Baptism

Scripture

Sermon Description

What is the purpose of baptism? Why did Jesus teach baptism after someone is saved? In this sermon on the sacrament of baptism (the second sermon in his series on the sacraments of the church), Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones walks through a topic sometimes debated even amongst believers. Baptism’s meaning, he says, is an outward illustration of the inward cleansing from the pollution of sin. Its purpose is not to cleanse from sin and regenerate because that would mean that people are saved through the work of baptism, something that Scripture clearly denies. So, what does it accomplish? Baptism serves as a sign and seal of one’s justification and remission of sins. And yet, he says, not everyone is eligible to be baptized. This teaching runs counter to the Catholic teaching on baptism. What about infant baptism? Should babies be baptized? Running through a list of arguments for and against infant baptism, Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows from Scripture that this practice is not biblical since the Bible encourages only believers to be baptized. He also touches on another oft-controversial topic: should baptism only be full-immersion, or is sprinkling acceptable? He provides the historical and scriptural background for immersion and sprinkling, and aids the listener in coming to a biblically-supported position on the issue.