Audio Link: Sermon – 19 Apr 2026 – Baptism by Peter Barnett by tawabaptist
Structure:
- Introduction
- A brief history of baptism
- The reformation and the birth of Baptists
- Biblical roots of baptism
- John the Baptist and Jesus
- What baptism means
- Why immersion?
- Conclusion
Introduction
Did you know there are around 12 churches in the Tawa–Linden area?
I was surprised when I first heard that. I used to think the churches along the main road were all there was—but of course there are many more including those meeting in the Linden Community Centre.
And if you look closely, you’ll notice something else: they’re not all the same.
In fact, if you asked all 12 churches what they believed about baptism, you’d probably get about 15 different answers!
The sign outside our church says we are a Baptist Church.
Now what does that actually mean?
Most churches practice baptism in some form. We’re not unique in that.
But what is distinctive is how we practice it—we baptise by full immersion.
Some churches sprinkle water. Others pour it.
We fully immerse.
So the question is:
Why does that matter?
Let me start personally.
I was born into a nominally Anglican family, and as a baby I was baptised by sprinkling. In my teen years I became a Christian. Later, when I was about 21, I made the decision to be baptised by immersion.
That raises an important question:
What changed? And why do Baptists do things this way?
You know, one of the things I remember most about that day wasn’t just the water.
It was the moment before going under.
Standing there, knowing that this wasn’t just a private belief anymore—it was public.
There’s something about stepping into that water where you realise:
this is real… and people are watching.
And I think that’s part of the point. Faith was never meant to be hidden.
A Brief History of Baptism
Baptists today practice full immersion because we believe it best reflects what baptism means: dying and rising with Christ.
But throughout history, baptism has been understood in many different ways.
In the early church, there was a strong belief that baptism washed away sin—once and for all. Because of that, some people delayed baptism until very late in life.
A well-known example of this is the Roman Emperor Constantine.
He legalised Christianity in AD 313 and was baptised only shortly before his death in 337.
So why wait?
It was thought baptism resulted in all your sins being forgiven. Because people feared committing serious sin after baptism, they didn’t know how their sins would be dealt with. So they delayed it.
That shows how seriously baptism was taken—but also how it could be misunderstood.
And while we might look at that and think, “That seems strange,” it actually raises a question for us:
Do we sometimes misunderstand what baptism really does?
Back then, people almost treated it like a final cleansing.
Today, we can sometimes go the other way—treating it as just a symbol with no weight at all.
But the truth sits somewhere in between.
Baptism doesn’t save us—but it’s also not meaningless.
It matters because of what it points to.
As Christianity spread, baptism became more formal.
Between the 4th and 6th centuries, churches built special buildings next to major basilicas called baptistries—often large, octagonal structures used specifically for baptisms.
Last year my wife and I visited one of these baptistries in northern Italy. It was separate from the church building itself and was ornately decorated.
The thinking at that time was that a person who had not yet been baptised should not enter the main church building.
Over time, however, something changed.
Infant baptism became more common.
And instead of immersion, many churches began practicing pouring or sprinkling—or what is called affusion.
By the medieval period, baptism was considered essential for salvation and became one of the seven sacraments of the Western church.
The Reformation and the Birth of Baptists
Fast forward to the 1500s and the Reformation.
The reformation of course generated intense debate about many issues—including baptism.
Some groups began to ask: Should baptism be something chosen, rather than something done to infants?
Out of that question came what we now call believer’s baptism.
The Baptist movement itself began in the early 1600s.
Two Englishmen, John Smyth and Thomas Helwys, left the Church of England and left England and went to Holland around 1609.
They believed baptism should follow personal faith—not precede it.
Helwys later returned to England and helped establish one of the first Baptist churches there in 1612.
From those beginnings, Baptists grew into a global movement with millions of believers.
There are even Baptist Churches in China and Russia.
Biblical Roots of Baptism
But baptism didn’t start with Baptists—or even with the early church.
Its roots go much further back—into Jewish practice.
Jewish people practiced ritual washing called “tevilah”—full immersion in water for purification.
These immersions took place in pools called a “mikveh”.
This wasn’t unusual—it was part of everyday religious life.
Even many homes had facilities for ritual washing.
Throughout the Old Testament water carries deep symbolic meaning: There was –
- Noah and the flood
- The crossing of the Red Sea by Moses and the people of Israel in their escape from Egypt
- The crossing of the Jordan River by the people of Israel into the promised land
- The story of Naaman washing and being healed
- The Levitical washing and purification ceremonies
Again and again, water represents cleansing, judgment, and new beginnings.
In fact, many early Christian baptisms were also done by immersion.
Some of those ancient baptistries I mentioned earlier were large enough for a person to walk down into the water.
That tells us something important.
While practices have changed over time, immersion wasn’t something Baptists invented—it’s something we have returned to.
John the Baptist and Jesus
By the time we reach New Testament times, John the Baptist is calling people to repentance—and baptising them.
People came in response to his message, confessing their sins.
Then something remarkable happens.
Jesus comes to be baptised.
But Jesus had no sin.
So why was He baptised?
In Matthew 3, Jesus says it is “to fulfil all righteousness.”
This moment marks the beginning of His public ministry.
It shows several important things:
- There is obedience – Jesus submits to the Father’s will
- There is identification – He stands with sinners
- There is approval – The Father speaks, and the Holy Spirit descends
- Jesus models what His followers should do
It is also a kind of preview—a symbol pointing forward to Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Jesus’ baptism was the moment when heaven publicly declared who He was.
The Father said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
And in a smaller way, our baptism is also a public declaration.
It says: “I belong to Him.”
What Baptism Means
So what does baptism mean for us today?
Here’s the key point:
Baptism does not save us.
The Bible is clear on this.
Romans 3:20 says that no one is justified by works of the law.
No amount of water can wash away sin.
Only Jesus can do that.
So what does baptism do?
Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change.
It is a picture.
When someone goes under the water, it represents:
- dying to sin
- being buried with Christ
And when they come up:
- rising to new life
- living for God
Think about what actually happens in immersion.
You go all the way under the water.
For a brief moment, you can’t breathe.
You are completely covered.
It is a powerful image.
It is not just washing—it’s burial.
And then you are brought back up again—breathing, alive, renewed
That is why the Apostle Paul says in Romans 6:
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
That is the picture.
Not just improved people—but people made new.
Baptism is like a living sermon.
No words needed—just action.
Illustrations
Let me give you a simple illustration.
A wedding ring doesn’t make you married.
But it shows that you are.
In the same way, baptism doesn’t make you a Christian.
But it shows that you belong to Christ.
Or think about it this way.
If someone asked you, “Are you a Christian?”
you could say yes—and that would be true.
But baptism is the moment where you show it.
It is stepping out of the crowd and saying:
“I’m not just thinking about this—I’m identifying with Christ.”
And that takes a bit of courage.
Imagine someone enlisting in the army.
They do not become committed just by thinking about it.
There is a moment where they step forward publicly and say,
“I’m in.”
Baptism is like that.
It is a public declaration:
“I belong to Jesus.”
Why Immersion?
So why do Baptists emphasize full immersion?
Because it most clearly reflects the picture:
- Death
- Burial
- Resurrection
You can sprinkle water—but it doesn’t quite capture that same image.
Immersion tells the whole story.
Conclusion
So where does this leave us?
For some, this is a reminder of something you have already done.
And it is a chance to reflect:
- Am I still living out what my baptism represents?
- Am I walking in new life?
For others, maybe you have never been baptised as a believer.
You believe—but you have never taken that step.
If that is you, then this is worth thinking about seriously.
Not because baptism saves you.
But because Jesus calls His followers to it.
Sometimes we move past these things too quickly.
But baptism is one of those moments in life where we stop and say:
Something has changed.
I am not who I was.
Baptism is simple.
It is water.
It is a moment.
But it points to something far greater:
- A changed life
- A new identity
- A Saviour who died and rose again
And the question is not just,
“What do Baptists believe about baptism?”
The real question is:
What does your life say about your relationship with Christ?
If you wish to consider baptism, I’m sure Will or Daryl would be happy to talk with you.
Tawa Baptist 