What is the Purpose of Water Baptism?

Matthew 28: 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

• Where does Jesus want His followers to go make more disciples?
• What is a disciple?
• Who did Jesus say to baptize?
• Should babies be baptized? Why or why not?

• The word “baptize” comes from the Greek word, baptizo, which means to immerse or submerge. Based on this passage, what would you say is the main reason that followers of Jesus should be baptized?

Acts 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. 31 "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

• This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, but he didn’t understand the Scriptures and didn’t know Jesus. How do you think God looks at a man like that?

32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."
34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

• Would you be able to do what Philip did? Would you be able to tell someone the good news about Jesus, beginning from the passage in Isaiah 53 that this man was reading?

36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" 37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

• Does a person need to be baptized in a church?
• Does water baptism have to be done by a pastor?
• What changes need to take place in a person’s life before they are baptized in water?
• What is the purpose of water baptism?