3:16 — Matthew 3:16

Launching a series on the New Testament's many 3:16 verses, this message centers on Matthew 3:16, where Jesus seeks out John to be baptized, the heavens open, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father declares His pleasure. Jesus is baptized, the text says, to fulfill all righteousness. Because thousands of denominations carry different pictures of baptism, the teaching returns to the Greek word itself, meaning to dip, plunge, or immerse. From Acts 2 it traces the progression of hearing the gospel, believing, repenting, confessing, and being baptized in response. Five things baptism symbolizes are surveyed: cleansing from sin, new birth, circumcision of the heart, union with Christ's death and resurrection, and the pledge of a clear conscience. That last point grounds why this church practices believer's baptism: it must be the individual's own free choice, not made for them.