God's Salvation
EXCURSUS: A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF BAPTISM
God's Salvation
EXCURSUS: A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF BAPTISM
Any exegesis (explanation, interpretation) of a Scripture must not be a contradiction of other Scriptures. The Bible is a book of truth. We are challenged to “rightly divide” it, or handle it properly. To be valid, our understanding of the teachings, commands, examples, inferences found in Scripture must be harmonious in our minds. The Bible’s teachings present a beautiful picture. After the fall of God’s human creatures described in the opening chapters of Genesis, we see the Bible as an expansive record of God’s salvation plan and His efforts to communicate that redemptive work in the person of His Son, Jesus. Therefore, it is not accidental or happenstance that the subject of salvation looms large as life in the inspired Word of God. We are responsible for finding the truth and harmony in the greatest love story ever known. We are also responsible for applying this precious truth to our everyday lives so we can receive the benefits of God’s work for us.
Five Basic Observations about Baptism:
1. The form of scriptural baptism is immersion. How often one comes across an unfamiliar word while reading. How may we learn what it means? We may look up the definition in a dictionary. Baptism is from a Greek word that has simply been transliterated, not translated, into English. Therefore, we turn to any reliable Greek-English Lexicon and find the Greek word means “immersion.” A companion word, baptismos, means an act of dipping or immersion. The verb baptizo means to dip, immerse, to clean or purify by washing, to administer the rite of baptism (Thomas Sheldon Green [reviser], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament).
Sometimes, however, definitions do not seem to remove all ambiguity. If this is the case, we often seek a description of our word. The biblical description of the baptism that results in a new life in Christ is spoken of as a death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4). Other definitions are sometimes found in reliable biblical sources reminding us that some of the words related to baptism have meanings other than immersion. For examples: Baptism is used figuratively in Scripture as suffering (Mark 10:37-39). It is also found to mean a ceremonial cleansing as in the washing of hands or dishes. Jesus condemned this tradition of the elders because it was contrary to God’s will (Mark 7:1-9). Thus, we see that the word, “baptism,” and its related words are sometimes used in contexts that have nothing to do with the salvation of which we have been speaking. Even the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which occurred only twice in the New Testament, was never offered or received in order to forgive sins (see ‘God the Spirit’ in Contents section of StudyJesus.com).
2. The element of baptism is water. When Philip the evangelist preached Jesus to the Ethiopian, the man eventually asked Philip, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” Why did this truth seeker ask that question? Because one cannot fully preach Jesus without explaining the baptism he commanded in His great commission. So, they both went down into the water for the baptism. Then they both came up out of the water. The baptized believer went on his way rejoicing. Note the inferences here: Preaching Jesus includes teaching about baptism. Baptism is immersion. Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins. Baptism requires water (Acts 8:35-39).
3. The prerequisite for baptism is our faith expressed in Christ in repentance (Acts 2:38) that demonstrates our profession/confession of that faith in word and deed. Therefore, those who cannot fulfill those prerequisites, such as infants or those mentally disadvantaged, are not subject to them. In fact, those who live and die in infancy or mental incapacity are not lost. Baptism is for the lost, not those who are safe.
4. The purpose of baptism is for the remission, or forgiveness, of sins. “‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified.’ Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.’ And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation!’ So then, those who had received his word were baptized …” (Acts 2:36-41a).
Saul of Tarsus, before he became the apostle Paul, was wreaking havoc against the recently established church. As he was going to Damascus to ferret out Christians, he encountered the Lord Jesus Christ. He fell to the ground and cried out, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but rise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do” (Acts 9:4-6). Later, Paul explained this experience. He recalled that he asked the question, “What shall I do, Lord?” Among the things Paul was told to do was “Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16).
These two examples bring to our attention a great inference we carry into every example of baptism being administered under the great commission. It is for salvation, the washing away of sins; the forgiveness of sins. This means we are not saved before baptism; we are saved at the time of our baptism. God shows no partiality. No reason for the “one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5) exists except for forgiveness of past sins; thus, salvation from them.
5. A blessing of salvation is seen in what baptism actually is. Jesus had an interview with a pharisaic ruler named Nicodemus. He was convinced Jesus was a teacher from God because of what he had observed. Jesus spoke to him in a straightforward manner, saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again [Note: from above], he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:1-3). When we hear Jesus saying “truly, truly,” we hear a unique use of language. Sometimes the translation is “I tell you the truth” (NIV), “verily, verily” (KJV), or “in truth, in very truth” NEB). The word of which we speak is amen. This word is very common in many languages without translation, simply “amen.” It occurs very often in the Old Testament (Hebrew) and in the New Testament (Greek). We are accustomed to hearing it at the close of a prayer, or doxology. “Then all the people said, ‘amen,’ and praised the Lord” (1 Chronicles 16:36b); or, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).
We all sense its meaning, understand why it is used as we are accustomed, and are not surprised to hear it at the conclusion of a prayer. However, Jesus prefaced His remarks to Nicodemus with “amen.” This means what He is saying is emphatic. It is true. It is a steadfast truth. He is not saying, “May it be; or, “It may be.” He is saying, “It is!” There must be no doubts about it. No one enters the kingdom of God “unless one is born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:15). What is the impact of this statement? Jesus is emphasizing the necessity of baptism. Baptism is the new birth of water and Spirit. In baptism we die to sin and are raised to life. This is all under the direction of the Spirit who inspired the Word of God and whom we receive as a gift at our baptism.
The Uniqueness of Baptism Shows God’s Love and Grace:
1. Baptism is unique because the baptism we are studying can happen only once in the lifetime of an individual. In fact, the study in which we are engaged is about the one baptism. In spite of several baptisms mentioned in the New Testament, as we have seen, Paul states there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism …” (Ephesians 6:5). Of course Paul refers to the one and only baptism that is administered for the forgiveness of sins. This is as sure as the one Lord we adore and the one faith we follow.
2. Baptism is also unique because in baptism we experience death and life. Unique indeed. Note Paul’s beautiful description of baptism and its profound results in the life of the baptized ones. As he writes to his fellow Christians at Rome, he reminds them of the very significant truths of their baptism experience. He also seems to be calling their attention to what may be their misguided concept of God’s grace. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 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, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:1-4).
We see Jesus as the basis of our hope. His death, burial, and resurrection became the very foundation of the Gospel. “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
The Gospel means “good news.” We are saved by it unless we believe in vain. The “good news,” or Gospel, is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. He is our model. We follow Him. Just as He died, was buried, and raised, we enter into that same experience with Him. We die to sin and are raised to life. There is no other act that will accomplish what baptism into Christ accomplishes. Unique indeed!
3. Baptism is also unique because it brings a change in our status. We mentioned earlier that Paul was apparently concerned about the concept of grace the Roman Christians seemed to hold. He continues to show his concern as he writes more to them urging them not to see grace as a license for sin. He addresses the Christians of Rome knowing they are aware of the horror of slavery, as he is. As a Roman citizen himself, he knew that the might of Rome rested on the backs of slaves. The powerful imagery he used in his discussion was not theoretical. It was real. It was from everyday life. He writes, “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” (Romans 6:14-16).
In this passage, Paul asks a rhetorical question. “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” He answers as he did earlier, “May it never be!” He then warns them by reminding them that they were, in fact, slaves to whomever they obeyed. They could yield to the impulse to sin and become slaves to sin, bringing death; or, they could follow righteousness. Paul is saying they have a choice to make that will determine their continuing status: slavery to sin or obedience of righteousness.
He strengthens his logic by contrasting their present dangerous tendency to press the boundaries of grace beyond limits. He reminds them of the pristine purity they received at baptism. He offers thanks to God for their wonderful beginning, and says, “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18).
In other words, they were saved at the time they obeyed a “form of teaching” to which they were committed. To what or whom were they committed? They were committed to Jesus Christ who was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead for their salvation. That is the basic foundation of Christianity. Of course, neither the Roman Christians, nor we, could do that for our salvation. However, they had, and we can, obey a form of that teaching. This is what we do when we obey the gospel, the seminal facts being the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Paul speaks of this gospel of salvation as “the message of truth” (Ephesians 1:13c). The point we stress here is that at the time we are baptized into Christ we have obeyed a form of the facts of that freedom teaching. We are freed, forgiven, of all our past sins. As Paul reminded the readers at Rome who had been baptized, “… Having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:18). Thus, in baptism our status changes from being slaves of sin to slaves of righteousness. We are freed from the slavery of our past sins to freedom in Christ, whom we serve. When we are baptized into Christ according to the Scriptures, we have surrendered and submitted to Christ who is the glorious Gospel of our salvation.
The Beauty of Baptism Shows God’s Love and Grace: 1. The beauty of baptism is reflected in our altered state. We are, by God’s love and grace, changed from sinners to saints at baptism. This truth needs clarification. It can be disturbing news if not fully understood. First, who are the sinners? They are those who are in a sinful state of living, or being. Their life-style is marked by evil deeds. Their evil works spring from wicked thoughts. They are sinners by their very manner, or nature, of living. Committing sin is habitual and natural to them.
On the other hand, the sinner may be one who simply does not live by saving faith. Paul says,
“… whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23b). “Without faith it is impossible to please Him …” (Hebrews 11:6a). Examples are almost endless. The point is: Sinners may be blatant and obvious; they also may be honorable, sincere, moral. The discernable distinction is not the point. The ultimate and universal truth is “… All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… (Romans 3:23). Paul puts it very succinctly to the Christians at Ephesus in the following words: “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (Ephesians 2:1-3).
In this passage, Paul points out that those Christians he addressed had at one time been by nature children of wrath, and …“the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:6b). This means that the state of sin involves more than what we usually associate with a blatant life of wickedness. Sin is also described as disobedience, not “merely” riotous living. For examples: We read that at Christ’s return there will be “retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:89). James joins Paul with the assertion, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Thus, we soberly realize that living in a state of sin involves more than doing evil; it includes not doing good.
Does this mean that if we cease our worldly life-style and start doing good deeds we have escaped from sin? It is true we will be better citizens if we stop breaking criminal, civil, and moral laws. We will be even better citizens if we start doing good deeds for our fellows. However, we will still be sinful citizens, under the condemnation of sin. We cannot earn salvation by good deeds or living respectable lives. There is only one way to escape those sins of which we are guilty. Christ and His sacrifice for us, provides the escape from sin. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us” (Ephesians 1:7-8b).
However, even after we have rendered an obedience of faith by being baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins, we are still aware that we continue to sin. In fact, the apostle John writes to Christians, saying, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us” (1 John 1:10).
We see that the difference between sinners and saints is not equal to being sinful or sin-free. The difference is one of state. All people are called upon by the civilized world to be the best they can be. However, the call of the gospel is God’s way for us to become what He wants us to be. “And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:14). Therefore, to those who have experienced the new birth, John addresses as follows: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His Word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected” (1 John 2:1-5a).
This change of state from sinner to saint is one of the most attractive and compelling features of salvation. It becomes a reality when we experience the new birth in baptism. We are raised to live a new life. We have been cleansed by the blood of Christ that He shed in His death. By faith we contacted that blood, when, in the likeness of His death, we were buried with Christ in baptism. Then, we died to sin; now, we live for Christ. We can now be addressed as Paul addressed his contemporary readers. “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:1-2).
2. The beauty of baptism is also seen, when, at baptism, we enter a different realm of existence. We are, by God’s love and grace, transferred from darkness to light; that is, from Satan’s realm to Christ’s kingdom. It is difficult to describe how frightened one may become when placed in total darkness. We all know about darkness. However, we seldom, if ever, find ourselves in total darkness. Having experienced this fright, Dr. William Harrison wrote: “I have experienced this fright only one time. Years ago our family took a vacation trip through New Mexico. We stopped at Carlsbad for the night. The next day we went out to the Carlsbad Caverns. We followed winding paths downward into what seemed to be the very bowels of the earth. The way was well lit with strategically placed floodlights and spotlights. The awesome beauty of the various formations was almost overwhelming. We finally came to a huge dome-like room. In this room was an enormous stalagmite towering toward the ceiling that faded away in the gloom. Its name was ‘The Rock of Ages.’ The large crowd of tourists was told by the park ranger and other guides to be seated around the base of this formation – when everyone was settled down and relatively quiet, the lead guide spoke through a megaphone. ‘We are going to turn off all the lights for a time and give you a chance to rest.’ Out they went. There was a brief period of excited chatter. This was followed by a growing quietness. This was followed by absolute silence. The darkness was so thick one could hardly think about anything except darkness, darkness. It was so total, so absolute, that it quickly became oppressive. After what seemed like an eternity of total darkness and absolute silence, there were a few isolated outbursts of alarmed voices, nervous coughing and frightened laughter. The crowd began to clamor for light. Then, hundreds of yards away, a single candle was lit. One could hear a combined sigh from the crowd much like air escaping from a balloon. From that distant speck of light, a group of rangers and guides moved towards us singing ‘Rock of Ages.’ They kept lighting additional candles as they came forward. The crowd cheered. The main lighting system was turned on as the singers came into the arena. What a joy. What a relief. We had all escaped total darkness. No one wanted to do that again. We were convinced that extended total darkness would be hellish, destructive.”
Jesus knows about total darkness and its horror. He spoke of a worthless servant, saying, “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30). He provided a way for us to avoid darkness and the tragedy that accompanies it. He said, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Jesus, as God’s incarnate Word, is the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overpower or even comprehend it (Cf. John 1:1-5). This awareness of the power of God’s Word was expressed in the Old Testament. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet / And a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). John spoke to Christians urging them to remain true and sincere in their living, because, he said “… God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:5b-7).
We are told that God “… alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16a). “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18, NKJV; “He has explained Him” in the NASB). So, those who have experienced the new birth of baptism should be “… giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:12-14).
3. A beautiful relationship is established at baptism. Perhaps everyone appreciates the privilege of having a loving father. Those of us who are fathers certainly know the privilege and responsibility accompanying that role. Even before the infant is born, the father waits for and yearns for the time of birth. Anticipation becomes reality when the father tenderly takes the new infant into his arms and expresses gratitude for a safe arrival.
A new birth is truly a wonder. This wonder is enhanced to the point of awe when we contemplate the new spiritual birth. When we are born again in baptism, we not only receive the forgiveness of our past sins and the gift of the Spirit; also, our relationship changes from being a slave to Satan to reconciliation with God. “Faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6b) has accomplished its purpose. Our obedience of faith to the Gospel of Christ has culminated in salvation from all past sins. The great plan of redemption is an incredibly stupendous work of God. It is His great gift to us. Our response of faith that is demonstrated by obedience is the way we accept that gift we could not earn. James, using the patriarch Abraham as an example, puts it this way: “You see that faith was working with His works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;” (James 2:22). “Perfected” faith is saving faith. “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). James is not faulting faith and its saving power. He is insisting that “perfected” faith is a faith that expresses itself by what one does (work). So, as Paul says, we are saved by faith. He does not say we are saved by faith alone. James says we are saved (justified) by works. He does not say we are saved by works alone. Rather, he says, “I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18b).
We can safely say that God’s works of merit for our redemption in Christ Jesus were culminated when He offered His Son to us as a gift. Our faith in Christ reaches a saving culmination when our unmerited works of faith in obedience to Him accepts that offer of salvation. He offered; we accept. He offered in merit. We accept in faith. “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). This peace with God marks a great change in our relationship with God. We have moved from estrangement to reconciliation. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
Grand Conclusions about Baptism:
1. Baptism unites us with Christ and God’s family. Unity promotes peace and goodwill. It brings tranquility, harmony, a sense of well-being. The human family has realized this from ages past. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is / For brothers to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). When disunity exists, there is turbulence, discord, tension. This can be destructive. It separates; divides.
God hates upheaval and turmoil. An impressive list of some of those hatreds of the Lord ends with, “… And one who spreads strife among brothers” (Proverbs 6:19). It is impossible to measure the devastating effects of confrontation in the world. It is seen on a global scale among nations, cultures, society, families, and between individuals – it reeks havoc. It leaves a trail of sadness, grief, destroys countries; divides families, ruins lives, and even leads to death.
Is there no escape? Yes. Jesus offers us peace. “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me” (John 14:1). Jesus, as the source of peace, is wrapped up in the phrase “Gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). It is said of God the Father, “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant; even Jesus our Lord …” (Hebrews 13:20). Thus, by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, we have access to the cleansing blood of Jesus and the opportunity to be reconciled to God. Reconciliation is re-unification. It brings peace.
Jesus prayed that we might all be one in Him (John 17:21). He is the source and hope of unity. He provides the method by which we are united with Him, the means by which we are reconciled to God. As Paul explains it: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28).
By accepting the grace of God so lavishly offered to us in His Son by being baptized into Christ, we have experienced the new birth. “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our obedience of faith leads us into Christ by being baptized into Christ. The Bible speaks of no way of being in Christ except by baptism. We cannot believe into Christ, repent into Christ, or do metorious deeds to work our way into Christ. But when we express our faith by being baptized into Christ, clothing ourselves with Christ, we become one with Him as children of God, the Father. Unity, indeed!
2. We contact the sin cleansing blood of Christ in baptism. When we speak of Christ’s death on the cross, the shedding of His blood comes to mind. When we speak of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, the Gospel of Christ, the good news, is that of which we speak, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus’ being “put to death” but “made alive” is the very heart of the Gospel. A form of those facts is seen vividly in the act of baptism. The apostle Peter speaks of the eight people who were saved in Noah’s ark as being brought safely through the water. This earth-shaking event occurred in the very distant past. Why does Peter bring this up in his letter? He wants to speak of baptism. He says, “And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you – not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ …” (1 Peter 3:21).
We have stressed time and again that our salvation requires a cleansing by the blood of Christ. There is a touching religious song that has the line, “What can wash away my sins? – Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” This is clear Bible teaching. Jesus’ blood was shed in His death. By faith, we contact that cleansing blood when we, too, die to sin in baptism and are raised to new life. Peter had already mentioned to his readers the grace of God and the blood of Christ at the very outset of his letter. Now, he wants to stress that in baptism we accept the grace of God and are cleansed by the blood of Christ. We are neither meriting our salvation nor being cleansed by water in our submission to baptism as a response of faith.
Peter seems to sense that his readers may need clarification about the relationship of God’s grace, Christ’s blood, and their obedience. He stresses that God is an impartial judge of each man’s works. This is apparently to place emphasis on what he is saying. He reminds them that they were all redeemed in the same way – “with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:19). He calls to their attention that they had first learned this from “those who preached the Gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven …” (1 Peter 1:12a). So, they had heard the Gospel and obeyed it, as Peter states in the following words. “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, reverently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring Word of God” (1 Peter 1:22- 23).
This emphasizes that their purification was the result of their obedience to the truth. Thus, they were born again by their obedience of faith to “the word which was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:25b). Therefore, he infers their baptism was a part of the Gospel they had heard and must be considered in light of these teachings.
3. The benefits of baptism were bought with blood. We have been developing a biblical theology of baptism. The dictionary gives us in stark brevity several major elements that constitute a definition of theology. We take note of the first one. Theology is “the study of religious faith, practice, and experience; esp: the study of God and His relation to the world.” (Frederick C. Nash [ed-in-chief]. Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary).
The relation of God to the world is that of Creator to created. Following creation there was no fracture, no fissure; no chaos. After sin came into the world a gigantic gulf came between God and His human creation. With separation came death. Humankind was doomed to be forever alienated from God, the Creator.
Man was helpless. God was not. His very nature led Him to provide a way of remaking that part of His creation that was in His image – humanity. His love, mercy, and grace worked to renew that blissful harmony that had existed before man’s tragic fall into sin.
Ironically, God’s very nature made this reunion an exacting, demanding, and costly endeavor. God is not only a God of love, mercy, and grace. He is also absolutely just and totally pure. Because of His immutable nature, God could not forgive sins on a whim. He could not tolerate sin in His presence. God could not have division within His own nature by forgiving sin without applying a just penalty for sin. God could not affect a reconciliation with sinful mankind without that sin being justly paid for and removed. As we said, this was a very demanding and costly endeavor.
But, as we know, God offered the solution to this agonizing dilemma. “… mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13b). We must be sensitive to this. God’s mercy does not set aside His judgment. It does not alter the application of judgment. The integrity of God stands sure. God always remains just as just as He is loving, merciful, and gracious. God had to look beyond His creation for the answer. Nothing created would have sufficient worth to be the ground of justice for God’s forgiveness of sins. So the solution was not found in creation, but in the Creator – God Himself! God, in the Person of God the Son, overcame the gulf of separation that existed between God and human beings. Jesus shed His blood at Golgotha; by faith we contact that blood in baptism.
4. The one baptism unites us with the one Christ. When our faith leads us to fully surrender to Him in the likeness of His death, we truly believe that the death, burial, and resurrection was not symbolic. It was real. It happened. It was done for us. Just as He really, lovingly, and actually did His Father’s will, so we also, in baptism, do the Father’s will. Just as salvation was not available to us until the sacrifice of Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, so salvation is not available to us until we have, by faith, entered into the likeness of that death with Him in baptism. Thus, baptism is not merely a symbol. It is an enactment that testifies to our faith in what happens at the time of baptism. Paul explains it as follows. “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, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4).
5. The power of baptism is grandiose. There are all kinds of power with which we are familiar. It appears in unobtrusive ways as well as spectacular ways. We see power in action when we watch our Spring garden come to life. The buried seeds have life. They break the earth open. They come forth. We see power having its effect to produce smooth stones in a river’s bed. Jagged rocks are warn smooth by centuries of flowing water. Power is often demonstrated in ways that are not so quiet or serene. Lightening strikes may cause fire or electrical outages for thousands of thousands of homes and businesses. Heat from the sun often causes dehydration, sunstroke, and even death. The power of erupting volcanoes and raging floods produce destruction now and again. All of these things are what we see as nature’s power. There are man-made powers that are displays of violence. There is the power of speeding automobiles that kills between forty thousand and fifty thousand people each year in the United States alone. The loaded gun is powerful enough to snuff out lives in an instant. And there is the terrible, awesome, power latent in the atom. When released, it can be either earth-shaking in its destructiveness or beneficial in its effects.
All of these things are examples of the effects of physical power. We are familiar with them and know of others. However, the greatest power in the universe is not physical. It is spiritual – unseen but mighty; present, but often unknown. God, the Creator, is Spirit (John 6:24a). He is omnipotent. There is no limit to His power. We call that grandiose because of how it was displayed in a grand and glorious way when He raised His Son from the dead! “… And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power” (Acts 2:24). The power of God broke through the realm of His physical creation and exerted itself directly on the unseen world. Christ came out of one dimension to another and ascended to glory (Ephesians 1:20). Such power is not fully understood by mere mortals.
We rejoice that we, like Christ, can be beneficiaries of that supreme power when we are buried with Christ in baptism and raised to live a new life. Paul describes this new life as “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” (Colossians 2:12).
We have been considering some grand conclusions about baptism. All of them are wonderful, marvelous. They all point to an ultimate moment in God’s redemptive plan for fallen mankind. We enter into the one baptism of the New Testament that is for the forgiveness of sins. There, all our past sins are washed away in the blood of the Lamb. We die to sin. We are born again. We are raised from the dead by the glory of the Father; and, “certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection …” (Romans 6:5b).
The power of salvation in baptism is God’s power! When we express our obedient faith by being baptized into Christ we become partakers of God’s love and grace. Our past sins are washed away in Christ’s blood. We become beneficiaries of His incredible power – including the resurrection to new life.
(Basic Bible text: New American Standard Bible. Other translations are so noted)
