“Lord Jesus, we thank You that repentance and conversion lead us to be baptised. Father, teach us baptism so that we can experience the forgiveness of our sins and live the new life in You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”
The second matter that Peter explains to his audience is that they needed to be baptised in Jesus for the remission of their sins.
Acts 2:38-40 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (39) For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (40) And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”
Let us seek to get a better understanding of baptism. As we consider baptism, we will also reflect on the matter of remission of our sins.
I Peter 3:21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Baptism is the answer to a good conscience towards God. We have already understood that by the works of the law no one can be made righteous before God. Therefore, by the keeping of the law, our conscience cannot be made right before God.
How does baptism enable us to have a healthy conscience before God? It is the washing away of our sins that take place in baptism. Acts 22:16 And now why are you waiting? *Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
Apostle Paul explains to us the details of baptism.
Romans 6:3-7 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (4) Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, (6) knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. (7) For he who has died has been freed from sin.
Baptism begins with us identifying with the death of Jesus. Our sins were on Jesus, for He had no sin, but Jesus died for our sins. Hence, we identify ourselves with the death of Jesus. _Galatians 5:24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Baptism begins with us becoming dead with Jesus. We must consider ourselves dead to the flesh and to the world.
Secondly, the dead person needs a burial. We must consider ourselves buried with Christ. Jesus died and He was buried. This is why baptism must be a public disclosure of what has taken place inwardly, which was to die with Christ.
We are confirming to ourselves and to the world that we are finished with our old life. We are finished with our previous philosophies, worldviews, values, beliefs, attitudes, habits, and behaviour, on which we had constructed our lives.
Colossians 2:11-12 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, (12) buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
Just as circumcision was ceremonial, baptism too must be done publicly and ceremonially so that it is a testimony to the person going through the waters of baptism as well as to the world that we are finished with our old life.
The third part of baptism is to, obviously, rise up. We do not remain dead and buried but we rise with Christ. Just as Christ was raised up by the glory of the Father, we too rise up with Him to now live the new life.
This life that we now live is the life of Christ living in and through us.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
The new life or the resurrected life is the life of His Holy Spirit, powerfully working through us. Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Our mortal body, which was earlier under the control of the old Adamic nature is now under the control of His Holy Spirit. He operates through our mortal person.
This is why baptism consists of three parts, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus in us, by faith. This is the non-negotiable core gospel message, which the church must share with the world.