BAPTISM - III

Bob Bonner
May 30, 2010

This morning we turn to our last message in this series on baptism. In the past two weeks we have learned that baptism was not originally or always a religious rite, but it had been a cultural and secular practice for hundreds of years before the Jews included it as part of their religious practices. Later, baptism was adopted by the church.

As it concerns Christianity, we have learned that baptism was an open and public declaration that one believed that Jesus Christ is Lord of the universe and master and savior. Hence, with that personal declaration of Who Christ is, the person being baptized was signaling to the community that he or she had committed their lives to following Christ as their master and savior and to following His leading in their lives. 

Something else we addressed last week concerned the mode of baptism. Is the correct way to baptize someone immersion, sprinkling, or pouring water over the head? As a result of our study, we concluded that although the preferable mode of baptism is by immersion or literally submerging the candidate completely under water, that was not the only method practiced by Christians during the first century. Furthermore, the New Testament itself does not even give us a proof positive example of immersion as the practiced form of baptism. Hence, although the mode of baptism is important, more critical is that the candidate understand the meaning of baptism and the message he or she is declaring.

One last question we addressed last time concerned who could be baptized and the biblical steps leading up to baptism. We saw from our brief look at Act 8:34-38 and Philip’s baptizing of the Ethiopian eunuch that in order for someone to be baptized the following must come first:

A. Someone explained the gospel.

Typically, someone needs to explain to another person Who Jesus Christ is and why He has come. In short, the gospel needs to be thoroughly explained. This explanation today could come from reading a book or listening to someone on the radio, TV, podcast, or some other form of communication. 

Although it is rare, some people come to Christ as a direct result of reading the Bible with little or no help from others. In our Acts 8 example of the Ethiopian eunuch, we have someone who had learned from his reading of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah that there was a Messiah. But he needed help to know who that Messiah was. Philip helped him understand what he was reading. Today, God by His divine mercy will illuminate the truth of His Word in the mind of a reader of the Bible, so that without help from anyone to explain the Gospel, they can understand it and commit their lives to Christ. But that is unusual.

B. Someone heard, understood, and believed the Gospel.

Once someone explains the Gospel, it must be understood and believed by the hearer. It is not enough for someone who has heard the Gospel and understood it to simply say, “Wow! Isn’t that interesting. I always thought there was something special about Jesus.” No, to believe in Jesus does not mean to simply acknowledge the truth that He is the Son of God, the savior and master over all creation. Biblically, the meaning of “belief” requires an action of trust and commitment. It involves submitting or turning one’s life over to the rule and direction of Jesus Christ. When someone makes that deliberate choice, they are saved once and for all. There is nothing more they need to do to be saved.

C. Someone freely chooses to be baptized.

Once they have made that personal commitment, Acts 8 demonstrates that there is to be a public declaration of faith. It is something that one is not forced to do but freely chooses. They freely choose to be baptized.

D. Soon after hearing, understanding, believing, and choosing to be baptized, one is baptized.

And soon after having heard and understood the Gospel, made the commitment to Jesus Christ, and understood what baptism is all about, the new believer typically was baptized.

One of the obvious lessons we learned from the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Jews is that there is no record of infants being baptized. The reason is that baptism requires thinking and understanding. If an infant can’t understand what the Gospel means, then obviously he can’t choose to commit his life to follow Christ. Hence, last time we ended with this principle:

*** To be baptized, one must be old enough to understand and to make the choice to submit one’s life to Christ as master and savior.

An interesting incident took place after our second service last week. An individual approached me about a situation in which a relative, recently diagnosed with cancer, wants to be baptized. In fact, previous to coming to church, this relative recognized her need to be baptized but wasn’t sure what she should do about it. Physically, she cannot be immersed. I was asked if she could still be baptized. What would Jesus do? I believe he would use a safer mode of baptism in this situation, as long as this person understood the message and meaning of her baptism. Hence in a few weeks, you may see us demonstrate both modes of baptism!

Now, this morning we want to examine five more important questions concerning baptism.

1. Is baptism important or necessary? If so, why? This question is often asked because the ordinance of baptism is not understood, and/or baptism appears to be an ancient outdated practice that holds no meaning or significance for today. So, the natural question arises, “Why do it?”

Four more questions we will try to answer this morning are:

2. Does baptism save you? Or, is baptism necessary for salvation?

3. Does baptism lead to the forgiveness of sins?

4. Does baptism “wash away” sin?

5. Is there Biblical support for baptism of the dead?

I. Five important questions concerning baptism:

A. Is baptism important or necessary? If so, why? Because Jesus commands all believers to be baptized.

At this point, let’s turn our attention to the first question: Is baptism important or necessary? If so, why? In a nut shell, the answer is yes! Why? Because Jesus commands all believers to be baptized. Look with me at Matthew 28:19-20. In this section of scripture, Jesus is speaking for the last time to His disciples. These are some of His words. His final instructions are very important. He states simply and clearly what their objective as His disciples is and what the life objective for all His future disciples is to be. Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

In the English, it appears that there are several commands in this verse. But really, there is only one command in the original Greek. And that command is to “make disciples” of Jesus Christ. But how that command is to be carried out is very specifically detailed by the three participles that I have italicized. Since these participles explain the steps to fulfilling the command of every Christian to make disciples, each participle in the Greek language carries the weight of a command. They flow in a natural progression. In other words, Jesus says that we are to make disciples by doing three things: first, “by going,” or more literally, “while you are going about your daily business” be focused on making disciples for Jesus Christ. In other words, this is not something that you do once a week or during an evangelism campaign, but it is something that is to be a part of your everyday life. This is not the job of the paid professional but of every follower of Christ.

Secondly, we don’t just talk about Jesus, but we talk about Jesus with the view to challenging people to trust Him as their Lord and Savior, to be identified with Him through baptism. In other words, to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, we are commanded to be baptized.

Thirdly, if we are going to make disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to teach these believers. Notice, this teaching has a purpose. It is not just teaching to fill up a person’s mind with theological information. It is to teach them to observe or obey all that our new master, Jesus, says we are to obey. To put it another way, the goal of teaching from God’s Word is to affect the way we live for Christ in our world. Following Christ should make an observable difference to those who live around us.

So, the command is simple to understand—“make disciples.” How does one make disciples? The three participles explain the logical progressive steps: by going, baptizing, and teaching. Because each of these participles explains the command to make disciples, each carries the weight or authority of a command. That’s why some translations translate these as commands. Therefore, if you attempt to make disciples by going and teaching but leave out baptizing, you are disobeying Christ’s full command. If you attempt to be a follower or disciple of Christ without being baptized, you are living in blatant disobedience to Christ’s command as to what it takes to be His follower.

Although one does not have to be baptized to be saved, just like one doesn’t have to take communion to be saved, both the taking of communion on a regular basis and baptism are commanded in the Scriptures. So what good reason does a true follower of Jesus Christ have for disobeying their savior’s command to be baptized and to publicly declare their commitment to Christ? The honest answer is none! Or, simply put, if one wants to be obedient to Jesus Christ, one must be baptized.

B. Does baptism save you? Or, is baptism necessary for salvation? No. Faith in Christ alone, plus nothing else, saves.  I Peter 3:21; Mark 16:6 

The second question we want to address is, “Does baptism save you?” Or, “Is baptism necessary for salvation?” There are some today who teach that if you are going to be saved, you must be baptized. What’s the Biblical basis for their teaching? There are two passages that are usually referred to to support this view. First, they point to I Peter 3:21. Let’s look there and see if, indeed, this verse teaches that water baptism actually will save you.

In order to grasp the intent of this verse, one must understand the context in which it is found. Peter is writing to Christians who are being persecuted for their faith. Many are afraid that they might even be put to death because of their commitment to Christ. Therefore, many do not want to make a public declaration through baptism that they have chosen to follow Christ.  Look at 1 Peter 3:13-17. It reads:

“And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 

But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are

blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but

sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a

defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is

in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience 

so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your

good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better, if God

should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for

doing what is wrong.”

Peter is challenging his readers to take courage and to make a complete break from their old lives and to take a stand for Christ, even if it means suffering to the point of death. Then in verses 18-20, Peter gives them the example to follow--Jesus, who obviously suffered to the point of death. He writes:

“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that

He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but

made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation

to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the

patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the

construction of the ark, in which a few that is, eight persons, were

brought safely through the water.”

In other words, Christ suffered to the point of death to provide a way for us to be saved, through paying for the penalty of our sins and making it possible to have a relationship with the Father. And now, like the days before the flood, Noah and his family suffered persecution yet were required to trust God by continuing to build the ark and then get on board. Today, like in Noah’s day, we are required to trust in God’s promise of deliverance, not through an ark, but through a Savior, which he just wrote about in verses 18-20.

With that in mind, Peter compares in verse 21 putting our trust in Christ with Noah’s putting trust in the ark. He writes, “And corresponding to that . . .” The word “that” refers to the ark, not the water, as some would have us believe. “And corresponding to that [the ark], baptism now saves you . . .” What kind of baptism? Water baptism or spiritual baptism in Christ? Peter answers the question as to what kind of baptism he has in mind in the next few words. He says, “Not the removal of dirt from the flesh . . .”  What kind of baptism would remove dirt from the flesh? Water baptism.  In other words, Peter is making it perfectly clear that he is not talking about water baptism here, which may remove at most some dirt from your skin. That obviously doesn’t save you.

So, this baptism must refer to the only other kind of baptism that the Bible speaks of, spiritual baptism.  Remember when we defined “baptize” we said that it means to dip, plunge, or immerse? It also means “to place into.” Instead of saying that I dip my finger into the water, I can say, “I place my finger into the water.” Peter is saying that what saves you is similar to that which saved Noah and his family. They were placed not into the water, but into the ark and saved from the flood. Today we are, by trusting in God’s promise to deliver us through Christ, “placed into the body of Christ,” and He, like the ark, saves you. That is spiritual baptism. Spiritual baptism takes place automatically the moment you trust Christ. You don’t even feel it. It is a declared fact of God.

Hence, in the overall context, Peter is saying to his readers who are thinking about avoiding the pressures of living for Christ by returning to their old lives like Noah did, “Trust in Christ, even though it may mean suffering for your faith. Don’t fall back to your old life in order to be accepted by others and to remain physically safe.” That’s why Peter adds at the end that being put into Christ is “an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Our faith rests in the Christ who proved that He could deliver us, even if we die, because He resurrected Himself. When we remain in Christ, our conscience is good.

So, the baptism mentioned here in I Peter which is said to save us has nothing to do with water baptism. It is spiritual baptism, the basic putting of one’s trust in the promise of Jesus Christ and, as a result, being spiritually baptized or placed into Christ.

The next verse that those who want us to believe that the act of water baptism is part of the process of being saved is Mark 16:16. They use this verse to teach that merely trusting in Christ by faith to be saved is not enough. Instead, they add the trusting plus water baptism gets one saved. In other words, it is not enough to just believe in Jesus; you have to perform a work such as baptism to be saved.

Let’s look at this verse and see what it really teaches. It reads, “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.” From this verse alone, it says that only those who have disbelieved shall be condemned or not be saved.  It doesn’t say that you will not be saved if you don’t get baptized, rather only if you refuse to believe. Salvation is and has always been based on putting one’s trust or belief in Jesus, not Jesus plus baptism.

There are several other verses we could turn to that clearly state that baptism is not necessary to be saved, but we only have time for two more. Romans 10:9 teaches us that faith alone in Jesus Christ is the requirement for salvation. It reads, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” There is no mention of baptism anywhere in that verse or the surrounding verses. As we have seen before, water baptism is a public confession of that faith.

Furthermore, it is interesting that in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Paul summarizes the Gospel and what is required to be saved. In those verses, there is no mention of baptism. Then earlier in 1 Corinthians 1:17, Paul wrote, “Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel,” thus clearly differentiating the gospel from baptism.

One last thought. When Jesus hung on the cross, He promised the one thief that he would be saved. That thief died right alongside Jesus that day, without ever being baptized as a believer in Jesus. How could Jesus promise him salvation if salvation required that one must be baptized in order to be saved? He wouldn’t and didn’t. So, the short answer to the question, “Does baptism save you?” or “Is it necessary to be baptized to be saved?” is no.  Faith in Christ alone, plus nothing else, saves.

C. Does baptism lead to the forgiveness of sins? Acts 2:38  No. Baptism illustrates what has already happened when one repents--spiritual cleansing, new birth, and the change of identity.

Some will tell you that baptism is necessary because it leads to the forgiveness of sins and point to Acts 2:38 as support to this view. This is the verse from our present study in Acts 2 that has prompted us to take a break from our study of Acts to better understand baptism. It reads, “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.’”

The term “repent” means to “turn away from something to something” In the case of Peter’s Jewish audience, he is calling them to repent or turn away from or to change their previously held ideas about Jesus whom they had just executed, believing that He was a false Messiah. In turn, Peter is challenging them to put their trust in Jesus as their Messiah, as their Lord and Savior, which will result in the forgiveness of their sins.

There are two very important three-letter words in this verse that must be correctly understood as they relate to repentance, baptism, and the forgiveness of sins. The first word is “and.” “And” implies a process: First you do this, and then you do that. It is repent, and then be baptized. In other words, baptism is a response to repentance–an expression of faith.

The second, and for our purposes, probably the most important word to correctly understanding this verse, is the word “for.” According to A. T. Robertson, a well-known Greek scholar, this Greek preposition translated “for” has two meanings. The first meaning is “in order that.” If this were the intended meaning of this word in the verse, then this verse would indeed teach that the ritual of water baptism forgives sin. But if that were true, this lone verse would then contradict every other verse in scripture that denies that any action on our part can forgive sin.

So, here is a clue to correctly interpreting and understanding the Bible: Whenever you find one verse which appears to fly in the face of what the rest of scripture says, you had better examine that verse closely. Because when you do, as I have, you will typically discover that under closer examination, the first apparent meaning is wrong.

What is the alternate meaning of this preposition? According to Robertson, the alternate meaning of the word translated “for” can mean “because of” or “on the basis of.” For instance Luke 11:32 reads, “The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold something greater than Jonah is here.” The Greek preposition “at” used in the phrase “at the preaching of Jonah” is the same word we translated “for” in Acts 2:38. The people of Jonah’s day, you see, did not repent for his preaching, but because of or on the basis of Jonah’s preaching.

Likewise in Acts 2:38, Peter doesn’t mean “be baptized so that you can receive forgiveness of sins.” He is actually saying, “Be baptized because you have been forgiven of your sins.” In other words, it is the next obvious step of one who has already believed and been forgiven and thus, already saved.

So, back to the question: Does baptism lead to the forgiveness of sins? No. Baptism, then, in this case as in every other case, illustrates what has already happened when one repents–spiritual cleansing, new birth, and the change of identity that comes with the forgiveness of sins.

D. Does Acts 22:16 teach that baptism “washes away” sin? No. It only teaches that calling on Jesus’ name washes away one’s sin.

Another passage that some say teaches baptism actually washes one of his sins is Acts 22:16. This again is one of those verses that to correctly understand requires an understanding of the grammar and words of the original language of the New Testament. 

Luke writes in verse 16, “And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” As we read this in our English text, it appears that there is a cause-effect relationship between being baptized and the washing of sin. But that is not what the Greek says. The Greek is very clear here as to its meaning. In this verse there are two separate commands that tell us what to do. And each command has one participle or verbal noun that is closest to the command itself and that participle explains how to fulfill the command. 

The two commands are “be baptized” and “wash away your sins.” The two participles that tell us how to obey these commands are “arise” and “calling on His name.”

Here, then, is the meaning. Peter is asking these individual Jews, some who have already committed in their hearts to trust Jesus and some who are still thinking about it, “Why are you delaying getting saved and delaying your public declaration of commit to Christ?” He then orders them to get baptized, and the way that will happen is if they arise, get up, and do it. Quit sitting back!

And if they have not yet trusted Jesus as their savior but want to and want to know that their sins have been removed, Peter commands, “Wash away your sin,” not by being baptized, but by “calling upon Jesus’ name.” So for the purpose of our study on baptism, this verse does not teach that baptism washes away your sin. It is calling on Jesus’ name that washes away one’s sin.

E. Does 1 Corinthians 15:12-34 validate the baptizing for the dead? No. 1 Corinthians 15:12-34 does not validate baptizing for the dead. It only validates that the resurrection of the dead will be a reality.

The last passage that we want to look at deals with the questionable practice of baptizing a living person in the place of a deceased person for the purpose of saving the dead person. The passage that people quote to support this practice comes from 1 Corinthians 15. As always, before we can understand the verse in question, we must understand the context in which it is found. 1 Corinthians 15, without question, is the greatest chapter in the Bible concerning the resurrection of the physical body of a believer. In the church at Corinth, there were some Corinthians who believed that there would be no resurrection. The purpose behind Paul’s writing of these verses was to chastise and to correct their erroneous thinking.

Follow along as I read these verses beginning with verse 12. “Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, and your faith also is vain.” Why would their faith be in vain? Because the resurrection of Christ is the basis of proof for Christ being God and the Messiah and the one who could raise others from the dead. If there is no resurrected Christ, there is no gospel, because there is no atonement or payment for the sin of the human race. And their preaching would have been in vain, or a waste of time.

Paul continues to tell them that if Christ did not rise from the dead, then the apostolic witness is a lie, and because the apostles would have been liars, they would have been standing against God, rather than with Him in the Gospel. Paul writes:

“Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we

witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in

fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even

Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is

worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen

asleep in Christ perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we

are of all men most to be pitied.”

This means that if Christ did not rise from the dead, then those Christians who put their trust in Christ and died have perished forever; they are damned and with no hope of an afterlife. Why? Because if Jesus did not rise from the dead and there is no resurrection from the dead to an afterlife, then we waste our lives believing and trusting and putting hope in the lie that Jesus rose from the dead.

But now, Paul goes on to correct these foolish Corinthians. He says:

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those

who are asleep. For since by a man came death, [Through Adam and

his sin came the curse of death.] by a man also came the resurrection of the

dead. [This is an obvious reference to Jesus.] For as in Adam all die [both

spiritually and physically], so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But

each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are

Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He delivers up the

kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all

authority and power. 

In other words, there is a planned order for resurrection. First, Jesus was raised. Then, when Jesus comes at the rapture, first those who died in Christ will be raised, and then those who are still alive in Christ will be raised. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18) Then when the millennial kingdom comes, all of those Jews who believed in their coming Messiah but died before Jesus (and obviously were never baptized) will be resurrected. Once again, we are shown that baptism is not a requirement for resurrection.

Paul continues:

“For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The

last enemy that will be abolished is death. For He has put all things in

subjection under His feet. But when He says “All things are put in

subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in

subjection to Him. And when all things are subjected to Him, then the

Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to

Him, that God may be all in all.”

Basically, those verses say that Jesus will one day totally conquer and wipe out death as we know it.

Now he moves to this strange verse about baptism of the dead, verse 29. “Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?”

Keep in mind the subject at hand: it is not baptism of the dead, but the resurrection of the dead. Historically, at this time there was this practice of baptizing living Christians in the place of dead Christians because some believers had died due to persecution and others due to illness before they had a chance to be baptized. The concern was that if your loved one hadn’t been baptized, would they be resurrected with all the other believers when Jesus comes? They didn’t know enough then, and weren’t sure, so they began a practice of baptizing for the dead in hopes that this would help those believers who hadn’t had time to be baptized enter into heaven.

We know now that a believer still goes to heaven even if they were never baptized, but those folks didn’t. We also know that water baptism can’t save a live person. If baptism doesn’t save a live person, how could it save a dead one?

Remember what we saw last time: salvation required that each individual chose to trust Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior. The truth that one person’s faith cannot save another is taught throughout scripture. And if one person’s faith cannot save another, then it logically follows that one person’s baptism can’t save another.

Paul does not use the illustration concerning baptism for the dead to validate the practice of baptizing the dead or to invalidate it. He was only using that ritual to point out the inconsistency and fallacy of some Corinthians’ thinking concerning the resurrection. In other words, “Why would you Corinthians be doing that baptism thing of the dead, if you didn’t believe in the resurrection?” Their beliefs made no logical sense. Their thinking wasn’t consistent. That’s the point of verse 29. So, in answer to the question, “Does 1 Corinthians 15 teach or validate baptism of the dead?”  No. I Corinthians 15:12-34 does not validate baptizing the dead. It only validates that the resurrection of the dead will be a reality.

Once again, next week we will have a baptism service. If you have never been baptized as a believer, if you have never really understood that baptism you underwent I would ask you, why not get baptized next Sunday? Please sign up for it so that we can first visit with you to make sure you know what you are doing. If you have already been baptized, but for some other reason you would like to be re-baptized, let us know that. We will come visit you and talk that over with you first. If you would like to be baptized, but you will not be able to next week, please let us know that and we will plan for another baptismal service as soon as possible for you.

Has this teaching on baptism stirred up your thinking and caused you to examine your past understanding of it? What have you found to be most interesting? What difference has this study of baptism made in your life?

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