Baptism Wednesday Night
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Pause series because there have been some questions about baptism
Pause series because there have been some questions about baptism
Talk about this hopefully no more than a couple weeks, then back to the normal study of the Word. We aren’t going back to being a church that emphasizes the arguments more than Jesus, why we are right and others wrong . . . that emphasizes reasons to divide more than reasons to unite. (I would love to talk to any of you 1 on 1 and all the time you need . . . )
A couple simple goals tonight - first my main message to you, and then my affirmative position
Not Worth Dividing (What we are talking about today)
Not Worth Dividing (What we are talking about today)
Do you want to know what they divided over in the scriptures, when the Bible condemns and talks about false teachers, it does not have in mind people that have a different opinion on instruments, or communion, or the exact moment of salvation. Let’s look at a few of the passages in this regard, ones that folks in our brotherhood have used to justify . . .
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
1 John 4:1–3 (ESV)
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that (disagrees on a nuance of the baptism discussion, or that disagrees about the exact moment of salvation) does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.
CONTEXT - 2 John 7-9
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
Do you see how low of a common denominator we have? - 1 Cor 8:1-3 - Knowledge puffs up but love builds up, if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,
We don’t divide because of different opinions, I have always bragged on Ohatchee for this and explained it as perhaps our greatest strength, we are ok to agree to disagree about everything but Christ and him crucified.
Our brotherhood has historically had a very unhealthy craving for controversy, looking always for reason to divide and exclude others who love the Lord and are following him faithfully and don’t qualify as false teachers to avoid. Some of the loudest and strongest warnings are about being divisive and quarrelsome.
1 Timothy 6:3–5 (ESV)
...He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people ...
Romans 16:17–20 (ESV)
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught (not baptism); avoid them.
Titus 3:9–11 (ESV)
As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him
So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
ESPECIALLY IN A CASE LIKE THIS
“Moment of Salvation” is Unhelpful and Divisive
“Moment of Salvation” is Unhelpful and Divisive
You know who is privy to the exact moment of each person’s salvation? God. Are you ok with Him being the only one with that knowledge?
Eph 1 - Foundation of the world, Gal 2 - Calvary (crucified with Christ), Rom 10 - Moment of True Belief, Rom 5 - Not yet saved until Christ returns
Trust in a Sovereign and Providential God and not a red letter moment
Especially unhelpful in this case - There is no difference in how I minister to how those with the strongest view of baptism minister. If you said, “Well I am concerned because people may not think they need to be baptized . . .
HUGELY IMPORTANT, connected to salvation, middle of the night, no members . . .
If you grew up in a church of Christ you may think I dont talk about baptism enough because you heard about it every sermon, but we are preaching the Word of God not the arguments, we are preaching the whole counsel of God, I preach the text for that week, so when it is in the text, I will preach it. You didn’t hear a sermon about it in the 16 weeks of 1 Timothy because it is never mentioned. And we will keep using it in our response time as the way to respond to God.
It seems that some think we are about to start baptism sundays . . .
The difference is minute, nuanced, and without practical effect - it changes nothing.
You may disagree with everything I am about to say, that should be treated no differently than if you disagreed with my conclusions on women in the church, or divorce, or speaking in tongues, or Revelation. We are going to baptize! We are going to use baptism into Christ as a phrase that means saved. We are never going to emphasize/centralize baptism like we do Christ or grace.
What I am trying to do tonight is a massive task, to sum up a position that I could and might write a book on fairly easily. In fact I have been working on that exact thing for a few weeks, I planned at first on it being a booklet, but I am currently at 42 pages and don’t feel like I have started yet.
Today I will present a short positive affirmative argument for my position (and Waynes btw, we have met) - then afterward I will respond to all of your “Well what abouts . . .” (Please, give me the benefit of the doubt . . . well obviously he hasn’t read or thought about Acts 2..., or Gal 2, or Titus 3, or John 3, Matt 28, Mark 16, Lk 24, Romans 6, or 1Peter 3 . . . can we not )
I believe that my view is consistent across every text of scripture, while I don’t think the other view can be.
YOU ARE SAVED BY BEING BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST
YOU ARE SAVED BY BEING BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST
Baptism is a word that we know does not necessitate water, it means immerse - I’m not interpreting anything yet, I am just giving facts
Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized,
I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
We see this word is used to mean a metaphorical or a spiritual immersion. So whenever we see the word baptism, we cannot assume water, and we see here that there is a spiritual baptism that is itself a reality apart from the water. I baptize you with water . . . And you admit that already, we point to 1 Pet 3 and say that just physically immersing someone in water does nothing if it is not connected to the spiritual immersion.
Clear Position - You are saved by being immersed into Christ spiritually, you are placed inside of Christ, you are united to Christ, this immersion should coincide very closely with your water immersion which points to and seals that deeper spiritual reality.
I need you to see this, there is a spiritual reality of immersion into Christ Hallelujah, then there is the physical immersion into Christ which corresponds to that.
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
To not be baptized into Christ is to stand on our own in the divine courtroom as Satan rightly accuses us of being unworthy of God without Christ as our advocate (1 John 2:1-2) and having to rightly answer and pay for our sins ourselves after the gavel is justly brought down with a guilty verdict. Our only hope is immersion into Christ, the righteous one, so that we stand on his merits instead.
In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
There is a lot that can be said from this passage, and if you ask about it we can, but for now I simply want you to see the clearest thing:
Baptism Connected to Circumcision (New and Better)
Baptism Connected to Circumcision (New and Better)
WOAH, RENE, YOU THINK BAPTISM IS THAT IMPORTANT? Circumcision a HUGE deal in the OT
This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.
And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him.
Those outside of the covenant were referred to as the uncircumcised
And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
Israelites could be rightly called “The Circumcised” - Lost - “The Uncircumcised” - you see how big of a deal that is, it is the defining characteristic, it was necessary to be an Israelite
WOAH, BAPTISM AND CIRCUMCISION CONNECTED
Back to Colossians 2:11-12
In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
“O my goodness Rene thinks baptism is like circumcision, he thinks it is a huge deal!” YES!!!
Now, Paul makes it clear that the circumcision of the flesh, as important as it was, was not the primary thing that made one right with God, it was the spiritual reality that it represented.
So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Baptism
Then Paul goes on to make one of the strongest arguments for this in my opinion in the following chapters. I do not think Rom 1-4 could be any more clear about how we are saved.
Rom 1-3 is Paul’s making it very clear that everyone finds themself guilty before God, Jew or Gentile alike, all are guilty and deserving of wrath.
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
3:21-25
ALL - all are guilty, all come to the cross on equal ground, justified by his grace, (how is that grace received) by faith.
Chapter 3 ends with 3:27-21 - Law of Faith, justified by faith - CIRCUMCISED BY FAITH AND UNCIRCUMCISED BY FAITH
In chapter 4 Paul gives an illustration to confirm his point. Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 and argues that Abraham was counted righteous (sins forgiven, vs 8) not by his circumcision, or his ritually becoming Jewish, but by his faith before the circumcision.
He summarizes in 4:11-12. - not merely circumcised, but walk in the footsteps of faith.
That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,
Then the key verses to make finish the argument - Rom 4:22-24.
Paul’s conclusion here is unavoidable: Abraham was saved in response to his faith, and we are saved the exact same way Abraham was. HALLELUJAH, WE GET THE SAME DEAL!
We are saved the same way he was, and for fear of sounding obvious, Abraham wasn’t baptized. Can’t say faith means baptism or includes baptism. He was circumcised which corresponds to baptist, but that was after he was justified by faith. Abraham was immersed into Christ, noone can know God any other way.
Paul summarizes this a few chapters later
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Paul makes a similar point in Galatians 3:5-9
Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
One of the clearest teachings in the Bible is that you are saved by faith.
And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
WATER BAPTISM IS A HUGE DEAL, YOU CANNOT BE HERE AND BE A CHRISTIAN AND JUST SIT IN THE PEWS NOT BAPTIZED, you cannot be a member without being baptized, we will not tell you you’re a Christian if you refuse baptism, we are going to baptize immediately. Baptism doesn’t create faith, if you don’t have it when you get there you aren’t going to get it.
We don’t believe when someone has responded . . . that they are necessarily lost when their knees are wet. We let God handle the moment.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
What is terrifying is when you listen to many church of Christ talk – you would think they are more committed to baptism than to Jesus, that they trust more in their baptism than in Jesus, that when asked why they know they are going to heaven think first about their baptism.
We have done what humans have done from the beginning, we have confused the physical ritual for the spiritual reality. The sign for the thing signified.
Ark - 1 Sam 4:3-5
And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded.
Serpent - Num 21:9
So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).
Circumcision/Baptism -
A proselyte in the OT could have said “By circumcision, I went from the darkness into the light . . . by circumcision I came into the knowledge of God,” they wouldn’t mean ex opera operata, they would mean it as the visual marker of all they had been through and done in faith
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.