HoHum:
Max Lucado- Baptism separates the tire kickers from the car buyers.
WBTU:
Baptism is essential for salvation. It is not just helpful or advisable or needful but essential, in other words cannot have one without the other.
When we say this many disagree and they give many objections to this teaching.
Thesis: Objections to baptism (many more but just these few)
For instances:
Salvation is by faith
Amen to this statement, very biblical statement. Just a few Scriptures here but many
Romans 1:17, NIV.
Romans 3:28
Romans 3:30, NIV.
Romans 5:1, 2, NIV.
We believe in this. However, the problem here is not so much this teaching but people misunderstand faith. They equate faith with belief and nothing more.
Need to comprehend that faith is conditional. If is unconditional then the world world is saved (universalism) or the Lord picks and choses who is a member of the elect.
Take for instance Naaman in 2 Kings 5. “So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”” 2 Kings 5:9, 10, NIV. Naaman believed this (not at first) and did as he was told. He believed and dipped in the Jordan 7 times and we find, “and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.” 2 Kings 5:14, NIV. See the promises of God are conditional. Naaman believed the prophet and obeyed. Did he have the cleansing of leprosy at the moment of his belief? No, only after he had fully obeyed did the cleansing come.
“Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.” John 12:42, 43, NIV. These leaders had belief, but they would not confess that belief because of the consequences. No one would argue that these leaders were in a saved condition but isn’t that what some do when they say that only belief is necessary for salvation.
Salvation is by faith but what is included under faith? Just belief according to many. Need to view faith as an umbrella and under faith is belief, repentance, confession, baptism and other things that come from faith. Faith is just the basic term that describes all of these, picking out various aspects and responses of faith. Faith is the foundation on which all further acts of obedience are done. When a person believes, repents, confesses and are baptized, why do they do that? Because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Faith undergirds all of this.
Salvation is not by works but by faith. Amen again! “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no-one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8, 9, NIV. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s salvation. This is true and God gives us salvation not based on merit but on grace. In the same way, none of these things, belief, repentance, confession and baptism pay the price for our sins. However, we must do them to enjoy the gift of grace given through Jesus Christ.
Many say that baptism is a work and belief is not a work. Jesus disagrees. “Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”” John 6:28, 29. This is a work! Something to consider. This is not a work of that makes us worthy (no one is worthy) but a work of obedience, meeting the conditions.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith (“belief?”) alone. James 2:19, 24.
“Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” Hebrews 5:8, 9, NIV.
The Thief on the cross
Read Luke 23:39-43, NIV.
The thief on the cross was not baptized and Jesus guaranteed that he would be with him in paradise (saved). Therefore, one does not have to be baptized to be saved, going to heaven.
As long as we are alive, we are able to dispense our possessions in any way that we see fit. If we want to give away a valuable possession, we can do that. After we die, our possessions will only be dispensed to others according to our written last will and testament. This is the legally binding authority on how our possession will be dispensed once we die.
Similar in Bible, “In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.” Hebrews 9:16, 17, NIV.
Let’s apply this to Jesus. While he was on the earth he had authority to forgive sins. Read Mark 2:5-11. Jesus had authority to forgive sins without baptism.
The thief on the cross is another example of this principle. The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. After the death of Jesus Christ, the dispensing of this blessing of the forgiving of sins is only given based on his last will and testament, the NT. Part of his testament is given here “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16, NIV.
The thief lived before the death of Jesus, therefore, the thief was not subject to the Lord’s last will and testament. That covenant, the NT, did not go into effect until after the Lord’s death.
All one has to do is believe and pray the sinner’s prayer
No where is this suggested or advocated in the NT. It seems to be that if this is the case, then a sample sinners prayer would be given. However, it is not. Told in Acts 2:38. All the model conversions in the book of Acts include baptism, no where just encouraged to pray and accept Jesus Christ into one’s heart.
The introductory prayer for a sinner (the original sinners prayer?) is found here. “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’” Acts 22:16, NIV. The proper prayer position and content for salvation is baptism, immersion in water. While we are being baptized, we are calling on the name of Jesus for salvation.
It takes more than just a verbal and mental acceptance of Jesus to be one of God’s children. The one who enters the kingdom of heaven is the one who does God’s will. First thing is to obey the gospel, to follow the gospel commands of belief, confession, repentance and baptism. WE cannot claim to know God and not do what He says. “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46, NIV.
Conclusion and invitation:
Brian Jones teaches baptism as essential for salvation. He gives 2 surprising results:
1. Religious people left, non Christians came. Notice that most difficult people to reach are those who have religious background. Religious leaders were the biggest opponents of Jesus. Jesus reached out to notorious sinners and had the greatest results with them, least results with Pharisees. Acts 16 we find the jailor asking, Read Acts 16:30-34. Look right there, just have to believe. Now this man probably didn’t have much of a religious background. He didn’t know anything about Jesus. Need to know about Jesus before baptized. Non Christian has few preconceived ideas regarding baptism.
2. Respect for scriptural authority increased. Brian Jones- “When our church was just 2 months old, I was teaching a class to seekers. In that class I cover the who, what, where, when and why of the church, and then end with a detailed explanation of what Jesus did on the cross and how we can accept his forgiveness of our sins. At the end of the discussion a friend of mine, a guy who had been there since our church was meeting in my house, the biggest giver in the entire church, raised his hand. “Wait a minute. Are you telling me I have to be baptized to become a Christian?” “No, I’m not saying that. Those Bible verses we just read tell us that God is saying that.” “I don’t believe that at all,” someone else chimed in. “That’s crazy,” another woman said in a heated tone. 10 minutes later I had an all out revolt on my hands. There were 23 people in that class and I had managed to make all of them angry by suggesting that the Bible paints salvation as something that occurs at baptism. It was mass chaos. People were shouting at me. Finger were waving. Finally someone said, “I don’t think this is the kind of church I want to be a part of.” Immediately the room tensed up, as if a line had been drawn in the sand. All eyes were on me to see how I would respond. I waited for a moment and tried to collect my thoughts. Finally I raised my hand in the air and said, “Excuse me. I couldn’t care less if every one of you leaves this church. We’re not changing what we teach on this issue.” Then I closed in prayer. And they left, every one of them left that church, along with the biggest giver in the church. And looking back, I know it was the defining moment in the life of our church. Submission to biblical authority was drilled into our church’s soul from the beginning. How about you?
