3,000 on Pentecost un-crucify Jesus? Can a murderer bring one back from dead?
Can a divorced person always be reunited with his or her estranged partner?
Sometimes we are able to “make things right” – cf. Mt.5:23 & Lk.19:8
But sometimes we must simply resolve to stop doing what we have previously done.
While Saul of Tarsus could not bring back Stephen to life, he was required to change his future behavior.
In actuality, we can never make right all of our previous sins.
All of us owe a debt we can never repay – cf. Mt.18:24
Thankfully, God’s grace, mercy & forgiveness does not require us to undo all of our previous sins.
We are incapable of earning our salvation by making all of our wrongs right.
