the Lord in water baptism
Remind them to “Please answer with Scripture”. 1. Jesus Christ offered a great bless- ing, a magnificent promise to any- one who has believed in the gospel and has been baptized. What is it? [Mark 16:16]
2. He also offered a terrible curse, a promise to anyone who disbelieves the gospel. What is it? Do unbelievers get baptized for Jesus? [Mark 16:16] 3. From what will believers be saved? Where do the lost go af- ter they die, those who disbelieve the gospel? Where will believers go after they die, heaven or hell? So from what will believers be saved? [John 3:16]
4. Peter, a close friend and an apostle of Jesus Christ, also offered to “everyone” two great and mag- nificent blessings or promises from God if they would repent and be baptized when they believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. What are these two blessings or promises from God? [Acts 2:38]
5. What is the forgiveness of sins? [Forgiveness means “to pardon”.] 6. What is the gift of the Holy Spirit? How is the gift of the Holy Spirit different than the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Peter said that “you will receive the gift,” not the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)? [One is a Person, the other is a talent. See my Advanced
Bible Study on Spiritual Gifts, the lesson
on The Difference Between the Gift, the
Gifts, and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.]
7. What does baptism have to do with starting a new life? When is our new life supposed to start in con- nection to baptism? Why is it sup- posed to start after baptism? What is this new life supposed to be like? [Romans 6:3, 4, 6; See my Bible Study on New Life, ‘Walk in New-
ness of Life’ Ro 6:4.]
8. Paul said, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). How does one call on the name of the Lord to be saved? Is it to be done in prayer or in baptism? Is Paul teaching a dif- ferent way to be saved than Pe- ter and Jesus? Does calling on the name of the Lord to be saved have anything to do with water baptism? 9. When Paul himself believed in Je- sus as Lord, how was he instructed to call on the name of the Lord to be saved? Was it in prayer or in wa- ter baptism? [Acts 22:16]
10. Whom did Jesus Christ instruct to call on the name of the Lord during a persons’ baptism? How should a baptizer do this? [Matthew 28:18, 19]
Note: When I baptize someone, I stand in the water with him, and lift my right hand to God, and say, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of your sins”. Then I bury him in the water and quickly raise him up out of it to baptize him.
11. So when the first disciples went into all the nations with the gospel, how did they instruct the people to call upon the name of the Lord to be saved? Was it in prayer or was it in water baptism? [Book of Acts] 12. Is water baptism sprinkling, pour- ing, or dipping (immersion)? [Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:11, 12]
13. When were people being bap- tized? [Acts 8:12; 18:8]
14. Why is belief required before baptism? What is a person sup- posed to believe before he is baptized? How do you know he believes it? What is the good con- fession? [“The... unbelieving... their part will be in the the lake that
burns with fire and brimstone” Rev
21:8; Acts 8:37, 38; Ro 10:9, 10] 15. What is the main purpose of preaching the gospel? [John 20:31] 16. Whom did Phillip the evangelist baptize? Were infants and children baptized in the New Testament? Why? Can infants believe? Who can truly understand the gospel? Is it an infant? Is it a child? Will God hold in- fants and children accountable for not being baptized? Why? [Acts 8:12] 17. Is water baptism a part of God’s saving grace or not? Is it separate from the gospel of God’s grace and simply a “work” or “work of the flesh” as some call it? Why? [1 Peter 5:12: 3:20, 21 “true grace” (1 pe 5:12) says
“baptism now saves you” (1 Pe 3:21)]
18. Who is doing the work in a per- son’s water baptism: the person being baptized, the baptizer, or Jesus Christ? [“by the circumcision
of Christ” and “through faith in the
working of God” Colossians 2:11, 12]
19. Why was the thief on the cross saved, and yet it seems he was not water baptized? At that time did anybody know how to be water baptized into Christ’s death? Why? When was the command given for disciples to go and water baptize people in the name of the Lord? [Since Christ was not yet dead, buried, and raised from the dead (this is the gospel, the DBR SEE 1 Cor 15:3, 4), no one yet knew what the
no one could yet preach the gos- pel, and therefore no one could respond top it by being water bap- tized into Christ’s death, and raised up out of it with Him through faith. The command to water baptize the nations into Christ was given after Christ rose from the dead (Mt 28:6, 18, 19).]
20. Do we have to be baptized by God in the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues to be saved? Why? [See my Q&A on water baptism in this study and my Advanced Study on
Spiritual Gifts.]
Are there any other fitting questions on the subject of being “baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Ac 22:16)”?