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Date Posted: 13:03:03 04/06/02 Sat
Author: Jay Dee
Subject: Re: Baptism
In reply to: Richard 's message, "Re: Baptism" on 23:57:13 04/05/02 Fri

I am a member of the church of Christ. Just so you know where I am coming from.

I have studied this time after time, and I don't see any way around it. Baptism is connected with salvation because it is connected with faith and repentance. Passages such as Acts 2:30; 1 Pet 3:21; Col 2:7-20; Mk 16:16; and others all clearly connect Baptism to faith and repentance. Romans 6 along with Colossians 3 are a good exposition of this fact.

That we are saved by faith is not the issue. The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved by faith in passages such as Romans 3:23-5:1; James 2; Eph 2:8-10; and other passages. The issue is how God wants us to demonstrate our faith "initially." Faith without evidence is no faith at all. Romans 10:9ff show that confession is to be a natural outgrowing of faith. Mark 16:16 is also connects baptism with faith. If it were not of faith, then confession and baptism would be meaningless.

Now, what about those cases where people were apparently saved "before" baptism. The issue is not whether baptism is connected with conversion, but whether a person is saved "before" or "after" conversion.

After years of growing and studying, I have come to the realization that this is the wrong question to ask. The question to ask is what does God want me to do? One of the things is baptism. It is the ONLY act that is done once in connection to conversion. Repentance happens over and over, confession continues through life, and of course faith is a lifestyle. However, baptism is done ONCE, like a marriage ceremony is done once.

When it comes to baptism, it is the Lord who does the saving. To view baptism as a mechanism for salvation misses the whole point. The power of salvation is in the Gospel (Rom 1:16). We preach a risen and crucified Christ, not baptism. In Acts 2, Peter didn't mention baptism till the folks asked "what shall we do?" Baptism didn't save them, God saved them.

No one would have dreamed of trying to separate baptism from conversion. IN the Bible conversions, faith, confession, repentance, and baptism are mentioned. Not all are always mentioned and they are usually in no particular order. There is not a "formula" for salvation. Peter could have said eat mud, and they would have done it.

The theif on the cross is a prime example of this. Jesus had the power to save. He could see into this man's heart and saved him. The man did not have the ability to demonstrate his faith beyond a mere profession because he was nailed to a cross.

Cases of this type are exceptions. Can God save someone without baptism? He "can" because he is God. He can have mercy on whom he will have mercy. However, these are exceptions. Yes, God does make exceptions because he is a gracious God. He does so numberous times in the Old Testament. However, we do not live our life by exceptions. If one person survives a fall from an airplan without a parachute, we should not all go and jump from airplanes.

Cornelius is another such exception. If God did indeed save them before their baptism, it was because of their faith. It took a miraculous manifestation of the Spirit for Peter to understand that he was to baptize these Gentiles. Peter had a real problem with Gentiles, as did many other Jews (Acts 15; Gal 1-2). I will not argue with God if he makes exceptions. He knows a person's heart, I do not.

I will not change what other passages so clearly teach because God makes exceptions to the rule. The "normal" way a person is to "demonstrate" their faith initially is baptism. But it is God who saves. Baptism is neither a meriorious work, nor a efficacious ritual. The sacrifice of Christ is what is efficacious. Faith without action is no faith at all.

When a person asks "what should I do?" AFTER hearing the Gospel of Christ, that he died, was buried, and resurrected, why not give the same answer as Peter did? Nowhere does it say to "ask Jesus into your heart" or anything of the like. The Bible does say that a person needs to turn his life around, state his faith in Jesus as Lord, and be baptized. Then he would recieve the gift of the Holy Spirit.

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