What is the Church? The Ordinance of Baptism Pt. 2

This sermon examines the ordinance of baptism by analyzing its practice in the early church as recorded in Acts and its theological foundation in Romans 6. It argues that water baptism is a public testimony of a prior spiritual reality, where believers are united to Christ in His death and resurrection. The text distinguishes between the physical act of immersion and the spiritual work of justification, emphasizing that faith and repentance must precede the ordinance. By reviewing passages from Acts, the sermon refutes the notion that baptism itself saves, instead presenting it as a sign of the new covenant for those who have already received the Holy Spirit. The discussion concludes with a look at early church traditions from the Didache, highlighting the importance of catechism and the Trinitarian formula in baptismal practice.