Acts 2:40–41 — And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
Acts 8:12 — But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.
Acts 10:47–48 — “Surely no one can refuse the water for these [Cornelius and his household] to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.
We have seen that baptism was commanded for believers in the New Testament, and that it was something that was expected to happen with little or no delay upon conversion. So far, though, we have only seen the example of a single individual; Saul. He was commanded to be baptized and he obeyed almost immediately. What did the early church understand concerning the need to be baptized as a believer? What example did they set for us? Was this something just for the super-keen Christian to do, or was it for all believers? The passages above answer the question unequivocally. In fact, there are no instances to be found in the New Testament of someone coming to faith in Christ who was not also baptized at more or less the same time. It was true of Lydia and her household, and of the Philippian Jailer and his. We will go on to see that this is because baptism is an outward sign of what happens invisibly and internally when someone is saved.
The important thing for us to grasp here, though, is this: baptism comes as a command from Jesus to all who put their trust in Him for salvation. That means it is very, very important. There is no reason to delay once we have come to know Christ, and there are no exceptions to this command, as the example of the New Testament church clearly shows - all those who are believers in Christ (men and women, boys and girls) must be baptized.
Since all this is true, we deduce that there are real benefits for the believer that derive from his or her baptism. Some are immediate for the believer who is baptized, other benefits come with reflection on the event and all that it represents as happening to those who are born again. Future meditations will consider both sets of benefits and will encourage us to call our own baptism to mind as a means of blessing and strengthening in our walk with Christ.
