WHY BAPTIZE?
There are well-meaning Christians who believe
that faith is the only element
necessary for salvation based on passages like Ephesians 2:8-10. They maintain that repentance, surrendering
one's will to God and baptisms are not necessary for salvation. Formal ordinances of water baptism and
laying on hands to impart the Holy Spirit are considered to be works that have
nothing to do with salvation. It is
sometimes suggested that all we have to do is "accept Christ" by
saying a sinner's prayer or responding to an altar call.
But if we are the sinners and Christ is sovereign
Lord, it is He who must accept
us. If we are to have eternal life with
Jesus, we must come to Him on His terms (Mark 1:14-15). Saying that repentance is unnecessary for salvation results in a shallow
commitment that does not transform the life of the believer. Acts 17:30 makes it clear that repentance is
a non-optional principle: "He [God] now commandeth all men everywhere to repent."
In addition, many misguided Christians dilute the
meaning of repentance and say it is
simply a "change of mind."
But repentance means that we "cease to do evil and learn to do
well" (Isaiah 1:16-17). It is more
than an intellectual decision to "accept Christ." In order to experience transforming power in
our lives, we must experience true repentance.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when
the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
Acts
3:19
Many people who have "accepted Christ"
as Savior have failed to to
experience any transformation in their lives because they failed to submit to
Him as Lord (Acts 2:36). In teaching about salvation, many churches
minimize the importance of obedience
and a change in behavior. But salvation
does not occur apart from sanctification; salvation is the beginning of
sanctification and conforming our character to Christ (Romans 6:1-2). Before a person can experience newness of
life, he must be willing to obey Christ as Lord.
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto
John, to be baptized of him. But John
forbad him, saying, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou
to me?" And Jesus answering said
unto him, "Suffer it to be so now: for
thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up
straightway out of the water, and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, And he
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him: and lo a
voice from heaven saying, "This is
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Matthew
3:13-17
In Psalm 2:7, the Lord made a prophetic
statement: "You are my Son; today I
have become your Father" (NIV Bible).
This prophecy was fulfilled at the river Jordan; the Father proclaimed
the Sonship of Christ after He was
baptized by water and the Spirit. Bible
commentator Matthew Henry said, "When He [Jesus] was first raised up out
of obscurity, God declared concerning him by a voice from heaven, 'This is my
beloved Son' (Matt. 3:17), which has a plain reference to that in the second
Psalm." Baptisms of water and of the Spirit, are the means by which we
become sons of God (see also Hebrews 1:5; Acts 13:32; Romans 1:4). It is important to keep in mind that simply
dipping oneself in water is not enough.
Baptism is meaningless unless accompanied by an internal condition of
faith, repentance and surrender on the part of the recipient. In fact, without the proper condition of the
heart it is not baptism.
If a person exercises faith and repents of sin
but consciously rebels against submitting to baptismal ordinances, it raises
concerns about the sincerity of that person's commitment. John the Baptist preached "baptism of repentance for the remission
of sins" in Luke 3:3. In John 3:22
& 26, it tells us that Jesus baptized people. In Acts 2:41, it tells us that the 3,000 people who accepted
Peter's invitation were baptized and received a remission of sins. And I Peter 3:21 says that "baptism
doth also now save us."
For these reasons, it was God's desire that every
believer in the New Testament Church be firmly established in the foundational
principles of the doctrine of Christ so that they could go on to perfection:
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine
of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation
of repentance from dead works, and
of faith toward God, of the doctrine
of baptisms [water and Spirit], and
of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment. And this will we do, if God
permit.
Hebrews
6:1-3
In an attempt to demonstrate that there is only
one baptism, believers will frequently quote Ephesians 4:5 which says,
"One Lord, one faith, one baptism [singular]." But this passage is a call to unity (v. 3)
and a reference to the fact that there is only one way for the children of men
to enter the kingdom: to be born of water and of the Spirit (John 3:5). That is why Hebrews 6:1-3 above refers to
"the doctrine of baptisms [plural]."
Acts 2:37-41
Numerous arguments have been used to distract
believers from the pivotal role that water
baptism plays in saving souls. The
most debated scripture on the subject of baptismal regeneration is:
37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto
Peter and to the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we
do?" 38Then Peter said unto them,
"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are
afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40And with many other words did he testify
and exhort, saying "Save yourselves from this untoward
generation." 41Then they that
gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto
them about three thousand souls.
Acts
2:37-41
It is the contention of many in the Christian
community that rebirth and the gift of
the Holy Spirit always occur at the
point of initial belief and that baptism is unnecessary for salvation. However, in this specific instance, it is
clear that the people already believed but had not yet received the gift of the
Holy Spirit. Verse 37 makes it clear
that the people already believed, yet
in verse 38, Peter said, "and you shall
[future tense] receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." In this instance belief occurred prior to receiving the gift of the Holy
Spirit.
A second myth that is commonly perpetuated by
otherwise well-intentioned Christians is that the word "for", in
verse 38, means "because of", and therefore remission of sins had
already occurred prior to water baptism.
But if remission of sins and the baptism of the Holy Spirit had already
occurred, why did Peter think that they had not yet received the gift of the
Holy Spirit? The word "for"
was used to indicate that they were baptized in order to receive a remission of sins. This is consistent with I Peter 3:21.
A third misconception about this passage is that
church membership was based on belief, not baptism. But verse 41 tells us how church membership was determined:
"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day
there were added unto them about three thousand souls." Membership was clearly determined by
baptism.
I Corinthians 1:17
Another argument that is commonly used to
question the need for baptism is the assertion that Paul somehow separated
baptism from the gospel. I Corinthians 1:17 is used to prop up this
particular viewpoint, and it says,"For Christ sent me not to baptize, but
to preach the gospel." However,
this statement does not dissociate baptism from the gospel. In fact, verse 14 tells us that Paul
baptized two of them himself (i.e. Crispus and Gaius). It merely says that Paul's primary work was to focus his energies
on preaching rather than baptizing. In
Judea, Jesus also baptized many people (John 3:22 & 26). But by the time He left Judea, He had
delegated that responsibility to His disciples (John 4:2). If I Peter 3:21 is correct in its assertion
that baptism saves us, then baptism is an integral part of Christ's gospel
(Romans 1:16-17).
John 3:3-5
3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicodemus saith unto him,"How can a
man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his
mother's womb, and be born?"
5Jesus answered,"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John
3:3-5
Remember that Christ said, "Except a man be
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God." Obviously, those who reject
the idea that water baptism is necessary for salvation have to explain what
being "born of water" means. Some say it is the "water of the
womb" at our original birth. But
the question that Nicodemus asked was,"How can a man be born when he is old?" Christ was answering this question when He spoke
about being born of water.
A second theory is that "born of water"
refers to "washing of water by the word" as found in Ephesians
5:26. But that doesn't make sense
either because Ephesians 5 talks about Christ sanctifying and cleansing the
church -- those who have already been converted -- with the washing of water by
the word. Ephesians 5 refers to the
sanctification of those who already believe, not an initiation into the
kingdom.
A third theory is that "born of water"
means only the Jews in Jesus' day had to receive water baptism before they
could enter the kingdom. But in John
3:5, the King James Bible says, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God." The New
International Bible says, "No one
can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the
Spirit." Christ made a
far-reaching statement that encompassed all of humanity, not just the Jews of
His day. If the Jews were saved one way
and everyone else was saved another way, that would constitute another gospel
which, according to II Corinthians 11:4, simply cannot be. In addition, I Peter 3:21 makes it clear
that baptism continued to save souls after Christ died on the cross.
Acts 10:44-48
Water baptism preceded laying on hands for the
gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, Acts 8 and Acts 19. In Acts 2, Peter commanded the 3,000
believers in Jerusalem to repent and be baptized. He then promised, ".... and ye shall [future tense] receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." In Acts 8, they followed this same pattern:
Phillip baptized the believers, and then
Peter and John laid hands on them for the reception of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 19, Paul baptized the 12 men at
Ephesus and then laid hands on them
to convey the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Though water baptism preceded laying on hands for
the gift of the Holy Spirit in these three passages, the points are often made
that:
1. Peter
did not lay hands on the Gentile believers at Caesarea for the reception
of the Holy Spirit and
2. The
Holy Spirit was spontaneously received by the Gentiles prior to water
baptism.
The reason for this exceptional act by the Holy
Spirit is readily apparent when we consider that Jewish Christians strongly
opposed Gentile baptisms (see Acts 11:1-18).
In fact, Peter himself opposed taking the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts
10:14). But, in this chapter, we
witness a major turning point in Peter's ministry. He had to be told in a vision that the Gentiles were
"clean" before he would preach the gospel to them. To initiate this process, God sent Peter to
a Gentile in Caesarea named Cornelius.
There Peter preached the gospel to the Gentiles for the first time.
44While
Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45And they of the circumcision which
believed [Jewish Christians] were astonished,
as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles [non-Jews] also was
poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47"Can any man forbid water, that these
should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?" 48And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.
Acts
10:44-48
Why did God choose to directly intervene, in this
instance, rather than working through Peter as His designated
representative? Why was the order that
God established in Acts 2, 8 and 19 reversed?
In verse 45, it is apparent that there were Jewish Christians who
believed that the gospel was for Jews only.
It was for their benefit, and
possibly to remove all doubt from Peter's mind, that God moved in a miraculous
manner to confirm that the gospel was for all men, not just the Jewish people. In verse 47, Peter was really asking if
Jewish Christians still opposed the idea of baptizing Gentiles. At that point, it is interesting to note
that Peter then commanded the
Gentile converts to be baptized.
Baptism was not an option; it was a command of God.
Obviously, it is the Holy Spirit's sovereign
right to intercede in the lives of men as He sees fit (Numbers 11:25; Matthew
3:16; Acts 2:1-4; and Acts 10:44), but this does not constitute a pattern for man to follow in baptizing
converts. Nothing about this passage
would indicate that baptism is unnecessary.
In fact, Peter commanded them
to be baptized. Acts 10 represents an
exceptional act of the Holy Spirit intended to quell opposition to Gentile
baptisms.
The pattern that man followed is given in Matthew 3:13-17, Acts 2:37-41, Acts
8:12-17, Acts 19:1-7, I Timothy 4:14 and II Timothy 1:6. But this pattern does not negate the
sovereignty of the Holy Spirit in blessing those whom He chooses to bless.
In John 3:5, Christ did not prescribe an order
when He said, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God."
But in setting an example for us, Christ was baptized in water and then
baptized in the Spirit (Matthew 3:13-17).
Though John the Baptist was a Spirit-filled believer (Luke 1:15), he
obviously did not have authority to convey the gift of the Holy Spirit (Matthew
3:11).
Christ's baptism was a demonstration of obedience
(Matthew 3:15). After this act of
obedience, the Holy Spirit once again moved in a sovereign manner to demonstrate
to the world that God was pleased with His Son (Matthew 3:16-17) and that we
should follow His example (I Peter 2:7-8 & 21). Regardless of the order in which they are performed, it is
obvious that we must be born of water and of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of
God (John 3:5).
Luke 23:39-43
And one of the malefactors which were hanged
railed on him, saying,"If thou be Christ, save thyself and us." But the other answering rebuked him,
saying,"Dost not thou fear God,
seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done nothing
amiss." And he said unto Jesus,
"Lord, remember me when thou
comest into thy kingdom." And
Jesus said unto him, "Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in Paradise."
Luke
23:39-43
A point that is often made about baptism concerns
Luke's account of the repentant thief on the cross. The question is asked, "If baptism is necessary for salvation, shouldn't Christ have condemned
the thief on the cross?" In
response to those who advocate a faith-only soteriology, we could ask a similar
question: "If faith is necessary
for salvation, will a God of mercy actually condemn a person who is severely
retarded to everlasting damnation because he cannot grasp the concept of sin,
the need for redemption nor faith in Christ?"
The answer to both questions is obviously
"no." God will not condemn
the mentally impaired person
incapable of abstract thought, and He will not condemn the thief who suddenly believes the gospel and repents but is unable to
be baptized. In addition, He will not
condemn little children who are
unable to grasp concepts of sin, faith in God and redemption. Incidentally, for that reason, it makes no
sense to baptize little children.
But he that knew not and did commit things worthy
of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.
For unto whomsoever much is given,
of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him
they will ask the more. Luke 12:48
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
James
4:17
....for where no law is, there is no
transgression.
Romans
4:15
But sin is not taken into account when there is
no law.
Romans
5:13
The gospel of Mark tells us that both thieves reviled Christ. Luke is the only gospel that tells the story
of this change of heart. Obviously, one
of the thieves, who had not heard the gospel before, experienced a conversion while hanging on the cross. It is important to note that we see evidence
of not just faith, but repentance and surrender to Jesus as Lord in the life of
the repentant thief. God will accept a
sincere, deathbed repentance, but He
will not accept conscious defiance against a command as fundamental to the
gospel as baptism. Jesus
said,"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God."
Ephesians 2:8-10
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
9Not of works, lest any man should
boast. 10For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians
2:8-10
For many Christians, it is a principle etched in
stone that man is saved by grace through faith
alone. We are saved by grace through faith, but grace, as God's power working in us, bears fruit not in just faith,
but good works also. It was the Apostle
Paul who said,"But I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but
the grace of God which was with me" (I Corinthians 15:10). It is God's grace that labors in each of us
as we surrender our individual wills to Him.
The grace that God grants us is not strictly limited to faith; it must
result in good works as well.
Many Christians dilute the meaning of faith to the point that it becomes mere intellectual
assent: "accept Christ, and you will be saved." Those who subscribe to such thinking
consider it abhorrent to add "works" like repentance as a necessary
prerequisite for salvation. But
scripture bears a very clear witness that more is required than simply
faith. A genuine rebirth cannot occur
apart from repentance and a willingness to obey. If more Christians understood this fact, they could experience a
true rebirth, Christ's transforming power and real victory over sin.
"Not of works" in the above passage
tells us that human effort alone will not save. It is only as the believer yields himself to God and allows the
Creator to work in him that he can experience rebirth (I Cor. 15:10). Converts from cultures such as Judaism had
been conditioned to believe that their human efforts alone would determine
their eternal destiny, but they were mistaken.
A soteriology that is solely based on individual acts of righteousness
will not save and does not properly give glory to God who is the source of our
salvation. As was said earlier, simply
dipping oneself in water is not enough.
Baptism is meaningless unless accompanied by an internal condition of
faith, repentance and surrender on the part of the recipient. In fact, without the proper condition of the
heart it is not baptism.
It has been suggested that "not of
works" means that baptism doesn't save.
If this is the case, why does I Peter 3:21 say that "baptism doth
also now save us"? The fact is
that baptism does save, and it is an
essential part of Christ's gospel. A
saving faith that has its source in the Holy Spirit, will not occur apart from
a concommitant repentance and surrender.
A profession of faith absent a willingness to obey is no faith at
all. There are no stages in which the
recipient believes in a Savior and then, at some later date, submits to Him as
Lord. Those who receive the gift of
faith are immediately accountable to obey.
Conclusion
Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven....And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not,
shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came,
and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell. And great was the fall of it.
Matthew
7: 21-27
Can faith save us? There is no doubt that we are saved by faith. but true faith will be accompanied by
obedience. That is why Jesus said,
"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God." That is why I
Peter 3:21 tells us that "baptism doth also now save us. That is why Ananias told Paul to "be
baptized and wash away his sins" (Acts 22:16). That is why Peter told the 3,000 at Jerusalem to "repent and
be baptized for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). If a person feels that the Spirit has
touched his heart with the truthfulness of Christ's gospel, and he has
opportunity to be baptized but refuses, that person is not a true believer.
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the
gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be
which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it.
Matthew
7:13-14
If we come to Christ, we must come to Him on the
terms that He established (Matthew 3:13-16).
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men [more than simply belief in
our hearts] him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him
will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
Jesus (Matthew 10:32-33)
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Jesus (John 3:5)
Invitation
Perhaps you have never committed your life to the
Lord but you would like to. If the
thoughts contained in this material have instilled a desire to know more, we
invite you to contact the congregational pastor where you received this
brochure.
You may have given your life to Christ in the
past but now question the effectiveness of that commitment. Many people have followed some designated
procedure but failed to consider the condition of their hearts. Some have come to God on their own terms
rather than those that Christ gave us.
To learn more about this area, we would encourage you to contact your
local pastor in Christ's restored church.