A Baptism Mini Lesson

Freedom Splash from North Point Church, MO, (TommySparger.com) is an event where you can (or could have had) have some July 4th fun, as well as, get baptized.  "Jesus asked us to make our faith public by being baptized," Tommy Sparger.  Where did Jesus say that in the Bible?  There is not a single verse supporting this claim. 


In a video from NPC, "What is Baptism," the definition of being baptized is "Someone is ready to show the world they are a Christ follower.  (Troy Hartman.)  Or, going public with your faith..."  Where does the Bible say that?  It doesn't.  It is not obedience or surrender or trust--that is baptism preached as a "work" which is law.  


Now, let's take a look at Acts 2 (day of Pentecost) vs. 29-38.

 ³⁸Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized*, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. 
*Greek-Baptizo- is the passive voice, being done to you

SO, is baptism for the forgiveness of sin?  WHAT DOES THE TEXT SAY?

The Nicene creed picks this up in 381 AD:  One baptism for the remission of sins.
 In one holy catholic and apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Romans 6:
³Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  ⁴We 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.
In Greek it is passive

You can't do this to yourself, it has to be done by God.

Galations 3:
²⁷for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Also passive in Greek.

Titus 3:
⁴But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,

The washing of regeneration is how the Bible describes baptism.

I Pet. 3
 ¹⁸For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, ¹⁹through whom^[d] also he went and preached to the spirits in prison ²⁰who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, ²¹and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.

Thank you dear Mr. Rosebrough, from Pirate Christian radio, for taking the time for doing this work, so people like me can clean up our theology by comparing things we've been taught to what the Bible says.  (Fighting for the Faith's 6/30/10 program.)