Real Bible Truths THE TRUTH ABOUT BAPTISM
These days many Christians and even pastors do not understand True Baptism, and the Meaning of Baptism. They down play it’s significance in the Christian faith as a good thing to do but something that is not necessary today. Yet the Bible clearly tells us that it is relevant for all generations to come. Acts 2:38-39
What about you? Can you say with complete certainty what it was established for? Do you have scripture to back it up? Lets not guess or be uncertain, find out what True Baptism is really about from scripture.
To understand the importance of true baptism lets first look at where we get baptism. Types of baptism existed before but John The Baptist began baptizing his followers for a specific reason. Yes it was to prepare them for the Messiah who was to appear shortly, but more specifically it was for repentance and the remission of sins. Mark 1:4
John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
So John’s Baptism was of repentance and for the remission of sins, this scripture makes that clear. And even Johns dad Zacharias made a prophecy about the purpose of Johns ministry.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; Luke 1:76 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Luke 1:77
So John baptized for repentance and remission of sins. And this was the baptism Jesus was baptized with. Since He is our example, wouldn’t you think that our baptism would be for the same reasons? Yes it is, but don’t take my word for it, look what the Apostle Peter said about the meaning of baptism. Now Peter said this AFTER John The Baptist and Jesus died.
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38
Here we have the exact same reasons that John the Baptist had; Repentance and remission of sins with the additional promise of receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. The next verse goes on to say that it is for all future generations to come. Acts 2:39
This makes it clear that this is for all the ages to come. This wasn’t just for the Apostles and the believers of the time. This is for everyone without exception from then until the Lord returns. But there is so much more to baptism and it gets so much more interesting please keep reading!
Now the word “Baptism” means to wash. But do you really think that God cares if our bodies are dirty as long as our hearts are pure? Of course not, He is more interested in our hearts. So this washing although it is a physical washing, it is not to wash the dirt from our bodies but a spiritual washing of our sins. Look at this next verse.
So here is another verse that clearly teaches us that Baptism is for the washing away of sins.
As you know, the church is not the building, but rather it is the congregation; the members themselves. Now look what the Bible says concerning the church in this verse.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; Eph. 5:25 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, Eph. 5:26
Here we have the church (the members) being sanctified and cleansed with the washing of water by the word. The “washing of water” is a direct reference to the baptism, but it’s not the washing of dirt from our bodies, it’s the washing away of sins.
THE BLOOD AND THE WATER
Now compare the washing of water by Christ with this next verse that says He washes us from our sins in His own Blood.
So which is it? Are we washed in the water, or in His Blood? Well both of course! You see the water in Baptism is symbolic of the Blood of Jesus. When we go down in the water to get Baptized, we are going down into the Blood of Jesus.
THIS is where we receive His Blood and His Blood washes away our sins.
There is a direct connection between the blood and the water that few talk about and the Bible only vaguely mentions. But it’s there and we should be aware of it for a better understanding of the baptism.
Interesting note; The first miracle that Jesus did was to turn water into wine. John 2:1-11. And what is the wine symbolic of? The blood of Jesus of course. Remember that Jesus gave His disciples the fruit of the vine to drink and said it was His blood of the new testament. Likewise, when we go down into the water of baptism the water is symbolically turned into the blood of Jesus.
Now look at this next scripture. Jesus is on the cross and the soldiers see that He is already dead so instead of breaking His legs, they pierce His side with a spear. Do you remember what happens? Here is the verse.
We expect blood, but why the water? I know that some people try to say that it is the result of a broken heart and that is what caused the water supposedly. And maybe there is some truth in that, but the real significance is that God is showing the connection between the blood and the water.
Look at this prophecy in the Old Testament of the coming Messiah when Jesus would be crucified and what He would go through.
How interesting that David would use such terminology about Christ being poured out like water since it is obviously a reference to the shedding of His Blood.
Finally let’s look at this very important scripture that clearly shows the connection between the water and the blood.
Although we have the addition of the Spirit, there is no denying that there is a direct connection between the water and the blood.
Now I am not disregarding the Spirit here, we must also be Baptized in the Holy Spirit which is in addition to water Baptism. But right now I am only trying to point out the connection between the water and the blood.
The important thing to remember is that we receive the Blood of Jesus when we go down into the water of Baptism. Who wouldn’t want that?
So what is True Baptism for according to the Bible? For the remission of sins! And it is for all the ages to come. This will never change!
The Bible makes this clear if you read these scriptures yet so many people say it’s just a sign of our faith and that it is not that important. They couldn’t be farther from the truth. This is one of those lies that Satan has cleverly devised to keep believers in the dark and from receiving the blood of Jesus.
And since Baptism is for the remission of sins, wouldn’t you say that it is important? Judge for yourself. Can we be saved without the remission of sins? Absolutely not! How could we be saved from our sins if we’ve never been washed of them?
Now lets see what Jesus Himself says about Baptism. This is how important Jesus says it is;
Jesus Himself says we have to believe AND be Baptized to be saved. So why would anyone teach anything else?
Some try to downplay this verse because it says that “he that believeth not shall be damned.” But this doesn’t change the first part of the statement where Jesus says you must be baptized too!
You see if someone doesn’t believe then they are damned already because they will never get as far as the baptism. You have to believe before you get baptized so if you don’t believe, it’s a lost cause already. You have to get to the bridge before you cross it. That is all Jesus is trying to point out when He says “he that believeth not shall be dammed”.
Furthermore why would He make a statement like that and then try to void it in the same sentence? That wouldn’t make sense. Jesus doesn’t want to confuse us, Satan does!
Did you know that the Bible actually says that Baptism saves us? Yes, it does. The Apostle Peter was talking about how Noah was saved by water when he went through the flood and that like Noah was saved by water, we are saved by Baptism. See for yourself.
There you have it. Peter says “baptism doth also now save us“. He goes on to say that it is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, in other words, it is not the washing away of the physical dirt from our bodies, but the answer of a good conscience toward God.
And what is this answer of a good conscience? It is our response in getting baptized. We are answering His call to repent and be baptized. And nobody seems to want to point out this important scripture. But it’s in there.
I put forth the question a little earlier and asked if the Baptism was important and if we could be saved without the remission of sins. After reading these verses it should be very clear that it is extremely important and that we can not be saved without Baptism because it is in the Baptism where we get our sins washed away.
Without the remission of sins, we can’t be saved at all because it is the sins that separate us from God. As long as our sins remain and are not washed away, we will always be separated from God. That is why Baptism saves us as Peter said in 1 Pet. 3:21 Baptism washes away our sins in the Blood of Jesus and removes the barrier between us and our Holy God.
Of course it is only by God’s grace that this is even possible, because it is by grace that He gave us the sacrament of Baptism, and we are saved by His grace. But grace and Baptism are partners in our salvation. So Baptism is not only important, it is critical and absolutely necessary for salvation according to scripture.
WHAT ABOUT THE THIEF ON THE CROSS? He didn’t get baptized.
That is a good question but there is an easy answer that explains it. Actually, there are two answers.
FIRST ANSWER; Many people think that the thief on the cross was saved because Jesus said to him “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43 Although it is safe to say that the thief would be saved, this isn’t what Jesus was telling him. Jesus specifically said he would be with him in paradise. For those who do not know; Paradise at that time was also known as “The Bosom of Abraham”. And the Bosom of Abraham was a temporary holding place in the center of the earth where the good souls went. They were separated from the evil souls as described in the story of the Rich man and Lazarus. Read the story here at; (Luke 16:19-31) This is NOT a parable! This is a TRUE story that Jesus is teaching.
The beggar in the story of The Rich man and Lazarus went to the Bosom of Abraham. This is where the thief on the cross went the same day he died, and this is the paradise that Jesus was referring to. But I think that Jesus was careful not to use the words saved here for a reason. Let me explain.
The thief on the cross may enter the Kingdom of God, but he was still under the law of Moses. In other words, he was under different guidelines then we are today. You see Jesus hadn’t died or been resurrected yet, neither had anyone been baptized in the Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost.
What I am saying is that the New Covenant laws that we are under today were not in place yet. So what applied to the thief on the cross does not apply to us. Furthermore the Bible says that a testament is in force only after the testator dies.
For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. Heb. 9:16
Although technically Jesus died before the thief on the cross did, He made the statement before He died and the thief’s faith was also established before Jesus died. Also He hadn’t been raised from the dead and the baptism of the Holy Spirit hadn’t started yet.
The Apostles were even told to wait on the Holy Spirit before they left Jerusalem to begin their ministries. So the New Covenant guidelines that we are under today were not in place at the time of Christ’s statement to the thief on the cross. That’s the first answer.
SECOND ANSWER; While Jesus was here on earth He had the power to save and forgive sins on the spot. He is our Judge and jury and Savior. He has the right to make exceptions if He likes. What rules apply to us do not apply to God. For example; We are not to take revenge, but God takes vengeance. (Rom. 12:19)
But in His absence, we are obligated to follow the guidelines that He has put forth for us. And part of that obligation is to repent and be Baptized. The thief’s salvation and our’s are not by the same means, and to use his as an example of ours would be incorrect.
BUT WHAT ABOUT ASKING CHRIST INTO MY HEART? Doesn’t that save you?
Well lets look at that scripture. It is found in the book of Revelation. This is the main scripture that many use to try and teach that asking Him into our hearts saves us.
But where does it say that it saves you or washes away your sins? It doesn’t make any such claim! It simply says that He would come in to him and sup with him. In other words, He would come in and dine with him. This is only a promise of a visit! Now compare this with His real life ministry below.
How many times did Jesus go into some sinners house and sit and dine with them? This was a regular practice. And what did He do when He was in their homes? He preached and taught them His truths. But He didn’t move in! He only paid them a visit. And they didn’t all get saved either. So what is Jesus really trying to say here?
He is saying that He will come in to anyone who is willing to hear His voice, whether Jew or Gentile, free or slave. And that He will expound on His teachings to give everyone who is willing to listen a fair chance to be saved.
But this is not a guarantee of salvation to everyone He comes in to visit with. That person still has to make a commitment to Christ and follow His guidelines, one of them being baptism.
This is one of those scriptures that has been taken way out of context and a whole doctrine built up around it. All of which is completely false and dangerous. Jesus never promises that He would save a person by them simply asking Him into their hearts. This is one of those false teachings that must be stopped.
THE SINNERS PRAYER
That brings us to the sinners prayer. What is it exactly? It is the prayer that most pastors are using these days to have people ask Christ into their hearts BASED on the scripture in Rev. 3:20 above, and then they are claiming that these people are saved. There are many variations but It goes something like this;
Dear Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and that I need you. I believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again to save me from my sins. I repent of my sins and I am asking you now to come into my heart and save me.
But where is this prayer in the Bible? Neither the Apostles or any of their followers ever said such a prayer. There is absolutely NO record of anyone ever doing this. When they believed back then, they would immediately go down to the water to get baptized. The sinners prayer didn’t exist. This is a false doctrine, a modern day teaching. Telling people that this saves you is one of the biggest lies being told in the churches today.
Although the prayer is good for a confession of faith, teaching that it saves you is a lie and extremely dangerous. For all those people that think they got saved and did NOT, there sins still remain. They still must be washed of their sins and this takes place only in Baptism!
LISTEN TO THIS, the Bible speaks about us being forgiven just by asking but it was speaking to Christians that were already born again! It was NOT speaking to unbelievers who hadn’t turned to Him yet. After we get saved and have our sins washed away initially in the Baptism, THEN we are only to ask for forgiveness if we sin in the future. This way there is only one Baptism as the Bible says there must be.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism, Eph. 4:5
So as Christians, forgiveness is only a prayer away. But for those that are not Born Again yet (Saved), they must first repent and be Baptized. It is important to understand who the Apostles were talking to when they were teaching.
THE COVENANT OF BAPTISM
The Blood of Christ is what makes and seals our covenant with God. That is why the Baptism is so important. When we go down into the water of Baptism we are going down into the Blood of Jesus and entering into a covenant with God. Without receiving His Blood in Baptism we have no covenant with God.
What is a covenant anyways? Well it’s an agreement, a promise between two or more parties and usually accompanied by sign or a seal. In the Old Covenant the sign was circumcision. In the New Testament the seal is Baptism.
In a covenant each party has an obligation to fulfill. In the case of Christianity, our part is to Repent and be Baptized. Gods part is to wash away our sins, give us a new life (Born Again) and give us the Holy Spirit.
The bottom line is that True Baptism is where it all comes together. We make our commitment to Christ by Repenting of our sins and going down into the water to be Baptized which is our part. When we go down into the water, God fulfills His part by washing away all our past sins and giving us a new life. This is where we are Born Again and get a new start in life. This is where we enter our covenant with God and become part of His family, this is the meaning of baptism. But until we make that commitment and enter His covenant by water baptism, we are still under sin and in need to have those sins removed.
