← All studies

Study 12 of 25

Baptism

Baptism confesses, but does not create, union with Christ's death and resurrection already accomplished for all.

Hands-free narration of this study — good for the car.

Synopsis

Sequeira explains that baptism, like the Lord's Supper, is a symbol pointing to the truth of the gospel rather than a meritorious work; it is 'the truth of baptism that saves, not the act itself.' He traces baptism's biblical meaning from John's baptism of repentance to Christ's reintroduction of baptism as always 'into Christ,' showing that all humanity was implicated in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection as the last Adam. Believers who are baptized are confessing, by faith, an obedience to a salvation already accomplished — they die to sin and rise to new life because Christ has already died and risen for them. He carefully corrects two errors: treating immersion itself as meritorious, and treating baptism as merely giving up bad habits, insisting instead that baptism's meaning is union with Christ's finished work, received by faith alone.

Key points

  • Baptism and the Lord's Supper are symbols pointing to the truth of Christ's finished work; the symbols themselves carry no saving merit.
  • The New Testament always describes baptism as being 'into Christ' — union with His death, burial, and resurrection.
  • Because all humanity was implicated in Christ's death as the 'last Adam,' baptism is the individual's faith confession of what is already true for humanity in Christ.
  • Immersion is the biblical method, but is important because it symbolizes death, burial, and resurrection — not because the act itself merits salvation.

Key texts

  • Romans 6:3-4
  • Galatians 3:27
  • 1 Corinthians 15:45

From the book

Chapter 12 · Belief 15 · Read this chapter

  • “As we will discover, it is the truth of baptism that saves, not the act itself, as important as the act may be.” (ch. 12)
  • “Baptism is always into Christ ; this is the first and most important truth about the process.” (ch. 12)
  • “Immersion under the water symbolizes one's death, burial, and resurrection with Christ.” (ch. 12)

Put it into practice

  • Reflect this week on your own baptism as a confession of faith in a salvation already accomplished by Christ, not a work that earned it.
  • Read Romans 6:1-11 and note each phrase describing dying and rising with Christ.
  • If you know someone preparing for baptism, share the chapter's distinction between the symbol and the truth it represents.
  • Journal about one area of 'the old life' you are called to consider truly dead, resting in Christ's resurrection life instead.
  1. Comprehension

    1. Why does Sequeira insist that baptism, though commanded, is not 'a subtle form of works'?

  2. Scripture

    2. Read Romans 6:3-4. What does baptism symbolize about the believer's relationship to Christ?

  3. Doctrinal Clarity

    3. How does Sequeira use the concept of Christ as the 'last Adam' (1 Corinthians 15:45) to explain the meaning of baptism?

  4. Contrast

    4. Contrast the two errors about baptism that Sequeira warns against.

  5. Comprehension

    5. What is the significance of John's baptism compared to the baptism Jesus reintroduced?

  6. Scripture

    6. According to Galatians 3:27, what happens to those baptized into Christ?

  7. Doctrinal Clarity

    7. Why does Sequeira caution against seeing immersion versus sprinkling as the central issue in the baptism debate?

  8. Application

    8. Personal: What does your own baptism (or your understanding of it) mean to you in light of this chapter's emphasis on 'the truth of baptism' over the act itself?