BAPTISM

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept;
line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

Isaiah 28:10

because I live, ye shall live also.
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father,
and ye in me, and I in you.

Baptists are often criticized for being so insistent on the proper method of administering Baptism. Many people declare that it is not the method but the spirit of the ordinance that pleases God. Some go so far as to say that it is not a question of what the Bible teaches, but rather, what method have the church leaders approved. Because Baptists are considered narrow and dogmatic they should be ready to give a reason for their stand.

A CHURCH SHOULD HAVE DEFINITE DOCTRINAL STANDARDS.

A generation or two ago every Denomination was contending for definite dogmas of faith. The denominational leaders, the ministry and the rank and file of the members were ready to intelligently champion the tenets of their movement. Those were the days of great religious controversy, it is true, but they were also the days of great spiritual power—mighty conviction for sin was visited upon sinners, there were outstanding cases of conversion; believers were strong and churches virile.

Today doctrinal controversy is taboo; doctrinal sermons are considered bore some; religious tolerance, so-called, is worshipped as a fetish, while few among either leaders or laity know what they believe. The many professed Believers tagalong after the world while an impotent Church becomes the laughing stock of that same world.

Baptists still believe that teaching and preaching doctrine makes for spiritual strength and vigor. This belief is emphatically vindicated by the fact that the churches which take a definite stand on doctrinal issues are alive and doing real business for the Lord. Look around you and observe where the crowds are going, in about 99 cases out of 100 you will find that it is to the church called "narrow and intolerant" by the unbelieving, loose-living Religionist. People expect the Church to stand for something and are challenged by such a stand. More important still, God expects it and can only bless such (Revelation 3:8-11).

THE VERBAL INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES.

That is, we believe that the Holy Spirit of God gave to the men who wrote the Bible the very words that they should use in that writing.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: - 2Timothy 3:16

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. - 1Corinthians 2:4-5

The Greek word used in the bible for baptism, was not translated by the translators of our English Authorized Version of the Scriptures but merely Transliterated. It is interesting to note, however, that Webster’s New International Dictionary, after it gives what might be termed a definition according to religious use of the word "baptize", has this: "To submerge in, or to overflow, cover, or affect with, something after the manner of baptism with water."

Matthew 28:19, in the light of the above, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations baptizing (submerging) them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," and Acts 2:41, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized (submerged)." (Read the entire third chapter of Matthew substituting "submerge" for "baptize").

Did the Holy Spirit make a mistake in His choice of the word? If He did not, and surely none would accuse Him of error, then what right have church leaders, or anyone else, to substitute a different word or give a perverted meaning to this one? Who will dare to say, "Holy Spirit, you were too narrow in your selection of ‘baptizo,’ it really does not matter how his ordinance is administered"?

We believe that the Holy Spirit was governed by Divine exactness when He used this word. We insist on Believers being "dipped under" when they are taken "into" the water (Acts 3 :38).

IMMERSION PRESENTS THE MESSAGE OF THE ORDINANCE.

The Christian life begins with a definite experience in the heart and life of the individual Believer, variously represented in Scripture as, "the new birth," "a new creation" "passing out of death into life," "transplanting from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son," "a death and a resurrection,".

Now just as the "Life" itself begins with a definite inner experience, God has ordained that the outward expressions and relationships of that "Life" should begin with a definite act. He has also decreed that the "act of baptism", should symbolize the "inner experience." This spiritual experience, a death to the old life and a resurrection to the new, is what baptism is meant to portray in the physical world. (Romans 6:4).

But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. - Romans 4:24-25

Baptism by immersion most beautifully portrays this method of salvation, every candidate that is baptized by that act, tells all who witness, "I have placed my faith in a Savior. A Savior who went down into death for me, I aknowledge His death for me, as I go down into this water. Faith in Jesus, who was buried and rose again demonstrating the full payment required the sin debt that I cannot pay, even as I am buried in this water and raised up to live in the joy of knowing I am a child of God, my sins forgiven."

We insist on immersion as a testimony to the Believer’s experience of death to the old life of sin and resurrection to a new life, as a child of God. A faith led life based upon the vicarious death and resurrection of Christ. A Spirit led live fueled by love of a Savior, who was willing to die for me.

The Lord Jesus said to John (Matthew 3:15) speaking of His own baptism, "Suffer it to be so now, for thus (in like manner as baptism) it becometh us (the Trinity of heaven) to fulfil all righteousness" (the righteousness fulfilled, or completed, in the death and resurrection of Christ (Romans 3:21-26).

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. - Romans 3:21-26

THE PLAIN STATEMENTS OF THE SCRIPTURES

What are we talking about here when we talk about baptism? Simply, here's a definition: it is a ceremony by which a person is immersed into water. That's what it is. It's a ceremony by which a person is immersed into water or "dunked," they used to say, in fact, there were people who baptized this way were called "dunkers." So, this is simply a ceremony by which people are immersed in water; that's it.

Now, we do this because it's instructed in the New Testament. We've already commented on the fact that the Great Commission's all tell us to baptize and Peter, in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, told those who heard and believed, to be baptized. Let me go to the Word so we give you an understanding of this. There are two Greek verbs that are used in the New Testament with regard to baptism--they are translated baptism": bapto and baptizo--bapto is the less common, used only four times in the New Testament and it means "to dip into." "To dip," "to dip into," in fact, it was used for "dyeing" when you immerse something in a dye. It's the word "immerse'...bapto.

Baptizo is an intensified form of bapto--the Greeks had ways of sticking in a few extra letters and intensifying a word. Baptizo is used many, many times in the New Testament; many, many times. It means "to dip completely" and it's the Greek word for "drowning'; that shows you how complete the dipping is, potentially. It's the word "to submerse" or "immerse"--in fact, the Latin equivalent is immersio or submersio. The noun "baptism"--baptismas--is used always in the book of Acts to refer to a Christian being immersed in water...it's always used to refer to a Christian being immersed in water. So, that is what baptism is: it's a ceremony by which a person believes the gospel and is then immersed into water.

In fact, the Greeks had a different word for "sprinkling" and that word rhantisanti is used of "sprinkling or splattering with water". It's a different word altogether. We're not talking about "sprinkling", there's no such thing as a ceremony of sprinkling in the Bible, or pouring or any application of water to the individual. Whenever you find "baptism" in the Bible, it is the word "immerse" or "submerse" and it means "putting the person under the water." Every New Testament use these terms, requires or permits the idea of immersion. This is so obvious that even John Calvin, who basically came down on the side of infant sprinkling or infant baptism, says this, he writes, "The word 'baptize' means 'to immerse.'" No linguist can come up with anything else. Calvin says, "The word 'baptize' means 'to immerse'; it is certain that immersion was the practice of the early church." There really is no argument, there's no debate at that point.

The verbs--bapto, baptizo--are never used in the passive. That is to say, water is never said to be baptized on someone such as sprinkling or pouring or touching with water which is done in a great, great portion of the church today. They sprinkle, they pour, or they dip and just touch the water to the forehead or to some other part of the head. Never are those verbs used in the passive sense of water being placed on someone. They're always used in the sense of someone being placed in water. Whenever you read in the New Testament about a baptism--an actual occasion of baptism--immersion is the only possible meaning.

Matthew 3--look at it... Matthew 3:6, John the Baptist, "They were being baptized by him in the Jordan River." They were being baptized in the Jordan River. They came down into the river and they were baptized there. The river was not taken to them; they were taken to the river. Matthew 3:16, "After being baptized, Jesus," having been baptized, "went up immediately," literally, "out of the water." Jesus went down into the water...came up out of the water. Again, that clearly indicates that He went down into the water in order that He might be placed into that water and that's the use of the word baptism...means immersed in that water.

In John 3...when John the Baptist was doing this baptism, he picked a place at the Jordan River that was deep. It says in verse 23 of John 3, "John was baptizing in Anon, near Salem." Of all the spots you could stop along the Jordan River, he picked that one because "there was much water there" which is simply another way of saying the water was deep. There was enough water there to get people under it--that was the whole point. In Mark, chapter 1, verse 5, same thing, "All the country of Judea was going out to him and all the people of Jerusalem, they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River"..."in the Jordan River." You remember in Acts, chapter 8, when Philip came across the Ethiopian eunuch, you remember the statement in verse 36, "Look; water! What prevents me from being baptized," verse 38, "he ordered the chariot to stop, they both went down into the water, and he immersed him."

Now, that is what baptism is. That's what baptizo means. Baptism is a ceremony by which a person is immersed into water. That is the only kind of baptism the New Testament knows anything about But, as far as the New Testament is concerned, there is no such thing as pouring, sprinkling, touching with water, wiping with a damp cloth, or baptizing infants. It was an act by which an adult person was placed into water. It has great spiritual significance and the significance of baptism can only be depicted in immersion. The significance of baptism to depict the spiritual significance of salvation, can only be depicted in immersion. You can’t bury somebody by only throwing a handful of dirt on them, so sprinkling is just not going to do it.

Now, when you look at baptism in the New Testament, you're going to come across some other types of baptisms that are not water baptisms--there are times when the word baptizo is dry. There are times when the word baptizo isn't talking about water at all, but we use it that way. We talk about people going through a baptism of fire, right? We mean, by that, that he was immersed in a very difficult situation. John the Baptist talked about a baptism of fire in John, chapter 3. What he was talking about was the immersing of unbelievers in the full fury of God's fiery wrath.

There is a baptism by Christ, with the Holy Spirit, into the body of Christ,

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. - 1Corinthians 12:13

When you became a Christian, you were immersed into the communion of the redeemed. You were placed in the union with every other believer so that he who that is joined with the Lord is one spirit with every other believer. So, there is the immersing of the believer into the body of Christ. There is the immersing of the unbeliever into the full fury and wrath of God under which he is completely submerged.

In 1Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 2, it says, "The children of Israel were immersed into Moses." It's talking about solidarity. They were joined unto Moses in his leadership. What he did, they did. What he said, they followed. They literally...he was their leader and they were immersed into Moses. Where he went, they went. Solidarity, union, communion--the word then can have that sort of metaphoric meaning where it means being immersed into something. You could say, "I was immersed in my work. I was immersed in thought." Those kinds of expressions don't necessarily refer to water, but they refer to using the idea of water as a metaphor for being engulfed in something. So, there are times in the New Testament, when you read about a baptism, that isn't a baptism by water; there are other times when, of course, it is as we've seen--a baptism by water.

We're going to focus on the issue of the baptisms that have to do with water. This water immersion, commanded of every believer, is basically not negotiable. We don't have an option with this. This is a command; it is a reiterated and repeated and obeyed command in the New Testament. It is in itself, a simple act, and were it no more than just to put somebody in water and take them out, we could say it was nothing but a dunk. It was nothing but a cleansing, it was nothing but a refreshing...nothing more.

But, there is much more because it is an object lesson. It is a depiction--it is a picture--it is a symbol--it is a physical analogy of a great spiritual truth that is profound--and it is crucial, if you understand what baptism signifies, to stick with the New Testament mode. If you change the mode of immersion, you then confound it's symbol. God has designed that, this simple ordinance teach us most wonderful truth--the most wonderful truth of all, the truth of personal eternal salvation. It's all wrapped up in this simple act of baptism.

And, of course, any student of the Bible knows that God teaches with symbols. In the Old Testament, all kinds of symbols and analogies and types and pictures and ceremonies, depicting a spiritual truth in some physical way were given. Certainly, in the New Testament, Jesus did that with His parables and His analogies. The apostle Paul does it with his illustrations. So we have long seen God dispense truth to us in sort of abstract terms, but connected with very concrete, pragmatic, tangible things which can graphically illustrate the truth...and baptism is one of those.

Baptism is an external, physical, symbolic act which depicts a profound and deep and essential spiritual truth.

Consider the following: "And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins" (Matthew 3:6). The candidate had to be old enough to know he was a sinner and to confess it. "I indeed baptize you with water," (Matthew 3:11). "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water" (Matthew 3:16).

"Go ye", all Christians; "disciple", before baptism; "all nations", universal; "baptizing them in (literally "into") the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." "Unto the end of the world" [literally "age"] (Matthew 28:19, 20).

"John did baptize in the wilderness, . . . And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, Confessing their sins," (Mark 1:5, 6).

"And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came ... and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water . . ." (Mark 1:9, 10).

"John did baptize in the wilderness, . . . And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, Confessing their sins," (Mark 1:5, 6).

"And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came .... and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water . . . " (Mark 1:9, 10).

"John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water" (Luke 3:16).

"John answered them saying, I baptize you with water" (John 1:26).

"And John was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there" (John 3:23).

"And they that gladly received his word were baptized," people old enough to understand and "receive" the word preached (Acts 2:41).

"But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also, and when he was baptized (Acts 8:12, 13).

"See here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water . . ." (Acts 8:36-39).

Gentiles as well as Jews baptized.

Cornelius, a captain of the Italian regiment:

"Then answered Peter, Can any forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord" (Acts 10:46-48).

Roman jailor: "And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house." The whole household heard the word preached. "And he . . . was baptized, he and all his, straightway . . . believing in God with all his house." The whole family heard, believed, and were baptized (Acts 16 :32-34).

THE BAPTISMS OF THE BIBLE

• The Baptism of John - Repentance
• The Baptism of Jesus - Anointing, begins ministry of prophet and priesthood
• The Baptism of Fire - Purifying or judgment
• The Baptism of Moses - Deliverance of the nation Israel
• The Baptism of the Cross (or Cup)- The suffering of death for our sins
• The Baptism of the Holy Spirit - Being saved and put in the body of Christ also for service.
• The Believers Baptism - Identification with Christ by water baptism.

Baptism is to identify with a person, a group of people or the message.

The Baptism of John - Matt. 3:6-11.(repentance)

The water was symbolic of the Kingdom of God which John was preaching. When a person was baptized by John, he was identification with the coming Messiah and his kingdom. The new believer was "identified" with John’s message of repentance, they then became part of the believing remnant, it was the person who was the messiah they were looking forward to.

To be baptized by John was a spiritual identification a visible sign of their repentance, Johns proclamation was the coming "Kingdom of God" and to prepare oneself by repenting to prepare their heart.

Acts 13:24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

All the apostles except one were baptized by John and following his ministry. (the exception is Paul who saw the risen Christ) Acts 1:21 "Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Acts 1:22 beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection."

The Baptism of Jesus

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist, and began his ministry after he was consecrated Luke 3:21

Acts 10:38 tells us that He was anointed with the Holy Spirit. As a human, He was in submission to God to fulfill all righteousness and was anointed for His ministry like all priests.. He received a special anointing of the Holy Spirit for His public mission. (Acts 10:38 ). Jesus was divinely consecrated for the work of redemption, being an eternal priest from the order of Melchizedek. In Matthew 3:15, Jesus tells us that His baptism was 'to fulfill all righteousness." The basic action of baptism is identification, so Jesus identified with righteousness in obedience to the Mosaic Law.

The Levitical Law required that all priests were to be consecrated when they began their ministry at about 30 years of age). He being a man needed, to be anointed like the prophets of old. He Identified with the believing remnant and also with sinners even though he was not one also with mankind (sinners even though he was not one) (1 Cor. 5:21; Matthew 3:11 ).

Remember he was introduced as the lamb to take away the sins of the world. This was a unique baptism because it had nothing to do salvation but a submission to the will of God. He identified himself with the preaching of the Kingdom and repentance by John the Baptizer. (Matthew 3:1-2 ) Jesus identified with righteousness in obedience to the Mosaic Law, to fulfill all righteousness.

The Baptism of Fire

There are two views on what the baptism of fire means: There is a judgment coming at the 2nd Coming of Christ when all nonbelievers are taken from the earth. Jesus taught several parables in reference to the end of time when believers and unbelievers will be separated Mt. 25 the sheep from the goats. They will join the unbelievers from all time in hell who are waiting for the Last Judgment (The Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20). This occurs at the end of the Millennium when they are resurrected and put back in their bodies and put in the lake of fire. The Bible teaches that this baptism is for unbelievers in judgment.

Matthew 3:11: John speaking,

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. - Matthew 3:11

Only the Holy Spirit is for believers.

Luke 3:9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Luke 3:17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

This certainly is a reference to Matthew 25:41 (also Matthew 3:10; Revelation 14:10)

We know this means judgment because John and Jesus explain it:

John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: - Luke 3:16

Jesus said Acts 1:5:

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence - Acts 1:5

He never baptized anyone in fire.

Fire is often symbol for judgment throughout the Bible. Examples are the fire which burned the sacrifice on the Hebrew altar, and the fire from God which burned the watered down sacrifices of Elijah and the prophets of Baal.

Fire and brimstone fell on Sodom and Gomorrah. The world will be cleansed by fire as it was by the flood in the end of time 2 Peter 3:10.

Hebrews 10:27 “But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.”

2Thessalonians 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

The believers are to go into the millennium, the unbelievers are "cast off" into fire. These parables are analogies to the baptism of fire.

The other view is a purifying affect.

1Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

1Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

1 Corinthians 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

Meaning our work on earth will have its test in heaven to see if it accompanies us into eternity.

The baptism of fire is more applicable to judgment than fiery trials in a believers life. (Read Matthew 13:24-30 and Jesus' explanation later in Matthew 13:36-40)

The Baptism of Moses

1Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

1Corinthians 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

This is a symbolism of Moses being a type of Christ. The water never touched them but they went across to dry land to the other side while the waters became a means of judgment on Pharaoh’s army that tried to overtake them.

The baptism of Moses was a double identification, the children of Israel are identified both with Moses as their deliverer and with the cloud, Gods glory a visible representation of his presence, as they passed through the Red Sea. There was no water involved, when the waters were parted the Israelites walked on dry land, they went through the sea on dry land never getting wet. (1 Corinthians 10:1,2.) The Jews never got wet, but Pharaoh’s army did! When it says they were baptized into Moses it means in reference to Moses' leadership delivering them through the waters of judgment. When it says the cloud it was the glory of God leading Moses who led them into their journey.

The Baptism of the Cross/death (His Cup)

Jesus Christ "drank" the Cup filled with our sins. This was an expression of all the sins of the world put into one cup and poured out on Christ while He was on the Cross. God the Father judged our sins while they were on Christ. (similar to the bowls (vials) of judgment in Revelation on mankind) The "cup" being spoken of signifies God's wrath towards sin. Christ identified with our sin and He bore our sins on the cross being was made sin for us. (2Corinthians 5:21, 1Peter 2:24.)

Mark 10: 38 (also Matthew 20:23).

Mark 10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

Mark 10:39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:

We are told that we are all baptized into his death:

Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For one to have the new life they must die in Christ first. This is done in faith by the accepting of his atonement for us, personally. When we die with him, by the acceptance of His offer to save us, we are able to walk in the new life he offers.

In Matthew 26:39, He prays to the Father:

Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

The "cup" being spoken of signifies God's wrath towards sin that would be poured out on him in our place.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

When a person believes accepts Christ as Savior, he is placed into the body of Christ by the Spirit and the spirit is placed in him. He is identified as a believer.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Acts 1:5, Jesus said to them "For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."

Jesus is making a distinction between water and Spirit baptism, just as John did. John's water baptism always showed repentance. It looked forward to Christ whom they would receive. The Holy Spirit's work would be inward. This is the spiritual work of God to regenerate a believer and put them supernaturally in the body of Christ.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The anointing gave them the boldness to be witnesses (martyrs) wherever they went.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a New Testament teaching and experience. In John 7:39, Jesus, speaking of the Spirit, stated those who believe in Him would receive the Spirit when He was glorified. This event happened when He ascended to heaven and then sent the Spirit. Its first occurrence was on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit started the body of Christ. He came with an audible sound rushing into the upper room came upon them and filled them all, so that they were endued with power to bring the gospel. This baptism was unique in that it also exhibited a dividing of fire above each ones head. This was associated with the glory of God the shekinah in the tabernacle. This happened only one time never to be repeated in the New Testament

Believers are place "in Christ", in their new position they now have access to privileges and blessings that come with this relationship. Ephesians 1 describes our new position in Christ "all blessings in heavenly places in Him." We are seated in heavenly places.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit was prophesied by John the Baptist, Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16. by Jesus Christ who said he would send him, John 14:16,17; Acts 1:5.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is for all believers adopted into the family of God, It is how one enters the body 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-28. Ephesians 5:18 tells us to be continually filled with the Spirit, in other words give him control of our lives, it is a daily thing.

The Baptism for Believers

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

There is a question whether this is speaking of water baptism or spirit baptism. Since this is Jesus discourse before his ascension and does coincide with Matthew 28 it would be logical to think, it is of water.

The believer's baptism of water identifies us to the Lord Jesus Christ and symbolizes the positional truth of his dying for us and taking away the penalty of eternal separation from God because of our sins. And the coming up out of the water an acknowledgement of the fact of our sin debt, paid in full. The real baptism of the Holy Spirit places a believer into Christ,

John 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Water baptism is a ceremony that illustrates the fact of Spirit baptism, an invisible event which actually puts one in the body. A ceremony that demonstrates the completeness of the payment of our sins by the resurrection of coming up out of the water.

Christians have a real identification with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. Water baptism is a symbolic identification with the person and work of Christ in his death. Rom 6:4

When one goes down in the water, they are saying, "I identify with His death and burial." They are declaring the Gospel that saved them in a physical act.

It is a representative act of identification. The individual is placed in the water, which means, symbolically, that he is identified with what the water represents. An illustration of death being buried taken away from ones view.

Baptism is not only represents being buried, but continues through to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul makes this clear in his first letter to the Corinthians: "But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:" 1 Corinthians 15:13. In that same chapter he says; "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." 1 Corinthians 15:14.

The importance of the resurrection of Christ is further demonstrated in the frequency and enthusiasm with which it is preached as the early church grows (Acts 2:31; 4:33; 17:18; 26:23). Nearly every public witness to the Gospel points to the resurrection of Christ as the hope for all who desire salvation.

The Scripture says,

1Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

1Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Most importantly, the Bible explains why Jesus’ death and resurrection provide the only entrance to heaven.

The punishment for sin was death.

God created earth and man perfect. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s commands, He had to punish them. A judge who pardons law-breakers isn’t a righteous judge. Likewise, overlooking sin would make the holy God unjust. Death is God’s just consequence for sin.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Even good works cannot make up for wrongs against the Holy God. Compared to His goodness,

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Ever since Adam’s sin, every human has been guilty of disobeying God’s righteous laws. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Sin is not just big things like murder or blasphemy, but also includes love of money, hatred of enemies, and deceit of tongue and pride. Because of sin, everyone has deserved death – eternal separation from God in hell.

The promise required an innocent death.

Although God banished Adam and Eve from the garden, He didn’t leave them without hope of heaven. He promised He would send a sinless Sacrifice to take the punishment they deserved (Genesis 3:15).. Herein is manifest, the beauty of God’s perfect plan: God Himself provided the only sacrifice (Jesus) who could atone for the sins of His people. God’s perfect Son fulfilled God’s perfect requirement of God’s perfect law. It is perfectly brilliant in its simplicity.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

"for he (God) hath made him (Christ) to be sin for us, who (Jesus ) knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (Jesus)".

Jesus died on the cross, was buried to confirm His death, and then rose victoriously three days later.

Jesus' death was just as important as His blood sacrifice, and equally important the burial and resurrection; BUT everything concerning the events of Jesus' life were leading up to the blood being applied in Heaven. Hebrews 9:24-26 state, "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us..." That is, God the Father. Jesus took His shed blood to Heaven to present unto the Father, by applying it to the Mercy Seat.

"But BY HIS OWN BLOOD he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." - Hebrews 9:12

Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God was crucified on the cross not because of something He did, but because of His love for you and the desire for you to share eternity with Him.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Beyond demonstrating the power of God, the resurrection revealed that Jesus has completely satisfied the charge of death and separation against us required by the law. One sin not paid for, would still carry the penalty of Death and Jesus would still be in the grave. And if one sin could be charged against your soul, He would have to be crucified again. "Impossible" declares Hebrews 6:4. "seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." Hebrews: 6:6b

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Are you “saved”, is your savior at the right hand of God signifying the certainty of your salvation.

Or:

Is your savoir still in the grave waiting on you to finally live that perfect life??

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event in history, providing irrefutable evidence that Jesus is who He claimed to be, The Son of God. The resurrection was not only the supreme validation of His deity; it also validated the Scriptures, which foretold His coming and resurrection.

Moreover, it authenticated Christ’s claims that He would be raised on the third day (John 2:19-21; Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34). If Christ’s body was not resurrected, we have no hope that ours will be (1 Corinthians 15:13, 16). In fact, apart from Christ’s bodily resurrection, we have no Savior, no salvation, and no hope of eternal life. As the apostle Paul said, our faith would be “useless” and the life-giving power of the gospel would be altogether eliminated.

Because our eternal destinies ride on the truth of this historical event, the resurrection has been the target of Satan’s greatest attacks against the church. Accordingly, the historicity of Christ’s bodily resurrection has been examined and investigated from every angle and studied endlessly by countless scholars, theologians, professors, and others over the centuries. And even though a number of theories have been postulated that attempt to disprove this momentous event, no credible historical evidence exists which would validate anything other than His literal bodily resurrection. On the other hand, the clear and convincing evidence of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is overwhelming.

Nonetheless, from the Christians in ancient Corinth to many today, misunderstandings persist relative to certain aspects of our Savior’s resurrection. Why, some ask, is it important that Christ’s body was resurrected? Couldn’t His resurrection have just been spiritual? Why and how does the resurrection of Jesus Christ guarantee the bodily resurrection of believers? Will our resurrected bodies be the same as our earthly bodies? If not, what will they be like? The answers to these questions are found in the fifteenth chapter of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, a church that he established several years earlier during his second missionary journey.

In addition to growing factions in the young Corinthian church, there was rampant misunderstanding of some key Christian doctrines, including the resurrection. Although many of the Corinthians accepted that Christ has been resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:1, 11), they had difficulty believing others could or would be resurrected. The continuing influence of Gnostic philosophy, which held that everything spiritual was good whereas everything physical, such as our bodies, was intrinsically evil, was essentially responsible for their confusion regarding their own resurrection. The idea of a detestable corpse being eternally resurrected was, therefore, strongly opposed by some and certainly by the Greek philosophers of the day (Acts 17:32).

Yet, most of the Corinthians understood that Christ’s resurrection was bodily and not spiritual. After all, resurrection means “a rising from the dead”; something comes back to life. They understood that all souls were immortal and at death immediately went to be with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). Thus, a “spiritual” resurrection would make no sense, as the spirit doesn’t die and therefore cannot be resurrected. Additionally, they were aware that the Scriptures, as well as Christ Himself, stated that His body would rise again on the third day. Scripture also made it clear that Christ’s body would see no decay (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27), a charge that would make no sense if His body was not resurrected. Lastly, Christ emphatically told His disciples it was His body that was resurrected: “A spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39).

Again, however, the Corinthians’ concern was regarding their personal resurrection. Accordingly, Paul tried to convince the Corinthians that because Christ rose from the dead, they also would rise from the dead someday, and that the two resurrections – Christ’s and ours – must stand or fall together, for:

1 Corinthians 15:13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

1 Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

When Jesus Christ was resurrected, He became the “first fruits” of all who would be raised (see also Colossians 1:18). The Israelites could not fully harvest their crops until they brought a representative sampling (first fruits) to the priests as an offering to the Lord (Leviticus 23:10). This is what Paul is saying in 1Corinthians 20-22; Christ’s own resurrection was the “first fruits” of the resurrection “harvest” of the believing dead. The “first fruits” language Paul uses indicates something to follow, and that something would be His followers – the rest of the “crop.” This is how Christ’s resurrection guarantees ours. Indeed, His resurrection requires our resurrection.

And to allay their concerns regarding connecting the spirit to what was deemed an undesirable body, Paul explained to them the nature of our resurrected bodies and how they would differ from our earthly bodies. Paul likened our deceased earthly bodies to a “seed,” and God would ultimately provide another body (1Corinthians 37-38) that would be like Christ’s glorious resurrected body (1 Corinthians 15:49; Philippians 4:21). Indeed, just as with our Lord, our bodies which are now perishable, dishonored, weak, and natural will one day be raised into bodies that are imperishable, glorious, powerful, and spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Our spiritual bodies will be perfectly equipped for heavenly, supernatural living.

The new covenant is ratified by the blood of Christ, provided by his death. It is not by water, baptism is the seal of the covenant but not the covenant itself. The veil of the temple was ripped open when he died, not when he was baptized. There is no forgiveness without the blood of Christ, there is forgiveness without water baptism

Water baptism always comes after salvation. It does not precede salvation. When water baptism precedes salvation it becomes a religious practice, a ritual without substance. Believer's baptism is not a religious ritual in itself, but indicates that one has a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The awesome significance of water baptism is that it symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and our identification by faith with Him. The Scriptures refer to Jesus as being the last Adam (I Corinthians 15:21-22, 45). Jesus, in His sacrifice for us, represented us. When a person receives Jesus as Lord, he identifies fully with what happened to Jesus (Romans 6:4-6). Water baptism is a physical act that should indelibly mark the mind of the person being baptized with the reality of his union with Jesus Christ.

Water baptism also gives the believer the opportunity to openly testify to others of his born-again experience. It serves as an outward tangible sign and testimony of an inward spiritual truth of grace. The believer has been crucified with Christ, buried with Him and raised together with Him to walk in newness of life.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” We believe it is scriptural to baptize in the Name of each of the Trinity.

Sometimes, people have confused water baptism with the baptism into the Body of Christ (being saved). In Acts 2, when Peter preached about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, he said: “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” (verse 38). When a person is born again, he is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ. This is not water baptism. Water baptism is not the baptism that saves. It is the precious blood that Jesus shed on the cross, not water, which cleanses us from sin. (See Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:22; Revelation 1:5.)

A person must be baptized into the Body of Christ (saved) before water baptism. For without first making Jesus Lord and believing that God raised Him from the dead, water baptism would have no purpose. Water baptism is an experience after salvation to confirm your position before God and strengthen your faith to live a godly life.

The baptismal waters represent a burial ground. When you’re buried with Christ in baptism, you are proclaiming to heaven, earth and hell that the old you no longer exists. To be buried with Jesus means that your old self died to sin just as Jesus did when He was made sin for us (Romans 6:3, 6, 10-12). That’s why we are immersed. It’s a picture of burial.

Romans 6:11-13 now becomes a very important scripture to us: “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

The phrase “dead to sin” comes from Romans 6:11: “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Here, the contrast is made that to be “dead to sin” is to be “alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Those who have come to faith in Jesus are no longer to allow sin to control their lives. Instead, we offer ourselves to God to serve His purposes.

Paul expands on this concept in Romans 12:1-2:

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

This is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is. The phrase “living sacrifice” is a paradox—sacrifices do not “live”; they die. But it’s a good summation of the Christian life, as we are dead to sin and alive to God. The emphasis here is on living a different life as a result of God’s salvation. We no longer follow the pattern of the world but live according to God’s will.

To be dead to sin does not mean we are sinless. Paul made clear that he continued to struggle with temptation and sin:

Romans 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

Romans 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

If Paul could call himself the “worst of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:16), then we should certainly expect to continue our conflict with sin until we reach heaven.

To be dead to sin means we no longer need to be controlled by our sin nature. Romans 6:17 teaches that “though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.” Before Christ, we are “slaves” to sin. Now we have a new Master. Sin continues to exist, but we are no longer dominated by it.

As Christians, we have God’s Spirit within us to empower us. However, we still face temptation and must strive to stand against sin. We can live “dead to sin” as we follow Christ, knowing that our Lord will one day remove the curse of sin altogether (Revelation 22:3).

Baptism in its Order

Baptism, of course, is important as it is commanded of God as an ordinance for the church to be followed by each believer. However, it must be kept in its rightful place, not prior to salvation as the means of securing salvation, but AFTER salvation as a testimony OF our salvation. Salvation is first and foremost in God's Word. Paul had to remind the carnal Corinthians that Christ is the essential One. Notice in 1st Corinthians 1:17:

1Corinthians 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

The Corinthians had taken their eyes off of following the Lord and were priding themselves in following some of the noted men. This had caused a lot of division among the Christians in Corinth:

1Corinthians 1:11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

1Corinthians 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

Some, no doubt, were bragging about being baptized by Paul, thinking this might add some credibility to their status. Since Paul's desire and purpose was to point people to Christ, not himself, he answers their pride filled condition in 1st Corinthians 1:13-15...

1Corithans 1:13   Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

1Corinthians 1:14   I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;

1Corinthians 1:15   Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

Since they had placed Paul on a pedestal instead of esteeming Christ, Paul expresses his sorrow that he baptized any of them. His sole desire was to exalt Christ, and not himself. How easy it is, as did the Corinthians, to allow pride to get our priorities in reverse. Paul did his best to correct this problem when he wrote to them, saying in Verse 17...

"For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel..."

This is in perfect harmony with the Great Commission given in Matthew 28:19,20. Notice that winning them to Christ is first, baptism second, and teaching is third, which enables them to grow into maturity.

"Go ye therefore, and teach (Greek, "MATHETEUO") all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching (Greek, "DIDASKO") them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

Here the Greek verb, "MATHETEUO," is the word for "disciple." Being used in the transitive sense and active voice, it can be translated "go make disciples of" all nations. The same Greek word used as a noun, "MATHETES," is translated "disciple" in over 250 other places in the New Testament. The word "teaching" is the Greek verb, "DIDASKO". In other words, this is the procedure given us by our Lord in its rightful order, for us to follow...

1. "Go ye therefore and make (make disciples of) all nations," win the lost to Christ.

Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

2. "Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost..." The new Christian is then to be baptized as his public declaration of his new life in Christ, as Romans 6:4 states...

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

3. "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." No Christian ever grows without studying God's Word, as 2 Peter 3:18 states:

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Acts 20:32 also emphasizes the importance of God's Word in our growth...

Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

This is salvation and the rest the Christian experiences knowing he has a home in Heaven and his sins are forgiven. Notice, it is all from the Lord, "I (the Lord) will give you rest."

Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Paul does not say that if improper persons, such as unbelievers, and hypocrites, and deceivers, are baptized they are baptized into our Lord's death. He says "so many of us," putting himself with the rest of the children of God. He intends such as are entitled to baptism, and come to it with their hearts in a right state. Of them he says, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" He does not even intend to say that those who were rightly baptized have all of them entered into the fullness of its spiritual meaning; for if they had, there would have been no need of the question, "Know ye not?" It would seem that some had been baptized who did not clearly know the meaning of their own baptism.

They had faith, and a glimmer of knowledge sufficient to make them right recipients of baptism, but they were not well instructed in the teaching of baptism; perhaps they saw in it only a washing, the common Jewish knowledge of the immersion for religious purposes, but had never discerned the burial and resurrection in relation of the Law of God.

Baptism sets forth a tangible lesson on the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and our participation therein. Its teaching is twofold. First, think of our representative union with Christ, so that when he died and was buried it was on our behalf, and we were thus buried with him. This will give you the teaching of baptism so far as it sets forth a creed. We declare in baptism that we believe in the death of Jesus for our sins, and desire to partake in all the merit of it. But there is a second equally important matter and that is our realized union with Christ which is set forth in baptism, not so much as a doctrine of our creed as a matter of our experience. There is a manner of dying, of being buried, of rising, and of living in Christ, which must be displayed in each one of us if we are indeed members of the body of Christ. Living in the knowledge of our acceptance of God.

OUR REPRESENTATIVE UNION WITH CHRIST as it is set forth in baptism as a truth to be believed. Our Lord Jesus is the substitute for his people, and when he died it was on their behalf and in their stead. The great doctrine of our justification lies in, that Christ took our sins, stood in our place, and as our surety suffered, and bled, and died, thus presenting on our behalf a sacrifice for sin. We are to regard him, not as a private person, but as our representative. We are buried with him in baptism unto death to show that we accept him as being for us dead and buried. Payment offered for our sin debt.

Baptism as a burial with Christ signifies, first, acceptance of the death and burial of Christ as being for us. The Law of God that condemns us, and require out death as the penalty of our failure to keep a perfect life before God was sated by the death of our Savior. What other hope have we? When our divine Lord came down from the heights of glory and took upon himself our manhood, he became one with you and with me, our kinsman redeemer; and being found in fashion as a man, it pleased the Father to lay sin upon him, even your sins and mine.

He went up to the cross of Calvary loaded with all this guilt, and there he suffered in our place and stead as we ought to have suffered. It pleased the Father, instead of bruising us, to bruise him. He put him to grief, making his soul an offering for sin.

Do we not gladly accept Jesus as our substitute? Whether you have been baptized in water or not, I put this question to you, "Do you accept the Lord Jesus as your surety and substitute?" For if you do not, you shall bear your own guilt and carry your own sorrow, and stand in your own place beneath the glance of the angry justice of God.

Now, by being buried with Christ in baptism, we set our hope to the fact that the death of Christ was on our behalf, and that we were in him, and died in him, and, in token of our belief, we consent to the watery grave, and yield ourselves to be buried according to his command.

This is a matter of fundamental faith; Christ dead and buried for us; in other words, substitution, surety, vicarious sacrifice. His death is the hinge of our confidence: we are not baptized into his example, or his life, but into his death, the payment for our sins. We hereby confess that all our salvation lies in the death of Jesus, which death we accept as having been incurred on our account.

But this is not all!

Because if I am to be buried, not so much because I accept the substitutionary death of another for me but because I am dead myself. Baptism is an acknowledgment of our own death in Christ. Why should a living man be buried? Why should he even be buried because another died on his behalf? My burial with Christ, means not only that he died for me, but that I also died in him, in accordance to the requirement of the Law of God. Jesus died for us because he is one with us.

The Lord Jesus Christ did not take his people's sins by an arbitrary choice of God; but it was most natural and fit and proper that he should take his people's sins, since they are his people, and he is their federal head. It behooved Christ to suffer for this reason; that he was the covenant representative of his people. He is the Head of the body, the Church; and if the members sinned, it was meet that the Head, though the Head had not sinned, should bear the consequence of the acts of the body. I accept the death and atoning sacrifice of my second Adam, and rejoice that in him I have died and risen again. I lived, I died, I kept the law, I satisfied justice in my covenant Head. Let me be buried in baptism that I may show to all around that I believe I was one with my Lord in his death and burial for sin.

Realize the sanctifying effect of this truth. Suppose that a man had been condemned to die on account of a great crime; suppose, further, that he has actually died for that crime, and now, by some wonderful work of God, after having died he has been made to live again. He comes among men again as alive from the dead, and what ought to be the state of his mind with regard to his offence? Will he commit that crime again? A crime for which he has already has died.

But you reply, "We never did die so; we were never made to suffer the due reward of our sins." Granted. But that which Christ did for you comes to the same thing, and the Lord looks upon it as the same thing. You are so one with Jesus, that you must regard his death as your death, his sufferings as the chastisement of your peace. You have died in the death of Jesus, and now by strange, mysterious grace you are brought up again from the pit of corruption unto newness of life. You have seen what God thinks of sin: you perceive that he utterly loathes it; for when it was laid on Jesus at the cross of Calvary, he did not spare him, but put him to grief and smote him to death. Can you, after that, turn back to the accursed thing which God hates? Surely, the effect of the great grief of the Savior upon your spirit must be sanctifying. Can you, will you, go into sin again?

How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein? How shall we that have passed under its curse, and endured its awful penalty, tolerate its power? Shall we go back to this murderous, villainous, virulent, abominable evil? It cannot be. Grace forbids.

This doctrine is not the conclusion of the whole matter. The text describes us as buried with a view to rising. "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism unto death".

For what purpose? That, like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life with the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us. Be buried in Christ! What for? That you may be dead forever? No, but that now, first, into the sepulcher, but next, out of the sepulcher. For when the third morning came, he rose. Signifying that the Holy Father was satisfied with that payment for our sin debt, for if even one sin were yet not paid, Jesus would still be in the grave.

If you are one with Christ at all, you must be one with him all through; you must be one with him in his death, and one with him in his burial, then you shall come to be one with him in his resurrection. Blessed be his name, it is written, "Because I live ye shall live also." True, I am dead in one sense, to the condemnation of the Law, "For ye are dead"; but yet not dead in another, "For your life is hid with Christ in God"; and how is he absolutely dead who has a hidden life? No; since I am one with Christ I am what Christ is: as he is a living Christ, I am a living spirit. What a glorious thing it is to have arisen from the dead, because Christ has given us life.

Our old legal life has been taken from us by the sentence of the law, and the law views us as dead; but now we have received a new life, a life out of death, resurrection-life in Christ Jesus. The life of the Christian is the life of Christ. Ours is not the life of the first creation, but of the new creation from among the dead. Now we live in newness of life, quickened unto holiness, and righteousness, and joy by the Spirit of God. The life of the flesh is a hindrance to us; our energy is in his Spirit. In the highest and best sense our life is spiritual and heavenly. This also is doctrine which is to be held most firmly.

So far the image presented by our baptism: is it not a precious one indeed? Baptism is thus an embodied creed, and you may read it in these words: "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."

A REALIZED UNION WITH CHRIST is also set forth in baptism, and this is rather a matter of experience than of doctrine.

First, there is, as a matter of actual experience in the true believer, death. "Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" It must be contrary to all law to bury those who are yet alive. Until they are dead, men can have no right to be buried. Very well, then, the Christian is dead:

To the dominion of sin.

Whenever sin called us aforetime we answered, "Here am I, for thou didst call me." Sin ruled our members, and if sin said, "Do this," we did it, like the soldiers obedient to their centurion; for sin ruled over all the parts of our nature, and exercised over us a supreme tyranny.

Grace has changed all this. When we are converted we become dead to the dominion of sin. If sin calls us now, we refuse to come, for we are dead. If sin commands us we will not obey, for we are dead to its authority. Sin comes to us now—oh, that it did not,—and it finds in us the old corruption which is crucified, but not yet dead; but it has no dominion over our true life.

Blessed be God, sin cannot reign over us, though it may assail us and work us harm. "Sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under law, but under grace." We sin, but not with allowance. With what grief we look back upon our transgressions! How earnestly do we endeavor to avoid them! Sin tries to maintain its usurped power over us; but we do not acknowledge it as our sovereign. Evil enters us now as an interloper and a stranger, and works sad havoc, but it does not abide in us upon the throne; it is an alien, and despised, and no more honored and delighted in. We are dead to the reigning power of sin.

The next thought in baptism is burial.

Death comes first, and burial follows. Now, what is burial, brethren? Burial is, first of all, the seal of death; it is the certificate of decease. "Is such a man dead?" say you. Another answers, "Why, dear sir, he was buried a year ago." There have been instances of persons being buried alive, and I am afraid that the thing happens with sad frequency in baptism, but it is unnatural, and by no means the rule. I fear that many have been buried alive in baptism, and have therefore risen and walked out of the grave just as they were.

But if burial is true, it is a certificate of death. If I am able to say in very truth, "I was buried with Christ some years ago," I must surely be dead. Certainly the world thought so, for not long after my burial with Jesus, the world thought me very far gone, and said, "He stinketh." But the more I stank in their nostrils the better I liked it, for the surer I was that I was really dead to the world. It is good for a Christian to be offensive to wicked men. See how our Master stank in the esteem of the godless when they cried, "Away with him, away with him!" Though no corruption could come near his blessed body, yet his perfect character was not savored by that perverse generation. There must, then, be in us death to the world, and some of the effects of death, or our baptism is void. As burial is the certificate of death, so is burial with Christ the seal of our mortification to the world.

But burial is, next, the displaying of death. While the man is indoors the passers-by do not know that he is dead; but when the funeral takes place, and he is carried through the streets, everybody knows that he is dead. This is what baptism ought to be. The believer's death to sin is at first a secret, but by an open confession he bids all men know that he is dead with Christ. Baptism is the funeral rite by which death to sin is openly set forth before all men.

Next, burial is the separateness of death. The dead man no longer remains in the house, but is placed apart as one who ceases to be numbered with the living. A corpse is not welcome company. Even the most beloved object after a while cannot be tolerated when death has done his work upon it. Even Abraham, who had been so long united with his beloved Sarah, is heard to say, "Bury my dead out of my sight." Such is the believer when his death to the world is fully known: he is poor company for those still in the world, and they shun him as a damper upon their revelry. The true saint is put into the separated class with Christ, according to his word, "If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you." The saint is put away in the same grave as his Lord; for as he was, so are we also in this world. He is shut up by the world in the one cemetery of the faithful, if I may so call it, where all that are in Christ are dead to the world together, with this epitaph for them all, "And ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."

For when a man is dead and buried you never expect to see him come home again: so far as this world is concerned, death and burial are irrevocable. They tell me that spirits walk the earth, and we have all read in the newspaper "The Truth about Ghosts," but I have my doubts on the subject. In spiritual things, however, I am afraid that some are not so buried with Christ but what they walk a great deal among the tombs. The man in Christ cannot walk as a ghost, because he is alive somewhere else; he has received a new being, and therefore he cannot mutter and peep among the dead hypocrites around him.

Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Romans 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Romans 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

Romans 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

Romans 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If we have been once raised from dead works we shall never go back to them again. I may sin, but sin can never have dominion over me; I may be a transgressor and wander much from my God, but never can I go back to the old death again. When my Lord's grace got hold of me, and buried me, he wrought in my soul the conviction that henceforth and forever I was to the world a dead man.

We have come as far as death and burial; but baptism, according to the text, represents also resurrection: "That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Now, notice that the man who is dead in Christ, and buried in Christ, is also raised in Christ, and this is a special work upon him. All the dead are not raised, but our Lord himself is "the firstfruits of them that slept." He is the first-begotten from among the dead. Resurrection was a special work upon the body of Christ by which he was raised up, and that work, begun upon the Head, will continue till all the members partake of it.

As to our soul and spirit, the resurrection has begun upon us. It has not come to our bodies yet, but it will be given to them at the appointed day. For the present a special work has been wrought upon us by which we have been raised up from among the dead. Brethren, if you had been dead and buried, and had been lying one night, say, in the Cemetery, and if a divine voice had called you right up from the grave, if you had risen right out from the green mound of turf, what a lonely being you would have been in the vast cemetery amid the night! How you would sit down on the grave and wait for morning! That is very much your condition with regard to the present evil world.

You were once like the rest of the sinners around you, dead in sin, and sleeping in the grave of evil custom. The Lord by his power has called you out of your grave, and now you are alive in the midst of death. There can be no fellowship here for you; for what communion have the living with the dead? The man out there in the cemetery just quickened would find none among all the dead around him with whom he could converse, and you can find no companions in this world. There lies a skull, but it sees not from the eyeholes; neither is there speech in its grim mouth. I see a mass of bones lying in yon corner: the living one looks at them, but they cannot hear or speak. Imagine yourself there. All that you would say to the bones would be to ask, "Can these dry bones live?" You would be a foreigner in that home of corruption, and you would haste to get away.

That is your condition in the world: God has raised you up from among the dead, from out of the company among whom you had your former conversation. Now, do not go and scratch into the earth, to tear up the graves to find a friend there. Who would rend open a coffin and cry, "Come, you must drink with me! You must go to the theatre with me"? No, we dread the idea of association with the dead, and I tremble when I see a professor trying to have communion with worldly men. "Come ye out from among them; be ye separate; touch not the unclean thing." You know what would happen to you if you were thus raised, and were forced to sit close to a dead body newly taken from the grave. You would cry, "I cannot bear it; I cannot endure it"; you would get to the wind side of the horrid corpse. So with a man that is really alive unto God: deeds of injustice, oppression, or unchastity, he cannot endure; for life loathes corruption.

Notice that, as we are raised up by a special work from among the dead, that rising is by divine power. Christ is brought again "from the dead by the glory of the Father." What means that? Why did it not say, "by the power of the Father"? Glory is a grander word; for all the attributes of God are displayed in all their solemn pomp in the raising of Christ from the dead. There was the Lord's faithfulness; for had he not declared that his soul should not rest in hell, neither should His Holy One see corruption? Was not the love of the Father seen there? I am sure it was a delight to the heart of God to bring back life to the body of his dear Son. And so, when you and I are raised out of our death in sin, it is not merely God's power, it is not merely God's wisdom that is seen, it is "the glory of the Father."

To think, that every child of God that has been quickened, has been quickened by "the glory of the Father”. It has taken not alone the Holy Spirit, and the work of Jesus, and the work of the Father, but the very "glory of the Father". If the tiniest spark of spiritual life has to be created by "the glory of the Father," what will be the glory of that life when it comes into its full perfection, and we shall be like Christ, and see him as he is! Value highly the new life which God has given you. There is in you that which it required all the attributes of God to create. He could make a world by power alone, but you must be raised from the dead by "the glory of the Father."

Notice next, that this life is entirely new. We are to "walk in newness of life." The life of a Christian is an entirely different thing from the life of other men, entirely different from his own life before his conversion, and when people try to counterfeit it, they cannot accomplish the task. A godless man may pray as much as a Christian, read as much of the Bible as a Christian, and even go beyond us in externals; but there is a secret which he knows not and cannot counterfeit. The life divine is so totally new that the unconverted have no copy to work by. In every Christian it is as new as if he were the very first Christian. Even though in every one it is the image and superscription of Christ, yet there is a milled edge or a something about the real silver that these counterfeits cannot get a hold of. It is a new, a novel, a fresh, a divine thing.

And, lastly, this life is an active thing. The walking includes the living, of which it is the sign, and Paul thinks so fast when the Spirit of God is upon him that he has passed beyond the cause to the effect. No sooner do we get the new life than we become active: we do not sit down and say, "I have received a new life: how grateful I ought to be. I will quietly enjoy myself." We have something to do directly we are alive, and we begin walking, and so the Lord keeps us all our lives in his work; he does not allow us to sit down contented with the mere fact that we live, nor does he allow us to spend all our time in examining whether we are alive or no; but he gives us one battle to fight, and then another. At times we have fierce struggles with our own spirit, and fears lest sin and Satan should prevail, till our life is scarce discerned by itself, but it is always discerned by its acts. The life that is given to those who were dead with Christ is an energetic, forceful life, that is evermore busy for Christ, and would, if it could, move heaven and earth and subdue all things unto him who is its Head.

This life Paul tells us is an unending one. Once get it, and it will never go from you. "Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more."

Next, it is a life which is not under the law or under sin. Christ came under the law when he was here, and he had our sin laid on him, and therefore died; but after he rose again there was no sin laid on him. In his resurrection both the sinner and the Surety are free. What had Christ to do after his rising? To bear any more sin? No, but just to live unto God. That is where you and I are. We have no sin to carry now; it was all laid on Christ. What have we to do? Every time we have the headache, or feel ill, are we to cry out, "This is a punishment for my sin"? Nothing of the kind, our punishment is all done with, for we have borne the capital sentence, and are dead: our new life must be unto God.

I have now to serve him and delight myself in him, and use the power which he gives me of calling others from the dead, saying, "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." I am not going back to the grave of spiritual death nor to my grave-clothes of sin; but by divine grace I will still believe in Jesus, and go from strength to strength, not under law, not fearing hell, nor hoping to merit heaven, but as a new creature, loving because loved, living for Christ because Christ lives in me, rejoicing in glorious hope of that which is yet to be revealed by virtue of my oneness in Christ.

NO LONGER SLAVES TO SIN

In the sixth chapter of the book of Romans, where the first verse asks two very important questions, Paul writes:

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

The opening chapters of this book have described our desperate need for help and the gracious intervention of God on our behalf. Chapter 3 verse 22 tells us about the "righteousness from God [that] comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." Chapter 5 verse 8 says, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Chapter 5 verse 16 says, "...the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification." With gratitude we find ourselves looking at God with "wonder, love and praise." We eventually get to the point of exclaiming, "What shall we say? How can we express our appreciation? How can we respond to God's love?" Chapter 6 begins the process (which extends through chapter 8) of answering these questions.

THE QUESTION OF SIN

The second question in chapter 6 verse 1 is also critical:

Romans 6:1 - What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

This question poses a possible answer to the first question, "What shall we say, then?" In chapter 5 verse 20, the immediately preceding context, Paul makes the statement, "...where sin increased, grace increased all the more." No matter how blighting the effect of sin, how far its reach, or how terrible the tragedy it accomplishes, grace is greater than sin. And wherever sin increases, grace increases all the more. Grace always overwhelms sin and breaks the power of the reign of sin and death.

But it is important to ask what attitude might be behind this second question. I see two possibilities, and to distinguish between them is important. First, a person could be asking, "May I continue unchanged in sin? Can I have favor with God and sin at the same time? If I continue in sin will God be glorified and grace increase?" Or second, a person could be asking, "Must I continue in sin? In order to experience the grace of God do I have to continue to be the person that I have been? Do I have to continue to shame myself with what now breaks my heart in order to know the grace of God?"---hoping that it's not so.

There are many who "glory in their shame" [Philippians 3:19] pursuing that which ought to bring them sorrow. There are people everywhere who boast about how much they can drink, how many drugs they can take, racial prejudice, or love of money. If those people had they any interest at all in spiritual things, they might ask, "Can I continue in sin and have God too? What a deal that would be!"

But Paul's reaction in the verse that follows is to recoil from the thought of this possibility:

Romans 6:2 - God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

He is writing from the perspective of someone who has learned to hate his sin, someone whose sinful nature and history reek of death. They have died and decayed and are awful to contemplate. He wants nothing to do with them anymore, and the longing of his heart is to be freed from all that. So he says we have died to sin, and we should find horrible the suggestion that we would have to go back into the sewer in order to experience the grace of God.

If we are Christians not only has Christ died for us but we have died with him, the Scriptures say. Not only has he forgiven our sins, but we are united with him so that we become different people. We will have what this passage will call newness of life, we will become people who are changed from the inside out because we have the life of Christ available to us. We don't have to continue to sin in order to experience the grace of God. What a great and glorious announcement!

Chapters 6 through 8 are a complex, wonderful, and powerful description of sanctification. Having been justified or declared right with God, we now undergo the process of being changed into the likeness of Christ. It is not easy; it is in fact complex. Any time you encounter quick fix methods for achieving Christian maturity, you know you are dealing with thinking that is either naive or deceptive, because there are not ten easy steps. In the process of growing in faith there is a great deal to learn and apply.

UNITED WITH CHRIST

The key to it all is to realize that we are united with Christ or placed into Christ. In these chapters, what we are going to be talking about are all of the implications and questions that flow from that and the growth in the life of faith as Christ increasingly takes over our experience. Baptism---dying, being submerged and raised up again---is a way of declaring our being joined with Jesus.

We not only experience Jesus' death for us, but we died with him. Verses 3-4: Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Originally, the word baptize meant to place something into something else. A ship that was launched from dry dock into the ocean was baptized into the ocean. The baptism that Paul is describing here is a spiritual reality. We are baptized or placed into Christ. We were joined to him on his cross, in his grave, and in his resurrection. All that has happened to him has happened to us in the inner man. Thus complete change has taken place in us spiritually.

The result of being placed into Christ or united with him, Paul says at the end of verse 4, is that we are to live a new life. This speaks of profound change. But all that is new does not happen instantly to people who place their faith in Christ. There are choices we must make through this sanctification process, and that is what Romans 6 begins to help us grapple with.

WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW

What is the process? To begin with, the idea of what we know becomes very important. Paul says in verse 3, "...don't you know that all us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" (Remember, the questions he is beginning to answer were, "What response can I make to all that God has done for me? And how do sin and grace interact with each other? How can I be free, of this sinful pattern that is mine?") Twice more now he is going to use the idea of what we know. Twice also he uses a logical device called a conditional statement.

A conditional statement has two parts, the antecedent and the consequent, each of which is a statement in itself. The truth of the antecedent is the basis for stating the consequent. Paul's first conditional statement is in verse 5. Let's read verses 5-7:

Romans 6:5 - For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Romans 6:6 - Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Romans 6:7 - For he that is dead is freed from sin.

If we have been united with him like this in his death [antecedent], we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection [consequent]. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin---because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

If we have been united with him in the likeness of death, we will be united with him in newness of life, in his resurrection, in being changed. And we know that we have been united with him in his death; we can be certain of that, for that is what it means to be a Christian. So we can also be certain that resurrection life is our destiny, too. We have available to us the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead and brought about the change that he underwent from a decaying body in a grave to a glorious resurrected body that death could never touch again.

Paul makes his second conditional statement in verse 8. Let's read verses 8-9:

Romans 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

Romans 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

Now if we died with Christ [antecedent], we believe that we will also live with him [consequent]. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

There are two great truths here that we can know with absolute, unshakable certainty: We know that we are united with Christ; and we know that Christ died, was raised, and is now experiencing new life unto God. The process of complete change from sin on the cross to decay in the grave to life forever has been finished in his experience. We are united with Christ, and the process is over for Christ; therefore the process will be ended for us as well. We can be sure that we too will experience resurrection life; we too will be made new. In unity with Christ we have all that he has.

THE AUTHORITY OF SIN IS GONE

But let's carefully consider what it means for the body of sin to be done away with (verse 6). We are no longer slaves to sin because sin has been executed by our spiritual death; the old nature has been put to death, a new spirit now resides in our soul. We were on Christ's cross. Something that used to command and control us died when he died. The body of sin is not speaking of just our physical self. Our body is no more sinful than any other aspect of us; physical things are not sinful by nature. He is talking about a commanding presence---the person of sin, if you will; the authority that has owned us all our lives, demanded our obedience, crushed and hurt and confused and frightened us. That commanding presence has been executed, and we are no longer required to obey it.

One of the most famous experiments in psychology had to do with conditioned reflexes. It was performed by the Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov on some dogs. Pavlov would let his dogs become very hungry, and then he would feed them great quantities of aromatic, entirely enticing food. They were so hungry they could do nothing but eat it. And every time he gave the dogs food he would ring a bell. This went on for a period of time. Then eventually he rang the bell without waiting for the dogs to be hungry or giving them food. And because the dogs had been conditioned to associate the sound of the bell with the food they had been so hungry for, when Pavlov rang the bell they would salivate just as they had when he gave them food.

What Paul is saying about the sin nature's having been executed on the cross is very similar to that in our experience. There was a time when sin had real authority over us, when it made us really hungry, and we had no choice but to eat the food that was placed before us. It had an aroma that was absolutely overwhelming to us. And the bell would ring every time. But now all sin has in our experience is the sound of the bell, which it uses to try to stimulate the same response in us as when it had authority over us. And when sin rings the bell, we can be made to think we have to sin---unless we see the process at work and choose that it should die. Because we have been conditioned to associate the sensation of temptation with the absolute power of sin in our life, what we must do is hear the gospel and believe it, and then choose to recognize that what once owned us owns us no more; it has died. And it is as we choose to assert the death of our sin nature and to believe that life is given to us from God that we begin to be changed; we no longer sin as much. This real change in our behavior is taking place in us because we have a new identity; we are united with Christ.

The difficulty we experience, is believing that the sin nature is really dead. It is a very savvy and wily former master of ours. There are times when sin is so familiar that we are blind to what we are doing. We are led down paths of temptation into foolish things without even realizing it, so habitual are they. There are times when the ringing of the bell is so persuasive that we feel as if we can really do nothing other than its bidding. The experience of newness of life is less familiar to us than sin is.

It is important to recognize the emphasis that Paul therefore gives to the crucifying of the old nature in this passage. In verse 3 Paul says that in baptism into Christ we have died and have been buried in death with him. Now, not only did Christ's body die, but it was buried, and a rock was rolled over its tomb. He was really dead! That is Paul's clear emphasis here.

And just as certain is the fact that our old nature was crucified, the body of sin done away with, so that we should no longer be slaves to sin. But if we are not careful we may think of sin as having been sent to its room rather than having been crucified, or of its having been tamed and having its knuckles rapped and somehow coming in line. We want to think that we can manage it a bit. But that will not do. What we have to do is see that sin has no life left. It can't command anymore, it can only ring the bell and try to make us think we need to sin. It can only dredge up all the old memories, but we don't have to do those things anymore.

PRACTICAL COMMANDS

Romans 6:10 - For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Romans 6:11 - Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:12 - Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:13 - Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Romans 6:14 - For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

In verse 11 for the first time in the book of Romans a command is given. For six-and-a half-chapters we have been given information and discussion. We have seen analysis of the sin problem, grace, what God has done, and the promises he offers. We have been given extraordinary insight into the power and authority of grace. Because we are united with Jesus Christ, we are now given a command. Verses 11-14.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

The first response we are to make is to apply the theology to ourselves. This is true not just for pastors, for Billy Graham, for the saints of old, or for missionaries overseas. It applies to you. Consider yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Every day, perhaps dozens of times throughout the day, you and I need to have theological discussions with ourselves: "I am united with Christ; I am his. That is who I am. My sin nature has been executed. It rings bells, but it has no power. I am dead to sin but alive to God, and that is what I am going to believe about myself. And I'm going to walk around and apply theology to myself as often as I need to to begin to take on that identity for myself without reservation."

The second command in verse 12 logically follows the first. "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires." We have become familiar in the last several years with the language of emotional co-dependency. That is helpful language to understand what Paul means by not letting sin reign. In the familiar pattern of someone who flees an abusive situation and goes back to it, is rescued out of it and goes into another one, and another. The first time they might have been fooled, but eventually it is clearly by choice that they are allowing hurt to themselves.

They are letting something have authority over them that is destructive, and they have to stop it. It may be very difficult; there are powerful factors that contribute to this pattern. But the prayers of believing people, good counsel, and the love and the support of others are all aimed at helping them realize that they are letting something destroy them that doesn't have to. They must choose to break the pattern. In the same way we have to choose to stop letting sin in any form reign because it has no real authority left, even though it acts like it does.

The third command for us in this section is in some ways the most practical of all. We have body parts---feet, hands, ears, a mouth to talk with, and sexual capabilities. We have as well time, relationships, places to go, and assets to dispose of. These are the very practical means by which we interact with the world every day. And we are not to offer them to sin as instruments of wickedness, but rather to offer ourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and to offer the parts of our body to him as instruments of righteousness. So we must pray, "Lord, this day you may have my mouth---what I say about people, the arguments I offer, the blessings I speak, the opportunity I have to build up rather than tear down, the opportunity to tell the truth rather than confuse. I am not going to give my mouth over to destructive behavior as I have been in the habit of doing. And you may have my hands today. The work I do is to glorify you. You may have my time...." And so on.

There is a conscious turning from the sinful opportunities. The bell ringer is dinning in our ear and telling us what we ought to spend our time on, what our minds ought to think about, where we ought to go, and what we ought to say. It is telling us whom we can hurt, anger we can express, and lies we can speak. We have all those practical opportunities, and we turn aside from them because we are united with Christ. And we start actively saying, "Feet, today we're going to go where Jesus wants us to go today for a change. Wallet, today we're going to use our money as Jesus directs." That is the practical process of taking the truth that we are united with Christ and beginning to change who we are inside and in our activity. This text does not imply that it is simple, easy, or automatic. The journey of sanctification is not completed with what we have learned in Romans 6:1-14, but the foundation---union with Christ---is laid.

Romans 6:14 - For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Now focus on the hope that is offered in verse 14: For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. We are going to win. It is not a question of just hoping that by the grace of God the process will turn out as it is described; it is going to turn out that way. Sin will not master us, because we are not under law but under grace. If our confidence was in the law, in the power of the information and the commands of God to change us, then we would be without hope. But our confidence is not in the law but in grace, and grace is greater than sin. And because we are under grace, our Lord God is going to see to it that we are sanctified, that the day will come when we stand in glory with Christ as his sons and daughters reflecting his glory back to him. It does not ultimately depend on us. This is a tremendous word of hope.

DEAD TO THE LAW

Romans 6:3 - Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Romans 6:4 - Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:5 - For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Romans 6:6 - Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Romans 6:7 - For he that is dead is freed from sin.

For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Galatians 2:19-21

If there was ever a man who might have been justified through the keeping of the Law, it would have been Paul. He had been circumcised on the eighth day according to the Law. He had become a Pharisee of the Pharisees — he was a Jew who held to the literal interpretation of the Scriptures. He had been trained in the school of Gamaliel. He had been zealous in his legalism.

And yet, the only thing that Paul ever got from the Law was condemnation and death. The very Law that he struggled to keep condemned him because he was unable to keep it perfectly. The penalty for not keeping the Law perfectly is death. Thus, the Law condemned Paul to death.

1. A Legal Death: For through the Law I died to the Law (2:19).

This is the reason that Paul cannot rebuild the Law that he has in effect destroyed. This is the reason he cannot go back to the Law. It is because he is dead to the Law. The Law judged him as a guilty sinner. The Law condemned him to death. And then the sentence was carried out.

When did this take place? In what way did Paul die to the Law? The answer is found in the next verse.

2. A Lasting Union: I have been crucified with Christ (2:20).

When the Law demanded that the penalty of death be carried out, those demands were carried out against Christ. This means that Jesus was crucified as Paul's representative. Paul was legally crucified with Christ. He is legally considered to have been put to death.

You see, Paul has been identified with Christ through faith. Anyone who has placed their faith in Jesus as their Savior has been identified with Christ. When the Law demanded our death, the sentence of death was carried out in the death of Christ on the cross. He took our place. He died instead of us. The sentence has been carried out. We are considered by the Law to have died on the cross. This means that the Law has no more dominion over us. The Law does not condemn a dead man. The Law only judges the living. The Law can no more judge us than a court could dig up a corpse and require it to stand trial.

3. A Living Destiny: Christ lives in me (2:20).

Not only have we been placed into the body of Christ, but Christ has also come to live within us. This means that my life is eternally wrapped up in Jesus Christ. His destiny is my destiny. His inheritance is my inheritance. His life is my life.

Christianity is not merely a theological system of beliefs or a code of moral conduct that I am to follow. Christianity is a new relationship. It is a person living inside me.

4. A Loving Call: And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith (2:20).

Even though I now have a position with Christ in heaven, I still have to live out this life confined within this earthly body. But this does not mean that my present life is not affected by that heavenly position. Because I have been crucified with Christ, I now have a new responsibility to live accordingly.

How am I to live? Paul gives the principle here in this verse. I am to live by faith and in the light of God's love. I am to live in accordance with the new life that I believe I now have.

o If I believe that I have eternal life, then I should live for the future and not just for today.

o If I believe that God has set me apart and declared me to be righteous, then I ought to live a righteous life that is set apart from the world.

o If I believe that I have been crucified with Christ, then I should live as though I am dead to the Law.

Peter's problem was that he had not been living by faith. He had been living by public opinion. He had been living as though righteousness could come through the keeping of the Law instead of through faith in Christ.

5. A Lamentable Conclusion: I do not nullify the grace of God (2:21).

Either righteousness comes through the keeping of the Law or else it comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Peter has been living as though it could come through the Law. But if this is true, then Christ did not have TO DIE ON THE CROSS FOR OUR SINS.

God's grace has been offered to all men through the cross. But if you believe that Christ died needlessly, then you are declaring that grace to be null and void. But the death of Christ was not in vain. To the contrary, it is the source of salvation for all who will believe.

1Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

1Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

1Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

1Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Do you know that when you die, that you will go to heaven?

Are you saved?

The Bible uses the word "saved" in Romans 10:9, 13.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. . . . For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

The term "saved" is used more than fifty times in the New Testament to refer to one receiving salvation. It means that one is saved from the condemnation of their sins and because they are saved, meaning their sins are forgiven and they go to heaven when they die.

Being saved is not a question of how good you are, or good deeds you have done, nor if you are a church member or have been baptized, but have you believed in Jesus Christ as your Savior and received forgiveness? Those whom God saves and gives eternal life, are those who have at some point in time realized that before God, they were sinners. Realizing they were guilty of sinning against God they asked Him to forgive and save them. Because they believed and asked for God's forgiveness they are now absolutely sure they are saved. They know, based on God's word, that they are the children of God and will go to heaven when they die?

Would you like to know that when you die you would go to heaven? The Bible is God's word and He in it tells us how

God says in order to go to heaven, to have peace in our lives, we must be "born again." In John 3:7, a very religious, but unsaved Jewish Pharisee named Nicodemus came to the Lord Jesus seeking truth. Nicodemus was a morally good man and very religious, but his faith was in his good works and religious acts. Like so many he was a trusting in his own righteousness and works to get him to heaven. Jesus explained to him that in order to be saved, "Ye must be born again." That meant that Nicodemus needed to be spiritually born and put his faith in Jesus Christ and not his works.

God explains the only way a person can be "born again" is to believe. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) His plan is simple! God says that we are His creation and that He loves us. He says we can be saved today, even this very hour if we believe Him and ask Him to save us?

First, you must realize you are a sinner. God says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Surely we know that we have done wrong things which God says is sin. Therefore, as a sinner we understand that we are separated from God by our sin because He is a totally holy and righteous God. Our sin separates us from God and condemns us to die apart from Him who created us because we do not believe and receive His forgiveness. God says, "For the wages meaning payment of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Sadly, this includes eternal separation from God and punishment in hell.

God has told us that "... it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). Revelations 20:11-15, explains this that in this judgment all the unsaved will be judged according to their works and cast eternally into the Lake of Fire. The reasons is they would not believe God and accept His free offer of forgiveness. That that is not what God wants! The desire of God for our salvation is stated in 1Timothy 2:4.

"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."

God loved you so much he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear your sins and die in your place. John 3:16-18 says,

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Further God says:

"For he hath made him (Jesus, who knew no sin) to be sin for us ... that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

That means that Christ came to Earth and that He suffered and died for our sins that we might be able to receive full forgiveness of our sins. The only way to be saved and forgiven of our sins is to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Because we were sinners, and under the penalty of sin, Jesus Christ, came to Earth as a man (John 1:1-2, 14), to shed his blood and die in our place. He paid our sin debt so that we could be pardoned for our sins. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Lev. 17:11) "... without shedding of blood is no remission pardon" (Hebrews 9:22).

Because God loved us, even though we sinned against Him, Christ died for us. The Bible says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

God's plan, for your Salvation, is not to be continued in a tub

God said mine and your sins were laid upon Jesus and he suffered and died in our place. On the Cross He suffered, died, became our substitute, and because of His death for us we can absolutely believe and trust Him to save us because God cannot lie.

The Bible tells us, "God ... now commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30).

This repentance means a change of mind, that agrees with God that each of us is a sinner, and also agrees with what Jesus did for us on the Cross. In other words, we recognize we have sinned against God, our Creator. We understand the truth that God loved us, and sent His Son the Lord Jesus to die on the Cross and to pay for our sins (Romans 5:8). Thus, knowing that we are a sinner, and thereby separated from God, we in faith we ask God to forgive our sins.

In Acts 16:30,31, the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas: "...Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." More than sixty time in the New Testament God tells us to believe in Him.

God is telling us to simply believe on Him as the One who bore our sins, died in our place, was buried, and whom God resurrected. Our Creator loves us and wants to forgive us, to give us a new heart and soul, and a new life in fellowship with Him. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus He gave up His life and died for us. After three days and nights, on that glorious Sunday morning, He arose from the grave victorious over sin and death. Because of His resurrection, we are assured that when one believes on Jesus Christ for their salvation he has everlasting life. The "born again" believer is promised by God that because Christ arose from the grave we too will be resurrected to eternal life with Jesus Christ.

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12).

This verse tells us that to be saved and become a child of God we must believe on Him.

And if a person believes God promises, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).

Do you understand that the "Whosoever" includes you and I. "Shall be saved" means not "maybe", nor "can", but shall be saved.

Surely, if we are honest we realize that we are a sinner. Shouldn't we would want to receive God's forgiveness, be saved and have the assurance when we die that we will go to heaven? Right now, whoever, or wherever you are, whatever is your past, if you will believe God you can lift your heart to God in prayer and ask Him to save you. Salvation is not a process that happens over time. Salvation comes fully the instant that a person accepts that he or she is a sinner and with a repentant heart asks God to forgiven and save them.

In Luke 18:13, a sinner prayed: "God be merciful to me a sinner." It was a sincere prayer from the man's heart asking God for forgiveness. Anyone who sees themselves as a sinner in repentance can simply pray and ask God to save them. One could pray similar to this:

"Oh, God, I know I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for me on the cross. I believe His shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection were for me. I now receive Him as my Savior. I thank you for your grace and mercy and for forgiving me of my sins. Thank you for everlasting life. Amen."

It is not the saying of a prayer that saves us, but the true belief in Jesus Christ in our hearts. Our prayer is our outward expression of what has happened in our hearts. It is our asking in faith in Jesus Christ that saves us. It is the genuine belief in our hearts that God sees and He then promises to forgive us and give us eternal life.

This is clearly stated in Romans 10:9-13, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

God tells us to just believe and take Him at his word and to claim his salvation by faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no lodge, no good works, or religious ceremonies can save you. Remember, God does the saving. All of it! You cannot clean up your life or make yourself more acceptable to God. You must simply come to Him as you are, a sinner sincerely asking for forgiveness.

Our loving Creator, Jesus Christ died in your place and offer each of us forgiveness and eternal life. But He also explains that if a person rejects Him and will not believe, he will spend eternity in hell separated from God. Yet, God wants to save you and explains that if you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you will receive forgiveness for all of your sins and eternal life. Further you will have the Holy Spirit in your heart to guide you the rest of your life. You will have a new life and purpose for living.

Note what God says in 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Some may say, "Surely, it cannot be that simple." But God says, Yes, it is this simple! It is what God has said in the Bible. It is God's simple plan. It means that you can this very moment, believe on Jesus and receive him as your Savior today.

2 Corinthians 11:3 - But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Receiving God's forgiveness and salvation is not received by doing some work, like join a church, being baptized, living a good life, doing good deeds, or some religious ritual. God says in Ephesians 2:8-10:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

It is God's grace that saves us when we believe and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. We cannot merit or earn our salvation because we are sinners under the condemnation of sin. Yet, God in His love, offers us His free gift of grace in order that we can be saved.

This is important to understand that the beginning of a new life in Christ with God's peace and assurance can begin now as you turn to the Lord for salvation. "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36).

You can be sure you are saved if you with your heart in sincerity ask God to save you. You see salvation is promised to us by God if we ask Him.

To not believe God, and take Him at His word means a person will lose his soul and miss heaven. God cannot save those who will not believe and accept His free gift of Salvation. He will not force Himself on anyone. Please! Let God save you this moment by believing and asking Him to save you.

God's power will save you, keep you saved and enable you to live a victorious Christian life. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

We cannot trust our feelings because feelings and emotions change. God says we are to stand on His promises. And herein is the beauty of baptism, while my “feelings, emotions” will change from day to day, the knowledge that I was totally wet from the scriptural baptism will never change. This encourages me to realize that God’s love for me never changes and covers all of me.

A good conscience before God is Christ

1 Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Peter is nowhere addressing water baptism, but yet so many believe water baptism is implied because they assume every reference to "baptism" implies water baptism. Eight souls were saved by water it teaches, but yet thousands also drowned in that water that carried the ark safely through. Water baptism doesn’t save some and drown others.

Peter was making an anti-type here as that is what the Greek word 'antitupon' means (KJV translated it as “figure”). The anti-type would be Jesus Christ pictured here and not water baptism. The context is dealing with the death and resurrection of Jesus and not water baptism. As Noah was saved by the ark then so we will be saved by His (Jesus) baptism that He went through.

Scriptures speak of "divers baptisms" and yet we like to make every reference of the word “baptism” as water baptism. Water baptism is NOWHERE stated here, nor was it ever stated anywhere else as supposedly giving us a good conscience.

Water is exactly what is used for the "putting away of the filth of the flesh" (vs. 21), so water was not the subject here. If water was the subject then it is water (not Christ) that saves us, but many of us know that is not true. Do you honestly believe that one little dunk or sprinkle forever gives you a good conscience before God rather than what Jesus did?

I do like to point out that ceremonial baptism was indeed a picture in scripture of the putting away of the filth of the flesh. This is one additional reason why I do not see water baptism here as Peter made it clear, “Not the putting away of the filth of the flesh.”

The verses prior to verse 21 as well as the verse to follow ought to make it clear that water baptism is not what the answer of a good conscience before God is. The answer rather is Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection. Verse 21 even states that our good conscience before God is "BY the resurrection of Jesus Christ" and not water baptism.

The Greek word 'eperotema' (vs.21 “answer”) is only used here and the exact definition is uncertain. It has a sense of urgency or an intense desire. One man named Leighton defined it as "The word intends the whole correspondence of the conscience with God." Peter is saying that the baptism of Christ on the cross and His resurrection is exactly what we should be focusing on here as it has nothing to do with literal water or even our body, but that His death and resurrection should rule our whole being as that would give us a good conscience before God.

Many miss the meaning here and have removed the blessing that Peter actually intended to share. Peter is not referring to water as he did try to make that clear. It is not the physical substance of any kind on this planet that gives you a good conscience before God but a Person (Jesus Christ) and His work does.

The ark is clearly a type of Christ. The flood waters were a type of judgment for sins which later fell upon Christ on the cross. Noah and his family were saved by being in the ark and we are saved by being in Christ. The context is clear that Peter was talking about Christ's death and resurrection and NEVER water baptism. Nobody is being commanded to be dunked or sprinkled here so that they might have a good conscience before God. Christ's death/resurrection was a baptism that we are saved through, and that is the anti-type of the ark's baptism in the flood.

We must also remember that physical ceremonies have NO power to deliver any of us from a guilty conscience. Hebrews speaks only about the blood of Christ as being able to purge our conscience as Hebrews 9:14 says:

Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Only the blood of Christ can appease a bad conscience and not water baptism as Hebrews 10:2,3 says:

Hebrews 10:2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

Hebrews 10:3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

The baptism of 1Peter 3:21 is the baptism of Christ was Him who was put to death in the flesh as verse 18 teaches:

1Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Again, the "baptism (that) doth now save us" would be "by the resurrection of Jesus Christ" and not water baptism. Scriptures speak that we will be saved by His life. As Noah was saved by the ark then so shall the believer that has died and risen with Him shall be saved from their sins. A good conscience has nothing to do with getting dunked in water, and it has nothing to do with making a profession of faith by walking some aisle. If you study all of the arguments in favor of water baptism in 1st Peter 3:21 then you will see a whole variety of opinions as this is what will happen when you insert your belief system into a verse without allowing it to speak for itself.

Deliverance from a bad conscience is speaking about a person being saved from sin as is the picture here in 1st Peter as well as in Hebrews when it comes to the death of Christ. Christ is the answer to a bad conscience "by His resurrection" and never water.

1Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

1Peter 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

1Peter 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

1Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

1Peter 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Verse 18: “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”

Four things to notice in this verse:

First, notice that the Lord Jesus Christ suffered for sins only one time. Hebrews 10.14 speaks to this same point:

Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

There is no need for the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ to be repeated, especially the unbloody sacrifice of the Roman Catholic Mass. Since without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin:

Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

The shedding of blood is definitely needed for sins to be cleansed away. But the Lord Jesus Christ’s blood was shed only once, because once was and is sufficient.

Second, Christ’s sacrifice was the Just for the unjust. That is, the Lord Jesus Christ’s was a substitutionary sacrifice. Being substitutionary, which means Christ did for the sinner what the sinner could not do for himself, the sinner therefore does not need to do works of righteousness to pay for his salvation; Jesus already paid it all.

Third, “that he might bring us to God.” That is, the responsibility of getting the sinner to God is Christ’s and Christ’s alone. Why is this an important point to make? Because no man cometh unto the Father, according to the Lord Jesus Christ, “but by me,”.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Do you want your sins forgiven? Do you want to go to heaven? Do you want to come to God? Then you have to come to Jesus Christ.

Finally, “. . . being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” He really did die on the cross. He really was buried. And it was the Spirit of God who brought His dead body back to life on the third day.

Verse 19: “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison.”

This is a verse which is most usually misunderstood by even some of the most careful Bible students:

The first mistake generally results from ignoring the words “by which.” If you mistake the meaning of the words “by which” you end up thinking this verse refers to the Lord Jesus Christ’s spirit going to Hell after His crucifixion so He could preach the gospel to unsaved folks already in Hell. But the phrase “by which” means that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished something by means of another. In context, the other was the same Spirit who is said to have quickened Him in verse 18.

The second mistake that is common to this verse is thinking that the preaching that was done to the spirits in prison was preaching that was done when the spirits were in prison. That position is not supported in scripture. Here is what happened: The Lord Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, preached to people whose spirits are now in prison. But when they were preached to they were not at that time in prison. When they were preached to they had not yet died and gone to Hell.

Verse 20: “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”

Verse 20 clears things up considerably:

“Which were sometime disobedient” refers to those who before the Flood were unresponsive to the preaching of men like Enoch and Noah, both preachers of righteousness.

“. . . when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” For 120 years God held back His wrath against the righteous judgment of the wicked while the ark was being prepared. And how is it that the Lord Jesus Christ “preached unto the spirits in prison”? He did so through the Holy Spirit of God who worked in the lives of preachers of righteousness until the time of judgment came. When that time of judgment came, after the ark’s preparation had been completed, “eight souls were saved by water.”

In this context, the salvation that is referred to is physical deliverance from drowning. The ark was a type of Jesus Christ that, by the safety provided from the Flood, was picture of the salvation Jesus Christ provides from the wrath of God.

Verse 21: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” The phrase “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us” shows us that as the saving of the eight in the ark from the Flood pictures the salvation of Jesus Christ in olden days, so baptism pictures the salvation of Jesus Christ in these days. Did the ark actually save anyone from their sins? No. Did the ark provide for anyone a spiritual salvation, and so make anyone a Christian? No. Neither does baptism make anyone a Christian or save anyone from his sins. Baptism is a figure, an illustration, a picture of what Jesus Christ does. Baptism is properly administered after someone gets saved, and every baptism recorded in the Bible is the baptism of someone who is already a Christian.

Next, notice the phrase in parenthesis: “(not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God.)” Please be careful to understand what Peter is telling us here, that baptism is “not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but” that baptism is “the answer of a good conscience toward God.” That is, baptism is not something that saves a person, but something that is the proper response of someone who now has a good conscience toward God.

Verse 21 concludes, “by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” The Lord Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Peter mentions our Lord’s death in verse 18, the believer’s burial in baptism in verse 21, and the resurrection of Christ in verse 21. Christ’s ascension is mentioned in the next verse.

1Peter 3:22 - “Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.”

Our passage focuses on the suffering of Jesus Christ, the death of Jesus Christ, and the resurrection and ascension of Christ. After stating that the quickening of Christ’s body in the resurrection was accomplished by the Spirit of God, Peter then veers onto the Spirit’s past ministry to those who are now dead and to a comparison of how Noah’s ark and believer’s baptism illustrate salvation. As I mentioned earlier, it is difficult to figure out precisely what Peter was seeking to accomplish with what he wrote here.

In verse 21, Peter describes baptism as “the answer of a good conscience toward God.” That is, baptism is the response of a good conscience toward God, or the experience of someone who now has a good conscience toward God.

Think about this for a moment: Until you come to faith in Christ and thereby become a fit candidate for baptism, you have never before in your lifetime had a good conscience toward God.

Have you done wrong? Of course, you have. Do you have a guilty conscience? Maybe you do and maybe you do not. You could very well have done wrong and yet you do not have a guilty conscience.

But there is a world of difference between not having a guilty feeling conscience and having a good conscience toward God. Our text tells us that baptism is the answer of a good conscience toward God.

Four questions about this faculty God gave you called conscience:

Any salvation based on YOUR good works, YOUR obedience, Your anything will have doubts.

First, WHAT IS YOUR CONSCIENCE?

Thus, your conscience is that faculty given to you by God which is capable of self-judgment. That is, by means of your conscience you evaluate yourself. The word “conscience” translates the Greek word that means “co-knowledge.” A. T. Robertson wrote, “The word suneidêsis means co-knowledge by the side of the original consciousness of the act. This second knowledge is personified as confronting the first (Sanday and Headlam).”

HOW DOES YOUR CONSCIENCE MAKE YOU FEEL?

Your conscience works by means of what is called syllogism. A syllogism is an argument whose conclusion is supported by two premises. Thus, there are always three parts to the way your conscience works. But rather than try to define what a syllogism is using unfamiliar terms, allow me to simply illustrate how your conscience works by constructing a number of syllogisms.

First, there is Ezekiel 18.20: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

1. That is the major premise: The soul that sins shall die.
2. The minor premise: I am a sinner.
3. The conclusion: Therefore, I shall die.

Second, Revelation 21.8:

Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Again, the major premise: Those guilty of these named sins will go to the lake of fire.

The minor premise: I am guilty of one of these sins (or more).

The conclusion: Therefore, I shall go to the lake of fire.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

1. The major premise: A person who believes not in Jesus is condemned already.
2. The minor premise: I do not believe in Jesus.
3. The conclusion: Therefore, I am condemned already.

So you see, your conscience operates like you watching you, and you telling you that you have done right or that you have done wrong, that you are guilty or that you are innocent. As Romans 2.15 indicates:

Romans 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

So, you have a conscience. If you die and go to Hell, it will be your own conscience that will be the lead witness that testifies against you before the Great White Throne judgment.

What does your conscience do? It judges you. Based upon your understanding of right and wrong, your conscience constantly evaluates your behavior and passes judgment on what you do, either pronouncing you guilty of wrong doing or innocent of wrong doing, in trouble or not in trouble, guilty or not guilty.

How does your conscience work? Always by means of a syllogism, a certain orderly logical progression of thought. This is wrong, I have done this, therefore I am wrong. God will judge this sin, I am guilty of this sin, therefore God will judge me. Without Christ I will go to Hell, I am without Christ, therefore I will go to Hell. No matter what the application, your conscience always works in this type of fashion. But it does not stop there.

Then, what your conscience does with its verdict, either innocent or guilty, is press it upon you. Your own conscience, therefore, will point the finger of accusation at you for wrong doing or will pat you on the back if you judge yourself innocent. That is its purpose. That is its function.

John 8.9 records how the consciences of men who had accused a woman caught in the act of adultery worked when the Lord Jesus Christ told them,

John 8:8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

John 8:9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

Those men to whom Jesus spoke felt guilty because of their consciences, and were prompted to leave the accused woman alone.

Third, WHY DOES YOUR CONSCIENCE NOT FEEL GUILTY?

Keep in mind that a person’s conscience is not a perfect indicator of guilt or innocence, is not a perfect measure of good and evil. Since your conscience is a human faculty it is capable of the same errors in judgment and fallibilities that any person is capable of.

But most of the time your conscience does not make you feel guilty, not because of an honest mistake, but because you have sinned against your own conscience by squelching it or by searing it. This is what Paul refers to in First Timothy 4.2:

1Timothy 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

The hypocritical lies are assertions that what God says is wrong you deny is wrong, that what God says is sin you say is not sin, what God says is evil you seek to excuse as a mistake. Searing your conscience is a sinner’s way of avoiding the feelings of guilt associated with wrongdoing. You sear your conscience so you can live with yourself, so you can keep from going crazy with worry or guilt for the wrongs you have done, or for the wrongdoing you plan continuing to do.

There are a variety of ways by which the conscience can be seared, but I will give you one way to think about.

Remember using the word syllogism to describe how the conscience works? Major premise, minor premise, conclusion? Let me go back to the examples cited earlier.

Ezekiel 18.20: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

The major premise is the verse itself: The soul that sins shall die.

The minor premise comes when you apply the verse to yourself: I am a sinner.

Then your mind draws a logical conclusion: Therefore, I shall die.

How is the conscience seared? There are three ways that are immediately apparent. You can simply deny the truth of God’s Word; souls that sin do not die. You can reject the application of the truth to yourself; I am not a sinner. Or you can avoid drawing a logical conclusion; the other guy is in trouble, not me.

Revelation 21.8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Again, the major premise: Those guilty of these named sins will go to the lake of fire.

The minor premise: You are guilty of at least one of these sins.

The conclusion: You will go to the lake of fire.

The conscience is seared by denying the existence of the lake of fire, by denying that those who commit the named sins actually go there, by denying that you are actually guilty of such sins, or by jumping your logical trolley off its tracks and refusing to believe the verse applies to you at all.

Finally, there is John 3.18: “. . . he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

The major premise: A person who believes not in Jesus is condemned already.

The minor premise: You do not believe in Jesus.

The conclusion: You are condemned already.

Sear the conscience by denying that unbelievers are condemned (“God is too good to condemn anyone.”), by insisting that you believe in Jesus when clearly you do not, or by refusing to believe that God’s Word authoritatively speaks to your situation.

THINGS THAT WERE TRUE BEFORE I WAS SAVED..

1. I was on the broad way (road) leading to destruction (Matthew7:13).
2. I was lost (Luke 19:10; 2Corinthians 4:32).
3. I was condemned already because of my unbelief (John 3:18; compare 1Corinthians 11:32).
4. I was a lover of darkness (John 3:19).
5. My deeds were evil (John 3:19)
6. I was under God's abiding wrath (John 3:36) and awaiting God's coming wrath (Luke 3:7; Ephesians 5:6).
7. I was an ignorant worshipper (John 4:22).
8. I was an evildoer deserving judgment (John 5:29; compare 3Jo 1:11).
9. I was of the world and from below or beneath (John 8:23).
10. I was yet in my sins (John 8:21n 8:24; compare Joh 20:23).
11. I was a child of the devil (John 8:44).
12. I was a Christ-rejecter (John 12:48).
13. I was a Christ-hater (John 15:18) and a hater of those belonging to Christ (John 17:14).
14. I was under the power of Satan (Acts 26:18; 1John 5:19).
15. I was unthankful, not giving honor to God (Romans 1:21).
16. I was unrighteous (Romans 1:29-31; Romans 3:10; 1Corinthians 6:9-10).
17. I held the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18
18. I received not the love of the truth (2Thessalonians 2:10)
19. I was under sin (Romans 3:9) and sin-sick (Luke 5:31-32).
20. I was unprofitable (Romans 3:12; Phi 1:11).
21. I was without the fear of God (Romans 3:18).
22. I was guilty before God (Romans 3:19).
23. I was a sinner (Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8).
24. I was without strength (Romans 5:6).
25. I was ungodly (Romans 5:6).
26. I was God's enemy (Romans 5:10; Col 1:21).
27. I was a servant (slave) of sin (Romans 6:17; Romans 6:20; John 8:34).
28. I was deserving of death (Romans 6:23; 2Thessalonians 1:8-9).
29. I was in the flesh (Romans 7:5; Romans 8:8).
30. I was in danger of perishing (1Corinthians 1:18; 2Corinthians 2:15; Luke 13:3, Luke 13:5).
31. I was a natural man who considered the things of God as foolishness (1Corinthians 1:18; 1Corinthians 2:14).
32. I was under God's curse (1Corinthians 16:22).
33. I was blinded by the god of this age (2Corinthians 4:4).
34. I was part of this present evil world (Galatians 1:4).
35. I was dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1, Ephesians 2:5; Colossians 2:13).
36. I was walking according to the course of Satan's world (Ephesians 2:2).
37. I was a child of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2).
38. I was a child of wrath (Ephesians 2:3).
39. I was without Christ (Ephesians 2:12).
40. I was an alien from the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12).
41. I was a stranger from the covenants of promise (Ephesians 2:12, Ephesians 2:19).
42. I was one who had no hope (Ephesians 2:12) and no foundation (Luke 6:48).
43. I was without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12).
44. I was far off (Ephesians 2:13).
45. I was walking in the vanity of my mind (Ephesians 4:17).
46. I was one whose understanding was darkened (Ephesians 4:18; Romans 1:21).
47. I was alienated from the life of God (Ephesians 4:18; Colossians 1:21).
48. I was ignorant (Ephesians 4:18).
49. I was blind and hardened (Ephesians 4:18).
50. I was given over to unbridled lust (Ephesians 4:19).
51. I was corrupt according to deceitful lusts (Ephesians 4:22).
52. I was once of the darkness and of the night (Ephesians 5:8; 1Thessalonians 5:5; 1John 2:11).
53. I was in the realm and under the power of darkness (Colossians 1:13; Luke 1:79; Acts 26:18).
54. I was one who did not know God (1Thessalonians 4:5).
55. I was foolish (Titus 3:3).
56. I was disobedient (Titus 3:3).
57. I was deceived (Titus 3:3).
58. I was one who served various lusts and pleasures (Titus 3:3).
59. I was one who lived in malice and envy (Titus 3:3).
60. I was one who was hateful and was hating one another (Titus 3:3).
61. I was a sheep who had gone astray (1Peter 2:25).
62. I was willingly ignorant (2Peter 3:5)
63. I was one who lived in the flesh to the lusts of men (1Peter 4:2).
64. I was one who walked in lasciviousness, lusts, abominable idolatries, etc. (1Peter 4:31).
65. I was sensual, having not the Spirit (Jude 1:19 ).

HOW CAN YOU HAVE A GOOD CONSCIENCE?

Most people who claim to have a clear conscience really have consciences that are seared. They feel good about themselves, and wrongly conclude from that that their soul is safe from judgment and condemnation. But the Bible is very clear in showing that only the child of God can have a good conscience toward God, or what is called a pure conscience.

Everyone who is lost, who does not know Jesus Christ in a saving way, who is not genuinely converted the Bible way, has a conscience that is defiled. And if that person does not actually feel guilty from the accusations of his own conscience, then his conscience has been seared so that it no longer speaks in an accusing tone to its owner.

Titus 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

If you are lost, this is the truth about you, my lost friend. In your own way, your mind is defiled and your conscience is defiled. By all that is right and good your conscience should be screaming out that you are guilty, guilty, guilty. And perhaps it is. But if it is not, that does not mean that you are pure, but only that your conscience is seared, and cannot therefore trouble you with feelings and accusations of guilt.

The only way you will ever have a good conscience toward God is to have the impurities and the defilements cleaned away. And the only way that will ever happen is by the precious cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. Granted, this is unlikely to happen so long as your conscience is seared, but all is not lost. No sinner is prevented by his own conscience from coming to Jesus Christ to be saved.

Your conscience was never given to you by God to be your ruler, but to be a servant to help you do right. Therefore, you are not doomed to be a slave of your conscience, mindlessly insisting that all is well just because your conscience is seared and incapable of making you feel guilty. What you need to do is insist that what God’s Word says is true, and what you feel about yourself is a poor guide.

We know that the ministry of the Spirit of God is to persuade the lost of their lost condition, to convince that wrath awaits anyone who does not come to Christ for forgiveness and cleansing. John 16.8 and following is very clear about this.

John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

But what happens when you are convinced in your mind that the soul that sins shall die, and you admit in your mind that you are a sinner, and you conclude in your thinking that you will die? Are you bound by your seared conscience to die in your sins just because you do not feel as bad as you think you ought to feel?

Understand that so long as you have no feelings of guilt about your sinfulness, about your guiltiness, about your violations of God’s holy laws, you still remain unconvinced of your guilt. Oh, you may say to yourself, “I am so sinful.” But until you begin to feel guilty from your conscience working properly in its judgment of self, it is still seared and you remain unconvinced.

When you begin to cooperate with the persuading work of the Holy Spirit to persuade you concerning your sin and guiltiness, then your conscience will no longer be seared and will become the asset God intended it to be, prompting you to sincerely want the forgiveness and cleansing that results in a good conscience toward God.

Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

THINGS THAT ARE TRUE NOW THAT I AM SAVED...

1. My salvation is fully accomplished (John 19:30).
2. I have eternal life as a present possession (John 5:24; John 6:47; 1John 5:11-13).
3. I have Jesus Christ as my present possession (1John 5:12).
4. I know the one, true God (John 17:3; 1John 2:3; 1John 5:20).
5. I have been saved by His grace (Ephesians 2:1-10).
6. I have been justified by His grace (Titus 3:7).
7. I have passed from death unto life (John 5:24; 1John 3:14).
8. I have been quickened (made alive) by God (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13).
9. I have been made fit for heaven (Colossians 1:12).
10. I have the forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14).
11. My sins have been taken away (John 1:29; Hebrews 9:26; 1John 3:5).
12. My sins have been completely purged (Hebrews 1:3).
13. My sins will never be remembered by God (Hebrews 8:12; Hebrews 10:17).
14. I have been washed (1Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:5; Revelation 1:5).
15. I will walk with Christ in white (Revelation 3:4-5).
16. I have been healed by His stripes (1Peter 2:24).
17. I have been forgiven all trespasses (Colossians 2:13; 1John 2:12).
18. I have been fully justified (Romans 4:5; Romans 8:30; 1Corinthians 6:11; Galatians 2:16; Titus 3:7).
19. I am reconciled to God (2Corinthians 5:18-19; Colossians 1:20).
20. I am made nigh by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13).
21. I am redeemed through His blood (1Peter 1:18; 1Peter 1:19; Ephesians 1:; Colossians 1:14).
22. I am redeemed from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13).
23. I am redeemed from all iniquity or lawlessness (Titus 2:14).
24. I am bought with a price (1Corinthians 6:20; 1Corinthians 7:23).
25. I am delivered from so great a death (2Corinthians 1:10).
26. I have been delivered from this present evil world or age (Galatians 1:4).
27. I have been delivered from the power of darkness (Colossians 1:13).
28. I have been delivered from the wrath to come (1Thessalonians 1:10).
29. I will not come into condemnation or judgment (John 5:24; Romans 8:1).
30. I am a child of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:16; Galatians 3:26; 1John 3:1; 1John 3:2).
31. I am a son of God (Galatians 4:5-7).
32. I belong to Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:29; Galatians 5:24).
33. I have been adopted (Galatians 4:5; Romans 8:15; Romans 8:23).
34. I am an heir of God and joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17; Titus 3:7).
35. I am an heir of the grace of life (1Peter 3:7).
36. All things are mine (1Corinthians 3:21-23).
37. I possess all things (2Corinthians 6:10).
38. I will inherit all things (Revelation 21:7).
39. I am enriched by Christ in everything (1Corinthians 1:5; 2Corinthians 9:11).
40. I am a fellow heir (Ephesians 3:6).
41. I am rich because of Christ (2Corinthians 8:9; Revelation 2:9).
42. I am blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3).
43. I have obtained an inheritance (Ephesians 1:11; Ephesians 1:14; Hebrews 1:14; Hebrews 9:15; 1Peter 1:4).
44. I have been appointed to obtain salvation (1Thessalonians 5:9; Hebrews 1:14).
45. I am His inheritance (Ephesians 1:18).
46. I am a partaker of His promise in Christ by the gospel (Ephesians 3:6).
47. I am a new creature (creation) in Christ (2Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10).
48. I have been renewed by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).
49. I am accepted and highly favored in the Beloved One (Ephesians 1:6; Matthew 3:17).
50. I have been seated in heavenly places with Christ (Ephesians 2:6).
51. I am to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:6; Ephesians 1:12).
52. I am light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8).
53. I am a child of light (Ephesians 5:8; 1Thessalonians 5:5).
54. I am a "peculiar person, " even God's special, purchased possession (Titus 2:14; 1Peter 2:9).
55. I am a priest who can offer spiritual sacrifices (Hebrews 13:15-16; 1Peter 2:5; 1Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:10; Revelation 20:6).
56. I am a king who will reign (Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:10; Revelation 20:6).
57. I am privileged to have fellowship with the Father and with the Son (1John 1:3).
58. I dwell in Christ (John 6:56; 1John 3:24; 1John 4:13; 1John 4:15 -16).
59. Christ dwells in me (John 6:56; Galatians 2:20; 1John 3:24; 1John 4:12-16).
60. I am in Christ (John 14:20; 2Corinthians 5:17).
61. Christ is in me (John 14:20; Colossians 1:27; Romans 8:10; 1John 4:41).
62. The Spirit of God dwells in me (Romans 8:9; 1 Cor 3:16; Ephesians 2:21-22; John 6:56; Galatians 2:20; 1John 3:24; 1John 4:12-16).
63. I am not in the flesh but in the Spirit (Romans 8:9).
64. My "earthen vessel" houses a great Treasure (2Corinthians 4:72).
65. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 6:19).
66. I have been blest with the gift and pledge of the Holy Spirit (2Corinthians 1:22; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1Thessalonians 4:8; Titus 3:6; 1John 3:24).
67. I have an anointing (unction) from the Holy One (1John 2:20; 1John 2:27).
68. I am one of the "called" of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:6; Romans 8:28-30; Jude 1:1; Revelation 17:14).
69. I have been called unto the fellowship of God's Son (1Corinthians 1:9).
70. I have been called unto eternal glory (1Peter 5:10).
71. I have been called with a holy calling (2Timothy 1:9).
72. I am a partaker of the high, heavenly calling (Philippians 3:14; Hebrews 3:1).
73. I have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light (1Peter 2:9).
74. God foreknew me (Romans 8:29; 1Peter 1:21).
75. God predestined me to be conformed to Christ's image (Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:5; Ephesians
1:11).
76. I have already been glorified according to God's mind and purpose (Romans 8:30).
77. I am eternally secure in God's love (Romans 8:38-39).
78. I am chosen in Christ (Ephesians 1:4; Colossians 3:12; 1Thessalonians 1:412:9; Revelation 17:14).
79. I have been chosen to salvation (2Thessalonians 2:13).
80. I am complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10).
81. I am beloved of God (Colossians 3:12; 2Thessalonians 2:13).
82. I am chastened and disciplined by my Heavenly Father (Hebrews 12:6-7).
83. I am part of that group that Christ is not ashamed to call His "brethren" and "friends" (Hebrews 2:11; John 15:14-15).
84. I am a child of Abraham (Galatians 3:7).
85. I am Abraham's seed (Galatians 3:29).
86. I enjoy the blessing of Abraham (Galatians 3:9).
87. I am a child of promise (Galatians 4:28; Galatians 4:31).
88. I am faithful (Revelation 17:14). v
89. I am a sheep in His flock (Luke 12:32; Hebrews 13:20; 1Peter 2:25).
90. I am a member of His body (1Corinthians 10:17; 1Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 3:6; Ephesians 4:25; Ephesians 5:30).
91. I am a stone in His building (Ephesians 2:20-22; Hebrews 3:6; 1Peter 2:5).
92. I am a branch in the Vine (John 15:1-7).
93. I am a child of the kingdom (Matthew13:38; compare Mark 10:14-15).
94. I am born again into His family (John 1:12-13.; Jam 1:18; 1Peter 1:3; 1Peter 1:23; 1Peter 2:2; 1John 5:1).
95. I am one of God's people because He graciously claims me as His own (1Peter 2:10; Revelation 21:7).
96. I am a fellow citizen with the saints (Ephesians 2:19).
97. I was baptized into Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27).
98. I was identified with Christ in His death (Romans 6:3-6; Romans 6:8-11; 2Corinthians 5:14; Colossians 2:12; Colossians 2:20; Colossians 3:3).
99. I was identified with Christ in His resurrection (Romans 6:5; Romans 6:8; Romans 6:11; 2Corinthians 5:15; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 2:12; Colossians 3:1).
100. I died to sin (Romans 6:2).
101. My "old man" was crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6).
102. I have been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20).
103. I have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts (Galatians 5:24).
104. I am alive unto God (Romans 6:11; Romans 6:13; Galatians 2:19-20).
105. Christ is my life (Philippians 1:21).
106. I can walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
107. I can serve in newness of spirit (Romans 7:6).
108. I can live unto righteousness (1Peter 2:24).
109. I died to the law (Romans 7:4; Galatians 2:19).
110. I am delivered from the law (Romans 7:6).
111. I am not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14).
112. I have God's laws written in my heart (Hebrews 10:16H).
113. I am married to Jesus Christ (Romans 7:4).
114. I am a partaker of Christ (Hebrews 3:14).
115. I am identified with Christ in His suffering (2Timothy 2:12; Phi 1:29; 1Peter 2:20; 1Peter 4:12-13; 1Thessalonians 3:3; Romans 8:18; Colossians 1:24).
116. The knowledge of God is made known by me (2Corinthians 2:14).
117. The savor (aroma) of Christ is made known by me (2Corinthians 2:15-16).
118. I am an epistle of Christ (2Corinthians 3:3).
119. I am being changed into Christ's glorious image (2Corinthians 3:18).
120. I am being perfected (Philippians 1:6).
121. My inward man is being renewed day by day (2Corinthians 4:16).
122. I have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27).
123. I am not of the world (John 17:14; John 17:16).
124. The world is crucified unto me (Galatians 6:14).
125. I am crucified unto the world (Galatians 6:14).
126. I am separated unto the gospel of God (Romans 1:1).
127. I am set apart and sanctified in Christ Jesus (1Corinthians 1:21; 1Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:10; Jude 1:1).
128. I am holy (Colossians 3:12; Hebrews 3:1; 1Peter 2:9; Revelation 20:6).
129. I am clothed in His righteousness (Revelation 19:8).
130. I am a saint (1Corinthians 1:2; Phi 1:1; Colossians 1:2; Romans 1:7).
131. I am faultless in Christ (Ephesians 5:27; Colossians 1:22; Jude 1:24).
132. I am perfected forever (Hebrews 10:14).
133. I am not my own (1Corinthians 6:19).
134. I am called unto holiness (1Thessalonians 4:7).
135. I am a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20).
136. I am a stranger and pilgrim who is not at home in this world (Hebrews 11:13; 1Peter 2:11).
137. I have been translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13).
138. I am circumcised in my heart (Colossians 2:11; Phi 3:3; compare Deuteronomy 10:16).
139. My faithful God will sanctify me wholly (1Thessalonians 5:23-24).
140. My faithful God will keep me from evil (2Thessalonians 3:32; 2Ti 4:18).
141. Christ has made me free, free indeed (John 8:32-36; Galatians 5:1; 1Corinthians 7:22).
142. Jesus Christ is my Deliverer (Romans 7:24-25).
143. I am free from sin (Romans 6:7; Romans 6:18, Rom 6:22).
144. The law of the Spirit of Life has made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
145. I am God's servant or slave (Romans 6:22).
146. I am Christ's servant or slave (1Corinthians 7:22).
147. I am a servant or slave of righteousness (Romans 6:18).
148. I have been called unto liberty (Galatians 5:13).
149. I have the mind of Christ (1Corinthians 2:16).
150. I have a sound mind (2Timothy 1:72).
151. Christ has given me an understanding (1John 5:20).
152. I have the righteousness of Christ (2Corinthians 5:21).
153. I have all sufficiency in all things (2Corinthians 9:8).
154. I have all things that pertain to life and godliness (2Peter 1:3).
155. I can ever be content for I have Christ (Hebrews 13:5).
156. I have all the armor and weapons I need (2Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 6:10-17).
157. I have God's all-sufficient grace (2Corinthians 12:9).
158. I have grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
159. I have God's power (Ephesians 1:19; Ephesians 3:20).
160. I have access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18; Hebrews 4:16).
161. I have a great High Priest (Hebrews 2:17-18; Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 4:14-16; Hebrews 8:1; Hebrews 10:21).
162. I have an unfailing Intercessor (Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:24; Romans 8:34).
163. I have a righteous Advocate with the Father for times when I sin (1John 2:1).
164. I have peace with God (Romans 5:1).
165. Christ is my peace (Ephesians 2:14).
166. I have rest for my soul (Matthew11:28-29; Hebrews 4:9).
167. I am led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14).
168. I am enabled during trials and temptations (1Corinthians 10:13).
169. I am given assurance by the Spirit (Romans 8:16; Hebrews 6:18).
170. I am given comfort by God (2Corinthians 1:3-7).
171. I am tranquilized by His peace (Philippians 4:7).
172. I am freely given truth and knowledge by the Spirit (1Corinthians 2:12).
173. I am not distressed (2Corinthians 4:8).
174. I am not in despair (2Corinthians 4:8).
175. I am not forsaken (2Corinthians 4:9).
176. I am not in darkness (1Thessalonians 5:4).
177. God is my Sufficiency (2Corinthians 3:5).
178. God is my Strength (2Corinthians 12:9-10; Philippians 4:13).
179. God is my Helper (Hebrews 13:6).
180. I belong to a Sovereign God who works all things together for my good (Romans 8:28).
181. All things are for my sake (2Corinthians 4:15).
182. My God is for me (Romans 8:31 ).
183. My every need is supplied (Philippians 4:19).
184. I am a laborer together with Christ (1Corinthians 3:9; 2Corinthians 6:1).
185. I am His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).
186. God works in me (Philippians 2:13; Hebrews 13:21).
187. God's Word works in me (1Thessalonians 2:13).
188. I am sealed by God (2Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13).
189. I am on the Rock, Christ Jesus (Matthew16:18; 1Corinthians 3:11).
190. I am established securely in Christ (2Corinthians 1:21; 2Thessalonians 3:3).
191. I am kept by the power of God (1Peter 1:5).
192. I am preserved in Jesus Christ (Jude 1:1).
193. I am kept from falling (Jude 1:24).
194. I have a building of God eternal in the heavens (2Corinthians 5:1).
195. My name is forever written in heaven (Luke 10:20).
196. I am more than a conqueror, even a super-conqueror (Romans 8:37).
197. I have victory through Christ (1Corinthians 15:57).
198. I have overcome the world (1John 5:4-5).
199. I always triumph in Christ (2Corinthians 2:14).
200. I am indwelt by the victorious Christ who is greater than Satan (1John 4:4).
201. Satan cannot touch me (1John 5:18).
202. I have a living hope (1Peter 1:31).
203. I have a glorious future (Romans 8:18; 2Thessalonians 2:14).
204. I have been given eternal encouragement and good hope through grace (2Thessalonians 2:16).
205. I will be preserved unto His heavenly kingdom (2Timothy 4:18).
206. I am receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved (Hebrews 12:28).
207. I have a place reserved in heaven for me (John 14:2; John 14:3; 1Peter 1:4).
208. I will eat of the tree of life (Revelation 2:7).
209. I will not be hurt of the second death (Revelation 2:11; Revelation 20:6).
210. I will have a new name (Revelation 2:17; Revelation 3:12).
211. I will have power over the nations (Revelation 2:26; Revelation 5:10).
212. I will not have my name blotted out of the book of life (Revelation 3:5).
213. I will be a pillar in God's temple (Revelation 3:12).
214. I will sit with Christ in His throne (Revelation 3:21).
215. I will be with my God forever (Revelation 21:3-4).

There are thirty places in which the word “conscience” is found in the New Testament:

John 8:9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

Acts 23:1 And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

Acts 24:16 And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

Romans 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

Romans 9:1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,

Romans 13:5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

1 Corinthians 8:7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

1 Corinthians 8:10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;

1 Corinthians 8:12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:25 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:

1 Corinthians 10:27 If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.

1 Corinthians 10:28 But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof:

1 Corinthians 10:29 Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?

2 Corinthians 1:12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

2 Corinthians 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

2 Corinthians 5:11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

1 Timothy 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

1 Timothy 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

1 Timothy 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

1 Timothy 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;

Titus 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

Hebrews 9:9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 10:2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 13:18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.

1 Peter 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.

1 Peter 3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

1 Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Scriptural Baptism

Is scriptural baptism important? Matthew 3:13-17 states,

"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 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: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Christ considered baptism very important as he walked about 60 miles in order to be baptized by John the Baptist. Some might think Jesus could ask someone at Galilee to baptize him, thus saving the 60-mile trip. Jesus knew that nobody in Galilee had the authority to baptize, because God gave that authority to John the Baptist.

God the Father and God the Holy Spirit approved the baptism of Jesus by attending the baptismal service. When Jesus was baptized, God the Father voiced His approval by stating,

"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" as the Holy Spirit descended like a dove.

Is God pleased with your baptism? Does God consider your baptism "scriptural"? It really does not matter what you think or believe about your baptism. You must determine whether your baptism is scriptural by God’s standards recorded in the Bible.

Scriptural Baptism Involves:

A scriptural subject.

A scriptural subject is a person that is already saved. When Christ gave the Great Commission to the local church, he put salvation before baptism. Jesus declared in Matthew 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" The word "teach" speaks of salvation, therefore baptism comes after a person is saved.

Acts 2:41 states, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." It is very plain that before these people were baptized, they had already received the word of the Lord with gladness. John the Baptist refused to baptize the Pharisees because they did not bring forth fruits "…meet (suitable) for repentance…" Matthew 3:7-12.

Acts 8:12 reveals that Philip baptized the Samarians only after they believed the preaching about the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ. "But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women."

Acts 8:26-40 gives the story of Philip and the Eunuch. Verse 35 reveals that Philip preached Jesus to the Eunuch. When they came to water, the Eunuch said, "…See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" Philip answered in verse 37, "…If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." The Eunuch then replied, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." At this point, the chariot was stopped, and Philip and the Eunuch both went down into the water, and Philip baptized the Eunuch. Is this passage not proof enough that a salvation experience is necessary before baptism?

In Acts 10:43-47, Cornelius and his household were baptized after they received salvation and the gift of the Holy Ghost, not before.

In Acts 16:31, the Philippian jailer asked, "…Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Paul and Silas did not tell the man to be baptized, or do good works, or join the church. They told him to "…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." After this man believed, he was scripturally baptized. Verse 33 records, "…And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway." The jailer showed fruits of repentance when he willingly and with danger to his own life, brought Paul and Silas to his own house and set meat before them, rejoicing and believing in God with his entire house.

Repentance and Faith, not baptism, is required for salvation. Hebrews 9:22 clearly states, "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." Baptism does not save, but as will be seen later, baptism is an outward reflection of salvation that has occurred in the spirit of man. Hebrews 10:4 states, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." If it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin, how can water wash away the spiritual filth of sin?

The scriptural method of baptism is immersion in water. The word "baptism" means immersion, to dip as in dying cloth. In scriptural baptism a saved person is completely "put under the water". Sprinkling or pouring is not baptism. Sprinkling does not comply with the criteria needed to represent the object lesson of baptism. You do not bury the dead by sprinkling a hand full of dirt over them in the grave.

Matthew 3:16-17 reveals that Jesus was completely immersed. "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:" When Jesus was baptized, he came up straightway out of the water. If Jesus came up straightway out of the water, he had to be in the water. I have seen pictures of John and Jesus standing in the Jordan River as John the Baptist uses a small cup to pour water on Jesus’ head. Jesus did not have water poured on his head, but was fully immersed. It is unscriptural and illogical that John and Jesus stepped into the Jordan River, and then John poured water on Jesus’ head.

John 3:23 confirms that John "…was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized." John needed much water to baptize. A cup of water would not do. The person must be completely immersed.

Acts 8:38-39 declares that the Eunuch "… commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing." Both Philip and the Eunuch went down into the water, and both Philip and the Eunuch came up out of the water. There must have been much water in order for both men to get into the water.

Romans 6:3-5 makes it abundantly clear that baptism is a burial, a likeness of the believer being dead to this world, and alive unto God. The believer has put away past sins, and is looking forward to the resurrection.

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:"

Could anything be clearer? The only way these scriptures can be misunderstood is if a person is willingly ignorant.

A Scriptural Administrator is one who is authorized by God to baptize. It takes authority to do most things. Only the government can legally print money. Anyone else who prints money is guilty of counterfeiting. Doctors and lawyers must have permission to practice medicine and law. A person who practices law or medicine without the proper authority is guilty of impersonation. On a more personal level, I am the only one who has authority to take money out of my checking account. Anybody other than myself that takes money out of my checking account is guilty of thief.

There is also authority for scriptural baptism.

John 1:6 states, "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John." This passage reveals that John was given authority from God, as he was sent from God. Matthew 3:3 explains that John came to prepare the way of the Lord and John baptized in the name of the Lord in the river Jordan. The phrase "in the name of" means authority.

John 4:1,2 reveals the progression of authority to baptize moved from John the Baptist to the early church, which was organized by Jesus Christ during his personal ministry. "When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, 2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)"

The disciples, who are members of the church organized by Jesus Christ, received scriptural baptism by John the Baptist, the man sent from God. John 4:1,2 reveals that the early church was baptizing by the authority passed to them from John the Baptist, who is now in prison.

On the day of Pentecost, the saved were added to the already existing church by baptism. Acts 2:41 states, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."

In Acts 10:47, when Cornelius and his household were saved, Peter asked permission from the Jerusalem church members present to baptize them. "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?"

A Scriptural Purpose pleases the Lord. Matthew 3:17 reveals when Jesus was baptized,

On the day of Pentecost, the saved were added to the already existing, local, physical church by baptism. Acts 2:41 states, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."

In Acts 10:47, when Cornelius and his household were saved, Peter asked permission from the Jerusalem church members present to baptize them. "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?"

A Scriptural Purpose pleases the Lord. Matthew 3:17 reveals when Jesus was baptized,

"…the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

3John 4 declares, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of God, and he pleased his father when he was scripturally baptized, so we please our heavenly father when we look unto Him and honor Jesus finished work by being scripturally baptized.

We all know that parents receive great joy in seeing their children do well. King Solomon alluded to this in the book of Proverbs when he said:

"The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have great joy of him" (Proverbs 23:24).

"My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things" (Proverbs 23:15-16).

Notice that the Scripture says that "the father of the righteous" "rejoices" not that his children are rich, but that they are truly righteous - that is, living for God. He "rejoices" that they are wise in the best things - especially in spiritual things. It brings him great joy when his children "speak right things" - when their daily conversation is guided by the Holy Spirit, and fueled by their love for Jesus. Love that ever grows as their awareness, of His greatest act of love, leads their daily lives.

Although these Scriptures can apply to parents or even to ministers who nurture people in the faith, it can also apply to our Heavenly Father as being indeed "the Father of the righteous." Hence, He loves to see His children living by faith, basking in the love of God as secure sons and daughters who know that their Father does not condemn them, confidently walking in wisdom...and speaking according to His Word.

"I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father" (2 John 4).

Jesus Christ gave the local church his Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. When all four parts of this commission is followed, God is pleased. The four parts of the commission are: (1) The church must take the gospel message to all the world, (2) Disciples are made when people are saved by the grace and mercy of God, through the blood of Jesus Christ. (3) Saved people are baptized by the authority of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (4) All of God’s commands are learned and transferred to the new believer, then more people are saved and baptized.

Not only does scriptural baptism please the Father, it also proclaims the gospel.

I Peter 3:21 declares,

"The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:)

Baptism is the answer of a good conscience toward God because it shows we are looking forward to our soon coming resurrection. And we knowledge that the resurrection of Jesus was a sign the Law of God was satisfied with payment of my sin debt.

Scriptural baptism pictures and proclaims the gospel. as described in Colossians 2:12. "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."

Romans 6:4 exclaims, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." This passage proclaims that burial in water (baptism) illustrates our death to the old life of sin and rebellion against God. Being raised out of the water illustrates God’s satisfaction that the Law’s requirement of death was “paid in full” and our new life in Christ as has already began via the indwelling Spirit.

Galatians 3:26,27 states, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." These verses proclaim that baptism is the beginning of clothing ourselves with the life of Christ, that after salvation we need not live in fear of failure, we can’t surprise God, He already has taken care of the sin debt, now motivated by love for the one who died for us. we will live as Christ would have us live.

Scriptural baptism also protects the church from: (1) Protestant denominationalism (2) inter-denominationalism (3) and the ecumenical one world church.

There are many protestant churches in this world, but true Baptists are not protestant, or interdenominational. Baptist did not come from the protestant reformation, but have been present in this world since the time Jesus first called out his disciples from the shores of Galilee. True Baptists do not accept protestant baptism because protestant baptism does not meet these four requirements of scriptural baptism.

The Origin of Baptism in the Jewish Culture

Mikveh—the foundation in the Torah

One of the recurring themes of life is how things that are good by nature become turned into something corrupted and distorted. Such was the case with the beautiful relationship between God and Adam and Eve in the Garden being broken because of sin. Likewise, the long-promised coming of Messiah, when it actually occurred, was twisted from a wonderful blessing into a perceived act of blasphemy and a threat to the religious system of that day. This was also true with some of the ways of worship and righteous living, including the act of baptism.

Originally a simple act to a command by the Lord, and ment to encourage new believers, baptism was turned into a weapon used to force people to submit to religious authority. The Church of Rome, once it became the dominant force in Europe, set out to make sure that everyone was baptized, because in their unsound way of thinking, baptism was the actual means of salvation, and thus initiated you into membership in the church universal, never to turn back. Everyone was the goal.

There are many stories of Jewish communities being confronted with the demand that they be baptized and convert. Otherwise, the alternative was to leave their homes and flee to somewhere else. And so they were pursued from country to country, with great numbers of Jewish people giving in and accepting the "choice" presented to them. Often that choice was enhanced by the destruction of their homes and synagogues. Nearly 200,000 Jews of Spain and Portugal became what were called conversos to Christianity. Although some of them, known as marranos, practiced Judaism secretly.

Sometimes Popes issued edicts saying that violence should not be used to force Jews to be baptized. But if a local church leader should ignore the edict and pursue violent means, the baptisms were considered to be valid anyway and the victim would not be able to return to Judaism. As late as the year 1747, Pope Benedict XIV ruled that a Jewish child who was seized illegally and baptized, nonetheless had become a Christian and would have to be raised in a Christian home, against the wishes of his parents.

These things are not just a reminder of the tragic reality of the past, but they help us to understand how they make an impact on our testimony to the Jewish community today. What started out as a blessed act of true spirituality has become a symbol of every criticism of Christianity, not because our message is flawed, but because our collective history is.

What then ought to be our response? First and foremost, we need to have a solid grasp of the nature of biblical concepts like baptism.

Baptism is commanded by Jesus

There are over fifty commands given by Jesus in Scripture. Many of them are general and on-going, such as "love one another" (John 13:34) and "forgive others" (Matthew 6:12). Two of them are considered to be ordinances, meaning commands that have a more formal application and a ceremonial character. One is the observance of the Lord's Supper: "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19). The other one involves baptism:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Mat. 28:19). So baptism should be considered not as an optional expression of worship, but as having the weight of a command given by Lord.

Baptism is not the act of salvation

Within Christianity there are those who teach that you are saved when you are baptized. Roman Catholicism considers it to be a sacrament, which is a ritual in which God is said to be uniquely active and is the means that He uses to give divine grace.

In their view, baptism bestows upon a person grace ex opera operato—the sacrament is effective in and of itself. In other words, it does not depend on your attitude, but simply because the act of baptism is done to you, you receive salvation. As a result, repentance is de-emphasized and it opens the door to infant baptism. The idea is that you just can't resist the saving grace that is being done to you. So it seems reasonable to impose it on children in order to have peace of mind by securing their place in heaven. And don’t forget to donate on your way out.

Now while that might sound like something with good intentions, it lacks a biblical basis. And it is ironic that the most zealous attempt at imposed baptisms turns out to be the most compelling evidence that this belief is false. Because if saving grace is bestowed upon a person simply by the act of baptism, all those Jewish people in the Middle Ages who were forced to be baptized would have gladly lived their lives as Christians. And there would be many generations of Jewish believers that followed because they would have been raised in genuinely Christian homes.

But the fact of the matter is, the vast majority of them rejected Christianity and secretly practiced Judaism. And the negativity felt toward baptism and the church carries forward to today. So in that way, we can see how this belief in the act of baptism compelling you to be saved cannot be true.

Some Protestants also believe in baptismal regeneration. It is taught that you might have faith and a willingness to believe in God, but your actual salvation does not occur until the moment you are baptized. Proof texts are cited to support this position. An example is John 3:5:

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

The passage does not deal with baptism at all, but when you read the context it has everything to do with the difference between natural and supernatural birth, or physical and spiritual birth. And so it goes with each of these supposed proof texts.

The insistence that baptism is necessary for salvation is parallel to the Judaizers in New Testament times who argued that circumcision was necessary for salvation, a claim that Paul vigorously rejected in Galatians 5:1-12. Remember, the Bible is clear in saying that salvation is not the result of any kind of act, but is a matter of faith alone:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Altogether the portrait that emerges in Scripture is that salvation occurs entirely by faith and without any kind of ritual to secure it.

Baptism is Jewish

Not everyone knows the Jewish cultural background of baptism, including most Jewish people. This is especially evident in the way that baptism is commonly perceived today. On the other hand, if we return to the Bible, it's another story.

Who were the first Baptists? They were Jews! This would include Yochanan ben Zechariah, better known as John the Baptist. It would also involve all the Jewish talmidim (disciples) of Yeshua who subsequently baptized new believers. Moreover, it goes all the way back into the Tanach many centuries earlier.

The Biblical Principles of Baptism

Biblical principles are always established first in some manner in Torah. It might be a specific command by God that later is brought out in its totality in the life and teachings of Jesus. Or it might be in a historical event that foreshadows a fulfillment later on. Both of these concepts are evident in the case of baptism.

Exodus—the historical foreshadowing

After the culmination of the story of Passover, the Israelites were released from slavery in Egypt. Exodus 14 tells about how Pharaoh changed his mind and his army pursued after them. When they reached the Red Sea, Moses worked a miracle and parted the waters. The people followed God's pillar of fire that was leading them and then we are told:

Exodus 14:29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

The order of events is very informative to us.

• The people had previously been redeemed by God, spared the plague of death and released from slavery.
• Then by faith they passed through a wall of water on either side that was higher than their heads.
• Their emergence on the other side would enable them to become a nation serving God and being blessed by Him, when they reached Mt. Sinai a short time later. But at the moment of their deliverance at the sea, they testified in the form of a song, in which they sang:
  Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

This, then, is the historical context of immersion: God does His work of redemption and the people follow Him in obedience. This act is followed by a sign that serves as a witness to the ways of God.

Mikveh—the foundation in the Torah

The foundation for all biblical principles, including baptism, is found in the Torah. Within the writings of Moses, it has been determined that God gave 613 instructions, commonly called the Law, to the nation of Israel. These principles were distinguished by three distinct categories. There are numerous passages of Scripture that describe the Torah in this way. For example, as Moses was about to give the complete Torah to the people of Israel just before entering the Promised Land, he cited each of these categories:

"These are the testimonies (edot), and the statutes (chukim), and the judgments (mishpatim), which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt," - Deuteronomy 4:45

The characteristics of these three categories can be summed up in this way:

The Hebrew word for this last category—chukim—in the singular is chuk. It is derived from a root verb haqaq, which comes into English as the word "hack." It is a picture of hacking or cutting or engraving into an object. Perhaps the best way to think of it is two lovers hacking their initials into a tree somewhere, leaving a permanent mark indicating their relationship. It really has no practical result. It just means marking or signifying something that was important to them.

One of the commandments from the category of statutes (chukim) was the mikveh bath. It involved the way individuals demonstrated their eligibility for full privileges and responsibilities within the community. In the Torah, it is taught that there were a variety of ways that people could become symbolically unclean, such as touching a dead body or during a woman's monthly menstrual cycle. The entire 15th chapter of Leviticus provides the specific details.

God commanded that whenever someone became ritually impure, he or she had to go to the mikveh bath in order to restore one's status in the community. The word mikveh literally meant "a collection or gathering together." Over time it came to be most associated with a collection of water (such as a pond or reservoir).

We also know this about the mikveh—the water had to be "living water" from a spring or river. It had to be running water. The individual was completely immersed under the water (Heb. tevilah). And it had nothing to do with the salvation of the person.

It was all about signifying that you had been given a new life of blessings and responsibilities in the community. In biblical times, it demonstrated through obedience that a person was spiritually clean and eligible for full privileges and service within the nation of Israel.

As a result, the availability of a mikveh has been essential throughout the history of Israel. You can still see an example of an ancient mikveh on top of Masada, the fortress near the Dead Sea where Jewish zealots fled from the Romans and ultimately perished in the late First Century.

Today, many Orthodox synagogues have their own mikvot. The modern version is filled with water to about chest high. Just below the water line is a small hole that enables water to recirculate from a pit on the other side. If there is not a river next door, rainwater is collected and mixed in as the "living water." The Orthodox community will use their local mikveh on a regular basis, according to Torah instructions. The ceremonial immersion of utensils also takes place there. In addition, a Gentile will use the mikveh as part of the formal conversion process.

So there are certainly some common characteristics between the mikveh and baptism:

• Salvation was unrelated to the mikveh bath.
• The person was completely immersed under the water.
• It signified a new or renewed life of blessings and service.

The Baptism of John (Yochanan ben Zechariah)

John was the one prophesied and sent by God to herald the coming of Messiah (Mal. 4:5). As someone who had lived his entire life in the culture of Israel, he understood the meaning of the mikveh well. So as He went about preaching God's message and people responded by repentance and faith, he confirmed their spiritual transformation with a ceremony based on the mikveh. There are some key parallels between the rituals of the mikveh and John.

• John's baptism did not determine a person's salvation.
  
  Luke 3:3 tells us that he was calling the people to repent of their sins. And John baptized them in the Jordan River as confirmation of that act of faith. But we are later told in Acts 19 that when Paul met some of those people who had been baptized by John and had later believed in Yeshua, he had them baptized again. So we are given a clear indication that John's baptism was not the determining factor in the salvation of the people who participated. It was all about believing by faith in Jesus.
• John completely immersed the individual under the water.
  
  Both Baptizo, the Greek word from which we get baptism, and its Hebrew equivalent tevilah, mean "to dip." The root meaning of baptizo comes from the way in the Ancient Near East that a piece of cloth would be dipped into dye in order to soak up the solution. The process entailed completely covering the cloth, not just sprinkling or pouring dye on it.
• John's baptism signified new life of blessings and service in the community.
  
  The reason that the ministry of John was necessary was the spiritual decay of the nation of Israel. No longer were they keeping their hearts pure before God. In the ministry of John, he was calling the people back to the purity and sincerity of their biblical heritage. He challenged the people: "Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance" (Luke 3:8). These fruits were blessings and acts of service within their community. He called them to share material goods with others (v. 11), he told tax collectors not to abuse their duty (v. 13) and soldiers not to extort civilians (v. 14). All of these things were manifestations of people living harmoniously by assuming responsibilities by being part of a community. And that was just like the role of the mikveh. Surely his act of baptism in the rushing waters of the Jordan River was a sign of God's desire for an active, living relationship with His people.

Baptism in the greater context of Scripture

• Baptism follows a previous inward change (baptism follows after repentance in Acts 2:37-41; 8:12; 18:8; 19:1-7).
• The practice of the early church was by immersion.
  
  This was the exclusive means of baptism from the beginning. Even in the historical sources cited by Catholicism as justification for sprinkling, the actual instructions say that you may only pour instead of immerse if water is scarce or unavailable (Didache, c. 70 A.D.; Hippolytus, The Apostolic Tradition, 21 [A.D. 215]).
• Baptism signifies our new life in the Lord by blessings and service in the Church.
  
  Going beneath the waters of baptism and then coming back up is a symbol of the judgment of dying because of sin, but then being resurrected through the redeeming power of Messiah Jesus.
  
  "Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
  
  Thus we can share in the blessings of worship and fellowship by being part of the body of Messiah, commonly known as the Church. We are able to share in the responsibilities of serving others within the body in a variety of ways. And we can reach out to those who do not believe, bringing things into full circle as we, too, participate in the Great Commission, making disciples of all nations and baptizing them (Mat. 28:19).

Altogether, as we have seen, the same principles are consistently interwoven into different contexts, yet retaining common characteristics, which establishes them as being ordained of God.

A subject like baptism requires a truly biblical understanding of what God is saying to us, without being tainted by the distortions of religion that has rejected the Jewish heritage of the church. And Jewish people need to recognize what their own foundations are, without being tainted by the distortions of people who denied that these were ever Jewish practices in the first place.

While we need only enter into the waters of baptism one time, the principles carry forward throughout our lives. We all need to be continually reminded that we are a new creation in Christ when we believe in Him,

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

That our sins are forgiven and washed away forever by His shed blood. Baptism further reminds us that because of this new life. we now have a great calling to serve Him, and that we are richly blessed to be part of His believing family.

Meaning of the Greek verb baptizein

The Greek-English Lexicon of Liddell and Scott gives the primary meaning of the verb baptizein, from which the English verb "baptize" is derived, as "dip, plunge", and gives examples of plunging a sword into a throat or an embryo and for drawing wine by dipping a cup in the bowl; for New Testament usage it gives two meanings: "baptize", with which it associates the Septuagint mention of Naaman dipping himself in the Jordan River, and "perform ablutions", as in Luke 11:38.[60] Although the Greek verb baptizein does not exclusively mean dip, plunge or immerse (it is used with literal and figurative meanings such as "sink", "disable", "overwhelm", "go under", "overborne", "draw from a bowl"),lexical sources typically cite this as a meaning of the word in both the Septuagint and the New Testament.

"While it is true that the basic root meaning of the Greek words for baptize and baptism is immerse/immersion, it is not true that the words can simply be reduced to this meaning, as can be seen from Mark 10:38-39, Luke 12:50, Matthew 3:11//Luke 3:16, 1 Corinthians 10:2."

Two passages in the Gospels indicate that the verb baptizein did not always indicate submersion. The first is Luke 11:38, which tells how a Pharisee, at whose house Jesus ate, "was astonished to see that he did not first wash (ἐβαπτίσθη, aorist passive of βαπτίζω—literally, "be baptized") before dinner". This is the passage that Liddell and Scott cites as an instance of the use of βαπτίζω to mean perform ablutions. Jesus' omission of this action is similar to that of his disciples: "Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash (νίπτω) not their hands when they eat bread" (Mt 15:1–2). The other Gospel passage pointed to is: "The Pharisees...do not eat unless they wash (νίπτω, the ordinary word for washing) their hands thoroughly, observing the tradition of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they wash themselves (literally, "baptize themselves"—βαπτίσωνται, passive or middle voice of βαπτίζω)" (Mk 7:3–4).

Scholars of various denominations claim that these two passages show that invited guests, or people returning from market, would not be expected to immerse themselves ("baptize themselves") totally in water but only to practise the partial immersion of dipping their hands in water or to pour water over them, as is the only form admitted by present Jewish custom. In the second of the two passages, it is actually the hands that are specifically identified as "washed" (Mark 7:3), not the entire person, for whom the verb used is baptizomai, literally "be baptized", "be immersed" (Mark 7:4), a fact obscured by English versions that use "wash" as a translation of both verbs. Zodhiates concludes that the washing of the hands was done by immersing them. The Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek-English Lexicon (1996) cites the other passage (Luke 11:38) as an instance of the use of the verb baptizein to mean "perform ablutions", not "submerge". References to the cleaning of vessels which use βαπτίζω also refer to immersion.

As already mentioned, the lexicographical work of Zodhiates says that, in the second of these two cases, Mark 7:4, the verb baptizein indicates that, after coming from the market, the Pharisees washed their hands by immersing them in collected water. Balz & Schneider understand the meaning of βαπτίζω, used in place of ῥαντίσωνται (sprinkle), to be the same as βάπτω, to dip or immerse, a verb used of the partial dipping of a morsel held in the hand into wine or of a finger into spilled blood.

A possible additional use of the verb baptizein to relate to ritual washing is suggested by Peter Leithart (2007) who suggests that Paul's phrase "Else what shall they do who are baptized for the dead?" relates to Jewish ritual washing.[79] In Jewish Greek the verb baptizein "baptized" has a wider reference than just "baptism" and in Jewish context primarily applies to the masculine nounbaptismos "ritual washing" The verb baptizein occurs four times in the Septuagint in the context of ritual washing, baptismos; Judith cleansing herself from menstrual impurity, Naaman washing seven times to be cleansed from leprosy, etc. Additionally, in the New Testament only, the verb baptizein can also relate to the neuter noun baptisma "baptism" which is a neologism unknown in the Septuagint and other pre-Christian Jewish texts. This broadness in the meaning of baptizein is reflected in English Bibles rendering "wash", where Jewish ritual washing is meant: for example Mark 7:4 states that the Pharisees "except they wash (Greek "baptize"), they do not eat", and "baptize" where baptisma, the new Christian rite, is intended.

Derived nouns

Two nouns derived from the verb baptizo (βαπτίζω) appear in the New Testament: the masculine noun baptismos (βαπτισμός) and the neuter noun baptisma (βάπτισμα):

1. baptismos (βαπτισμός) refers in Mark 7:4 to a water-rite for the purpose of purification, washing, cleansing, of dishes; in the same verse and in Hebrews 9:10 to Levitical cleansings of vessels or of the body; and in Hebrews 6:2 perhaps also to baptism, though there it may possibly refer to washing an inanimate object. According to Spiros Zodhiates when referring merely to the cleansing of utensils baptismos (βαπτισμός) is equated with rhantismos (ῥαντισμός, "sprinkling"), found only in Hebrews 12:24 and 1Peter 1:2, a noun used to indicate the symbolic cleansing by the Old Testament priest.
2. baptisma (βάπτισμα), which is a neologism appearing to originate in the New Testament, and probably should not be confused with the earlier Jewish concept of baptismos (βαπτισμός), Later this is found only in writings by Christians. In the New Testament, it appears at least 21 times
   • 13 times with regard to the rite practiced by John the Baptist.
   • 3 times with reference to the specific Christian rite (4 times if account is taken of its use in some manuscripts of Colossians 2:12, where, however, it is most likely to have been changed from the original baptismos than vice versa);
   • 5 times in a metaphorical sense.
3. Manuscript variation: In Colossians 2:12, some manuscripts have neuter noun baptisma (βάπτισμα), but some have masculine noun baptismos (βαπτισμός), and this is the reading given in modern critical editions of the New Testament.If this reading is correct, then this is the only New Testament instance in which baptismos (βαπτισμός) is clearly used of Christian baptism, rather than of a generic washing, unless the opinion of some is correct that Hebrews 6:2 may also refer to Christian baptism.
4. The feminine noun baptisis, along with the masculine noun baptismos] both occur in Josephus' Antiquities (J. AJ 18.5.2) relating to the murder of John the Baptist by Herod. This feminine form is not used elsewhere by Josephus, nor in the New Testament.

Baptisms (Washings) Under the Law (Hebrews 6:1,2).

"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, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment."

Here Paul is encouraging these Jewish Christians to leave the "staring line" of salvation and continue to grow on into maturity. In Verse 1, the word "principles" is the Greek "ARCHI" and means "elementary." The word "doctrine" is not the usual Greek word translated "doctrine"; instead, it is the Greek "LOGOS" and means "the word." In other words, they were to leave the elementary teaching of the Word of Christ (i.e. salvation), and go on into maturity ("perfection"). When they were saved, they were justified by Christ's righteousness, not the righteousness of the Law, for:

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

In Verse 2, the word used for "doctrine" is different from the word used in Verse 1. In Verse 2, the Greek "DIDACHE" is used and means "instruction." The word "baptisms" is "BAPTISMOS" and is referring to the ceremonial washings the Jews had practiced under the Law. This is distinct from "BAPTISMA," as used for the ordinance of water baptism. These "baptisms" (washings) are those spoken of in Mark 7:4,8.

Mark 7:4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

Mark 7:5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

Mark 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Mark 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Mark 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

The laying on of the hands may have reference to Exodus 29:10 and Leviticus 8:14, which could have been included in the ceremonies of consecrating the priest. It may also include reference to the practice of the laying on of the priest's hands on the scapegoat in Leviticus 16:20,21. In other words, do not go back to the old practices your fathers did under the Law, for "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness."

These were the "dead works" and "the foundation" they had previously built upon in Verse one--prior to being saved. It was from this foundation they repented (Greek, "METANOIA," changed their mind) and sought justification through Christ. Allow me to paraphrase the last part of Verse 1; I believe this will shed some light on it's meaning:

"Not laying again the foundation of dead works under the law, from which you previously had changed your mind (repented) and put your faith in God (That is, by accepting God's Word concerning His Son)."

What does Verse 2 mean by the "resurrection of the dead" and "eternal judgment"? How were they to leave these in proceeding on to maturity? These relate to and would affect ALL mankind; whereas, the "baptisms" and "laying on of the hands" were to Israel, ONLY, under the Law. In other words, do not just dwell generally on a resurrection and eternal punishment, for there is much more to be revealed in the New Testament concerning both. The Old Testament didn't say anything about those being resurrected in Matthew 27:52,53, the resurrection bodies at the Rapture (1Corinthians 15:51,52 and 1Thessalonians 4:16), the resurrection of the two witnesses in Revelation 11, or any of the specifics spoken of in 1Corinthians 15, the Great Resurrection Chapter.

Let's go on into maturity since we are saved, not reaching back for the ceremonial practices which are no longer valid. Let's not just be satisfied with the basics we have learned, about the resurrection and God's judgment, which is the "milk of the Word"; let us continue to study and learn more.

Hebrews 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

We can never be thankful enough for our salvation. That is why in Hebrews 6:1 it does not say "forgetting" but "leaving" the starting line and learning more about God's Word. We have some Christians today who are singing "Standing on the Promises" and doing nothing more than "sitting on the premises"! Only by reading and standing on God's Word can one grow strong enough to lay aside our little "security blankets" of religious practice and traditions which we have previously learned. The only way to grow into a mature Christian is to digest the Word of God.

2Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Some ingrained religious practices are hard to remove. Peter was one who had to outgrow the Law after he was saved. God's grace and patience was extended to him as he had to sever the strings that still attached him to the dietary portion of the Law. Concerning the things that were forbidden under the Law, God gave this Word to Peter in Acts 10:13,14.

Acts 10:13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

Acts 10:14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

Yes, Peter was growing by God's grace and in the knowledge of God's Word, as he went on to be a mighty force in God's Army! Growth and maturity will always be relative to the time spent in the Word of God. May I challenge you to honestly examine yourself and see how far you have come toward spiritual maturity since you have been saved.

Baptism on the Cross (Luke 12:49-50).

"I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!"

With Christ's presence on the earth, a fire was kindled; the fire of human hostility that would stir up separation and persecution against Him and His followers. The fire was ignited by John the Baptist when he announced to Israel:

"...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)

The self righteous Scribes, lawyers, and Pharisees sought to persecute Him, all through His earthly ministry and to the cross, with undiluted hatred and hostility. Hebrews 4:12 gives us the effect of God's Word on the human mind.

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword..."

Yes, standing for our Savior will always cause division with the world, and with friends and close relatives who reject Christ and His Word. Often a fire of opposition will be kindled as a result of witnessing to your parents, brothers and sisters, or other relatives. That is when we realize that the relationship is not the same as it used to be. As a Christian grows, it soon becomes evident they have a much closer relationship with other Christians than they do with their own relatives. Christ prepared His followers for the inevitability of just such occasions in Luke 12:51,53:

"Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division ... The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law."

Are you standing in silence with the match in your hand, or have you started a fire with a burning desire to proclaim God's Word and identify yourself with Christ? Yes, the Word of God does divide as does the sharp two edged sword. We might well remember Christ's words on the cross, while bearing your sins and mine:

"...My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Christ was separated from the Father, while on the cross, so you and I would never be separated from Him in eternity. This is the baptism He was referring to in Verse 50; used, metaphorically, of the cross...

"But, I have (yet future) a baptism to be baptized with."

He was identified with the sinner, being immersed into death with the sins of the world upon Himself. Notice "I have," His water baptism had already been accomplished by John the Baptist; thus, this baptism was yet future, upon the cross. It is interesting to note the reason our Lord spoke the words, "How am I straightened till it be accomplished" (Vs. 50). Here the Greek word for "straightened" is "SUNECHO" and out of twelve occurrences in the New Testament, is used nine times by Luke. It means "constrain, hold in or pressed in." For example, in Luke 22:63, the Greek word "SUNECHO" is translated "held."

"And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him." - Luke 22:63

What was constrained or held, concerning Christ, prior to His going to the cross? We believe this was the power of His deity, which He could have exercised to prevent His being placed on the cross. As Christ was Perfect God as well as Perfect Man, He possessed all the attributes of deity (God). Revelation 1:18 makes this clear:

"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell (the position) and of death (the condition)."

The Lord Jesus Christ has the power to take any life at any time He so desires. No power on earth could have put Christ on the cross, or kept Him there, had this not been His will. In Matthew 27:40,42 they challenged our Lord on the cross with these words:

"...If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross ... He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him."

Not only could He have come down from the cross, He could have struck everyone of them dead in an instant. Only because of His love did He restrain or withhold Himself from doing this. There is no question as to the power of His deity; if He could resurrect a dead body back to life, He could surely take a live body and render it dead! Which is more difficult, to kill a live body or bring a dead body back to life? Our Lord had this to say of Himself in John 10:17,18.

"...I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again..."

His divine love for the Crown of His Creation, Humanity, was what restrained Him from destroying all who sought His destruction. His love is the answer to our Verse in Question...

"How am I straightened (restrained or His power withheld) till it (the cross) be accomplished?" (Because of His love!)

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Baptismal Regeneration

BAPTISMAL REGENERATION is the unbiblical teaching that a person MUST be water baptized in order to go to Heaven. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Word of God is abundantly clear that Baptism is only an ordinance, to be observed by each individual believer AFTER salvation, as a public profession of one's faith in Jesus Christ. Baptism is symbolic of Christ's death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:4-5); and is our public profession of faith.

Baptism is NOT a sacrament, i.e., there is no mystical power (efficacy) by being dunked in water. No grace is bestowed. Apart from water baptism's spiritual meaning, you are only getting wet. Being baptized doesn't make someone a believer, any more than walking into a garage makes someone an automobile. As mentioned, water baptism is symbolic of the Lord's death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:4-5). An physical ordnance that mirrows the spiritual side of the Gospel in the mind of the new believer in Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

1 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

In water baptism, we are identifying ourselves with our Savior, signifying that we have already believed on Him. Nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever baptized; until AFTER they were saved.

The Apostle John tells us exactly why he wrote the Epistle of 1st John in 1st John 5:13... “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” John states that the sole purpose of his Epistle is to teach us how to KNOW we are saved. Carefully notice that John NEVER mentions the word “baptism,” not even once. That speaks volumes!

John doesn't mention speaking-in-tongues either, solid proof that Charismatics who require tongues as initial evidence of salvation are wrong, wrong, wrong.

Baptismal Regeneration is a lie of the Devil. Romans 4:5 plainly states... “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” How much clearer could the Bible be? A person's faith in Jesus Christ is COUNTED for righteousness. Salvation is of God, and not men. We are saved by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; and not our own self-righteousness... but to him that worketh not.

Consider that the Bible doesn't mention anyone being baptized with water in the Old Testament for salvation. Genesis 15:6 teaches that Abram (later to be renamed Abraham) believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. Romans 4:3 mentions this event, Abraham's salvation. We are saved by the imputed righteousness of Christ, Jesus' righteousness is attributed to our record in Heaven by faith (Romans 4:6). Abraham was saved by simple childlike faith in the Lord.

This thief on the cross who believed on Jesus Christ wasn't water baptized.

Over and over the Bible tells us that we are saved BY FAITH alone (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Acts 10:43; John 1:12; Galatians 3:26; John 3:16-18). If water baptism were required for salvation, then certainly the Bible would stress its importance for salvation. In fact, the Apostle Paul stated the opposite in 1st Corinthians 1:17, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.” Paul proclaimed that Jesus DIDN'T send him to baptize. There you have it! Paul stated in Romans 10:1 that his heart's desire was for Israel to be saved, so Paul definitely would NOT have made such a statement in 1st Corinthians 1:17 if water baptism were necessary to be saved.

Sacraments are Unbiblical.

Water baptism is an ordinance, like the Lord's Supper. Those are the only 2 ordinances which the Lord ordained to be carried out by the New Testament Church. They are NOT “sacraments,” a term not even found in the Word of God. Sacraments are unbiblical. Catholics teach 7 sacraments; and Protestants, such as Presbyterians and Lutherans, teach 2 sacraments: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. Neither of these terms are found in the Bible. There is no such thing as Holy Baptism” (which is their term for water baptism).

Protestantism is not taught in the Bible. Every Protestant believes in sacraments and the heresy of Infant Baptism. I don't follow John Calvin nor Jacob Arminius, nor do I follow the Westminster Confession as Presbyterians do. I certainly don't follow John MacArthur as Lordship Salvationists like Ray Comfort, Jack Chick and Kirk Cameron do. SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES as Jesus commanded in John 5:39!

Contrary to what most Christians have been misled to believe by handed-down tradition, Martin Luther was wrong in this area. Just because Luther once stated that the just shall live by faith doesn't mean that he was saved. Every Church of Christ member believes the just shall live by faith, but they also require water baptism to be saved. It may seem like a trifle issue, but it is the difference between Heaven and Hell. Eternal life is a free gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Lutherans errantly teach that one's faith is demonstrated by the act of being water baptized. This is unbiblical. There is confusion amongst Lutheran churches whether water baptism is required for salvation or not; but their heretical founder, Martin Luther, clearly taught the false doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration. Luther was a lifelong Mary-worshipper. Luther was messed up doctrinally, and died in his sins as an unsaved reprobate. Martin Luther even taught that a person could be saved without faith, just so long as they were water baptized. Luther was a false prophet until the day he died, and sadly his writings are still leading people into Hell. It is tragic that Lutherans idolize such a doctrinally corrupt heretic. Luther rejected the book of Revelation because he couldn't understand it.

What people should be focusing on, instead of a religious ceremony over baptism, is the precious blood of Jesus Christ that takes our sins away.

1Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

1Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

1Peter 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

1Peter 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

Max Lucado's Deception

Pastor Max Lucado, a Church of Christ minister, is mentioned here because he is a deceiver. He is a well-known Ecumenical minister, a servant of the New World Order, leading inter-faith denominations into apostasy. Satan's goal is to raise up sinister ministers like Rick Warren and Max Lucado, who speak fundamental Christian doctrines in one deceitful breath; while leading different denominations of hellish unbiblical doctrines of devils to unite in sinful compromise in the other.

On Max Lucado's website, in the article Baptism: The Demonstration of Devotion, Lucado refuses to answer the following question with a straight answer... What if a person is not baptized? Can he be saved?

Any Gospel preacher worth his salt, who is truly saved, would immediately answer with a resounding YES!!!

Yes, a person who is not baptized CAN BE SAVED. In fact, that's the only person that can be saved. If you've been water baptized and don't believe, then you're damned according to Mark 16:16,

“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Notice that the damnation is upon the unbeliever; and not upon the unbaptized. I tell you truthfully from the Bible... YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE WATER BAPTIZED TO BE SAVED!

Since Max Lucado won't answer the question directly, I just did! The fact of the matter is that Max Lucado changed the name of his church in 2005 to HIDE his Church of Christ affiliation, just as Seventh-Day Adventists do.

Max Lucado is hiding the fact that he is a Church of Christ minister.

Church of Christ teach Baptismal Regeneration, that you must be water baptized to be saved. Lucado states that water baptism cannot save, and sounds like he is doctrinally correct at first; but then he won't answer the simple question.

What if a person is not baptized? Can he be saved?

The fact that Max Lucado is beating around the bush is cause for alarm. The Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that we are saved by Christ's work of redemption; and not by any work on our part other than BELIEVING on the Lord. John 6:29,

“Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, THAT YE BELIEVE on him whom he hath sent.”

INTERNATIONAL CHURCHES OF CHRIST (ICOC) are a New World Order (NWO) false religion. On their main website, it is no coincidence that the following joining of hands coincidentally forms an Illuminati pyramid (as seen everywhere in the corporate and religious world today). The symbol shows allegiance to the New World Order, whose god is Satan, whose anticipated leader will be the Antichrist.

You need to understand that Satan is the god of this wicked world. The Devil wants you to burn in Hell when you die. 2nd Corinthians 4:4 says that Satan blinds the mind of unbelievers to hinder them from getting saved. The entire agenda of the forming New World Order and its World Religion is to hinder people from coming to Jesus Christ to be saved. The religious masses of this world will all be pointed toward the Antichrist when he comes, and many people will worship him because “they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2nd Thessalonians 2:10).

The core belief of the New Age movement is that you can believe anything that you want, except Bible Christianity. New Agers vehemently reject anyone who proclaims that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. Satan's only will for our life is to prevent us from doing God's will. Has Satan blinded your mind? Romans 10:9-10 says that salvation is of the heart. All of the Churches of Christ are fraudulent, having religion without truth. They all have religion without Christianity. My friend, religion wants to fit you with glasses, but the Lord wants to open your eyes.

Matthew 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

Religious on the outside, dead on the inside.

Most so-called “churches” today are mere entertainment centers. Others are social clubs for the elderly. They sing. They preach religion. They have everything that the real Church has except truth and the Spirit of God. In John 4:24 Jesus told the Samaritan woman that they who worship God, MUST worship Him in spirit and in truth. You cannot worship God in ceremonial rituals, sacraments and formalism. Such churches are Satan's counterfeit for the New Testament Church. Counterfeit churches teach a false gospel. There is ONLY one gospel and that is childlike faith in Jesus, the Christ; Who died, was buried and rose again, paying for our sins with His literal shed blood (1st Peter 1:18-19). The Biblical gospel excludes all forms of self-righteousness. Adding anything to the gospel corrupts it into a sure road to Hell and damnation.

Have you believed a LIE? One of Satan's biggest lies is that you must be water baptized to go to Heaven. The Bible plainly teaches that we are saved by simply childlike faith in Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Baptismal Regeneration is a Road to Hell.

If you think that getting dunked in water is going to help you get into Heaven, then you are not truly saved. You have never been born-again. Biblical salvation is one unmistaken mindset that cannot be altered... A GIFT!

Those who errantly teach that salvation can be lost (such as Pentecostals, Charismatics and Calvinists); all have a deadly mindset of self-righteousness. Matthew 5:20: “For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus told the people that the Pharisees were going to the Lake of Fire; and that they would also go if they followed the teachings of the Scribes and Pharisees.

Think about that for a moment! The job of the Scribes were to copy the Bible from one generation to the next, because they didn't have printing presses back then. No one handled the Scriptures any more than the Scribes; yet they were woefully ignorant of truth and unsaved. That is so sad and hard to grasp. The Scribes were the ones who dealt with the Scriptures as a career! Yet they were corrupt, woefully ignorant of truth, and on their way to Hell.

RELIGION IS A ROAD TO HELL! Getting water baptized is religion my friend. When Adam and Eve sinned, Adam made clothing of fig-leaves to cover their nakedness; but God rejected their works-based religion (i.e., their own attempt to deal with their sins). Instead, God killed an innocent animal, shedding its blood; which pictures the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, Who came to SAVE SINNERS!

Everything that was required for our eternal redemption was completed by our heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ. It is Jesus' precious, literal, physical, blood that takes our sins away (1st Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 1:5). If you grasp this simple, yet profound, truth; the simplicity that is in Christ; then you will clearly understand that salvation is a totally free gift from God, which we simply receive to have. Salvation is not something we do to get; it is a gift that we receive to have.

Adam and Eve already had fig leaf clothes to wear; but God made them wear different clothing, to teach them the truth of salvation. God will not accept water baptism on Judgment Day friend. You will go to Hell forever! I don't want that to happen, which is why I am warning you with the Scriptures!

If you understand the importance of the work of the Old Testament high priest, then you know that eternal life is a free gift, paid for by the Lamb of God. Jesus literally entered BY HIS OWN BLOOD (Hebrews 9:12) into the heavenly holy place, to appear in the presence of God the Father (Hebrews 9:24), to complete His work of redemption. It was finished, once and for all (Hebrews 9:26). Salvation is freely offered to WHOSOEVER (Romans 10:13; Revelation 22:17).

"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." - John 20:31

There is NO mention of water baptism! You just BELIEVE on the Son of God, the Christ; and He'll forgive your sins.

1Peter 1:18, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

There is NO mention of water baptism! It's the blood of Jesus that washes our sins away; and not the water of baptism.

1Peter 1:23, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

There is NO mention of water baptism! We are regenerated, born anew of the Spirit of God, by the Seed of the Word of God. Amen and amen!

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

The word is express and plain—he that believeth not may plead his baptism, may plead anything he likes, "But he that believeth not shall be damned;" for him there is nothing but the wrath of God, the flames of hell, eternal perdition. So Christ declares, and so must it be

THE BAPTISM IN THE TEXT IS ONE EVIDENTLY CONNECTED WITH FAITH. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." It strikes me, there is no supposition here, that anybody would be baptized who did not believe; or, if there be such a supposition, it is very clearly laid down that his baptism will be of no use to him, for he will be damned, baptized or not, unless he believes. The baptism of the text seems to me, that baptism is connected with, directly follows belief.

Baptism should follow believing. At any rate it effectually avoids the error we have been combating. A man who knows that he is saved by believing in Christ does not, when he is baptized, lift his baptism into a saving ordinance. In fact, he is the very best protester against that mistake, because he holds that he has no right to be baptized until he is saved. He bears a testimony against baptismal regeneration in his being baptized as professedly an already regenerate person.

Baptism is to the believer a testimony of his faith; he does in baptism tell the world what he believes. "I am about to be buried in water. I believe that the Son of God went to the cross to pay for my sin debt that called for my death and separation from God”. I believe Jesus was literally dead and buried. To rise again out of the water, sets forth to all men that the new believer believes in the resurrection of Christ. A resurrection, that signified God’s acceptance of that payment in full, never to be separated again from God

There is a showing forth in baptism of Christ's burial and resurrection. It is a type, a sign, a symbol, a mirror to the world: a looking-glass in which what has occurred in the spirit is as it were reflected and now viewed in the natural world. We say to the onlooker, when he asks, “what is the meaning of this ordinance,” We mean to set forth our faith that Christ was buried, and that he rose again from the dead, my sins have been paid for, never to be brought up again, and we avow this death and resurrection to be the grounds of our trust and belief in Christ.

Again, baptism is also Faith's taking the proper place. Reason looks at baptism, and says, "Perhaps there is nothing in it; it cannot do me any good." "True," says Faith, "and therefore will I observe it. If it did me some good my selfishness would make me do it, but inasmuch as to my sense there is no good in it, since I am bidden by my Lord thus to fulfil all righteousness, it is my public declaration that a thing which looks to be unreasonable and seems to be unprofitable, being commanded by God, is profitable to me. The “feeling’ that we experience when we first come to Jesus for salvation, when we first realize “my sins are forgiven” will soon dissipate as we step out of the church and back into life. But that act of being buried in water, will never lose its firm placement in our minds. You can’t be distracted from the fact that you were immersed totally in water, to be brought up again. Baptisms purpose is to remind you in the physical sense that your salvation is secure.

Once more, baptism is a refreshment to Faith. While we are made up of body and soul as we are, we shall need some means by which the body shall sometimes be stirred up to co-work with the soul. Through the sign my faith sees the thing signified. So in baptism there is no mysterious efficacy in the baptistery or in the water. We attach, no reverence, to the one or to the other, but we do see in the water and in the baptism such an assistance, as brings home to our faith most manifestly our being buried with Christ, and our rising again in newness of life with him.

Explain baptism and there is no fear of Popery rising out of it. Explain it thus, and we cannot suppose any soul will be led to trust to it; but it takes its proper place among the ordinances of God's house. To lift it up in the other way, and say men are saved by it, how much of mischief that one falsehood has done and may do, eternity alone will disclose.

The time is come when those who follow God must follow God, and those who try to trim and dress themselves and find out a way which is pleasing to the flesh and gentle to carnal desires, must go their way. We shall be clear, I say, of those who teach salvation by baptism, instead of salvation by the blood of our blessed Master, Jesus Christ.

Out of any system which teaches salvation by baptism must spring infidelity, an infidelity which the false Church already seems willing to nourish and foster beneath her wing. Brethren, stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free.

It is our contention that baptism is an important step intended to encourage and give confidence of salvation for a new Christian, but we adamantly reject baptism as being required for salvation. We strongly believe that each and every Christian should be water baptized by immersion. Baptism illustrates a believer’s identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection and gives a tangible point of reference in their life to aid them in their daily walk thereafter. The new Christian may feel up or down as time goes on, but can always look back at the baptism and remember “my sins were paid in full by Christ by His death and because He arose from the grave signifying the Fathers satisfaction of that sin debt, I am forever more a child of God. I’m still going to heaven”

Requiring anything in addition to faith in Jesus Christ for salvation is a works-based salvation. To add anything to the gospel is to say that Jesus' death on the cross was not sufficient to purchase our salvation. To say that baptism is necessary for salvation is to say we must add our own good works and obedience to Christ's death in order to make it sufficient for salvation. Jesus' death alone paid for our sins (Romans 5:8;2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus' payment for our sins is appropriated to our “account” by faith alone (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9). Therefore, baptism is an important step after salvation but cannot be a requirement for salvation.

Yes, there are some verses that seem to indicate baptism as a requirement for salvation. However, since the Bible so clearly tells us that salvation is received by faith alone (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5), there must be a different interpretation of those verses. Scripture does not contradict Scripture. In Bible times, a person who converted from one religion to another was often baptized to identify conversion. Baptism was the means of making a decision public. Those who refused to be baptized were saying they did not truly believe. So, in the minds of the apostles and early disciples, the idea of an un-baptized believer was unheard of. When a person claimed to believe in Christ, yet was ashamed to proclaim his faith in public, it indicated that he did not have true faith.

If baptism is necessary for salvation, why would Paul have said:

“I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius” - (1 Corinthians 1:14)

Why would he have said:

“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” - (1 Corinthians 1:17)

Granted, in this passage Paul is arguing against the divisions that plagued the Corinthian church. However, how could Paul possibly say, “I am thankful that I did not baptize…” or “For Christ did not send me to baptize…” if baptism were necessary for salvation? If baptism is necessary for salvation, Paul would literally be saying, “I am thankful that you were not saved…” and “For Christ did not send me to save…” That would be an unbelievably ridiculous statement for Paul to make. Further, when Paul gives a detailed outline of what he considers the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-8), why does he neglect to mention baptism?

If baptism is a requirement for salvation, how could any presentation of the gospel lack a mention of baptism?

Does Acts 2:38 teach that baptism is necessary for salvation?

Acts 2:38 Then 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.

As with any single verse or passage, we discern what it teaches by first filtering it through what we know the Bible teaches on the subject at hand. In the case of baptism and salvation, the Bible is clear that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of any kind, including baptism (Ephesians 2:8-9). So, any interpretation which comes to the conclusion that baptism, or any other act, is necessary for salvation, is a faulty interpretation.

Why, then, do some come to the conclusion that we must be baptized in order to be saved? Often, the discussion of whether or not this passage teaches baptism is required for salvation centers around the Greek word eis that is translated “for” in this passage. Those who hold to the belief that baptism is required for salvation are quick to point to this verse and the fact that it says “be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,” assuming that the word translated “for” in this verse means “in order to get.” However, in both Greek and English, there are many possible usages of the word “for.”

As an example, when one says “Take two aspirin for your headache,” it is obvious to everybody that it does not mean “take two aspirin in order to get your headache,” but instead to “take two aspirin because you already have a headache.” There are three possible meanings of the word “for” that might fit the context of Acts 2:38:

1. “in order to be, become, get, have, keep, etc.,”
2. “because of, as the result of,”
3. “with regard to.”

Since any one of the three meanings could fit the context of this passage, additional study is required in order to determine which one is correct.

We need to start by looking back to the original language and the meaning of the Greek word eis. This is a common Greek word (it is used 1774 times in the New Testament) that is translated many different ways. Like the English word “for” it can have several different meanings. So, again, we see at least two or three possible meanings of the passage, one that would seem to support that baptism is required for salvation and others that would not. While both the meanings of the Greek word eis are seen in different passages of Scripture, such noted Greek scholars as A.T. Robertson and J.R. Mantey have maintained that the Greek preposition eis in Acts 2:38 should be translated “because of” or “in view of,” and not “in order to,” or “for the purpose of.”

One example of how this preposition is used in other Scriptures is seen in Matthew 12:41where the word eis communicates the “result” of an action. In this case it is said that the people of Nineveh “repented at the preaching of Jonah” (the word translated “at” is the same Greek word eis). Clearly, the meaning of this passage is that they repented “because of’” or “as the result of” Jonah’s preaching. In the same way, it would be possible that Acts 2:38 is indeed communicating the fact that they were to be baptized “as the result of” or “because” they already had believed and in doing so had already received forgiveness of their sins (John 1:12; John 3:14-18; John 5:24; John 11:25-26; Acts 10:43; Acts 13:39; Acts 16:31; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:9; Ephesians 1:12-14). This interpretation of the passage is also consistent with the message recorded in Peter’s next two sermons to unbelievers where he associates the forgiveness of sins with the act of repentance and faith in Christ without even mentioning baptism (Acts 3:17-26; Acts 4:8-12).

In addition to Acts 2:38, there are three other verses where the Greek word eis is used in conjunction with the word “baptize” or “baptism.” The first of these is Matthew 3:11, “baptize you with water for repentance.” Clearly the Greek word eis cannot mean “in order to get” in this passage. They were not baptized “in order to get repentance,” but were “baptized because they had repented.”

The second passage is Romans 6:3 where we have the phrase “baptized into (eis) His death.” This again fits with the meaning “because of” or in "regard to."

The third and final passage is 1 Corinthians 10:2 and the phrase “baptized into (eis) Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” Again, eis cannot mean “in order to get” in this passage because the Israelites were not baptized in order to get Moses to be their leader, but because he was their leader and had led them out of Egypt.

If one is consistent with the way the preposition eis is used in conjunction with baptism, we must conclude that Acts 2:38 is indeed referring to their being baptized “because” they had received forgiveness of their sins. Some other verses where the Greek preposition eis does not mean “in order to obtain” are Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 3:21; Acts 19:3; 1 Corinthians 1:15; and 12:13.

The grammatical evidence surrounding this verse and the preposition eis are clear that while both views on this verse are well within the context and the range of possible meanings of the passage, the majority of the evidence is in favor that the best possible definition of the word “for” in this context is either “because of” or “in regard to” and not “in order to get.” Therefore, Acts 2:38, when interpreted correctly, does not teach that baptism is required for salvation.

Besides the precise meaning of the preposition translated “for” in this passage, there is another grammatical aspect of this verse to carefully consider—the change between the second person and third person between the verbs and pronouns in the passage. For example, in Peter’s commands to repent and be baptized the Greek verb translated “repent” is in the second person plural while the verb “be baptized,” is in the third person singular.

When we couple this with the fact that the pronoun “your” in the phrase “forgiveness of your sins” is also second person plural, we see an important distinction being made that helps us understand this passage. The result of this change from second person plural to third person singular and back would seem to connect the phrase “forgiveness of your sins” directly with the command to “repent.” Therefore, when you take into account the change in person and plurality, essentially what you have is “You (plural) repent for the forgiveness of your (plural) sins, and let each one (singular) of you be baptized (singular).” Or, to put it in a more distinct way: “You all repent for the forgiveness of all of your sins, and let each one of you be baptized.”

Another error that is made by those who believe Acts 2:38 teaches baptism is required for salvation is what is sometimes called the Negative Inference Fallacy. Simply put, this is the idea that just because a statement is true, we cannot assume all negations (or opposites) of that statement are true. In other words, just because Acts 2:38 says “repent and be baptized….for the forgiveness of sins…and the gift of the Holy Spirit,” it does not mean that if one repents and is not baptized, he will not receive forgiveness of sins or the gift of the Holy Spirit.

There is an important difference between a condition of salvation and a requirement for salvation. The Bible is clear that belief is both a condition and a requirement, but the same cannot be said for baptism. The Bible does not say that if a man is not baptized then he will not be saved. One can add any number of conditions to faith (which is required for salvation), and the person can still be saved. For example if a person believes, is baptized, goes to church, and gives to the poor he will be saved. Where the error in thinking occurs is if one assumes all these other conditions, “baptism, going to church, giving to the poor,” are required for one to be saved. While they might be the evidence of salvation, they are not a requirement for salvation.

The fact that baptism is not required to receive forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit should also be evident by simply reading a little farther in the book of Acts. In Acts 10:43, Peter tells Cornelius that “through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (please note that nothing at this point has been mentioned about being baptized, yet Peter connects believing in Christ with the act of receiving forgiveness for sins). The next thing that happens is, having believed Peter’s message about Christ, the “Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message” (Acts 10:44).

It is only after they had believed, and therefore received forgiveness of their sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, that Cornelius and his household were baptized (Acts 10:47-48). The context and the passage are very clear; Cornelius and his household received both forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit before they were ever baptized. In fact, the reason Peter allowed them to be baptized was that they showed evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit “just as Peter and the Jewish believers” had.

In conclusion, Acts 2:38 does not teach that baptism is required for salvation. While baptism is important as the sign that one has been justified by faith and as the public declaration of one’s faith in Christ and membership in a local body of believers, it is not the means of remission or forgiveness of sins. The Bible is very clear that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (John 1:12; John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Romans 3:21-30; Romans 4:5; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 3:9; Galatians 2:16).

Does Mark 16:16 teach that baptism is necessary for salvation?

“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16).

This verse is composed of two basic statements.

1—He who believes and is baptized will be saved.
2—He who does not believe will be condemned.

While this verse tells us something about believers who have been baptized (they are saved), it does not say anything about believers who have not been baptized. In order for this verse to teach that baptism is necessary for salvation, a third statement would be necessary. Something like:, “He who believes and is not baptized will be condemned” or “He who is not baptized will be condemned.” But, of course, neither of these statements is found in the verse.

Those who try to use Mark 16:16 to teach that baptism is necessary for salvation commit a common but serious mistake that is sometimes called the Negative Inference Fallacy. This is the rule to follow: “If a statement is true, we cannot assume that all negations (or opposites) of that statement are also true." For example, the statement “a dog with brown spots is an animal” is true; however, the negative, “if a dog does not have brown spots, it is not an animal” is false. In the same way, “he who believes and is baptized will be saved” is true; however, the statement “he who believes but is not baptized will not be saved” is an unwarranted assumption. Yet this is exactly the assumption made by those who support baptismal regeneration.

Consider this example: "Whoever believes and lives in Kansas will be saved, but those that do not believe are condemned." This statement is strictly true; Kansans who believe in Jesus will be saved. However, to say that only those believers who live in Kansas are saved is an illogical and false assumption. The statement does not say a believer must live in Kansas in order to go to heaven. Similarly, Mark 16:16 does not say a believer must be baptized. The verse states a fact about baptized believers (they will be saved), but it says exactly nothing about believers who have not been baptized. There may be believers who do not dwell in Kansas, yet they are still saved; and there may be believers who have not been baptized, yet they, too, are still saved.

The one specific condition required for salvation is stated in the second part of Mark 16:16: “Whoever does not believe will be condemned.” In essence, Jesus has given both the positive condition of belief (whoever believes will be saved) and the negative condition of unbelief (whoever does not believe will be condemned). Therefore, we can say with absolute certainty that belief is the requirement for salvation. More importantly, we see this condition restated positively and negatively throughout Scripture (John 3:16; John 3:18; John 3:36; John 5:24; John 6:53-54; John 8:24; Acts 16:31).

Jesus mentions a condition related to salvation (baptism) in Mark 16:16. But a related condition should not be confused with a requirement. For example, having a fever is related to being ill, but a fever is not required for illness to be present. Nowhere in the Bible do we find a statement such as “whoever is not baptized will be condemned.” Therefore, we cannot say that baptism is necessary for salvation based on Mark 16:16 or any other verse.

Does Mark 16:16 teach that baptism is necessary for salvation? No, it does not. It clearly establishes that belief is required for salvation, but it does not prove or disprove the idea of baptism being a requirement. How can we know, then, if one must be baptized in order to be saved? We must look to the full counsel of God’s Word. Here is a summary of the evidence:

1. The Bible is clear that we are saved by faith alone. Abraham was saved by faith, and we are saved by faith (Romans 4:1-25; Galatians 3:6-22).
2. Throughout the Bible, in every dispensation, people have been saved without being baptized. Every believer in the Old Testament (e.g., Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon) was saved but not baptized. The thief on the cross was saved but not baptized. Cornelius was saved before he was baptized (Acts 10:44-46).
3. Baptism is a testimony of our faith and a public declaration that we believe in Jesus Christ. The Scriptures tell us that we have eternal life the moment we believe (John 5:24), and belief always comes before being baptized. Baptism does not save us any more than walking an aisle or saying a prayer saves us. We are saved when we believe.
4. The Bible never says that if one is not baptized then he is not saved.
5. If baptism were required for salvation, then no one could be saved without another party being present. Someone must be there to baptize a person before he can be saved. This effectively limits who can be saved and when he can be saved. The consequences of this doctrine, when carried to a logical conclusion, are devastating. For example, a soldier who believes on the battlefield but is killed before he can be baptized would go to hell.
6. Throughout the Bible we see that at the point of faith a believer possesses all the promises and blessings of salvation (John 1:12; 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 0:31; Acts 10:43; 13:39; 16:31). When one believes, he has eternal life, does not come under judgment, and has passed from death into life (John 5:24)—all before he or she is baptized.

If you believe in baptismal regeneration, you would do well to prayerfully consider whom or what you are really putting your trust in. Is your faith in a physical act (being baptized) or in the finished work of Christ on the cross? Whom or what are you trusting for salvation? Is it the shadow (baptism) or the substance (Jesus Christ)? Our faith must rest in Christ alone.

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Does 1 Peter 3:21 teach that baptism is necessary for salvation?

Those who believe that baptism is required for salvation are quick to use 1 Peter 3:21 as a “proof text,” because it states “baptism now saves you.” Was Peter really saying that the act of being baptized is what saves us? If he were, he would be contradicting many other passages of Scripture that clearly show people being saved (as evidenced by their receiving the Holy Spirit) prior to being baptized or without being baptized at all (like the thief on the cross in Luke 23:39-43).

A good example of someone who was saved before being baptized is Cornelius and his household in Acts 10. We know that they were saved before being baptized because they had received the Holy Spirit, which is the evidence of salvation (Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13; 1 John 3:24). The evidence of their salvation was the reason Peter allowed them to be baptized. Countless passages of Scripture clearly teach that salvation comes when one believes in the gospel, at which time he or she is sealed “in Christ with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13).

Thankfully, though, we don’t have to guess at what Peter means in this verse because he clarifies that for us with the phrase “not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience.” While Peter is connecting baptism with salvation, it is not the act of being baptized that he is referring to (not the removal of dirt from the flesh). Being immersed in water does nothing but wash away dirt. What Peter is referring to is what baptism represents, which is what saves us (an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ). In other words, Peter is simply connecting baptism with belief. It is not the getting-wet part that saves but is the “appeal to God for a clean conscience” which is signified by baptism, that saves us. The appeal to God always comes first. First belief and repentance, then we are baptized to publicly identify ourselves with Christ.

An excellent explanation of this passage is given by Dr. Kenneth Wuest, author of Word Studies in the Greek New Testament. “Water baptism is clearly in the apostle's mind, not the baptism by the Holy Spirit, for he speaks of the waters of the flood as saving the inmates of the ark, and in this verse, of baptism saving believers. But he says that it saves them only as a counterpart. That is, water baptism is the counterpart of the reality, salvation. It can only save as a counterpart, not actually. The Old Testament sacrifices were counterparts of the reality, the Lord Jesus. They did not actually save the believer, only in type. It is not argued here that these sacrifices are analogous to Christian water baptism. The author is merely using them as an illustration of the use of the word 'counterpart.'

"So water baptism only saves the believer in type. The Old Testament Jew was saved before he brought the offering. That offering was only his outward testimony that he was placing faith in the Lamb of God of whom these sacrifices were a type....Water baptism is the outward testimony of the believer's inward faith. The person is saved the moment he places his faith in the Lord Jesus. Water baptism is the visible testimony to his faith and the salvation he was given in answer to that faith. Peter is careful to inform his readers that he is not teaching baptismal regeneration, namely, that a person who submits to baptism is thereby regenerated, for he says, 'not the putting away of the filth of the flesh.'

Baptism, Peter explains, does not wash away the filth of the flesh, either in a literal sense as a bath for the body, nor in a metaphorical sense as a cleansing for the soul. You go into baptism a sinner saved by grace, and you come out of the water a wet sinner, saved by grace. While you may, in trying times of your life, wonder what went on in the spiritual world fueled by changing emotions, you will always remember that you were baptized. It wasn’t related to how you felt emotionally, you were physically wet and you will remember that.

No ceremonies really affect the conscience. But he defines what he means by salvation, in the words 'the answer of a good conscience toward God," and he explains how this is accomplished, namely, 'by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,' in that the believing sinner is identified with Him in that resurrection.”

Part of the confusion on this passage comes from the fact that in many ways the purpose of baptism as a public declaration of one’s faith in Christ and identification with Him has been replaced by “making a decision for Christ” or “praying a sinner’s prayer.” Baptism has been relegated to something that is done later. Yet to Peter or any of the first-century Christians, the idea that a person would confess Christ as his Savior and not be baptized as soon as possible would have been unheard of. Therefore, it is not surprising that Peter would see baptism as almost synonymous with salvation. Yet Peter makes it clear in this verse that it is not the ritual itself that saves, but the fact that we are united with Christ in His resurrection through faith, “the pledge of a good conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21).

Therefore, the baptism that Peter says saves us is the one that is preceded by faith in the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ that justifies the unrighteous sinner (Romans 3:25-26; 4:5). Baptism is the outward sign of what God has done “by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit”

Does John 3:5 teach that baptism is necessary for salvation?

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:4 Nicodemus 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?

John 3:5 Jesus 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 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

"You must be born again."

When first considering this passage, it is important to note that nowhere in the context of the passage is baptism even mentioned. While baptism is mentioned later in this chapter (John 3:22-30), that is in a totally different setting (Judea instead of Jerusalem) and at a different time from the discussion with Nicodemus. This is not to say Nicodemus was unfamiliar with baptism, either from the Jewish practice of baptizing Gentile converts to Judaism, or from John the Baptist’s ministry. However, simply reading these verses in context would give one no reason to assume Jesus was speaking of baptism, unless one was looking to read into the passage a preconceived idea or theology. To automatically read baptism into this verse simply because it mentions “water” is unwarranted.

Those who hold baptism to be required for salvation point to “born of water” as evidence. As one person has put it, “Jesus describes it and tells him plainly how—by being born of water and the Spirit. This is a perfect description of baptism! Jesus could not have given a more detailed and accurate explanation of baptism.” However, had Jesus actually wanted to say that one must be baptized to be saved, He clearly could have simply stated, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is baptized and born of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Further, if Jesus had made such a statement, He would have contradicted numerous other Bible passages that make it clear that salvation is by faith (John 3:16; John 3:36; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).

We should also not lose sight of the fact that when Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, the ordinance of Christian baptism was not yet in effect. This important inconsistency in interpreting Scripture is seen when one asks those who believe baptism is required for salvation why the thief on the cross did not need to be baptized to be saved. A common reply to that question is: “The thief on the cross was still under the Old Covenant and therefore not subject to this baptism. He was saved just like anyone else under the Old Covenant.”

So, in essence, the same people who say the thief did not need to be baptized because he was “under the Old Covenant” will use John 3:5 as “proof” that baptism is necessary for salvation. They insist that Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he must be baptized to be saved, even though he too was under the Old Covenant. If the thief on the cross was saved without being baptized (because he was under the Old Covenant), why would Jesus tell Nicodemus (who was also under the Old Covenant) that he needed to be baptized?

If “being born of water and the Spirit” is not referring to baptism, then what does it mean? Traditionally, there have been two interpretations of this phrase. The first is that being “born of water” is being used by Jesus to refer to natural birth (with water referring to the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby in the womb) and that being born of the “Spirit” indicates spiritual birth. While that is certainly a possible interpretation of the term “born of water” and would seem to fit the context of Nicodemus’ question about how a man could be born “when he is old,” it is not the best interpretation given the context of this passage. After all, Jesus was not talking about the difference between natural birth and spiritual birth. What He was doing was explaining to Nicodemus his need to be “born from above” or “born again.”

The second common interpretation of this passage and the one that best fits the overall context, not only of this passage but of the Bible as a whole, is the one that sees the phrase “born of water and the Spirit” as both describing different aspects of the same spiritual birth, or of what it means to be “born again” or “born from above.” So, when Jesus told Nicodemus that he must “be born of water and the Spirit,” He was not referring to literal water (i.e. baptism or the amniotic fluid in the womb), but was referring to the need for spiritual cleansing or renewal. Throughout the Old Testament (Psalm 51:2,7; Ezekiel 36:25) and the New Testament (John 13:10; 15:3; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:22), water is often used figuratively of spiritual cleansing or regeneration that is brought forth by the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, at the moment of salvation (Ephesians 5:26; Titus 3:5).

There are two thoughts here. Water is the symbol of cleansing. When Jesus takes possession of our lives, when we ask for forgiveness, for Him to save us, the sins of the past are forgiven and forgotten. The Spirit is the symbol of power. When Jesus takes possession of our lives it is not only that the past is forgotten and forgiven; if that were all, we might well proceed to make the same mess of life all over again; but into life there enters a new power which enables us to be what by ourselves we could never be and to do what by ourselves we could never do. Water and the Spirit stand for the cleansing and the strengthening power of Christ, which wipes out the past and gives victory in the future.”

Therefore, the “water” mentioned in this verse is not literal physical water but rather the “living water” Jesus promised the woman at the well in John 4:10 and the people in Jerusalem in John 7:37-39. It is the inward purification and renewal produced by the Holy Spirit that brings forth spiritual life to a dead sinner (Ezekiel 36:25-27; Titus 3:5). Jesus reinforces this truth in John 3:7 when He restates that one must be born again and that this newness of life can only be produced by the Holy Spirit (John 3:8).

There are several reasons for this interpretation of the phrase “born of water and the Spirit.” First of all, we should note that the Greek word translated “again” has two possible meanings. The first one is “again,” and the second one is “from above.” Nicodemus apparently assumed the first meaning “again” and found that idea incomprehensible. That is why he could not understand how as a grown man he could re-enter his mother’s womb and be “born again” physically. Therefore, Jesus restates what He had just told Nicodemus in a different way so that it would be clear He was referring to being “born from above.” In other words, both “born from above” and “born of water and Spirit” are two ways of saying the same thing.

Second, it is important to note the Greek grammar in this verse would seem to indicate “being born of water” and “being born of the Spirit” are thought of as one item, not two. Therefore, it is not speaking of two separate births, as Nicodemus incorrectly thought, but of one birth, that of being “born from above” or the spiritual birth that is necessary for anyone to “see the kingdom of God.” This need for one to be “born again,” or to experience spiritual birth, is so important that Jesus tells Nicodemus of its necessity three different times in this passage of Scripture (John 3:3, 3:5, 3:7).

Third, water is often used symbolically in the Bible to refer to the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctifying a believer, whereby God cleanses and purifies the believer’s heart or soul. In many places in both the Old and New Testaments, the work of the Holy Spirit is compared to water (Isaiah 44:3; John 7:38-39).

Jesus rebukes Nicodemus in John 3:10 by asking him: “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” This implies that what Jesus had just told him was something Nicodemus should have known and understood from the Old Testament. What is it that Nicodemus, as a teacher of the Old Testament, should have known and understood? It is that God had promised in the Old Testament a time was coming in which He would: “sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” (Ezekiel 36:25-27).

Jesus rebuked Nicodemus because he failed to recall and understand one of the key Old Testament passages pertaining to the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:33). Nicodemus should have been expecting this. Why would Jesus have rebuked Nicodemus for not understanding baptism considering the fact that baptism is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament?

While this verse does not teach baptism is required for salvation, we should be careful not to neglect baptism’s importance. Baptism is the sign or the symbol for what takes place when one is born again. Baptism’s importance should not be downplayed or minimized. However, baptism does not save us. What saves us is the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit, when we are born again and regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).

Does Acts 22:16 teach that baptism is necessary for salvation?

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

The first question that must be answered is "when was Paul saved?"

1. Paul tells that he did not receive or hear the Gospel from Ananias, but rather he heard it directly from Christ.
   
   Galatians 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
   
   Galatians 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
   
   So, Paul heard and believed in Christ on the road to Damascus. Paul had already believed in Christ when Ananias came to pray for him to receive his sight (Acts 9:17).
2. It also should be noted that Paul at the time when Ananias prayed for him to receive his sight, he also received the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17)--this was before he was baptized (Acts 9:18). Acts presents a transition period where God's focus turns from Israel to the Church. The events recorded in Acts are not always normative. With regard to receiving the Holy Spirit, the norm is that a person receives and is permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation.
3. The Greek aorist participle, epikalesamenos, translated "calling on His name" refers either to action that is simultaneous with or before that of the main verb, "be baptized." Here Paul’s calling on Christ’s name for salvation preceded his water baptism. The participle may be translated "having called on His name" which makes more sense, as it would clearly indicate the order of the events.
4. Concerning the words, "be baptized, and wash away your sins," because Paul was already cleansed spiritually at the time Christ appeared to him, these words must refer to the symbolism of baptism. Baptism is a picture of God’s inner work of washing away sin (1 Corinthians 6:11;1 Peter 3:21).
5. It is also interesting that when Paul recounted this event again later in Acts (Acts 26:12-18), he did not mention Ananias or what Ananias said to him at all. Verse 18 again would confirm the idea that Paul received Christ as Savior on the road to Damascus since here Christ is telling Paul he will be a messenger for Him concerning forgiveness of sins for Gentiles as they have faith in Him. It would seem unlikely that Christ would commission Paul if Paul had not yet believed in Him.

Does Galatians 3:27 teach that baptism is necessary for salvation?

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Groups that believe that baptism is necessary for salvation often turn to Galatians 3:27as one of their “proof texts” for the view that baptism is necessary for salvation. In doing so they are ignoring the context of the passage as well as the overall context of Scripture.

In order to determine if this passage really supports baptismal regeneration, one simply needs to read the immediate context to know that it does not. The overall context of Galatians is centered on Paul’s rebuke that some of the Galatians were turning from the one true gospel to another false gospel that could not save them (Galatians 1:6-10). The false gospel they were embracing was one that mixed God’s grace with works of the law, including circumcision, as a requirement for being saved, much like those who add baptism as a requirement for salvation. Paul’s message in Galatians is very, very clear—we are justified not “by the works of the law but by faith in Christ” (Galatians 2:16).

This context of justification by faith alone in Christ alone is seen throughout the first three chapters of Galatians and is reinforced in Galatians 3:26, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” This verse, along with all other passages of Scripture dealing with salvation, makes it clear that salvation is “through faith in Christ Jesus,” and since, for baptism to have any meaning at all, it must always be preceded by faith, we can know that it is faith in Christ that saves us not the baptism that follows faith. While baptism is important as a way of identifying us with Christ, it only has meaning if it comes from saving faith which always comes first.

Galatians 3:27 says, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Is there any reason from the context of this passage to assume that this is speaking of water baptism? The obvious answer is no. There is no contextual evidence on which to draw that conclusion. We know from Scripture that there is more than one type of baptism taught in the New Testament (Hebrews 6:2), so why should it be assumed this is speaking of water baptism? The question we need to answer from Scripture is, “How do we get baptized into Christ?” Or another way of asking it is “what makes a person a Christian?” Or maybe, “What is the single most important difference between a Christian and a non-Christian?” The answer to these questions is found in Romans 8:9, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.”

Scripture is very clear that the determining factor for whether or not one is a Christian is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. With that truth in mind let’s look at another passage that speaks of being “baptized” into Christ. “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all be made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).

What is it that makes one a Christian? It is being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. What baptism is it that puts us into Christ and makes us a part of Christ’s body?

It is the baptism “by one Spirit.” Clearly, the baptism that1 Corinthians 12:12-13 and Galatians 3:27 are speaking of is not water baptism at all. It is the baptism of the Holy Spirit whereby we are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13-14) and are made part of Christ’s body as we are indwelt by His Holy Spirit. Jesus promised His disciples before He left them that He would send them “another helper,” the Holy Spirit who “dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-18).

The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is what baptizes us into the body of Christ, as seen clearly in1 Corinthians 12:12-13. John the Baptist prophesied that, while he was sent to “baptize with water,” Jesus was the One who would “baptize with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33-34). It is that baptism, the point that we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that “baptizes” us into the body of Christ. Galatians 3:27is not referring to water baptism at all.

Water baptism is symbolic of what is accomplished when we are baptized into one body by one Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is what matters. When we receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit as promised by Christ is when we become part of the body of Christ or are “baptized into Christ.” Those who try to force baptismal regeneration into Galatians 3:27 have no scriptural grounds for doing so.

Baptism for the Dead (1st Corinthians 15:29).

1 Corinthians 15:29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? then baptized for the dead?

Many are the interpretations of this Verse. We shall list a few which we believe to be unfounded and untrue; then examine what we believe to be the correct interpretation.

1. "Baptismal Regeneration," that God requires baptism to be saved.
2. That a saved person is baptized for a lost person who has died.
3. That a saved person is baptized for a believer who died unbaptized.

We can be sure, for example, that it does not teach vicarious, or proxy, baptism for the dead, as claimed by ancient gnostic heretics such as Marcion and by the Mormon church today. Paul did not teach that a person who has died can be saved, or helped in any way, by another person’s being baptized in his behalf. Baptismal regeneration, the idea that one is saved by being baptized, or that baptism is in some way necessary for salvation, is unscriptural. The idea of vicarious baptismal regeneration is still further removed from biblical truth.

If a person cannot save himself by being baptized, he certainly cannot save anyone else through that act. Salvation is by personal faith in Jesus Christ alone. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8; cf. Romans 3:28; etc.). That is the repeated and consistent teaching of both the Old and New Testaments. Quoting from Genesis 15:6, Paul says, “For what does the Scripture say? ‘And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness’ ” (Romans 4:3). The only way any person has ever come to God is by personal faith.

If one person’s faith cannot save another, then certainly one person’s baptism cannot save another. Baptism is simply an act of obedient faith that proclaims identity with Christ (Romans 6:3–4). No one is saved by baptism—not even living persons, much less dead ones. “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Death ends all opportunity for salvation and for spiritual help of any sort.

Baptism is an integral part of Christ’s Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). In the early church a person who was saved was assumed to have been baptized; and a person was not baptized unless the church was satisfied he was saved. To ask, then, if a person was baptized, was equivalent to asking if he was saved.

If we assume that Paul was using the term baptized in that sense, then those … who are baptized could refer to those who were giving testimony that they were Christians. In other words, he was simply referring to believers under the title of those who are baptized, not to some special act of baptism. The dead could also refer to Christians, to deceased believers whose lives were a persuasive testimony leading to the salvation of the baptized. This seems to be a reasonable view that does no injustice to the text or context.

The Greek huper, translated for in verse 29, has a dozen or more meanings, and shades of meaning—including “for,” “above,” “about,” “across,” “beyond,” “on behalf of,” “instead of,” “because of,” and “in reference to”—depending on grammatical structure and context. Although for is a perfectly legitimate translation here, in light of the context and of Paul’s clear teaching elsewhere, “because of” could also be a proper rendering.

In light of that reasoning and interpretation, we could guess that Paul may have simply been saying that people were being saved (baptism being the sign) because of the exemplary lives and witness of faithful believers who had died. Whether this is the right interpretation of this verse we cannot be certain, but we can be certain that people often come to salvation because of the testimony of those whom they desire to emulate.

In 1 Corinthians 15:29 Paul may be affirming the truth that Christians who face death with joy and hope are a powerful testimony. The prospect of eternal life, of resurrection life, of reunion with loved ones, is a strong motive for people to listen to and accept the gospel. Resurrection is one of the greatest assurances that God gives to those who trust in His Son. For those who believe in Jesus Christ, the grave is not the end. At death our spirits are not absorbed back into some cosmic divine mind. When we die we will go immediately to be with the Lord—as an individual, personal being. Not only that, but one day our glorified bodies will rejoin our spirits, and we will live as whole, completed human beings throughout all of eternity with all who have loved and worshiped God.

Another way in which the believing dead are used as a means of salvation is through the hope of reunion. Many believers have been drawn to the Savior because of a strong desire to be united with a loved one who has gone to be with the Lord. I have never led a funeral service in which I did not make such an appeal. I have seen a husband who would not come to Christ until his wife died. Because he could not bear the thought of not seeing her again, committing his own life and eternity into the hands of the One he knew was her Lord was made more attractive. I have seen children come to Christ after their mother’s death, motivated in part by the desire one day to be united with her. What her pleading and praying could not do, her death accomplished.

It is also true, of course, that the resurrection holds out great reunion hope for those who already are believers. The hope that sustained David after the death of his infant son was that, though “he will not return to me,” “I shall go to him” (2 Sam. 12:23). David knew that one day he and his son would be reunited.

Perhaps confused by some of the same pagan philosophy that plagued the Corinthian church, the Thessalonian believers were concerned because they thought their believing loved ones and friends who had died somehow had no prospect of a future life. “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep,” Paul wrote them, “that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus” (1 Thess. 4:13–14). “Like you,” He was assuring them, “they will be resurrected, and you will all be reunited by the Lord when He returns.”

If there is no resurrection, no hope of a future life, Paul asked, why are people coming to Christ because of the testimony of believers who have died? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they [many present Christians] baptized for [become believers because of the testimony of] them [deceased faithful believers]?

Baptism for the dead is a non-biblical practice where a living person is baptized in lieu of a person that passed away, as a means of making a public profession of faith for a person that is already deceased. We can, essentially, think of it as the practice of baptizing a dead person.

The practice has as its basis the misinterpretation of 1 Corinthians 15:29: “Otherwise, what will they do, those being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not at all raised, why indeed are they baptized on behalf of the dead?” This is a difficult passage to interpret, but we do know by comparing it with the rest of Scripture that it does not mean that a dead person can be saved by someone else being baptized on his or her behalf, because baptism is not a requirement for salvation in the first place (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 3:28; 4:3; 6:3-4). The entire passage (vv. 12-29) is about the surety of the resurrection, not about baptism for the dead.

What was being baptized for the dead? It is a mysterious passage, and there have been more than thirty different interpretations put forward.

The plain meaning of the Greek in verse 29 is that some people are being baptized on behalf of those who have died—and if there is no resurrection, why are they doing this?

Either Paul is referring to a pagan custom (notice he uses they, not "we"), or to a superstitious and unscriptural practice in the Corinthian church of vicarious baptism for believers who died before being baptized.

Either way, he certainly does not approve of the practice; he merely says that if there is no resurrection, why would the custom take place? The Mormon practice of baptism for the dead is neither scriptural nor sensible. Baptism for the dead is a practice that was common in the pagan religions of Greece and is still practiced today by some cults; but it doesn't change a person's eternal destiny, for that is determined while he lives (Luke 16:26).

The final option, which seems to be the most reasonable, is that the baptism for the dead refers to those who are willing to be identified with Christianity and who suffer the fate of persecution just as those who have lived as examples before them. These people are even willing to die for Christ because they are convinced that the resurrection of the dead is a reality.

There are three important factors for gaining this perspective on these verses. The first crucial aspect concerns the word “baptized.” One of the meanings of baptism is “identification.” When Lydia would dip her fabric in a large jar of purple dye, the fabric would take on the same color as the dye. The fabric was baptized in the dye. This baptism refers to immersion, but also identification. When each believer is baptized in Christ's name, it is not a matter of getting dunked in “holy” water; the believer is identifying himself with Jesus Christ.

The second factor that plays an important part in our understanding of this verse is the word “for.” The structure of this sentence is such that the word translated “for” in most Bibles, could be understood more clearly by the words “on behalf of” or "in the place of." Thus, there were believers being identified (baptized) in the place of the dead. This translation would make good sense to the Greeks because of their cultural context.

Every Greek would know the account of Alexander the Great's conquest of the world. In only a few years time, Alexander had rolled his military machine across the known continents, dominating any who would try to resist him. The strength of Alexander's army was known as the Greek phalanx (invented by his father, Philip of Macedonia, but perfected by Alexander). The way the phalanx would work is as follows: the soldiers would make several long lines. The men in the front would carry a large shield that would cover the soldiers from head to foot. Each of the men lined up behind the shield would carry long spears, which they would rest on the shoulders of the men in front of them. Thus, they would approach their enemies in unison and virtually walk right over them. If the man in the front of the line should be killed, the second man would simply drop his spear, pick up the shield and the lines would continue on their march. That second man would pick up the shield “on behalf of (or in the place of) the dead soldier who once carried it.”

From these three important points, we can gain an understanding about what Paul meant in these verses. As an illustration of the reality of physical resurrection (and vain faith if resurrection doesn't occur), Paul questions,

“Why would people suffer and die for Christ if there is no resurrection? Having seen others die for Christ, do you think that I would suffer according to their example if I didn't believe in the resurrection?” He states, “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? Why are we also in danger every hour? I protest, brethren, by the boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If from human motives I fought wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, LET US EAT AND DRINK, FOR TOMORROW WE DIE.” (I Corinthians 15:29-32)

Paul was convinced of the reality of our future life. This is what made it possible for him to give his present life for Christ. Without his confidence in Christ's promise of resurrection, Paul would not have allowed himself to suffer. We must ask ourselves,“ Are we convinced of the resurrection, and our future life in heaven with Christ. of the saints that went before us.

To arrive at a proper interpretation, let us again look at the word "baptized." It is the Greek word "BAPTIZO" and means "to immerse by being identified with something or someone." The second thing to notice is that these were Christians who probably had died as a result of their faith. Paul gave testimony in Verse 30,31 of being in jeopardy of losing his life.

1 Corinthians 15:30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?

1 Corinthians 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

1 Corinthians 15:32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die

(He meant that any day he could lose his life).

In other words, it would be foolish for Paul--or anyone else identifying themselves as a Christian--to risk their lives daily, if there be no resurrection from the dead. For an account of the persecution of Christians, one only has to read Foxe's Book of Martyrs. It becomes evident that no one is going to be identified as a Christian, replacing those who died, if there was no resurrection or hereafter. Therefore, "being baptized for the dead" simply means that other Christians are going to step forward by proclaiming the Gospel of their faith. The word "baptized" is only used metaphorically, showing identification. "Baptized for the dead" could be paraphrased as "being identified as those who are going to work in the place of those who gave their life for their faith."

There have been many great Bible teachers, preachers, missionaries, Sunday School teachers, etc., who have now passed "from death unto life," or into the presence of the Lord. Their gap in the ranks of the Lord's army needs to be filled. Let me ask you, are you willing to be placed into one of these positions left vacant? Are you willing to discipline yourself to allow Christ to fulfill His will in your life? Do you fit Christ into your schedule when convenient, or is Christ first in your life and your schedule arranged around Him? What a need we have today for Christians to be dedicated and unafraid to stand for their faith.

Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

Baptism is not necessary for salvation. Baptism does not save from sin. Baptism is the symbol of what has already occurred in the heart and life of one who has trusted Christ as Savior (Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12). Baptism is an important step that every Christian should take to reinforce physically, tangibly, to the believer, what has already taken place spiritually. Baptism should give confidence in the new believer as to their position ‘in Christ’ before the LORD. Baptism cannot be a requirement for salvation. To make it such is an attack on the sufficiency of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Why Did Jesus Ordain the Act of Baptism?

Sometimes we might wonder why Jesus ordained the act of baptism. Why is there such a thing as baptism? If salvation is by grace through faith, why institute a required ritual or a symbol to act out that faith? That is a question the Bible does not answer. But experience teaches some interesting things.

There is something about this open ritual of new-found faith that makes clear where a person stands and what he is doing. In other words, in many cultures today the situation is a lot like the situation with John the Baptist. He came preaching a baptism of repentance and those who thought they already had all they needed were often enraged.

We simply do not know the whole constellation of reasons God had in his wisdom for prescribing baptism as a normative way of expressing faith in Christ and identification with him and his people. We can think of several reasons why it is a good thing, but we probably cannot come near to thinking of all the good effects that God intends. In the end it is an act of trust in our Father that he knows what he is doing and we are happy to act on his command.

The descriptions of baptisms in the New Testament suggest that people went down into the water to be immersed rather than having water brought to them in a container to be poured or sprinkled (Matthew 3:6, "in the Jordan;" 3:16, "he went up out of the water;" John 3:23, "much water there;" Acts 8:38, "went down into the water"). 3) Immersion fits the symbolism of being buried with Christ (Romans 6:1-4; Colossians 2:12).

We won't linger over this, but let me say a word about how we may look at the fact that our church and our denomination make baptism by immersion a defining part of membership in the local covenant community (but not in the universal body of Christ).

We do not believe that the mode of baptism is an essential act for salvation. So we do not call into question a person's Christian standing merely on the basis of the mode of their baptism. One might then ask: should you not then admit to membership those who are truly born again but who were sprinkled as believers? There are two ways to account for why we do not.

1) Should we call a manmade method of baptism "baptism," if we believe on good evidence that it departs from the form that Christ inaugurated? Would this not run the risk of minimizing the significance that Christ himself invested in the ordinance?

2) Local Christian communities, called churches, are built around shared Biblical convictions, some of which are essential for salvation and some of which are not. We do not define our covenant life together only by the narrowest possible set of beliefs one must have to be saved.

We believe rather that the importance of truth and the authority of Scripture are better honored when communities of Christian faith define themselves by clusters of Biblical convictions and stand by them, rather than redefining the meaning of membership each time one of their convictions is disputed.

If you understand what baptism portrays, you understand what really happened to you when you became a Christian. Many of us came to faith and were baptized at a point when we did not know very much. This is good. It is expected that baptism happens early in the Christian walk when you do not know very much. So it is also expected that you will learn later more and more of what it means.

Don't think, "Oh, I must go back and get baptized again. I didn't know it had all this meaning." No. That would mean you would be getting re-baptized with every new course you take in Biblical theology. Rather, rejoice that you expressed your simple faith in the finished work of Jesus and now are learning more and more of what it all meant. That is what Paul is doing here: he is hoping that his readers know what their baptism meant, but he goes ahead and teaches them anyway, in case they don't or have forgotten. Learn from these verses what you once portrayed in the eyes of God, and what actually happened to you in becoming a Christian.

Baptism portrays our death in the death of Christ. Romans 6:3-4a: "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death," Here is a great truth about us Christians. We have died. When Christ died he died our death. This means at least two things.

1) One is that we are not the same people we once were; our old self has died. We are not the same.

2) Another is that our future physical death will not have the same meaning for us that it would have had if Christ had not died our death.

Since we have died with Christ, and he died our death for us, our death will not be the horrible thing it would have been. "O death where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). The answer is that the sting and the victory of death have been swallowed up by Christ.

Another illustration of this would be Colossians 2:6-7a: "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith." Here again you can see that faith in Christ is the way you experience union with Christ. You receive him as Lord and Savior and in that faith you are united to him and walk "in him" and are built up "in him."

So when Romans 6:3-4a says that we are baptized into Christ and into his death, I take it to mean that baptism expresses the faith in which we experience union with Christ. This is presumably why God designed the mode of baptism to portray a burial. It represents the death that we experience when we are united to Christ. This is why we are immersed: it's a symbolic burial. So you will know, believer, that you have died. The old unbelieving, rebellious "I" has been crucified with Christ. This is what your baptism meant and means.

Baptism portrays our newness of life in Christ.

Nobody stays under the water of baptism. We come up out of the water. After death comes new life. The old "I" of unbelief and rebellion died when I was united to Christ through faith. But the instant the old "I" died a new "I" was given life - a new spiritual person was, as it were, raised from the dead.

The most crucial commentary on this truth is Colossians 2:12. Paul says, "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." Notice: We are raised up with Christ just like Romans 6:4 says we walk in newness of life. And there is the working of God who raised him from the dead just like Romans 6:4 says that Christ was raised through the glory of the Father. And this happens through faith in the working of God who raised Jesus from the dead.

So Colossians 2:12 makes explicit what Romans 6:4 leaves implicit - that baptism expresses our faith in the working of God to raise Jesus from the dead. We believe that Christ is alive from the grave and reigning today at the Father's right hand in heaven from which he will come again in power and glory. And that faith in God's working - God's glory as Paul calls it - is how we share in the newness of life that Christ has in himself.

In fact, the newness of life is the life of faith in the glory and the working of God. "I am crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live . . but the life I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God." The newness of life is the life of day by day trusting in the working of God - the glory of God.

Baptism Portrays What Happened to us When We Became Christians

Baptism portrays what happened to us when we became Christians. This is what happened to us: we were united to Christ. His death became our death. We died with him. And in the same instant, his life became our life. We are now living out the life of Christ in us. And all this is experienced through faith.

This is what it means to be a Christian - to live in the reality of what our baptism portrays: day by day we look away from ourselves to God and say, "Because of Christ, your Son, I come to you. In him I belong to you. I am at home with you. He is my only hope of acceptance with you. I receive that acceptance anew every day. My hope is based on his death for me and my death in him. My life in him is a life of faith in you, Father.

Because of Jesus, I trust your working in me and for me. The same power and glory that you used to raise him from the dead you will use to help me. In that promise of future grace I believe, and in that I hope. That is what makes my life new. O Christ, how I glory not in my particular baptism, but in what my baptism portrays!

(62 verses) with 70 references to baptize(d)

Matthew 3:6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Matthew 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

Matthew 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

Matthew 3:16 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: Matthew 20:22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

Matthew 20:23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mark 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Mark 1:5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

Mark 1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

Mark 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

Mark 10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

Mark 10:39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Luke 3:7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Luke 3:12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?

Luke 3:16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

Luke 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,

Luke 7:29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

Luke 12:50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

John 1:25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

John 1:26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

John 1:28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John 1:31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

John 1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

John 3:22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

John 3:23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

John 3:26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

John 4:1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

John 4:2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)

John 10:40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.

Acts 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Acts 2:38 Then 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.

Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Acts 8:13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

Acts 8:16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

Acts 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

Acts 8:38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Acts 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

Acts 10:47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

Acts 10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Acts 11:16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.

Acts 16:15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

Acts 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

Acts 18:8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

Acts 19:3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

Acts 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

Acts 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

1 Corinthians 1:13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

1 Corinthians 1:14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;

1 Corinthians 1:15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

1 Corinthians 1:16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

1 Corinthians 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.