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 Well, John’s baptism was ordained of God, but it had been superceded years before this occurrence in Ephesus, and yet, someone—apparently Apollos, introduced to us in the latter verses of the 18^th chapter—had taught them,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 He did not know that John’s baptism had been superceded and was no longer in effect.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 11^th 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 12^th 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.