I don’t know this audience fully tonight. I do not know how many there may be here who are not members of the church of Christ. But I sincerely hope that we have some here who are not. I am not glad that you’re not a member of the church, but I’m very glad that you’re here tonight if you are not a member.
I want to strike a bargain with everyone who is here tonight. I think it’s a fair one. I will do my very best to preach just what the Bible says on this subject this evening. But I’m a fallible human being. I make mistakes. If I preach something that is not according to the Bible, I want you to tell me. I sincerely mean that. You will be my friend if you do—not my enemy. I cannot go to heaven if I do not know how to tell other people how to go to heaven, for sure.
But the other side of that bargain is this: If I preach what the Bible says on this subject tonight and if your life and what you have been taught about baptism is not in harmony with it, will you be willing to give that up in favor of the Truth? I hope and pray that you will.
Baptism has been for centuries a subject of controversy, though it need not be so. But the two particular areas of controversy have centered upon the purpose and the action of baptism. I suppose thousands of books, literally, in the past twenty centuries have been written about baptism. And then, add to that, perhaps, millions of articles that have been written and that have appeared in Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias and in books of various kinds, having to do with baptism.
There is some good to be obtained from studying such works of men. But, we’re not going to study those works tonight. We’re going to see what the Bible says about baptism. That is our concern.
But before we can study that subject, we must narrow the field of study, because the Bible speaks of several different baptisms. There’s the baptism in the Holy Spirit. There’s a baptism in fire. There’s a baptism in suffering. There’s even an Old Testament event that’s described by Paul as a baptism. There’s the baptism of John. There’s the baptism of Jesus, that is, the one under which He went that was a unique baptism, apart from all others. There’s the baptism of the Great Commission. Now, out of all of these baptisms, which one has any application or relevancy to us today?
The baptism we’re studying tonight is the one of which we read in Acts, chapter 8, and beginning in verse 36, where the Ethiopian says, “…what doth hinder me to be baptized?” It is the same baptism that we read of in Acts, chapter 10, verses 47 and 48, where the apostle Peter at the house of Cornelius the Gentile in Caesarea said, “Can any man forbid the water, that these should not be baptized…? And he commanded them to be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ.” It is the same baptism of which that same apostle Peter wrote in his first epistle, 1 Peter, chapter 3, verses 20 and 21, when he spoke of the eight souls that were saved by water in the ark and then said, “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God…).” (KJV)
In about AD 62, Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians. In Ephesians, chapter 4 and verse 5, he said that there is “one baptism.” Now, about that statement, he did not mean that there had always been just one baptism and that he did not recognize that there ever had be any other baptism, but he meant, there is only one baptism in effect at this time. That’s the baptism we’re studying tonight.
In the Commission that Jesus gave the apostles, according to Matthew’s account, Matthew 28, verses 19 and 20, He said, “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: (now listen to this)…and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” As long as this world stands, the baptism Jesus commanded to be taught and administered in that statement is to be preached and administered. That’s why this baptism is just as relevant to us today as it was when those Words came from the lips of our Lord! And if our world stands another 10,000 years, those Words will apply just as much to them.
Jesus is the Author of baptism, not men. Men, in the large majority, have rejected what the Bible teaches about baptism. And so, men did not originate baptism—they would do away with it all together if they had their way. Jesus, as the Author of baptism, and HE has the sole right to determine everything about it—its action, its purpose, its element, its recipients, its duration and any other thing that pertains to it. And it is such things as those that we want to learn tonight from the Bible. We’ll proceed in our study tonight by raising questions that people often raise about baptism, and then seeking their answers in God’s Word.
I want to begin with this question: Should everyone be baptized, or, is baptism for everyone? Well, there are two correct answers to that question.
The first answer that’s correct is Yes. Ideally, the Lord wants everyone to be baptized. Otherwise, He would not have told His apostles to go into all the world and teach all nations, and make disciples of them by baptizing them.
But realistically, the Bible answers the question No, baptism is not for everyone. For example, Jesus said in John 8:24, “…except ye believe that I am He, ye shall die in your sins.” It wouldn’t matter how many times you dunked an infidel, it would do him no good whatsoever spiritually. Baptism is not for infidels. It’s not for unbelievers.
Even if one believed in Christ and refused, like some of the Jews of Jesus’ day, to confess Him (for fear of being put out of the synagogue was their problem), it would do them no good to be baptized, because, “…with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” Romans 10:10.
But one could even believe and confess his faith in Christ, and baptism still would not be for him if he were unwilling to repent of his sins. To repent means, “to change one’s mind, and then to conform one’s life to that change of mind.” A penitent thief has to decide to quit stealing, and then he has to quit stealing. And so with the adulterer, with the murderer, with every other kind of sinner. On the Day of Pentecost, as Peter was still preaching his sermon, he was interrupted, according to Acts 2 and verse 37, by those who where “cut to the heart” or “pricked in their hearts” the King James says, I believe, to such an extent that they cried out and said, “Men and brethren, what…shall…we…do?” That is a confession of their faith. They would never have asked that question had they not been brought to believe that Jesus was the Son of God. But that was insufficient for them to be saved. Peter’s answer is in verse 38: “Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
And so, unless one is willing to believe in Christ, confess his faith in Christ, and repent of his sins, that person is not to be baptized. But, even beyond that, unless one, of his own heart and mind and will, has determined that he will make this response to God and to Christ, he is not ready to be baptized. One should never be baptized against his own will or just to please some human being.
You’ll notice on Pentecost, those people were told to repent and be baptized, verse 38, and then verse 41 tells us, “They then that received his Word (you see, their hearts were in it; their wills were involved) were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls.” In Romans, chapter 6, beginning in verse 17, Paul is reminding the Romans of the time when they obeyed the Gospel and became Christians. And he says, “God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form (or “pattern”) of doctrine (or “teaching”) which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” [verses 17 and 18]. You see, their obedience came from the heart, and that’s where it must always come from to be genuinely obedient to Christ. Someone whose will and heart is not really in this act—he’s just doing it to please a wife, or she’s doing it to please a husband, or they’re doing it to please a girlfriend or a boyfriend, or whatever—they’re not ready to be baptized until they do…it…for…themselves!
Moreover, one is not ready to be baptized if he does not understand the Scriptural purpose of baptism. One must not only have his heart and mind in it, one must know why he is being baptized according to the teachings of Scripture.
Now, when I made this point 25 or 30 years ago in a sermon, I would be thinking of those outside the body of Christ who do not comprehend this. Now we must direct it to some of our own. In about 1984, our erring brother, Rubel Shelley, wrote some bulletin articles. In one of those bulletin articles, he said that baptism was Scriptural as long as one did it in order to obey God. Well, of course, one ought to be wanting to obey God—that ought to be a motivation, but has there been anyone who, when through an act of immersion as a religious act, did not think they were obeying God? Is that all it takes, to just think that you’re obeying God? Why, of course not. That’s not talking about the purpose of baptism; that’s talking about one’s own personal motivation for being baptized—to obey God.
Rubel Shelley said in another article that baptism was Scriptural as long as it was for “a Scriptural reason.” “A” Scriptural reason. By that, I think he was talking about purpose rather than motivation. But he got it wrong there, too. He implies that there is more than one Scriptural purpose of baptism, but there is not. There is one and only one Scriptural purpose of baptism. It is stated in several different ways, but they all add up to the same Scriptural purpose.
Baptism is the line that God has drawn between the world and the church. It’s the line that separates those who still have the guilt of sin, and those who have been forgiveness of sin. It’s the line the Lord has drawn between darkness and light, and you can make several other contrasts, but that is the line that He has drawn through His Son. And so, that is THE Scriptural purpose of baptism.
In abut 1991, a brother who has erred on this same subject, Jimmy Allen of Searcy, Arkansas, wrote an entire book advocating this idea that one need not know the Scriptural purpose of baptism. His book is titled Rebaptism. And if we follow what he taught, we would have millions and millions of brethren that we have never recognized before, who have been immersed, thinking they were obeying God, and having no more idea than a goose what the purpose of baptism was or even denying its Scriptural purpose in the very act they went through. Rubel Shelley wrote the back-cover endorsement on that book.
Must we KNOW the purpose of baptism for it to be efficacious? Let’s ask it about some other things that God has ordained.
What about the Lord’s Supper? May we just say, “I’m doing this to obey God,” without having any idea of the purpose of eating the bread and drinking the cup? Well, Paul answers that for us. In 1 Corinthians 11:29, he said, if we eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord, not discerning the body—that is, not understanding the purpose—we eat and drink judgment, or damnation, unto ourselves.
What about singing and praying? Can we just go through the motion, saying we’re doing it to obey God, or must we have some understanding involved? Paul answers that one, too. In 1 Corinthians 14:15, he says, “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”
You see, it is things like these that God has ordained that, if our understanding does not enter into them they are nothing but vain ritual. And that is what baptism is reduced to if one…does…not…understand the purpose of the act as the Lord has ordained it.
It might help us if we had a Scriptural account, where some had been baptized, not being Scripturally taught, and then to have an apostle come along, and see his reaction to it. Perhaps some of you are already in Acts, chapter 19, because we do have such an account. Paul came to Ephesus. He found there that about a dozen men had been baptized…of John’s baptism. Well, John’s baptism was ordained of God, but it had been superceded years before this occurrence in Ephesus, and yet, someone—apparently Apollos, introduced to us in the latter verses of the 18th chapter—had taught them, knowing only the baptism of John. He did not know that John’s baptism had been superceded and was no longer in effect. And so, these twelve had been baptized of John’s baptism. There can be no doubt but that they were sincere, nor can there be any doubt that they believed they were obeying God. What was Paul’s reaction? Did he say, “Well, you didn’t have to know the purpose. You didn’t have to know all the details. God will take care of those, as long as you did it to obey God”? No. Luke says that Paul taught them correctly, and he took them and baptized them after that teaching. It is impossible to teach someone incorrectly on baptism, particularly its purpose, and baptism them Scripturally, brethren.
Let’s ask another question: Will there be any in heaven who are not baptized? Now, that’s a loaded question, isn’t it? You don’t study with your friends and neighbors very long until a question something like this will come up. Well, there are two correct answers to this question. Now, we’re not talking about babies who can’t believe. We’re not talking about the mentally incompetent who cannot believe. We’re not talking about infidels who will not believe. Will there be any responsible, accountable people in heaven who were not baptized?
Answer Number One is YES; it’s a resounding YES! The Bible teaches this as plainly as it teaches anything. It names a number of these people. Jesus names some, for instance. In Matthew, chapter 8, verse 11, He said, “…many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” Now, “kingdom of heaven,” especially in Matthew’s account, refers to the church. But there are some places in Matthew’s account where it cannot refer to the church and has to refer to that upper and better kingdom, as we sometimes speak of it. This is one of those. Now, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had never heard of baptism. They were never required to be baptized. And yet, the Lord said they’re going to be in the kingdom; they’re going to be in heaven. Well, there are three.
In the 11th chapter of Hebrews, as you know, is a long list of the heroes and heroines of faith of ages gone by. All of them lived and died hundreds of years before Christ came to this earth. It is my understanding of that long list of heroes of the faith that one purpose for it is to indicate that these people lived out their lives in faithfulness, and they’re going to be in heaven when we get there. You open the 12th chapter of Hebrews, and you see that they’re in the stands, rooting us on as we run the Christian race! They’re the “great cloud of witnesses” that surrounds us. They were never baptized. There are many other instances that we could set forward, but these are sufficient.
Now, the Second Answer to the question [Will there be any responsible, accountable people in heaven, who were not baptized?] is NO. There will be none in heaven who were not baptized. And here is the difference: Every one of those of whom the Bible speaks as being in heaven, not baptized, lived before the death of our Lord and before the Gospel of Christ began to be preached. If we’re talking about those who have lived since the Day of Pentecost, the Bible answers without equivocation, No, there will be none saved who were not baptized.
Now, that’s far to narrow for our broad-minded and super-tolerant world, but those words will still be indelibly inscribed on the pages of Holy Writ when we get to the Judgment!! They will not be changed one…iota! And we dare not water them down.
Every passage in the New Testament that places baptism and salvation, or its equivalent, in the same statement, or same verse, always has baptism preceding salvation—salvation, or remission of sins, coming as a consequence of baptism. There are many others that, by implication, teach that, but I want to call to your attention, and just briefly get them before you, eight passages in which these two elements are side by side.
The order of their occurrence in the New Testament begins in Mark 16:16. You all know it: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned (or condemned).” Someone always likes to raise the question on this passage, “But Jesus didn’t say, ‘He that is not baptized will be damned.’ He just said, ‘He that doesn’t believe.’” Do you think any unbelievers are going to want to be baptized? Why did Jesus need to mention baptism in speaking of unbelievers? It would have been superfluous, totally beside the point, to mention baptism in the last part of that statement. When He says, “He that disbelieves,” He takes care of NOT believing, NOT repenting, NOT confessing and NOT being baptized all in one swoop! Our Lord did not waste words anytime, and He didn’t here.
The next occurrence is John 3, and verse 5. To Nicodemus, the Lord said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Now, whether this refers to the kingdom of God on earth, or the kingdom of God in heaven, the point is still taken—“Except a man”…unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into it. He cannot be saved, is the force of the statement. There is absolutely nothing in all the New Testament that can satisfy the meaning of the words being “born of water” here except being “baptized IN water.”
In Acts 2:38, Peter said, “Repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ FOR (or UNTO) the remission of your sins”—repentance and baptism over here; salvation and remission of sins over here—AFTER. [Brother McClish is using his hands to indicate the action of repentance and baptism on one side, and the results of those actions on the other side, salvation and remission of sins coming AFTER repentance and baptism.]
In Acts 22:16, Ananias said to Saul of Tarsus, “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the Name of the Lord.” Saul still had his sins on him before he was baptized. Otherwise, he would have had no sins to wash away when he was baptized.
Romans 6 and verse 3 also speaks: “Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” The death of Christ is where the atoning blood was shed, by which our sins can be washed away—forgiven. How do we enter into the atoning effects of that death? We’re baptized into them. The New Testament no where else tells us any other way to get into the benefits of that death in that blood.
And then, the next passage is the next verse, verse 4: “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” When does the newness of life begin? Is it back there at the point of belief? When we repent? When we confess? No. It’s when…we…come up…out of the waters of baptism, because then and only then are we that new creation in Christ—we left the old man behind in the waters of baptism.
In Galatians 3:27, Paul said, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did…put…on…Christ.” If I had a marker board up here tonight, I’d put two column headings. Over one column I would put, “Those baptized.” On the other column heading I’d put, “Those IN Christ.” Now, listen to Paul again, “For as many of you as were (Column Number 1—“baptized”) into Christ did (Column Number 2—“put on Christ”). There is not…one…single…difference…in the two! Those baptized—those into Christ. There’s not one person IN Christ who hasn’t been baptized. There’s no other way to get into Him.
And then, there’s Peter’s simple statement, 1 Peter 3, verse 21: “..baptism doth also now save us….”
Men have invented many plans of salvation. Most of them have just one thing that you have to do to be saved. Some say, “Just pray the sinner’s prayer,” and they can’t even find the sinner’s prayer in the Bible, because it’s not in there. But most of the believing world says all you have to do is believe, and you’re saved at the point of faith.
If I were going to concoct a one-act plan of salvation, it wouldn’t be “faith only.” It wouldn’t be “prayer only.” It wouldn’t be “confession only.” It wouldn’t be repentance only.” There are many cases of conversion in the book of Acts that do not mention faith, that do not mention confession, that do not mention repentance, though all of them are implied, of course. But there’s not a single case of conversion recorded in Acts that doesn’t…mention…baptism! It is the consummating act in EVERY case. Was that just an accident and a slip up by the Holy Spirit? Absolutely not! It is the crowning act of one’s conversion, of one’s coming out of the world and into Christ, of one’s entering into the death of Christ for the forgiveness of his sins through His shed blood.
Another question is this: What is the ACTION of baptism? Well, we’ve already noticed Romans 6:4: “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death.” Colossians 2 and verse 12 is corollary to it: “Having been buried with Him in baptism wherein also you were raised with Him through faith in the operation of God Who raised Him from the dead.” It’s called a “burial” in both places.
In the case of the Ethiopian, Acts, chapter 8, we have the fullest account of an actual…case…of baptism. In verses 38 and 39, we read that after the Ethiopian had said, “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” that they commanded the chariot to stop. They were riding along in a chariot. And Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him…. Now, what did Philip do when it says “he baptized him”? Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12—Philip buried him. And they both came up out of the water.
Just as there are three distinct words in our English language for “sprinkling,” “pouring,” and “immersion,” there are three distinct words in the Greek language for “sprinkling,” “pouring,” and “immersion.” There can be no mistake but that the Holy Spirit intended us to know the ACTION INVOLVED in baptism was to be IMMERSION, because THAT’S the word He chose in the pen of every inspired writer that wrote the word, BAPTIZO or BAPTISMA,as they wrote the Greek, and it means only “immersion; to dip; to plunge; to submerge; to overwhelm.” There cannot be the slightest doubt of the meaning of the term, and its action.
Does the Bible say what baptism is FOR? Yes, it tells us that. Those of you, including me, who love the King James Version (though I don’t believe it’s the “inspired version”) know that Acts 2:38 says, “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.” “Ah,” but someone says, “the word ‘for’ is capable of more than one meaning.” And they are right.
We use the word “for” in two different ways, probably everyday, in our conversations, and our minds automatically sense which meaning we have, or which meaning someone else has as they speak to us. If you go to Albertson’s for a gallon of milk, you go there in order to get a gallon of milk. But if your old Uncle Amos is in the state penitentiary for theft, he’s not there in order to steal. He’s there because he was convicted of theft! So there, you have the two different uses, one is pointing toward what you’re going to do—I’m going there FOR, IN ORDER TO GET, a gallon of milk. The other use is pointing in the opposite direction—Uncle Amos is there FOR, BECAUSE OF, being a thief.
And so, the argument is made that Peter is using that latter use of the word “for” in Acts 2:38, thus meaning, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ BECAUSE OF the remission of sins”—meaning, because they’ve already been remitted. Well, there are several problems with that. In the immediate context, a problem arises. Repentance bears the same relationship to remission of sins that baptism does—“Repent, and be baptized….” So, if baptism is “because sins have been remitted,” then repentance is because sins have already been remitted before people repent. I do not believe anyone can find a single case in all of the Bible where God either forgave or promised to forgive sins before the sinner repented. And Acts 2:38 is not an exception to that.
We have the unique privilege of having this identical phrase, “for remission of sins,” in another passage in the New Testament. The Bible is always its own best commentary. Someone once said, “The Bible sure does throw a lot of light on those commentaries!” In Matthew, chapter 26, the Lord instituted His Supper the night of His betrayal. In verse 26, we’re told that He took bread and instituted that part of the Supper. Then in verse 28, it says that He said of the cup, “…this is My blood of the new covenant, which is poured out (or “shed”) for many FOR the remission of sins.” Now, there’s your phrase.
Now, what does He mean in this passage? Is there any way He could be saying of the fruit of the vine in instituting the Lord’s Supper, standing for His blood, “This is My blood which has been poured out because the sins of mankind have already been forgiven”? You know, the truth of the matter is that there was no full, complete, final forgiveness of sins until Christ did shed His blood. Hebrews 10:4 says that the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin [“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”]. And Hebrews 9:22 says, “…without the shedding of blood there is no remission.” In God’s plan, from outside the Garden of Eden, forgiveness always required a blood sacrifice, but the ultimate blood sacrifice was that of Christ, and only in it is there the forgiveness and remission of the sins of mankind. He gave Himself a ransom for all, 1 Timothy, chapter 2 and verse 6.
No, the blood of Christ was not shed after the fact of remission of sins. It was shed in order that the sins of men might be forgiven, and whatever this phrase means in Matthew 26:28, it means exactly the same thing in Acts 2:38, and thus, it means “Repent and be baptized every one of you in order that you might receive the remission of sins.”
Here, the American Standard Version of 1901 has the clearer reading [of Acts 2:38], because it takes it out of the realm of controversy and shows the direction of the preposition: “Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ UNTO the remission of your sins.” Yes, the Bible tells us what baptism is for—it is in order that man might come in contact with the blood of Christ and have his sins forgiven.
Does the Bible say anything about whether baptism is a work of human merit, or not? This is a thorny problem to millions of people. They have become convinced, because their preachers have convinced them, that if you accept what the Bible teaches (they would not put it that way, of course), but if you accept what the Bible teaches, that baptism is a condition of salvation, that makes baptism a meritorious act by which we earn our salvation. The truth of the matter is, the Bible teaches that baptism IS necessary for salvation AND it teaches that baptism is not a meritorious work of man!
It is almost as if the Holy Spirit was looking down the stream of time, and He knew that somewhere, somebody was going to come up with this idea that baptism’s a work of human merit if you say it’s a part of the plan of salvation. When you read Titus 3 and verse 5, you see that the Holy Spirit anticipated this false doctrine: “…not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves…” See, He’s talking about those works of human merit. We can’t be righteous enough to save ourselves. “…not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to His MERCY He saved us…” Anyone who is saved will be saved because of God’s MERCY and GRACE! But that’s still not all the passage. “…not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit….” Now, what does “washing of regeneration” mean? It means the same thing that “being born of water” in John 3:5 means. It means the same thing that Peter meant on Pentecost when he said, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of sins.”
So, where does Paul put baptism in Titus 3:5? Is it a part of “works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves”, that cannot save us? No. He says that it’s part of the merciful plan of God. That’s what baptism is. It’s what God has ordained. It’s not what I have come up with, or any other man has come up with.
And look at Colossians 2:12 in this frame of reference: “…having been buried with Him in baptism…” This one says “baptism” itself. “…having been buried with Him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with Him through faith in myself—to be saved because I’m being baptized?” No. “…through faith in the working (or “operation”] of God, Who raised Him from the dead.” When one is properly taught on the subject of baptism, he does not invest his faith in himself in doing this act. He invests his faith in GOD, Who has promised to save him from sin through the blood of Christ IF he will comply with His Will in this act of obedience.
If we could just get our friends to see this ONE POINT, it would be such a huge hurdle to help them over. Baptism is not a meritorious work.
But another question. We’re about to wind up. Does the Bible say anything about the relation between the blood of Christ and baptism? Indeed, it does. And as with the question before, if we could get our friends to see this one point, they could not deny the clarity of what the Bible teaches about baptism.
Sometimes, when we study with our friends and we get to a passage like Acts 22:16: “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins…,” they will say something like this: “You just believe that the power is in the water. Just get them in the water and that water will wash all their sins away.” Well, if that’s what this passage taught, that’s what I’d be teaching, but that’s not what this passage teaches, nor does any other passage in the Bible so teach. I have never met anybody who thought that there was enough water in all the oceans of the world to wash away one sin! That’s a “straw man” [misleading; beside the point; evasive; worthless]. Nobody believes that, and in fact, this verse does not say that. It does not say what washes away sin—we have to look elsewhere in the Bible to find that out. This doesn’t tell us what does wash away sins.
Revelation 1:5does tell us what washes away sins. He has “…washed us from our sins in His Own blood.” The old song has it just right. “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Well, what IS Acts 22:16 saying, then, about baptism? Here’s what it is: not what washes away our sins, but WHEN our sins are washed away! The WHAT is the blood; the WHEN is baptism. “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the Name of the Lord.” And incidentally, that “calling on the Name of the Lord” phrase does not mean you can get up from being baptized and start praying now. That’s not the meaning of the term. It means that, this is the way in which you CALL on the Name of the Lord for SALVATON—by being baptized and having your sins washed away!
Romans, chapter 6 and verse 3, already noted, but not with this emphasis, puts both of these together in one statement—baptism and the blood of Christ: “Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” There’s the blood in His death; there’s the means of access to it—baptism. And we come into Christ and His death and His shed blood for our sins when, and only when we are Scripturally baptized.
Does the Bible tell us WHEN to be baptized? Yes, it answers that question. In Acts 2, and verse 38, the people told to repent and be baptized—verse 41 says, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” Do you think those people came with their towels and their change of clothing rolled up under their arms? They had no idea what they were going to hear, or that their hearts were going to be pricked and cut to the core. Do you think they were going to be convinced that the Man that they’d called to be crucified seven weeks before would be the One they were going to name as their Savior and be obedient to Him? But they did it anyway—that same day.
In Acts, chapter 8, here are two men riding along; one is teaching the other the Gospel of Christ based on Isaiah, chapter 53; he preached unto him Jesus. The man being taught says, “Let’s don’t wait till we get to the next town. Here’s some water. I want to be baptized.” They stopped the chariot, and they did it.
In Acts, chapter 10, Peter finished his sermon at Cornelius’ house—well, actually he hadn’t finished it—but he interrupted his sermon long enough to say, “Can any man forbid the water that these should not be baptized?” and he commanded them to be baptized in the Name of Christ, and the implication is that they were immediately baptized.
You get to Acts, chapter 16, and you find that Paul and Silas are in a jail in Philippi. It’s at midnight; they’re singing and praying, and the Lord sends an earthquake, breaks open the doors of the prison, and even the stocks in which the men were held. The jailor comes in trembling. “What must I do to be saved?” Paul taught him the Gospel of Christ, and the same hour of the night, though it was past midnight and before the dawning of the day, Paul took this man and his household and baptized them.
Acts 22:16, “Why are you waiting, Saul? Arise now, and be baptized and wash away your sins.”
Why was there this immediacy? Why did these people, who when the heard and opened their hearts to the Gospel, not want to wait another moment to be baptized? Because, it was brought home to them, and they understood and believed it, that until they WERE baptized, the guilt of their sins that would damn their souls was still upon them. And they did not cherish that prospect.
My friend, are you here tonight having not been baptized into Christ, having not understood the purpose of baptism? Why will you not tonight be baptized into Christ? Why will you not do as Saul of Tarsus did, arise this moment, and be baptized? Why not make this the night that you are born of water and the Spirit into the family of God? Why not obey the Gospel tonight by being baptized so that the Lord can add you to His church this very night, Acts 2:41 and 47? We hope and pray that you’ll do that, whether young, old, in between, whatever your age. It is not too early, if you can understand the simple things that we have studied tonight, to confess your faith in Christ, turn away from sin and anything that would separate you from following Christ, and be baptized into Christ this very evening. Everything’s prepared to help you and assist you. Oh, how we would love to see you do that this very night!
Maybe you need to come back to Christ tonight. If that describes you, we pray that you’ll have the courage to do it. Let us stand as we sing.