Love Worth Finding

Announcer: What is the symbolism of baptism? Listen to Adrian Rogers.

Adrian Rogers: Baptism pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for us. It pictures our death, burial, and resurrection with him. Now I want to ask you a question. If you were the devil, wouldn't you want to take that message out of the church? Wouldn't you want people to forget that?

You see, what is the gospel? The gospel is that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, and that he was raised again the third day. That's the gospel. Why is it that the Bible commands that we be baptized? Because God wants to constantly make real to us what happens when we get saved, and baptism is the graphic illustration of that.

Announcer: Welcome to Love Worth Finding, featuring the profound truth of the gospel simply stated by Adrian Rogers. You know, there are two common misconceptions people have about baptism: that it's either necessary for our salvation or that it's not important at all.

Baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, as well as our death, burial, and resurrection with him. While baptism is not necessary to our salvation, it is necessary to our obedience. It shows that we belong to Jesus Christ. If you have your Bible, turn to Acts chapter 8. We'll begin in verse 25 as Adrian Rogers delivers the convicting conclusion of, “Start Right: Believers Baptism.”

Adrian Rogers: Now, there are two grave mistakes that are made about baptism. One mistake is: since baptism doesn't save us, it's not important. That is a mistake. The other mistake about baptism is this: there are some who say if you don't get baptized, you can't go to heaven. That's a mistake also.

The truth is neither of those. While baptism is not necessary to salvation, baptism is necessary to obedience. And obedience is necessary to joy, growth, and fruitfulness in the Christian life. And we as believers dare not minimize what the Bible has so emphasized. In our baptism, we identify ourselves with the Lord Jesus.

Jesus commenced his ministry by baptism. Jesus concluded his ministry by commanding baptism. And what he has so emphasized, I dare not minimize. So keep that in mind and let's look together in the passage and other passages today about believers' baptism, how to start right. Because listen very carefully: there are some of you who have never yet been baptized and you need to be. There are some of you who have been Christians for 30 and 40 years, but you've been baptized really not the right way for the right reason. So I want you to listen very carefully.

Now, what is the biblical method of baptism? Look in verse 36 and following. “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water.” Now, it takes water. “And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What doth hinder me to be baptized?’” The word *baptizo*, as we're going to see, means immerse. “What doth hinder me to be immersed?”

Now, it is incredibly obvious that the Bible method of baptism is by immersion—placing a person under the water and bringing them out of the water. The scripture says they both went down into the water. It was the same way with the baptism of the Lord Jesus. This was not an incidental way or an optional way.

I want you to see how Jesus was baptized. Now, put your bookmark there in Acts chapter 8 and turn to Mark chapter 1. Mark chapter 1. And if you don't turn, then put this verse in your margin so you can refer to it later. Mark chapter 1, beginning in verse 9. Now, this is the baptism of the Lord Jesus. Now, we're to walk as Jesus walked.

Mark 1, verse 9: “And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized of John in…” What? “Jordan.” Now, Jordan is a river. It doesn’t say he was baptized near Jordan. It says he was baptized in Jordan. It doesn't say he was baptized with Jordan. It says he was baptized in Jordan. And the Greek preposition *en* literally means “into” Jordan.

And look in verse 10: “And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened.” Now, if he came up out of the water, you tell me where he was. He was down in the water. He came up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. He was baptized by immersion.

Now, Jesus was not baptized by immersion because it was convenient for him. As a matter of fact, it wasn't convenient. It was about a 60-mile trip one way that Jesus took to be baptized by John. You see, why did he go to the River Jordan? Because there was a lot of water there. It takes a lot of water to baptize.

Now, what is the meaning of baptism? Well, baptism speaks about what God did for you when he saved you. I want you to turn to Romans chapter 6. And I want you to begin reading with me in verse 1. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?” Now, that's the key to the whole passage.

When we get saved, we die to sin. That's the old way. And being saved is dying to the old way. And God forbid that we who have been saved should continue to live sinful lives. That's what he's saying. And then he explains it in verse 3: “Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death.”

We're talking about the meaning of baptism now. “Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Now look in verse 5: “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.”

Now, what is your past? Well, here it is right here, verse 4: “We are buried with him by baptism into death.” When you get baptized, that pictures that the old person you used to be died. There was a teenage boy who lived in West Palm Beach. He gave his heart to Jesus Christ. And when he did, that teenage boy died. His name was Adrian Rogers.

And the old Adrian died. When did he die? Well, he actually died not as a teenage boy, but he died 2,000 years ago when Jesus died on that cross because his death had my name on it. He took my sins. He carried my sins to the cross. He was hung up there for me. He suffered, bled, and died in agony for me. And he bore my sins in his body on the cross. He paid my sin debt. He paid it in full.

And when he died, because of faith in him, I died with him. And that's so wonderful because, you see, look in verse 6: “Knowing this, that our old man,” that's the old Adrian, “is crucified with him.” I was crucified with him. When he died, I died. “That the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

When Jesus died, hallelujah, I died. And so when I got baptized, they put me beneath the water. You know what that was? That was my funeral. What do you do with a dead man? You bury him. We are buried in baptism. Isn't that what it says? Look in verse 4: “Therefore, we are buried with him.”

Now, if I died physically and you drug me out to the graveyard and put a few grains of sand on my head and said we buried the preacher, that'd be a disgrace. Leave me out there to bake in the sun? At least put me under. We are buried with him by baptism. That was my funeral. The only mourner there was the devil. He hated to see me die.

Now, that spoke of my past. Thank God, listen, hallelujah, my sin is in the grave of God's forgetfulness. Isn't that wonderful? Listen, your sin is gone. You don't need to be haunted by the ghost of guilt. When Jesus died, you died. Baptism is a picture of your burial, just as Jesus Christ was put in that grave, you were put in a liquid tomb. That speaks of your past.

But now look, if you will, in verse 4 again. “That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Jesus didn't stay in that grave. He came out of that grave. And I did not stay under that water. Thank God for that. I came up out of that water. You see, we don't believe in submersion, we believe in immersion.

The difference is, you submerge something, it may stay there. You better thank God for the difference. We come up out of the water. And that pictures our new life in the Lord Jesus Christ. We should walk in newness of life. And my baptism says I have a brand-new life. Christians are not just nice people; they are new creatures. And baptism portrays that.

When you come up out of that water, you're saying, “I have come out of the grave of that old life. I have been risen to walk with the Lord Jesus because I've been born again. I have a new life.” Now, not only does it speak of your past, you're buried; not only does it speak of your present, a new life; but it also speaks of your future.

Look in verse 5: “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.” One of these days I am going to die physically. One of these days they are going to put me in that grave. But I want to tell you, that grave that could not hold the Lord Jesus will not be able to hold me.

And I am going to be in the likeness of his resurrection. And the God that raised up Jesus Christ from the grave is the God who is going to raise me up. And therefore, we don't need to fear death. I heard of some caterpillars who were crawling around on the ground, and they saw a former caterpillar up there, a beautiful butterfly flitting overhead.

And one caterpillar said to the other caterpillar, “You'd never get me up in one of those things.” But I wanted you to know, one of these days, friend, we are all going to be caught up to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. And we'd be as foolish to be afraid of death as a grubby, wormy caterpillar would be afraid of being a butterfly.

We're going to be in the likeness of his resurrection. That's what baptism pictures. It pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for us. It pictures our death, burial, and resurrection with him. Now I want to ask you a question. If you were the devil, wouldn't you want to take that message out of the church?

Wouldn't you want to take that message out of the church? Wouldn't you want people to forget that? You see, what is the gospel? The gospel is that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, and that he was raised again the third day. That's the gospel. First Corinthians 15. That is the gospel. That's the core of all that we do.

Why is it that the Bible commands that we be baptized? Because God wants to constantly make real to us what happens when we get saved. We die with Christ. We're buried with Christ. We rise with Christ. We live with Christ. We're going home to be with Christ. That's what it's all about. And baptism is the graphic illustration of that.

Well, you say, “Well, Pastor Rogers, it's only a symbol. Any symbol will do.” Oh? Suppose you said to me, “Pastor, do you have a picture of your wife?” I said, “Yes, I've got a picture of my wife.” “May I see it?” “Why, yes.” And I pull out a picture, and maybe there's a picture of a race car or maybe a waterfall or maybe Lassie.

And says, “Is that your wife?” Well, I said, “Not exactly, but any picture will do.” That's ridiculous. If it doesn't look like her, then why do I call it a picture of her if it's not a likeness of her? Baptism, the Bible says, look at your scripture, it is in the likeness of his death. It is in the likeness of his resurrection. That is symbolized. The emblem of that is immersion.

That is the meaning. Now you understand what I'm saying when I say that the method and the meaning are so wrapped together. Very quickly, I want to say one more thing. What about the motive for baptism? Why should we be baptized? Three reasons. Now, if you've not yet been baptized, here is the motive for baptism. First of all, it proclaims your commitment to Jesus.

It proclaims your commitment to Jesus. The Bible says we are buried with him. It says, “Jesus, I am identifying myself with you openly and publicly.” You say, “Does it make you a Christian?” No, but it sure does show you're a Christian. You see that ring I wear right there? That ring right there. That ring. You know what that ring means?

That means I love Joyce. And friend, I do love her. I am a one-woman man. I love that gal. And that ring says I love her. And that ring says I belong to Joyce. It doesn't make me married. But friend, it shows I'm married. And it shows I'm not ashamed to let everybody know I'm married. I'm not trying to pass myself off as something or somebody that I'm not.

I belong to another person. I belong to a girl named Joyce that I love with all my heart. And when you get baptized, you're saying, “I belong to Jesus. I belong to Jesus.” When he was baptized, he identified himself with us. And when we get baptized, we identify ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.

A little boy got saved in one of these churches where they have children's church. And so the director of the children's church said, “Go over to the big church and tell the pastor you've been saved and you want to get baptized.” He didn't quite understand it. So he went over there and he told the pastor. He said, “I've been saved and I need to get advertised.”

I like that. I like that. That's exactly it. I have been saved and I need to get advertised. I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. And so it is a commitment to proclaim. It is a conversion to portray. Not only a commitment to proclaim, but a conversion to portray. Listen, everybody, here's my testimony. I want you to know what has happened to me.

Thank God, this is my way of testifying. I want everybody to know that when Jesus died, I died. He suffered for me. He bled for me. He died for me. He rose for me. I am in him. I want everybody to know that I have been saved. Now, I can tell you over and over and over and over again about people who have been saved by seeing somebody else baptized.

They see their friend, their old buddy, their old companion up there getting baptized. Some society lady sees another lady up there with a $35 hairdo going under. They say, “What's she doing? What is all of that? Has she become a religious fanatic?” She'd say, “Oh, no, I've been saved. I have been saved and I am proclaiming not only do I belong to Jesus, but what Jesus has done for me.”

It is a commitment, friend, to keep. It is a conversion to show. But thirdly, it is a command to obey. Now, pay much attention. In the Bible, baptism is not a suggestion. It is a command. Write these scriptures down: Matthew 28, verses 19 and 20. These are not the words of a Baptist preacher per se. These are the words of our sovereign Lord in the first century.

“Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things. Now, listen to this. Whatsoever I have, what's that next word? Commanded you. Whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”

Look in Acts chapter 10, verses 46 and following. Peter had preached the word of God to the household of Cornelius. God gave them the supernatural gift of languages, for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then answered Peter in verse 47, “Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?”

Which tells me you can receive the Holy Spirit before you're baptized, which means you certainly are saved before you're baptized. “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” Not suggested, he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. And then the Bible says they prayed with him to tarry certain days.

You know, obedience always brings joy and it brings fruitfulness. Many Christians are lacking in their Christian joy because they've not been obedient. In this eighth chapter of Acts where we began, after this man is baptized, the Bible says that when Philip left him, he went on his way rejoicing.

In Acts chapter 16, the household of the Philippian jailer, when these folks got baptized, the Bible says they rejoiced, believing in God with all of their heart. Obedience brings joy and fruitfulness. Now, some of you are saying, “God, help me to understand the Bible. Lord, help me to be fruitful in my Christian life.”

Well, I want to ask you a question. Have you already obeyed what you already know? Why should God give you more light until you've lived up to the light that you have? Why should God give you joy and fruitfulness when you don't begin right? I am telling you, friend, that the motive for baptism, if there were no other motive except that Jesus Christ commanded it.

I want to say again that while baptism is not necessary to salvation, it is necessary to obedience. Being baptized doesn't make me a Christian any more than wearing this ring makes me married. But it shows that I am married. It shows that I belong to a girl named Joyce. And baptism shows that you belong to your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It's only a symbol, and don't ever let the symbol take the place of the reality. Let me just tell you this story and I'll be finished. We had a denominational worker who took his family, he took his family to Washington. Have you ever gone to the Smithsonian? If you go to Washington, go to the Smithsonian. It is incredible.

And he was in that part that dealt with American history. This was back when Lyndon Johnson was the President of the United States. And he was in that portion of the Smithsonian where they have the wives of the presidents, and the wives of the presidents are wearing these very special dresses. It's a very interesting thing.

And at this time, Lyndon Johnson was the President of the United States. And this man worked for our denomination, had his children there, and he was showing them this thing. And there was a lady who was standing next to him, and he was telling, he said, “Now, there's Lady Bird Johnson right there.” And then he turned and looked.

And you know who was standing right next to him? Lady Bird Johnson, right there. They were looking, I mean, it was just incredibly—how could God be so good? Let me be here in Washington showing my kids this, and here is the wife of the President of the United States. And they fellowshiped and they talked.

He said, “This is, this is wonderful.” But here's the funny part. About that time, a man came and set up his camera. And he said to this denominational worker, his children, and to Lady Bird Johnson, “Would you folks mind moving aside? I want to get a picture of Lady Bird.” And the President's wife never said a word.

She just stepped to the side, and there that man focused his camera on a wax figure. And Lady Bird, the President's wife, standing over here in the shadows. Now, I want to say to every one of us: baptism is only a picture. Don't fail to focus on Jesus. Don't put Jesus to the side and focus on the picture. It's only an emblem. It's only a symbol.

Thank God for it. Thank God for who it represents. But baptism, whether a spoonful or a tankful, can never save anybody. You're saved by trusting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. And if today you give your heart to Jesus and say, “Jesus, I receive you,” you'll be as saved as you'll ever be. And if you don't get saved, you can be baptized so many times that the tadpoles will have your Social Security number and you still won't be saved.

Salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Bible says simply, sweetly, sublimely, surely: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” And I promise you from the authority of the Word of God today, if you'll trust Jesus, he'll save you. I mean, he'll save you today.

Announcer: And if that is what you want to do right now, would you pray something like this from your heart:

“O God in heaven, I know that I'm a sinner. I'm lost without you. I need you to save me. And I believe that you sent Jesus to die in my place on the cross, and he rose again to new life. Would you give me that new nature? Would you come into my life, change me from the inside out? Help me to follow you from this day forward. I no longer lean on my ability, but on what Jesus did for me. I trust in him, and I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.”

If you prayed something like that from your heart, we want to celebrate with you and invite you to our Discover Jesus page. You'll find answers there that you may need about your new-found faith. We have a response section as well. We'd love to hear from you. Just go to lwf.org/radio and click “Discover Jesus” at the top of the page. We want to welcome you into God's forever family. Again, click “Discover Jesus” at lwf.org/radio.

Cary Vaughn: Hi, this is Cary Vaughn, and this program has been brought to you by Love Worth Finding, a non-profit ministry showcasing the powerful preaching and teaching of Pastor Adrian Rogers. We operate solely through the generous gifts of individual supporters just like you.

To give a gift today, call 1-877-LOVEGOD. That's 1-877-568-3463. Or write to us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. You can also connect with us online by going to lwf.org/radio. There, we offer helpful resources inspired by the timeless teachings of Pastor Adrian Rogers.

Additionally, you can sign up for daily emails, donate to the ministry, and learn more about how to become an Ambassador of the Word. Thank you so much for listening today. Be sure to join us next time for more profound truth simply stated right here on Love Worth Finding.

Announcer: We loved reading this testimony from a listener who went through one of our marriage books not long ago. He wrote: “God is good. We still have our trials, but we have God to lean on now. We are blessed and want to share with other couples that God is still in the miracle business and God is the only option we have. Thank you and God bless you.”

Well, here at Love Worth Finding Ministries, our mission is to share the profound truth of the gospel so simply anyone can understand. And when you donate to the ministry this month, we want to send you a copy of our *Door to the Morning* Bible study. God's word is as certain as the sunrise and we are living just before dawn.

This eight-week Bible study takes readers through the end times prophecies using Adrian Rogers' grounded, practical approach. If you'd like a copy of this resource, call us at 1-877-LOVEGOD. And thanks for your generous support of Love Worth Finding.