Before you watch the first video, this should be insightful to help you understand what baptism means for us.
What did Baptism mean when John the baptizer did it? It was not to express love for God, but to identify with the Messiah King and the rejected Messiah of Isaiah 53 who died for our sins.
What did it mean on the Day of Pentecost?
Those who were baptized declared in effect, “Our leaders were wrong when they crucified Jesus- I believe Jesus is the Messiah/Savior. We rejected Him but God raised Him from the dead. He is the Messiah who will come and rule the world.”
Baptism is for those who believe in Jesus. Do you believe in Jesus? What do you believe about Jesus? That He was a good teacher? A godly, compassionate miracle worker who will help you and be your friend? Or even that He was God in human flesh?
All of those are good and correct, but Matthew 8:29 says even the demons believe that! And that kind of belief is not enough. We must be clear on what we believe about Jesus. We hope this will help.
Please read this slowly and carefully …
The angel told Joseph to name Him Jesus (Yeshua = Savior) because He would save His people from their sins. We say we believe He died on the cross to save us from our sins - and that is true. But why did He do that? Do you believe you are a sinner? And if you do, how big of a problem is that? Do you believe your sin is already enough to condemn you to hell? (Romans 3:9-23; 6:23) Or do you hope that you have lived a good enough life and that God will forgive you if you do the best you can? (Have you ever done the best you can?) Is there something you can do to get that forgiveness?
What does it mean to be saved? To be saved means to be rescued from death. Do you believe you need to be rescued from death? What will happen to you if you are not saved? Jesus said if we are not saved, we will perish - we will experience eternal judgment (John 3:16-18). Most people in our day don’t believe that. We don’t want to admit we deserve the punishment of hell. We think we are not as bad as some people and that if we live a good enough life and do the best we can that God will accept us. But that thinking is not correct. We must realize that we are indeed deserving of God’s punishment. But, God wants us to know that Jesus took our punishment on Himself when He died on the cross - and we don’t have to pay the penalty for our sins. He already did it!
Here is another very important truth we must understand about Jesus - He died in our place, as our sinless substitute (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18), and no one else could do that for us. I could not die for you because I am also a sinner with my own penalty.
You could not die for me because you are a sinner with your own penalty. The only person who could be your Savior is someone who had no penalty to pay for their own sins. It requires someone who is perfect - someone who never sinned one time in their whole life! Do you know of anyone else like that? No. There is no other religion in the world that claims to have someone who lived a perfect life and volunteered to die in your place and pay for your sins. Not one! Christianity is the only religion in the world that offers a Savior for us. Every other religion teaches people to be more religious - to pray more, give more, etc. and hope for the best.
We are sinners, and we don’t deserve what Jesus did for us, but He did it because He loves us in spite of our sin (Romans 5:8). Do you understand that if Jesus had not been perfect, you would have to pay the death penalty for your sin and that you would be lost forever? Do you believe God raised Jesus from the dead to prove that He was who He claimed to be and that He really did take your penalty and that God was 100% satisfied with what Jesus did for you (1 Corinthians 15:17)? Do you believe there is nothing you can do and there is no other religion that can remove your sin and make you acceptable to God? That is what the Bible means when it speaks of “believing in Jesus.” To repent and believe in Jesus means that we understand and believe something about Jesus that we did not believe before.
When we understand that Jesus identified Himself with us, exchanging places with us, taking all our guilt on Himself, then we will gladly tell others we want to identify with him, and He asks us to do it first through water baptism.
Baptism is more than a ceremony. It is a public declaration that we are no longer guilty because He took our guilt on Himself, that He loved us enough to die in our place, and that we will be forever grateful and that we will live for Him every day for as long as we live. He was not ashamed of us and we will not be ashamed of Him.
By the way, we understand that most people are fearful and nervous of speaking in front of a crowd. It can be very scary! But being nervous is not the same as being ashamed. Think of it this way - what Jesus endured for you and me was scary too. He did not like hanging on that cross in front of all those people mocking and abusing Him. But He did it for you! If He did that for you, are you willing to declare what He did for you?
His death was public. Are you willing to say publicly that He loved you and took your punishment and that you are thankful and will follow Him for the rest of your life? That is what baptism is all about.
By the way, telling about your faith in Jesus on video is nowhere near as scary as actually saying it in front of a crowd. And, it is a lot easier for us than it was for Jesus.
The second video lesson says something to the effect that we don’t have to change or do anything before we are baptized, and I understand what that means, but John commanded everyone to repent and believe in Jesus before they were baptized. Jesus also called for everyone to repent. If we understand that our sin has condemned us, and that our sin was bad enough to require the death of Jesus to pay for it, then we will want to turn away from the sin in our life and walk in a way that pleases Jesus. We cannot continue in sin and say we believe in Jesus.
After you watch video 4, here are some suggestions for preparing your testimony:
This testimony is more about Jesus (Who He is and what He did) than it is about you. It is more than why you want to be baptized; it is primarily about why you have believed in Jesus.
Start by stating your name. Then you may speak (briefly) about events in your life that brought you to hear about Jesus and to understand your need for Him. Many people came to Jesus because they needed healing or some other help from Him, and that is still true. That is fine, but we must come to realize we have a greater need than healing - we need to be forgiven and made righteous in His sight. We need a divine miracle. So, then tell what it is that you believe about Him and why you are making this public declaration.
Let’s review:
Through some chain of events you have come to realize and believe:
“Hello, my name is ________________ . I am here today because I realize I have disobeyed God - I have sinned against Him and I was/am separated from Him. I will never be good enough to earn my way to heaven. I need to be forgiven of all my sin and I need for Him to make me right on the inside. I believe Jesus lived the perfect life that I have not lived, and that He also died to take the punishment I deserved. I declare that I need Him to be my Savior, because there is no one else who could be my Savior. I trust Him to make me right before God. And because He loved me, I tell you all that I also love Him, and I am choosing to follow Him for all the rest of my life.”
Another way to say it might be something like:
“I know I have sinned before God and need forgiveness. I cannot forgive myself, nor can anyone else. But Jesus did not sin. He is perfect. And He died for my sin, and He can forgive me. So I have asked Him to please forgive me of all my sin. So I am glad to tell you all that I know He loves me, and I love Him, and I desire to follow Him and serve Him all my life.”
Or, simpler yet:
“I want to be baptized today because I admit I have sinned against God and deserve the punishment of hell, but I believe Jesus took my punishment for me when He died on the cross. I want to publicly declare that I am trusting Him for my salvation, and I desire to follow and serve Him for the rest of my life.”
Please proceed to and complete the online course HERE.
What did Baptism mean when John the baptizer did it? It was not to express love for God, but to identify with the Messiah King and the rejected Messiah of Isaiah 53 who died for our sins.
What did it mean on the Day of Pentecost?
Those who were baptized declared in effect, “Our leaders were wrong when they crucified Jesus- I believe Jesus is the Messiah/Savior. We rejected Him but God raised Him from the dead. He is the Messiah who will come and rule the world.”
Baptism is for those who believe in Jesus. Do you believe in Jesus? What do you believe about Jesus? That He was a good teacher? A godly, compassionate miracle worker who will help you and be your friend? Or even that He was God in human flesh?
All of those are good and correct, but Matthew 8:29 says even the demons believe that! And that kind of belief is not enough. We must be clear on what we believe about Jesus. We hope this will help.
Please read this slowly and carefully …
The angel told Joseph to name Him Jesus (Yeshua = Savior) because He would save His people from their sins. We say we believe He died on the cross to save us from our sins - and that is true. But why did He do that? Do you believe you are a sinner? And if you do, how big of a problem is that? Do you believe your sin is already enough to condemn you to hell? (Romans 3:9-23; 6:23) Or do you hope that you have lived a good enough life and that God will forgive you if you do the best you can? (Have you ever done the best you can?) Is there something you can do to get that forgiveness?
What does it mean to be saved? To be saved means to be rescued from death. Do you believe you need to be rescued from death? What will happen to you if you are not saved? Jesus said if we are not saved, we will perish - we will experience eternal judgment (John 3:16-18). Most people in our day don’t believe that. We don’t want to admit we deserve the punishment of hell. We think we are not as bad as some people and that if we live a good enough life and do the best we can that God will accept us. But that thinking is not correct. We must realize that we are indeed deserving of God’s punishment. But, God wants us to know that Jesus took our punishment on Himself when He died on the cross - and we don’t have to pay the penalty for our sins. He already did it!
Here is another very important truth we must understand about Jesus - He died in our place, as our sinless substitute (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18), and no one else could do that for us. I could not die for you because I am also a sinner with my own penalty.
You could not die for me because you are a sinner with your own penalty. The only person who could be your Savior is someone who had no penalty to pay for their own sins. It requires someone who is perfect - someone who never sinned one time in their whole life! Do you know of anyone else like that? No. There is no other religion in the world that claims to have someone who lived a perfect life and volunteered to die in your place and pay for your sins. Not one! Christianity is the only religion in the world that offers a Savior for us. Every other religion teaches people to be more religious - to pray more, give more, etc. and hope for the best.
We are sinners, and we don’t deserve what Jesus did for us, but He did it because He loves us in spite of our sin (Romans 5:8). Do you understand that if Jesus had not been perfect, you would have to pay the death penalty for your sin and that you would be lost forever? Do you believe God raised Jesus from the dead to prove that He was who He claimed to be and that He really did take your penalty and that God was 100% satisfied with what Jesus did for you (1 Corinthians 15:17)? Do you believe there is nothing you can do and there is no other religion that can remove your sin and make you acceptable to God? That is what the Bible means when it speaks of “believing in Jesus.” To repent and believe in Jesus means that we understand and believe something about Jesus that we did not believe before.
When we understand that Jesus identified Himself with us, exchanging places with us, taking all our guilt on Himself, then we will gladly tell others we want to identify with him, and He asks us to do it first through water baptism.
Baptism is more than a ceremony. It is a public declaration that we are no longer guilty because He took our guilt on Himself, that He loved us enough to die in our place, and that we will be forever grateful and that we will live for Him every day for as long as we live. He was not ashamed of us and we will not be ashamed of Him.
By the way, we understand that most people are fearful and nervous of speaking in front of a crowd. It can be very scary! But being nervous is not the same as being ashamed. Think of it this way - what Jesus endured for you and me was scary too. He did not like hanging on that cross in front of all those people mocking and abusing Him. But He did it for you! If He did that for you, are you willing to declare what He did for you?
His death was public. Are you willing to say publicly that He loved you and took your punishment and that you are thankful and will follow Him for the rest of your life? That is what baptism is all about.
By the way, telling about your faith in Jesus on video is nowhere near as scary as actually saying it in front of a crowd. And, it is a lot easier for us than it was for Jesus.
The second video lesson says something to the effect that we don’t have to change or do anything before we are baptized, and I understand what that means, but John commanded everyone to repent and believe in Jesus before they were baptized. Jesus also called for everyone to repent. If we understand that our sin has condemned us, and that our sin was bad enough to require the death of Jesus to pay for it, then we will want to turn away from the sin in our life and walk in a way that pleases Jesus. We cannot continue in sin and say we believe in Jesus.
After you watch video 4, here are some suggestions for preparing your testimony:
This testimony is more about Jesus (Who He is and what He did) than it is about you. It is more than why you want to be baptized; it is primarily about why you have believed in Jesus.
Start by stating your name. Then you may speak (briefly) about events in your life that brought you to hear about Jesus and to understand your need for Him. Many people came to Jesus because they needed healing or some other help from Him, and that is still true. That is fine, but we must come to realize we have a greater need than healing - we need to be forgiven and made righteous in His sight. We need a divine miracle. So, then tell what it is that you believe about Him and why you are making this public declaration.
Let’s review:
Through some chain of events you have come to realize and believe:
- You have sinned/rebelled against God and deserve His wrath (Romans 3:23; 6:23).
- Jesus lived a perfect life and did not deserve any wrath, and He loved you to the point of taking that wrath on Himself so you wouldn’t have to bear it. When He died on the cross as your substitute, He paid for all your sin (John 3:16).
- You are trusting that God is satisfied with what Jesus did for you, and you have asked Jesus to be your Savior.
- Because of His great love for you, you are glad to declare publicly, now and in the future, how wonderful He is, and you are choosing to show your love for Him by pursuing a daily relationship with Him (Acts 2:36-41).
“Hello, my name is ________________ . I am here today because I realize I have disobeyed God - I have sinned against Him and I was/am separated from Him. I will never be good enough to earn my way to heaven. I need to be forgiven of all my sin and I need for Him to make me right on the inside. I believe Jesus lived the perfect life that I have not lived, and that He also died to take the punishment I deserved. I declare that I need Him to be my Savior, because there is no one else who could be my Savior. I trust Him to make me right before God. And because He loved me, I tell you all that I also love Him, and I am choosing to follow Him for all the rest of my life.”
Another way to say it might be something like:
“I know I have sinned before God and need forgiveness. I cannot forgive myself, nor can anyone else. But Jesus did not sin. He is perfect. And He died for my sin, and He can forgive me. So I have asked Him to please forgive me of all my sin. So I am glad to tell you all that I know He loves me, and I love Him, and I desire to follow Him and serve Him all my life.”
Or, simpler yet:
“I want to be baptized today because I admit I have sinned against God and deserve the punishment of hell, but I believe Jesus took my punishment for me when He died on the cross. I want to publicly declare that I am trusting Him for my salvation, and I desire to follow and serve Him for the rest of my life.”
Please proceed to and complete the online course HERE.