Part 1 | We Identify With Christ Through Baptism
Romans 6:1-5 | October 18, 2026
Dr. Mark S. Hartman, Lead Pastor – SCBC
1. GOD IS TOTALLY INVOLVED IN BRINGING YOU INTO RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
- A. Ephesians 1:4-5 Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. (NLT)
- B. Isaiah 53:4-6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, everyone, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Christ, the Messiah, the iniquity of us all. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter… (paraphrase)
- C. Romans 10:9 …if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
2. BAPTISM IS THE OUTWARD SYMBOL OF AN INWARD COMMITMENT TO CHRIST.
- A. Acts 8:36-38 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the man said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the man went down into the water and Philip baptized him.
- B. Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (NIV)
C. The word Baptism is actually a Greek word, Baptisma or Baptizo that translated meant“to dip under, to immerse.”
D. The purpose of creating the new word “baptism” during the time of King James, was to hide its original meaning.
E. Here are quotes from key Christian men of the past:
1. Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church wrote: “I would have those who are to be baptized to be entirely immersed as the Word imports and the mystery signifies.”
(The Large Catechism (XIII) - Martin Luther – page 565)
2. John Calvin founder of the Presbyterian church said: “The word baptize signifies to immerse. It is certain that immersion was the practice of the ancient church.”
(John Calvin: Calvin's Commentaries – Complete - Christian Classics Ethereal Library)
3. John Wesley founder of the Wesleyan and Methodist churches said, “Buried with Him alludes to baptizing by immersion according to the custom of the first church.”
(lectionarycentral.com/trinity06/WesleynotesEpistle.html)
- F. Romans 6:3-4 Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 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.
G. At first, the New Testament practice of immersion changed during emergencies.
H. At Sugar Creek we immerse because Jesus told us to do so. We acknowledge that immersion actually symbolizes the meaning of baptism – my life before Christ is dead and buried, my life is raised to follow Jesus.
Answers to questions about baptism: https://sugarcreek.net/baptism