Baptism...Before
or After Conversion?
Ministers
of the Gospel have been accused of over
emphasizing the
part baptism plays in the salvation of sinners. In view of what the
Bible teaches, how is this possible?
There
are five passages in the New Testament which mention both baptism and
salvation in the same verse (Mark
16:16;
Acts
2:38;
Rom.
6:4;
Acts
22:16;
1
Peter 3:21).
In
all of these passages, water baptism precedes the remission of sins.
Do you know of a passage where the order is reversed?
Mark
16:16
contains two conditions for salvation: faith
and baptism.
It also contains the conditions for damnation: a lack of faith. If
you want to know what you must do to be lost, it will tell you -- all
that is necessary is a lack of faith. If you want to know what to do
to be saved from your past sins -- it commands you to believe and be
baptized.
In
Acts
2:38
Peter
told a group of believers to "repent, and let everyone of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins."
Our Baptist
friends often focus on the word "for" in this passage and
insist it means "because of," even though it is never
translated that way in any reputable translation of the Bible. We
have to remind them that if baptism is "because of" the
remission
of sins,
then so is repentance. Baptism and repentance are joined by the
little word "and." Whatever one is "for" the
other is "for."
After
we are buried with Christ in baptism, we are raised to walk in a
newness of life (Romans
6:1-4).
This
new life comes after baptism in water. Many preachers want to "bury"
the "new man," since they claim the newness of life comes
before our "burial."
Three
days after the Lord appeared to Saul
of Tarsus,
Ananias told Saul to "arise and be baptized, and wash away your
sins" (Acts
22:16).
Many preachers today claim Saul was saved three days before Ananias
met him. Ananias must not have known it, for he told Saul how to
"wash away" his sins. If Saul had been saved on the road as
some preachers claim, he must have been the most miserable saved man
in the Bible. Saul was blind and spent three days praying and fasting
until Ananias arrived.
1
Peter 3:21
states
"baptism does also now save us." However, baptism is not
the only condition for the salvation of the alien sinner. Other
requirements must be met, like faith, repentance and love. I do not
know of anything "alone" that will save a sinner, not even
faith (James
2:24).
The
Owenton church of Christ desires to “Restore Once More” New
Testament Christianity. The only way that is “speak where the Bible
speaks and be silent where silent.”
Until
He Comes….Bill
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