Baptism: The Seal of Salvation
August 6, 2021

Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said, “What should we do?” Peter replied, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Be saved from this perverse generation.” —Acts 2:37,38,40

Baptism – A premeditated act of relinquishing control to bury our old, dead, corrupt self in the waters of baptism

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. —Romans 6:3,4

2 Corinthians 5:17,21

1. Baptism portrays our death in the death of Christ.

Matthew 28:19; Revelation 12:10

We can never be more righteous than the moment we first receive the gift of Jesus’ own righteousness.

For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. —Romans 5:17
(Abraham) received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also. —Romans 4:11

2. Baptism portrays our newness of life in Christ.

baptizo (Greek) – Dip, immerse, sink

Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. —Colossians 2:12
Reckon yourselves (give account of the fact you are) dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 6:11
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved…” —Mark 16:16
“If a person is ashamed of Me and My message in these adulterous and sinful days, I will be ashamed of that person when I return in the glory of My Father with the holy angels.” —Mark 8:38

Baptism is usually the first test of obedience in the Christian life.

3. Baptism is not a condition of salvation. Baptism is the evidence of salvation.

We are baptized because we have been made right with God through a conscious awareness and confession of our sin, something an infant cannot do.


RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Irresistible Revolution by Matthew Lohmeier

Colonel Matt Lohmeier Relieved from Space Force for Criticizing Marxism

GraceSTL.org/resources/weekend-resources


NEXT WEEKEND
God’s Great Reset: From Spiritual Death to Life
—Wes Martin


Discussion Questions
1. Some athletes kneel during the anthem. Some refuse. What are each saying? Why make such public displays of personal priorities? What does baptism say to the world?


2. If it doesn’t save us, why do many Christians view their baptism as a turning point?