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By Roger A. Scully, Jr.
Upon arrival Philip “heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’” (v.
30). After the eunuch of Ethiopia requested Philip’s assistance we are told that Philip began at the Scripture where
the eunuch was reading, Isaiah 53:7, 8, and there he “preached Jesus to him.” You see: Philip began preaching to
him Jesus because Isaiah 53 is a prophecy of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Hence, when they came to
water the eunuch asked, “what hinders me from being baptized?” to which Philip responded, “If you believe with all
your heart you may.” Verse 38 says, “both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.”
But what does baptism have to do with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus?
In Romans 6 the question is answered for us. In verse 17 Paul wrote, “but God be thanked that though you were
slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine.” Notice, they “obeyed that form of doctrine.”
“Doctrine” simply means teaching, and form means pattern. The teaching to the Romans was the gospel (1:16),
which is “the power of God unto salvation.” The gospel centers on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor
15). Since one cannot obey the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, it is necessary to obey a form of it, which is
described in verses 3, 4: “as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death…therefore
we were 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 also should walk in newness of life.” So, then, the obedience about which he speaks is being
baptized into Christ, hence baptized into the church of Christ (Gal 3:28; Ac 2:41, 47). It is this baptism which caused
freedom from sin.
That which the Romans were taught was the same as that which Philip was taught, “things concerning the
kingdom” (Ac 8:12). It is to this message they responded being baptized into Christ. Have you obeyed that form of
doctrine?
