Baptism

March 25, 2007

Mike Larsen

Adult Sunday School

Acts 8:36

Introduction:  There are some religious institutions that will tell you a person has to be baptized to be saved.  We are going to look at this subject today and see that baptism is not something a person does to be saved, but is something he does because he is saved.  There is no cleansing power unto salvation in the waters of baptism.  The cleansing power is in the blood Christ which takes our sins away!  Baptism is a symbol or a picture to the world that a person has trusted Christ and belongs to Christ. It is an outward profession of what has happened in a person’s heart.   It is the first step of obedience in the Christian life. 

The word translated “Baptized” is Baptizo and it means to “make whelmed” or “fully wet”. In a few places the word is translated wash.  Immersion is the best explanation of the word when we look at scripture and see the enactment of it. 

I. Baptism is a symbol……Not a savior!

A. We have learned that salvation is a free gift from God.  Justification is by Faith in the finished work of Christ.  All who call upon the name of the Lord, which requires true repentance, shall be saved. 

B. If we were to attach baptism to salvation it would be a works salvation since Baptism is an outward act.  Working for one’s salvation is contrary to scripture.

C. If Baptism saved then why would Jesus have to suffer and die for the sins of the world?  He would have died in vain because we could have saved ourselves by being baptized.

D. This morning we will see clearly that Baptism is a symbol and not a savior, however, many religious organizations hold to a view that Baptism saves people.  Let’s look at a few sections from the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Section 2 Part 2 under the heading of the 7 sacraments for example;

i. 1213  Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God;

ii. 1265 Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte "a new creature," an adopted son of God, who has become a "partaker of the divine nature,"[68] member of Christ and co-heir with him,[69] and a temple of the Holy Spirit.[70]

iii. Who can baptize

1256 The ordinary ministers of Baptism are the bishop and priest and, in the Latin Church, also the deacon.[57] In case of necessity, any person, even someone not baptized, can baptize, if he has the required intention. The intention required is to will to do what the Church does when she baptizes, and to apply the Trinitarian baptismal formula.

iv. The necessity of Baptism

1215 This sacrament is also called "the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit," for it signifies and actually brings about the birth of water and the Spirit without which no one "can enter the kingdom of God."[7]

1261The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are "reborn of water and the Spirit." God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism,

The last 2 statements reference John Chapter 3 and implies that Jesus taught that a person must be “reborn of water and spirit” to inherit eternal life.  Let’s look at John Chapter 3.

· Must be born again vs 3

· Nicodemus asks how he can have a physical birth again vs 4

· Jesus tells him that he must be born physically and spiritually vs5

· Vs 6 he relates the fleshly birth to being born of water and the spiritual 2^nd birth as being born again

· Jesus makes it clear that the spiritual new birth is invisible and is based on belief  Verse 7 – 16

This type of mis-interpretation to fit a church tradition or teaching is ultimately quite dangerous.  Souls are in the balance!  Infants are baptized and told their original sin is taken away and they are a child of God.  That gives them a false assurance that they were basically born a Christian and have no need of repentance in faith to be a child of God.

II. Separating Salvation from Baptism

A. Luke 23: 34-41  This is a tremendous look into salvation.  Notice this man’s humble repentance and belief that led to salvation.  This is an example of “baptism-free” salvation.  In fact works of any kind-free salvation.  This man was never taken down from the cross to be baptized.  There was no necessity for him to “complete his salvation” with baptism, because baptism clearly has never been an act that completes salvation.  Just as circumcision did not save the Jews neither does baptism save the Christian. 

This account poses a problem to those who believe they must be baptized to be saved.  They get around it however by saying that the man would have been baptized if he could have.  But since he could not, his intentions are counted for him as Baptism.  See the Catechism again where they add the words “can be” to the Lord’s instruction.  (John 3)

No Jesus said repent and belief and I will give you eternal life.

B. The Apostle Paul clearly draws the separation between baptism and the Gospel – without dismissing its importance in the process of the new believer’s steps towards obedience.   

1 Cor 1:16-17 “Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas.  Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.  For Christ DID NOT SEND ME TO BAPTIZE, but TO PREACH THE GOSPEL…lest the cross of Christ be made of no effect”.

C. Why does Paul preach the Gospel?  1 Cor 1:18 says preaching of the cross is the power of God to us that are saved.  Faith comes by hearing the foolishness of preaching the Gospel!  AMEN!

III. Baptism is a sign of identification and association

1. Does simply wearing a wedding ring make you a married person?  No.  Nor does baptism make you a Christian.  Just as the ring associates you with marriage and your spouse, baptism is a testimony to the world that you are Christian.  Just like the ring, baptism is the outward sign of something that has already taken place in the life of the new Christian.
   
   
2. Rom 6:3-11  Baptism in a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Just.  As Christ was dead and buried so we are buried in baptism with him.  As Christ was raised from the dead we are raised out of the waters to walk in newness of life.  This is all picturing the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  And our death to sin and self and our new life in Christ.  The water pictures the cleansing from sin that the blood of Jesus washed away!
   
   

IV. Baptism is secondary to salvation

1. Baptism must follow salvation.  Acts 8:36-37 “See here is water.  What hinders me from being baptized?’  Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’   Why did the man ask the question?  Vs 35  The man heard the word of God, believed, and was baptized.  Baptism has no saving power. 
   
   Look at Paul’s salvation and baptism.  Acts 9:5-18  Paul is shaken to the core in verse 6 where I believe he was saved.  Then he obeys and follows the Lord’s directions.  He gets baptized in verse 18.
   
   Since this is the case that baptism must follow salvation, baptism at any other time than after salvation (i.e., immediately after birth[christening]) has no power and is VOID.  Baptism before salvation shows no true act of OBEDIENCE to God on the part of the one being baptized.  We must first be obedient to His Plan of salvation before we can follow his command to be baptized. 
   
   
2. Baptism must also precede church membership.  Baptism is an act of obedience to the Word of God and an association with Him and His people (the Church).  Should someone who has not risked the scorn of being associated with Christ through the public act of baptism be allowed to be counted with those who have already chosen to do so?  Acts 2:36-41  Here you see the proper order of things.  Hear the word of God, repent and believe by faith, get baptized and added to the church.  We follow that order today.
   
   
3. Mat 28:19-20 can give some insight why.  It appears that the person will not be willing and able to be taught all things until he has first humbled himself and obeyed the first command which is to be baptized. Friend if you are not committed enough to make a public profession of your faith with baptism, you can forget any growth from this point on or at least your growth will be very much hindered.  Step 1 comes before step 2.
   
   

V. Passages of Difficulty

1. Acts 2:38.  The word “repent” is not the problem because as we have said repentance has always been associated with belief.  The word “baptized” here can cause confusion.  If you read only this verse you might conclude that the Bible is teaching a works salvation. When looking at the whole scripture as we have been doing, we see that salvation is in the belief.  Let’s start at verse 36 and look through 41.  The spirit of this passage is the spirit of the other passages.  Believe, repent of your sin, and turn to Christ who saves.  Verse 41 clarifies that all who believed were baptized.  It really is the repent/believe that is the key to this verse and then the baptism as a result.
   
   
2. Mark 16:16.  The crucial point in this passage is what condemns a person from Heaven.  That gives the clarity.  The verse says it is un-belief that condemns a person and not lack of Baptism.  Again the Thief on the cross and the message justification by faith are overwhelming evidence leading to the correct understanding of this verse.  This verse could just as easily say, “He that believes and is not ashamed” shall be saved.  Baptism is the outward commitment and testimony that a person wants to be identified with Christ.  If a person will not do that there is a problem with that person’s faith and belief.
   
   

VI. Immersion or Sprinkle?

1. The word itself means to make whelmed or fully wet so that tells us something.  Sprinkling does not represent the meaning of the word.
   
   
2. How are people baptized in the Bible?
   
   

i. Mark 1:9-10  Jesus came up out of the water.

ii. Acts 8:38      They went down both into the water…  Now The Ethiopian Eunuch most likely had water for his journey.  Peter could have said,  “Give me your water bottle and we can do it here”.  He did not say that.

iii. John 3:23       There was so much water there.

iv. Baptism is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ as we have mentioned.  It is also a picture of the washing or cleansing that has happened to the believer. As such the only true picture is total submersion.

Conclusion:  Baptism is a symbol and not a savior.  It is an outward expression of our identification with Christ.  It pictures the cleansing power of Christ for the remission of sins in our lives.  It is the first step of obedience in the new believer’s life and is associated with being added to the church membership.  It is properly done by full immersion into the water and is only to be done after one’s salvation.