As always we need to ask ourselves, “what says the scripture?”
Let’s start with baptism. Why it is necessary to be baptized and what are we told to do before we are baptized?
Listen to what Peter says to the multitude of Jews who had come to celebrate Pentecost at Jerusalem, fifty days after the leaders of Israel had by wicked purpose caused their Messiah to be crucified [according to the Plan of God He had set out beforehand]:
Acts 2:22-42: "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know; this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
For David says concerning him, "’ I saw the lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to grave, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ "Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being, therefore, a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah, that he would not be abandoned to the grave, nor his flesh experience corruption.
This Jesus God resurrected, and of that we all are witnesses. Being, therefore, exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he [Jesus] has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. [read Acts 2:1-11]
For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, "’The Lord [adonai] said to my lord [adoni], "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool."’ [Psalm 110:1]
Let all the houses of Israel, therefore, know for certain that God has made him both lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For, the promise is for you, and for your children, and for all who are far away, FOR EVERYONE WHOM THE LORD [YEHOVAH] OUR GOD CALLS TO HIMSELF."
And with many other words, he bore witness and continued to exhort those, saying, "Save your selves from this crooked generation."
So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
So we see that those who were baptized in order to save themselves from a crooked generation were those whose hearts had been convicted by the words which Peter had spoken to them. They received Peter’s words and acted upon those words and were baptized.
The words Peter spoke at that time apply today just as it did then. We are now living and are a part of a crooked generation! If we want to be delivered from this crooked generation we will realize that we need to die to self and enter into the waters of baptism.
What happens when we enter into the waters of baptism?
Romans 6:3-4: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into the Messiah Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death [death of self], in order that, just as the Messiah was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
What an amazing revelation! When we are baptized we are buried with the Messiah Jesus by baptism unto death, the death of self and just as JESUS WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD BY THE GLORY OF THE FATHER [YEHOVAH], that when we come up out of the waters of baptism we too might walk in newness of life, as new creations in the Messiah. Amazing Grace! We walk into the waters of baptism as unregenerate persons and come out of the waters of baptism as regenerate, new creations in the Messiah Jesus to walk in newness of life.
What do we do after baptism?
What did the Jews do who acted on the word of Peter? They repented, turned from their old self to become a new self a new creation in the Messiah Jesus by obeying the command to repent and be baptized.
Then what did they do?
Acts 2:42: …. they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Those who were baptized became totally committed to living out their lives according to the teaching of the apostles in fellowship with one another, in the breaking of bread and prayers. So we observe the beginning of the lives of those who have been regenerated and are as a result progressively moving forward in the newness of life.
Acts 2:44, 46-47: …. all that believed were together, and had all things common; and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according to as any man had need [loving their neighbors as themselves]. …… And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord [Yehovah] added to them day by day those that were saved.
Having become new creations in the Messiah we now walk in newness of life, enabled to do so by the spirit of God, knowing that we can do nothing of ourselves. We now can walk as those who have become totally committed to walking in faith obedience to our God and Father Yehovah, obeying the words He gave to His son to give for us to carry out in our lives. As those who have become disciples of the one whom God has made lord and Messiah we walk in the footsteps of him who became a sin-offering sacrifice in order that we could be reconciled to his God and his Father, our God, and our Father, Yehvovah!
Romans 5:10: For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life;
Notice this important revelation:
2 Corinthians 5:17-21: Therefore, if anyone is in the Messiah, he is a new creation. The old [self] has passed away; behold, the new [self] has come. ALL THIS IS FROM GOD [YEHVOVAH] , who through the Messiah reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Messiah God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for the Messiah, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of the Messiah, be reconciled to God. For our sake He [Yehovah] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him [Jesus the Messiah] we might become the righteousness of God.
What an amazing revelation! It is telling those who have accepted Jesus as the one whom God has sent and are baptized become new creations in him and have been reconciled to God, and as a result, God has entrusted them a ministry of reconciliation! He has made them ambassadors for the Messiah. He makes His appeal through them to all mankind to be reconciled to Him realizing that He made His son become a sin-offering sacrifice who knew no sin, that all who accepts the message of reconciliation might become the righteousness of God and act in accordance of that righteousness!
What is man?
Job 7:17: What is man, that thou should magnify him, And that you should set your mind upon him,
Psalm 25:12: What man is he that fears Yehovah? He shall He instruct in the way that he shall choose.
Psalm 144:3: Yehovah, what is man, that you take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that you make account of him?
Hebrew 2:6: and one in a certain place did testify fully, saying, ‘What is a man that you are mindful of him, or a son of man, that you look after him?
Micah 6:8: He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does Yehovah require of you, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Matthew 16:24: Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [die to self], and follow me.
May Yehovah open our eyes to see [understand] spiritually, and allow His spirit-filled words to breath into us so we can inculcate them into our minds and hearts. May we never forget that we have been bought with a price, the precious blood of the Messiah Jesus and as a result, we are his slaves; bondservants and in him have become slaves of righteousness, as new creations in him!
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