Sam Fordham: Welcome back to Ask Dr. Fordham. And we're looking again at the book I Have Decided, part two, at the second decision that is there, and that is the decision for baptism. But as we get started again, I have decided, this is a podcast just outlining this book and explaining it a little more in more detail. you can find Keith's book on Amazon.com and the paper version and the version that is Kindle version, Kindle edition is there as well. And if you would please like, subscribe, comment. That helps us out in a lot of different ways. But too, if you put the notification on whatever platform you're listening to or watching from, then that will that will allow you to get notified when we upload new content. And again, www dotkeithforham.com. Keith Fordham Evangelist Association, Incorporated, is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. So donations to the ministry are tax deductible. And you can donate through that website if you so choose. But today we're looking at part two, an aid for making personal commitments to Christ. And there's a quote that you've got here in the book that says, If anyone who has ever lived did not need baptism, it would be the Lord Jesus Christ. But He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. If Jesus was not too good to be baptized, then ain't none of us too good to be baptized. And I'll say usually you you add neither on the end of that. But Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: I have decided to follow the Lord in believers' baptism. So if you have someone come forward in a church service, or maybe they've come at a different time, but in between Sunday school and church or or you've gone out to make a visit and they say, I need to be baptized. if you've got I have decided with you, you can turn to this section of the book and I think it's about page fifty and pick up there with baptism. So after someone believes in Christ after repenting of your sin and accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior, your next step of faith is to be baptized and united as a member of a God fearing Bible believing church. Baptism is a beautiful way to immediately show That you are not ashamed of Jesus. And why is that important? Well, what Jesus said, Matthew 10 32. Therefore, whoever confesses me before men, I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. And we see that played out the with the the churches there in the in the book of Revelation, those that stood for Christ and stood for his name and stood for his word. he promised that they would their names would be confessed before the Father and before the holy angels. So that is why it's important. Keith Fordham: Who is to be baptized? What a question. Number one, those who have trusted Jesus as Savior. In fact, baptism is for believers only. And if you were baptized or dunked or sprinkled and you were not a believer at the time, you didn't have baptism because the Bible teaches you believe first and then you're baptized. Sam Fordham: Which means number three, it's not for infants, not for babies. Keith Fordham: Yeah, nowhere in the Bible is that the case. And those who know baptism is a symbol. It doesn't save you, but it it doesn't save you from your sins. Jesus does that, but it does save you from being disobedient and having a guilty conscience, as it says over in Peter. And then those Sam Fordham: That's right. That's right. Keith Fordham: who are not ashamed, they'll go on and be baptized. Sam Fordham: Why be baptized? Well, Jesus said you need to baptize. Go therefore and make or win disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Keith Fordham: Why be baptized? Well, you're demonstrating your obedience. Jesus, his followers obeyed the command to be baptized. Jesus was baptized, not for his own sake, but to fulfill righteousness. Jesus was not too good, and neither are you. Well, I'll be back to this. Sam Fordham: Also, baptism represents new life. Keith Fordham: Therefore, we are buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life. Sam Fordham: And then the public testimony of faith. But when they believed, Philip, as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Keith Fordham: Baptism in Greek means to be submerged, covered by water, immersed, dipped, or drowned. And in fact, the word baptize comes straight out of the Greek. It wasn't an English word. It's Sam Fordham: Mm-hmm. Keith Fordham: they took the beta and made it a B, the alpha made it a A, the pine made it a P, the tawn made it a T, and so on until that Word was brought straight into our language. And the reason they call Baptists died in the wool Baptists is because this is the Greek word that was used for dying wool, for changing its color, and you had to totally submerge it, immerse it, dip it down to get the color change. Yeah. Sam Fordham: End of the solution, yes. Yeah. Keith Fordham: And so, and then also it pictures the death, the burial, and resurrection of Christ. Sam Fordham: So in the New Testament, we see that in Acts 8 and John 3, places of much water going down into the water is spoken of there, being buried in the water, Romans 6 4 and Colossians 2 speak of the burial aspect of it, and being raised from the water. again, those two passages, but then coming up out of the water, Mark 1. Keith Fordham: Mm-hmm. Sam Fordham: it says when they came s straightway up out of the water. Well it's hard to come up out of something that you haven't been down into, Keith Fordham: That's right. Sam Fordham: is the is the point there. And so that's h how we baptized. And somebody asked the question, Well, what why what do I need to do? Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water. And again, understand that you gotta get down in it is the idea there. Is immersion essential? A lot of people will ask that question, do I have to be baptized? Do I have to be put all the way under the water? Keith Fordham: The the thief on the cross was not baptized. Sam Fordham: Right. Keith Fordham: But he would have if he'd had the chance. Sam Fordham: Well, his his baptism was far more literal, because he would have been buried that day. But again, Keith Fordham: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's right. Right. Sam Fordham: it is not essential to salvation, but as you s said earlier, it's essential in regards to obedience. it does not save us from sin, th that is from being disobedient, but from a bad or disobedient conscience towards God is what it what Peter said there in First Peter three twenty one. And so it does save us in in regards to not being disobedient. in the New Testament, believers were publicly baptized before other followers of Christ and before the lost. And and and by before there you mean in front of, y you know, so that people could see it. And that's why in a lot of Baptist churches, not all churches, but a lot of them, you've got the Baptistry as front and center in the sanctuary up high. So people can see. Keith Fordham: Yes. Sam Fordham: immersion is the biblical picture of baptism. And again, only immersion pictures death, burial, and resurrection. And so it shows outwardly the inner commitment that has been made to Christ. And the question many people ask, well, when should I be baptized? Keith Fordham: Well, as soon as possible. But I want to go back to the what you just said, that ring on my finger. I always tell people, What does that ring mean? And they say, That means you're married. I said, Sam Fordham: That's all that's right. Keith Fordham: Well, if I take that ring off, what does that mean? Well, it means I'm still married, whether I got it on or off, but the point is Yes right. But but it is a outward Sam Fordham: That's right. You you might now you might get in trouble, but but that doesn't mean you're not married. Keith Fordham: picture of a commitment I've made. For a lifetime, and and this is what baptism is. It shows outwardly what's happened inwardly. And it also is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Our death, buried with him, and then brought up to walk in a new life in him. So so that's all the picture there. Sam Fordham: That question of when, and that's something a lot of people encounter, especially there are a lot of parents and especially out of my generation that will will hesitate. Their child makes a decision for Christ and I say, Well, we want to make sure he's really saved before he's baptized. And while that seems noble, everywhere in Scripture baptism was almost immediate, or at least it seems to be the case. Keith Fordham: Yes. Yes. Sam Fordham: and and two, the worst thing that can happen if you're if your child or or someone comes and they've they've claimed to have made a decision for Christ or a commitment to Christ and you baptize them and they're not really a believer yet is they're gonna get wet. Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: y you you're not adding to it any confusion by permitting them to be baptized. You say, Well, I know a lot of people that say, well, I was baptized When I was a child or I was baptized Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: some years ago when you ask Are you saved? and they say, Well, I was baptized. Well, what that was is that was poor poor decision advising or none th a Keith Fordham: Yes, right. Or none at all, yeah. Sam Fordham: lack of that that occurred in their life and that is Keith Fordham: Rick Rick Gage, you just had in for the revival where Sam Fordham: Yeah. Keith Fordham: you all had the hundred and sixty eight saved, the Sam Fordham: Yes. Keith Fordham: he made the comment that he went forward as a what, eight, nine year old boy or something like that and and was baptized but never saved. And it was not till he was in his twenties that he accepted Christ. Of course, then he came back for what we call true baptism or believers baptism. Sam Fordham: Yes. Where should I be baptized? Well, I w I would have said and and all these are good, in a church worship service and and the answer is in into the church. I think it's the most appropriate answer. Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: you know, got to be able to answer the question, have you trusted Christ as Lord and Savior? and again, usually it's gonna be with others. and some of things you you'll you'll discover is a lot of churches have dressing areas, they have places for you to dry off and get get changed after baptism or before Keith Fordham: No. Sam Fordham: baptism. And again, you're gonna have somebody there to help you and instruct you. And and for your church, you decision advisors want to be familiar with what it sometimes as a committee, sometimes it's Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: individuals, but to be able to give instructions as to w what this is going to look like on the day of your baptism. Keith Fordham: And the pool will be heated generally to a decent temperature. and although out outside w they chopped a hole in the ice one place Sam Fordham: We hope. Yeah. Keith Fordham: and baptized them up in New Brunswick, Canada. And you baptized we took the people down away from the church building down to a Sam Fordham: Yeah, Beth Bethel Baptist Church of Rocky Mount, Georgia. They're they did not have a baptismal in the building. It was down in the woods behind the building. And you had to divert a spring into their baptistry as a stone and cinder block construction. And so we got in there with the with the newts and the toads and the crayfish and everything Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: else that was that was in it. And and did Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: baptism and it was nice and cool and that was an a on a August day, I believe. But Yeah. In fa Keith Fordham: Yeah, and it was ca the water was like ice when Sam Fordham: in fact we had borrowed a portable baptistry because we had two individuals that were having or had recently had heart issues and and we were able to heat that water and we Keith Fordham: Yes. Sam Fordham: did that inside and then for the the other able bodied folks we went down and and did the baptism in the spring. We didn't wanna We didn't want to end up actually burying anybody that day. So Keith Fordham: That's right. Sam Fordham: what hinders you? And now one of the most famous baptisms in all of history is occurs there in Acts chapter eight, and that is with a man named Philip who's a an evangelist and he caught up to a chariot, came across that Ethiopian who was reading the scripture, and when he explained Jesus to the man, the man said, Well, well, there's a lot of water What keeps me from being baptized? And so he he Philip's question back to him was, Do you believe? And the man b said he believed, and so Philip said and stopped the chariot, and they got down, went down into the water, and he baptized him. And so again, is there any reason not to be baptized if you believe that Jesus is the Christ, follow him and do so do so now. Keith Fordham: Right. Those are Yeah. Sam Fordham: If you've received his word, like those in Acts two, they were baptized. Keith Fordham: Gladly. Yeah. Sam Fordham: Yeah, some people say, Well, I've already been baptized. Well, but if you were not believing when you were baptized before, you were what we call dunked. and again, Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: there's no there's no penalty, there's no harm, I don't believe, in Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: being sure you've got it in the right order. Keith Fordham: Yes. Sam Fordham: And again, if your recent prayer to trust Christ was your salvation commitment, then you need to be baptized. And and the question you've mentioned Rick Gage a few minutes ago, when we were dealing with with decision advising in that crusade, the the question that we would ask somebody if they say, Well, I made a commitment when I was a kid. I say, okay, well, if you were to die today, which of the commitments that you've made, the one when you were a kid or the one tonight? would you trust for your salvation? Keith Fordham: that's good. Sam Fordham: I say, Well the one tonight and I say, Well then you need to be baptized and so that's the Keith Fordham: Let me share a quick illustration. My Charles Kilo is one of my heroes. He used to preach revivals in Texas and he would on the first night, usually it was a Sunday night, instead of Sunday morning, he would have little cards that he'd put in envelopes and he'd get the church staff to come up with enough lost people for everybody in the first service to take one home, pray over it and then try to get those people to come to church that week during the revival. And he did it on this particular Sunday night, I think it was first Columbus, Texas, and when he did the deacon came down, this little 10-year-old daughter came down, they got their envelopes, they got home, they got around the kitchen table. Got on their knees and opened their envelopes and daddy opened his envelope. He said, I've been working on this guy for years. I know I'd get him here this week for the revival meeting. And the little girl opened her envelope and said, I I got a man's name, Daddy. It's Leon Sh he said, Honey, that's Leon Schimmler. He owns three plants and everybody in three towns around here works for him. Diddy, I got his name and you're supposed to take me to see him and we're supposed to get him on our road to church. She said he said, honey, he'll fire me if I try to get through to him. He didn't want anybody getting to him. And so you need to just hush up about it. Well, she might have hushed up that night, but the next day that little ten year old girl got on the telephone, called out to that big plant, got through the PBX to his personal secretary. And got Leon Schimler personally on the telephone. And when she did, she she said, hello, this is so-and-so from First Church, and I I've been praying for near a day now that God would save you. And you're supposed to come sit on my row at the revival meeting, and and my daddy was supposed to bring me over there to ask you, but he he said he was scared of you because you got too much money. Well when that was said, she could not see the other end of the telephone line and Schimmler could hardly talk. He said, Young lady, you be on that You be out front, I'll be on your row. He came that night and the next night. And when he did, he came down the aisle. He told the preacher, I should have been saved 40 years ago. I need to be saved right now. And the preacher said, Well, let's just get down here on our knees and you pray, Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, I don't promise to be perfect. I don't promise to be perfect. But as best as I know how, but as I best as I know how, I give my heart and life to you. I give my heart and life to you. In Jesus' name, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Leon Schimmler got saved. Now his wife came down and she got saved. And he told the preacher, said, Y'all got water in that pool up there. Y'all been baptizing. Said, I need to be baptized. Well, there wasn't nobody gonna leave and not see him get baptized. But the the preacher said we don't have a robe and we don't have towels. He said, that's all right, we'll just drive home wet. And Betty, they went on, got baptized, and it all happened because a little ten year old girl overcame a chicken hearted deacon daddy and did what all of us ought Sam Fordham: Mm. Keith Fordham: to be doing anyway. And Sam Fordham: Yeah. Keith Fordham: that's one of my favorite things about somebody getting saved and being baptized. Sam Fordham: some people come to a point and they say, Well, my baptism was not by immersion. I need to be baptized by immersion. And again, there are a lot of people that have that experience and for a lot of different reasons, but it that is something easy to overcome. And again, if somebody is willing, they are they are able to be baptized and you can do it in a lot of different ways. We've seen churches, you know, they'll say, Well, well, our We we have somebody that needs to be baptized but they're they're disabled in a certain way. And so I've we've heard and seen of churches say, Well, we're gonna have church on this Sunday night over at the aquatic center because they have a lift and we can lift and lower a person Keith Fordham: All right. Sam Fordham: into into the pool, put chairs in baptistries and all sorts of other things is possible again if we're just willing. what about if I was baptized as an i or you wanted to interject there? Keith Fordham: Yeah. Well w well, I my uncle TJ Ison years ago, lost as any human being you've ever seen, drunk, eat up with cancer. They cut him open and just sewed him right back up. He never even healed back together. He was so eat up with the cancer. But a fella came by and said, T J we could have been killed in the war. We could have been killed in that car wreck we had when we flipped over about four times and landed on the roof and and we should have been killed in that knife fight and all that and finally he said you need to be saved and and TJ in the hospital prayed and accepted Christ. And when he did, a light came in those jaundiced eyes. it was unbelievable just seeing that. Sam Fordham: Mm. Keith Fordham: But but the point is he wanted to be baptized so they took him out of the hospital And even though he was not sewed back up, oozing, they went on his two sons went down in the pool with him and helped the preacher baptize Sam Fordham: Hmm. Wow. Keith Fordham: him, got him back up, took him back to the hospital. Now I don't know what that would do to insurance today, but it w it it did it back those years ago. Sam Fordham: It's not to tell. Keith Fordham: And and they of course had d had to disinfect the pool when he when they got through. But the point being is that they can do something to get you baptized. It's it's Sam Fordham: Yeah. Keith Fordham: incredible. Sam Fordham: Yeah. And again, the question about infant baptism, one of the greatest tragedies in church history occurred in four twenty nine AD at the Council of Orange in France. it was decided that the prayer of a priest over an infant being baptized was as efficacious as the sinner had prayed the prayer himself. And again, that was a decision that men made, not not a decision that scripture condoned. And so Keith Fordham: ear earlier this year the a group went to Europe and they you know went and visited churches and this kind of thing and it was a group of seminary students and the they were taken by a Roman Catholic priest to the basement of the church and he showed them their baptistry. Sam Fordham: Mm-hmm. Keith Fordham: But again, everybody baptized. They didn't sprinkle, they didn't do the other stuff, and you'll find Yeah. Sam Fordham: Yeah, for the first four hundred years or so of Christianity, they baptized by immersion. So Keith Fordham: Yes. Sam Fordham: God did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey him, but God gave us a will and freedom of choice. You must call on the Lord to save you. No one can do that for you. And again, that's why we we maintain that It's not the infant, but the infant when they grow and they they are able to understand their decision. the Bible teaches for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So we need the the believer to be the one that calls on the name of the Lord. And the Bible, baptism always comes after salvation, and biblical baptism never comes before. So talk with your pastor, staff minister to set up a time for baptism. And the reason we don't generally do it the day a person comes to know Christ is because they may want family members to be present. They may want someone in particular to be able to see that public declaration that they are identifying with Christ and with his church. And so that brings us to the end of that section next time. we'll talk about having assurance of salvation. And so we'll get into that. But until then, we hope you're blessed. Keith Fordham: God bless.