How to pray for unsaved people

Acts 26:18 "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me."

Yesterday we discovered why it is that the Christian cannot fail in their sharing of the gospel.  All attempts to share the gospel are successful, due to the fact that we are extending the external call of the Gospel to all people.  Those who respond and believe in Christ do so because of the Spirit's convincing inward call to the inward ears of their heart.  As we pray for the Holy Spirit to accompany our witnessing with His inward call, we can pray for the following:

1. "Lord, Open the Heart." That the Lord would do for them what he did in Acts 16:14 "A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul."

2. "Lord, take the Gospel from the mind to the heart." Romans 10:8-10 - "what does it say? 'THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART'—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

3. "Lord Remove the darkness." 2 Corinthians 4:4,6 "4in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (6) "For God, who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness,' is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

4. "Lord, grant ears to hear, eyes to see and a heart to embrace you." Ephesians 1:16 "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,". This is a good prayer to pray for the person after their conversion, since it is addressed to believers who need a greater understanding of who they are in Christ, and who Christ is in them.

When unbelievers are  given "ears to hear", they will turn to Christ by  grace through faith. By faith the new convert will run to the cross of safety!  If you have been sharing the Gospel with an unconverted family member or co-worker, don't give up!  Keep doing what your doing.  Prayer and evangelism are the sail and the mast of missions that are hoisted by faith by the people of God.  We pray that the Spirit would blow forth His breath on what we do to move forward the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Why you can't fail in sharing the Gospel

Matthew 11:15 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear"

  

When it comes to the Holy Spirit's work in the life of an unbeliever, an important distinction must be made between two distinct "calls" or "appeals" in evangelism. The outward call or appeal to the physical ears, mind, emotions and conscience.  Whereas the inward call is where the Spirit includes an effective appeal to the inward ears of the heart along with the already present outward call.   

1. The Outward Call or what is termed General appeal to all to believe the Gospel.

The outward call is our witnessing of the Gospel to that person, whereby they hear it with their physical ears and may even consider it in their minds, however that as far as it goes.  The outward call is a work, an activity of the Spirit of God who with us extends the Gospel to all.  It is a work that extends compelling evidence for the need of repentance, however it is not made conclusive nor convincing.  Whenever a person rejects, they are resisting the outward call. 

When Paul for instance testified of his faith in Jesus Christ before King Agrippa, the outward call of the Gospel was being extended, however Agrippa replied to Paul in Acts 26:28 - “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.” 29And Paul said, “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.”  Agrippa was not rendered responsible.  His lack of response tells us that he heard the outward call of the Gospel with his physical ears, however the inward ears of his heart has not yet been affected.

Conversion of the human heart is a work affected by the Holy Spirit who has opened that person's heart to repent and believe on Jesus Christ. (John 1:13; Acts 16:14; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:3).  By the witness of God through creation and the conscience to unbelievers, as well as through the general appeal made to them to repent of their sins and turn to Christ, there is certainly no lack of mercy on God's part. If anything, God is only obligated to do one thing - justice.  The fact that He reveals anything about Himself at all indicates that He is by nature a reconciler. (2 Corinthians 5:15-21)

The Inward call or what is termed Effectual or Saving Grace.

As we extend the outward call of the Gospel to that person, we pray that accompanying our witnessing would be the Spirit's voice along with ours, extending the inward, effectual call to the ears of the heart. (Revelation 22:17)  The Bible reveals that we have two sets of ears: our physical ears and the "ears of the heart". (Ephesians 1:16-18) All hear the outward call and are responsible, however only those to whom the Spirit calls inwardly will respond. Since we never know whom the Spirit is affecting, we are to proclaim the gospel until faith comes. (Galatians 3:23).  Whenever the Spirit penetrates a person's heart into the inward ears, this grace is effectual, meaning that the person will see and hear Jesus for who he really is.  They will trust and run to Jesus, since He is shown to their hearts (and not just their minds, emotions and conscience) to be genuinely the only One who can save them.

Pertaining to this inward call to the ears of the heart, Jesus says on at least eight occassions in the Gospels this phrase: "he who has ears, let him hear." (Matthew 11:15,16, 13:9,43; Mark 4:9,23; Luke 8:8, 14:35) Likewise the Apostle John records Jesus saying this phrase to all seven churches to which he is writing to in Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13 and 3:22. No doubt, the enemy, Satan, blinds non-Christians to the truth of the gospel, as 2 Corinthians 4:4 reveals to be the enemy's work in all their lives. However we as Christians need to pray for the Holy Spirit to accompany our witnessing and sharing the Gospel. We need to pray that in our extending of His outward call to all people that He would include the necessary inward call to those whom he convicts and calls to respond and believe. (John 1;12-13)

Important Note: Christians can never fail in their sharing of the Gospel

Whenever people refuse to believe the gospel, whose fault is it? It's not God's fault, since He has offered them compelling proof of their need to repent.  We must remember that God is not willing that any would perish but that all would come to repentence. (2 Peter 3:9)  In the outward call of the Gospel to the physical ear, even though the nature of the Spirit's work in the outward call is not convincing them to believe, yet it is His work of compelling them to do so. 

It's certainly not the Christian's fault, since the main mission is to go into all the world and make disciples and be ambassadors for Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15-21)  Its not the Bible's fault, since scripture itself will never return void but will accomplish the purpose for which it was sent, whether it be to alert the person about their responsibility to believe (outward call) or actually respond and believe (inward call). (Isaiah 55:10-11)  Thus the rejection of the Gospel lies soley in the hands of the unbeliever, who is making a clear choice to persist in their sin rather than turn to Christ.  (John 3:16-19; 12:42-43)

Therefore let's issue forth the general call of the Gospel to every person, praying that in our witnessing, the Spirit of God would include His inward call, so that as many people as possible would believe and be saved from the wrath to come.  As the noted father of modern missions, William Carey, told his son:

"The conversion of one soul is worth the labour of a life time. 'Unto us is this favour given that we should preach among the gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.' Hold on, therefore; be steady in your work, and leave the result with God." "Be encouraged, my dear son. Devote yourself wholly to your work. For this is the cause God has had in His mind from eternity, and for which Christ shed His blood, and for which the Spirit and the Word were given. So its triumph is certain."

Six reasons why Baptism is a must

1 Peter 3:21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

The reason for laboring over this issue of baptism is due to the significance of the practice and the widespread confusion over the issue.  I hope that in the past several days the reader has found clarity on this issue.  1 Peter 3:21 represents the final mention of baptism in the New Testament.  We have noted three reasons so far why baptism is significant for Christians:

1. Jesus mandated it, by modeling it and commanding it
2. Its method is that of faith in Christ first, followed by baptism of the believer throughout the Gospels, Acts and Epistles .
3. Its mode is meaningful, conveying the primary meaning of "immerse, dip".  This pictures the saint publically proclaiming their identity in Christ's death, burial and resurrection, something of which they would had done in a prior commitment of faith and repentance. 

Today we are going to wrap up this study of baptism by noting why baptism is a must for believers.

1. Baptism enables one's Public Profession of Faith. 
Jesus states in Luke 9:26 that if anyone is ashamed to mention Him before men, He will be ashamed to mention Him before His Father in Heaven.  As we already saw in 1 Peter 3:21, baptism enables the believer to "pledge a good conscience" before God or "unto God". 

2. Baptism places a mile marker in a Christian's life
Baptism is often like a mile marker in a Christian's life.  Just like Jacob, who took a stone and anointed it with oil to remind him of God's first encounter with Him, baptism functions as a "stone of remembrance for the believer. (Genesis 28:18) 

Or better yet, God gave Abraham the Covenant sign of circumcision to remind him of the covenant he had been given by God. (Genesis 12:1-3;15; 17)  Certainly passages such as Colossians 2:12-13 draw such a parallel between baptism functioning as such a sign to the believer, signifying the prior work God had done in circumcising their hearts, and transforming their lives by grace through faith alone.  Just as circumcision was given to Abraham to point to a prior work done in His life, baptism has been given to the church to testify of the work of grace done and receive by faith prior to the baptism. 

3. Baptism pictures the saint's connection to Jesus Christ
1 Corinthians 10:2-4 reads - "and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3and all ate the same spiritual food; 4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ."  Baptism here speaks of "in connection with or association with" a covenant head.  For the Jews in the Old Testament, they were connected with the covenant head of the Old Covenant - Moses; whereas the New Testament Christian is connected by faith to their head - Christ.  Sadly those Old Testament saints who crossed the red sea did not have saving faith accompanying journey.  If they would had, they would had seen the one to whom they needed to be ultimately connected to.  Even though Christ accompanied them by means of the rock, yet Christ was not truly "in them". 

4. Water Baptism portrays the invisible work the Holy Spirit worked in his uniting of the saint to Christ in conversion
1 Corinthians 12:12 reads - "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit."  To be baptized here speaks of the Spirit's work of uniting the formerly lost sinner to Christ through saving faith.  This work is the "Spirit baptism" whereby the new converted Christian is tied into the wider body of truly converted saints.  This is an invisible work of grace at salvation.  Spirit baptism is made "visible, illustrated, pictured" by water baptism.  It is not two baptisms, but rather two parts of one baptism. (Ephesians 4:5) The Spirit baptism is another term for the believer's salvation, whereas water baptism is the believer re-enacting for physical eyes the prior work done in the heart at saving faith. 

5. Baptism promotes the Gospel
Baptism goes hand and hand with the preaching of the gospel.  The preaching of God's word present the word which alone can convert and save sinners. (Romans 10:9-15)  It is through the scriptures that the Holy Spirit penetrates the human heart, whereas in baptism we see pictured what takes place in the human heart.  Baptism on its own does not produce saving faith, rather it pictures it. 

6. Baptism prioritizes obedience to Jesus Christ
When a Christian convert goes into those baptismal waters, they are picturing a fully obedient Christian.  In the presence of the reading of or preaching of the scriptures, the Holy Spirit can take such a picture and press it before the child of God.  The picture points to the reality, the master, to whom all Christians owe their allegiance.  We are reminded too that love for Christ is chiefly expressed by obedience to Christ. (John 14:15,21,23).  This is why Christ has ordained the church to be the administrator of believer's baptism, since loving submission to Christ the Bridegroom demonstrates most effectively a people transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:25-26; 1 Peter 1:15-16)

The Meaningful Mode of Baptism

John 3:23 "John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized"

We have looked so far at the significance of Biblical Believer's Baptism as it pertains to the following two truths:
1. It was mandated by Jesus Christ
2. Its method is faith first, then baptism

Today we want to consider a third reason why baptism is significant: its meaningful mode.  The mode of Baptism is inseperable from its meaning.  Below we will consider why this case, and why the mode of baptism contributes to its overall significance for the child of God.

The word itself means "to immerse".
Every standard Greek Dictionary of every time period has always made "immerse" the primary meaning of the word baptize.  Derived from the Greek word "baptizo" and "baptismos", this word was used in ancient secular Greek for the sinking of ships in times of war, or the dipping of things into honey. 

Why else would John the Baptist be baptizing at a point in the Jordon River where there was "much water"?  That phrase in John 3:23 translated "much water" is the identical Greek phrase and wording in Revelation 1:15, where the same author heard the voice of Christ as the sound of "many waters".  Clearly, the imagery here is of an over abundance of water.

The Jews before Jesus understood "baptizo" to mean "immerse"
In the area surrounding the Dead Sea scholars have discovered the ruins of Jewish Colonies where "Essene Jews" occupied and studied.  These Jewish communities were looking forward to the expectation of the coming Messiah and their writings are among the now famous "Dead Sea Scrolls". (1)

The Early Church understood "Baptizo" to mean immerse
Early Christian documents such as the "Didache, The Teaching of the twelve Apostles", affirmed the mode of baptism being that of immersion.(2)  I read of a fifth century church where archaeologists had discovered these curiously hand dug holes in the shape of crosses on the church grounds.  Upon further investigation it was discovered that these "holes" were baptistries where the participant would "lay down" in a watery grave, shaped like a cross, and come up again, signifying that they had died with Christ, were buried with Christ and were raised with Christ.(3) 

In other readings, most churches all over Europe, even those who practiced infant baptism, were still designed with baptismal tanks up until the end of the 1600's. 

The Mode communicates the meaning, and the meaning is tied to the mode
Consider the conversion of the Ethiopian in Acts 8:36-38, where in verse 38 we read: "38And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him."(3) 

Or how about Romans 6:3-4, wherein we read - "3Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life."  Then consider Colossians 2:12 "having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." 

There is no doubt about it, the meaning of baptism is included in the mode.  Christ's death, burial and resurrection is the intended picture, with my prior reception of that reality by faith communicated to those who witness it.  Is it no wonder the enemy's persistence in clouding the communication of this ordinance in the church.  May we be ever faithful in proclaiming the gospel through the preaching of the Word and picturing the gospel through the ordinance of Biblical Believer's Baptism. 

End Notes: ______________________
1. In communities such as these, there were hand dug pools called "mikvah" baths where Gentiles desiring to convert to Judaism would be immersed. In a sermon Dr. John MacArthur pointed out the process one underwent when converting to Judiasm prior to Christ.
One first had to be circumcised or what was called "Meela" in the Hebrew Language.  Then the candidate, called a Proselyte, would go through a second stage called "tebula". It was here where they would come to the pool and be immersed or "baptized", signifying his break with the former gentile life, effectively rendering himself "dead to it" and "alive" to what was already his new found faith in the expectation of the coming Messiah. The final stage would then be the offering of a sacrifice or "corban", a gift to the God of Israel.

2. The "Didache" was an early second century document written scarcely 50 years after the death of the Apostle John.  Many believe this text to be a clear demonstration of what the Apostles taught "off the record" so to speak.  Believer's baptism by immersion predates other forms of so-called baptism by a century. 

3. I listened to a sermon by Dr. Charles Stanley, wherein he spoke of having visited the sight of one of the oldest churches in the world, where he witnessed similar holes dug out for the express purpose of baptism by immersion

4. The Greek word is translated "into".  They did not merely go "in" water, but "into" a body of water.   

Why Baptism is no Chicken or the Egg story

Acts 2:41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

Baptism's method is not a chicken or egg story
You have heard of the old question: "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"  In many Christian circles, the issue of Baptism can many times be treated as a "chicken or egg affair" - meaning: which comes first? Baptism or conversion?  In previous blogs we have considered baptism's significance due to it being mandated by Jesus Christ.  Today we want to consider a second general heading: namely that there is a particular method, or order advocated in Biblical believer's baptism.  Unlike the chicken or the egg story, a survey of the Biblical record yields a clear order of conversion to faith first, followed by believer's baptism. 

So how can we tell that saving faith necessarily precedes one's obedient submission to water baptism?  Please take note of the following truths revealed in scripture:

1. Saving Faith appears first, followed by the teaching of Baptism in the Four Gospels
This curious pattern is evident when we consider Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  For instance, in Matthew we see the Gospel of faith and repentance demonstrated in Matthew 1:21 and 3:2; followed by people being baptized as a result of their repentance in 3:6.  In Mark 1:4 we see John preaching the Baptism of repentance.  In the original language that could be rendered "the baptism that comes from repentance".  Soon thereafter we see John baptizing people who have already repented, followed of course by Jesus's baptism.  Luke 1:38 records Mary confessing her faith in the Messiah, with Luke 3:18 recording John baptizing people who had repented. 

Then the Gospel of John not only records this pattern once but twice!  In John 1:12-13 we see a clear statement on the necessity of receiving Christ by grace through faith alone, followed by John the Baptist's testimony of baptism in John 1:19-34.  Then in John 3:1-21 we see Jesus teaching about the necessity of being born again through faith; followed by another testimony by John in connection to questions about Jesus and baptism in John 3:22-36.   

2. Saving Faith precedes Baptism in the Book of Acts
When we come to Acts, we see the same method or order of faith in Christ first, followed by Baptism.  In Acts 2:38-41; 8:12; 8:38; 9:18; 10:44-48; 16:15 and 16:33 we see this repeated method: faith first, then baptism.  Acts 8:36-38 is just one clear example:"36As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 37[And 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.”] 38And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him."

3. Saving Faith precedes Baptism in the Epistles
As testimony to the consistency of God's Word, the teaching on salvation by grace through faith, followed by believer's baptism, continues unbroken through the New Testament letters.  In Romans 1-5 we see the presentation of man's utter sinfulness (1-3) and the doctrine of justification by faith alone (4-5).  In Romans 6 we first meet the doctrine of baptism as picturing the believer's already prior identification with Christ's death, burial and reusrrection.

Galatians 3:26 speaks of faith, with 3:27 speaking of baptism.  Consider this same order in Ephesians 4:5 -  "one Lord, one faith, one baptism."  For those who might think that only Paul championed this order, the Apostle Peter in his first letter speaks of saving faith in 1 Peter 1:3-5, with mention  of water baptism in 1 Peter 3:21.  He even goes to the pains of qualifying baptism as not: "the removal of dirt from the conscience, but rather the pledge of a good conscience to God." 

4. The above observations also reveal that all who are converted to faith in Christ always got baptized
The method of "faith - then baptism" yields another pattern: namely that in every case of saving faith from Acts onward, every Christian got baptized!  We never see one instance of unbaptized Christians. 

When we consider this consistent pattern, or method of baptism in the scriptures, from beginning to end, the pattern is unwavering.  Those who try to place baptism before saving faith, or who try to make baptism simultaneous with saving faith, are only listing  particular texts that suit their purposes.  Furthermore, the pattern reminds us to never have a flippancy towards believer's baptism.  We as Christians and the church need to get the gospel right and Baptism right.  The method shows us the importance of baptism, since saving faith necessarily comes before baptism, and that those who are converted to faith in Christ must and should desire to follow obediently in believer's baptism. 

Why Baptists call Baptism an ordinance

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

In Baptist churches you will hear baptism (and the Lord's Supper) being referred to as "ordinances of the church".1  As we saw yesterday, the first reason why baptism is important is because it was mandated by Jesus Christ.  In other words, Christ modeled it and then commanded it.  It is on this last thought that I want to  unfold to you why we refer to Baptism as an "ordinance", and why that matters.

1. Ordinances are those things commanded by Christ
The word "ordinance" comes from the Latin "ordo" meaning "to command, set in arrangement, to commission".  Thus you may have heard of a minister or a Deacon (or in some churches elders) being "ordained".  Many cities have city "ordinances".  When we come to the New Testament, Christ of course gave commands to his church.  However, there were two specific commands that included certain practices and pictures - namely Lord's Supper and Baptism. 

When Christ commanded baptism, it was to be practiced by the church.  One writer has noted this about the proper administrator of believer's baptism: "The local church is commissioned to do this and the pastor who baptizes is merely acting on behalf of the church."2  Thus whether it be primarily the Pastor, a Deacon or even on occasion that of a father immersing his believing child, the point is that Christ ordained baptism to be done by the local church or those representing the church over which Christ rules as Savior and Lord. 

Second, it was to picture that believer's prior identification of faith in His death, burial and resurrection. (Romans 6:4-5)  To use older language, baptism was a sign pointing to something that was being signified - namely the event of Christ's death, burial and resurrection and the believer's prior experience of faith in that event. 

2. Ordinances are those things taught in the Gospels, preached in Acts and Explained in the Epistles
Ordinances carry the weight of authority, and that authority is most chiefly expressed in their reappearance throughout the New Testament.  In the nearly 100 places where see Baptism occur, it is mentioned nearly 40 times in the Gospels, almost 25 times in Acts and close to 20 times in Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Hebrews and 1 Peter.  Baptism, along with the Lord's Supper, are the only two practices that were commanded by Christ, preached by the Apostles and Acts and explained in detail in the Epistles.

3. Ordinances picture or communicate the Gospel
Baptism is used by God to encourage the saints to reflect on what is being pictured before them: Christ's death, burial and resurrection.  For the child of God getting baptized, they are getting an opportunity to publically profess their faith in Jesus Christ in order to not be guilty of being ashamed of Him before men. (Luke 9:26)  For the New Christian, baptism gives them a chance to pledge a good conscience to God, emphasizing the truth that true saving faith results in good works. (James 2:17-18; 1 Peter 3:21) 

Adrian Rogers notes about all that is pictured in believer's baptism: "Just think of what this pictures. I have been delivered from my sin! My sin is buried in the grave of God's forgetfulness, hallelujah! I am a new person. Baptism not only pictures my death with Him, my resurrection life with Him, but it pictures my ultimate glorification with Him."3

4. The ordinance is used to remind Christians that baptism does not convey salvation, but rather is done as a result of salvation
Some people are under the impression that water baptism is the cause of salvation in a person's life.  In most (not all) other circles where baptism is termed "a sacrament", the idea is that some measure of God's saving grace is communicated to the recipient whether it be through the waters themselves or the act itself.4

For sake of clarity, Baptists have preferred the term ordinance over the term "sacrament".5   This move ensures to all who attend or join our churches that from convictions gained from scripture, we by no means advocate baptism as being the means or agency of salvation.  Rather, baptism primarily functions to picture one's salvation, desire for obedience and participation in Christ's Lordship, eagerness for His return and preference for walking under an open heaven rather than returning to their former pre-conversion love affair with sin. 

End Notes________________________
1. In surveying the historic Baptist Doctrinal Confessions dating back before the Reformation period beginning at 1517, I noticed that coming out of the reformation, self-identified Baptist Groups began to use the term "ordinance' to distinguish themselves from the Roman Catholic belief system.  The first instance of this is in the 1596 Baptist doctrinal statement simply entitled: "A True Confession".  As a general pattern, most other Baptist groups from that time to present have used the term "ordinance" as opposed to "sacrament".  For current examples of baptists doctrinal statements using this word, go to the Southern Baptist Website: www.sbc.net 
2. Frank Barnes. Church Membership Orientation for Baptist Churches. 
3. Adrian Rogers. What Every Christian Ought to Know.  B & H Press. Nashville, TN. 2005
4. Presbyterian and most Reformed churches use the term "sacrament", however they do not advocate baptismal regeneration.  Otherwise one can compare doctrinal statements of the following groups which advocate salvation through baptism or "baptismal regeneration" as stated in this blog: "The Formula of Concord" on website of the Lutheran Church,  Missouri Synod at www.lcms.org.  The official website of the Roman Catholic Church, which advocates an even stronger view of baptismal regeneration, is found at the Vatican website: www.vatican.va  There one can look at the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Any viewpoint which advocates baptismal regeneration does so from tradition mixed with biblical convictions, rather than strictly biblical-only convictions.   
5. Most Baptist bodies stuck with the term "ordinance" in order to communicating the non-saving character of baptism. 

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Baptism was mandated by Jesus Christ

Matthew 3:16-17 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Why Jesus was baptized
In the course of studying Jesus' life, a key event marked the end of Jesus' private preparation from birth to age 30 and the beginning of his public ministry from age 30-33: namely his baptism.  When Jesus comes to the Jordon river, John the Baptist, his cousin and the last prophet of the Old Testament era, stops him and states in Matthew 3:14 - "I have need to be baptized by you."  Jesus' response to John reveals his purpose for getting baptized: "it is fitting for us to fulfilll all righteousness". (Matthew 3:15) 

What Jesus was saying in the original language was that he wanted to show the people what it looked like to not only be right with God positionally, but to show them by example the very righteousness they would need credited to them to be made right with God - namely Christ Himself.  The promise to which they were believing, and the message to which John had been preaching, was now standing before them. 

Christ's Baptism served as an example to not only the Jews of His day, but set the precedent for his final instructions to His church
Christ mandated baptism by both modeling it and commanding it.  In Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-23 and John the Baptist's testimony in John 1:19-34 we see the event of Christ's baptism.  As we already mentioned, Christ's baptism marked the beginning of His public ministry.  Additionally, Christ's Baptism signalled the beginning of the end of John's ministry, since John's preaching of the promised Messiah had been shown to be made complete. 

The main differences between John's baptism and New Testament baptism is of perspective.  The former looked forward to Messiah and the other pictures the believer's prior identification by faith in what Christ had accomplished.  However when we consider the similarities, we can note how Jesus mandated baptism's main elements by modeling and commanding it:

1. Conversion by faith in Jesus Christ must occur before
Luke's version of John's Baptism in Luke 3:7-22 has various people from the crowds coming for baptism. As the crowds come, some of the people begin to question John about the meaning of what he was doing.  Although he was baptizing, he did not baptize people who had not first already expressed faith and repentance in the Messiah.  In Luke 3:18 we read that "with may other exhortations he preached the gospel". 

At the end of Matthew, when Jesus gives His great commission, He commands baptism to be done to those who had been "made disciples". A Disciple was a follower of Jesus Christ who had been "born again' by the Spirit of God to conversion. (John 3:3-6) John 1:12-13 speaks of having to receive and call on the name of Christ by faith. Quite simply, by God's grace, through faith, one turned and followed Jesus Christ in discipleship and thus was termed to had received the gift of eternal life. (John 3:16; 17:3)

2. Jesus Christ, not the baptism, was the author and finisher of faith
This was a baptism of repentance - that is - it was a baptism that came as a result of repentance.  Christ's modeling of baptism before the people was to show with whom they were following.  He being the object of their faith prior to their entry into the water was also to be the subject of their public profession of faith before other witnesses.  It was Christ, not the baptism, that is the center point of both this first mention of baptism and His final command for all true believers to be baptized.  It is Christ, and faith in Christ, which is the cause of one following through with believer's baptism.  Whenever we make baptism to be the cause of salvation, or the event of salvation, we make baptism, not Christ, the author and finisher of faith. 

3. Christ's baptism revealed the importance of baptism for the Christian
The late Adrian Rogers writes these words: "Think of the Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He had a ministry of three and a half years.  How did He commence His ministry? By being baptized.  How did He conclude His ministry? By commanding baptism - the Great Commission."1    Christ modeled it for us, and then commanded it to us.  Christ would not command what He had first not willingly carried out by His own example.  Every Christian's aim is to be like the Master.  Baptism is that essential first step of Christian obedience. 

4. Baptist churches affirm the significance of baptism being for believers
The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 states: "Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus."2  This is why we are using the term "believer's baptism", since the Bible knows of no other type of people who are fit candidates for this practice - namely believers.

Thus biblical believer's baptism matters because it was mandated by Jesus Christ.  It was modeled by Him at the beginning of His earthly ministry and it was commanded by Him at the conclusion of His earthly ministry prior to His ascension.
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1. Adrian Rogers. What Every Christian Ought to Know. B & H Publishing Group. Nashville, TN. 2005. Page 112
I would highly recommend this book to new converts and older Christians.  It most clearly and completely explains the whole of Christian faith and experience.  Dr. Rogers was a wonderful Southern Baptist Pastor and leader for decades before his passing in 2005. 

2. Baptist Faith and Message 2000
This doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Convention is available at www.sbc.net.  Once you are on the site, go to your left and click on the tab marked: "statement of faith".