Baptism - Essential to Salvation
Are You Dying to Live?
In posing the question above, it is obvious that we
have in mind a different kind of life to that possessed now.
The life we have in mind is eternal life, to be
enjoyed in the Kingdom of God to be set up on earth at Christ's
return. The Bible teaches:
"God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have eternal life" (John 3:16).
The prospect of eternal life, therefore, is set before
us conditionally.
One of the conditions is that we must "die"
to obtain it!
There are two ways in which we can understand such an
expression. It is sometimes used colloquially to describe an intense
desire to obtain the object before one. For example, a person will
say: "I am dying for such and such to happen," indicating,
by very exaggeration, that life would be unbearable without it.
That use of the expression in relation to eternal life
is quite legitimate, for we must develop an intense desire to live for
eternity before we will fulfil the conditions necessary to attain to
it.
However, that is not the way we are using the
expression in the title above.
There is another sense in which one must die to live
eternally, and that is to figuratively "die" to much that
constitutes "life" now. Unfortunately, that principle is not
recognized generally, with the result that most people refuse to walk
the path that leads to salvation.
Hence our question: Are you dying to life?
This figurative "death" is associated with
baptism, for the Bible declares:
"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized
into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 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" (Rom 6:3-4).
Baptism into death followed by a figurative
resurrection to "newness of life" constitutes the way to
salvation. What does this signify?
First Step To Salvation
In the compass of this short article, it is impossible
for us to provide an exhaustive explanation of every detail relative
to this subject, and we suggest that if you are in doubt as to the
meaning of anything we herewith set down, that you take the trouble of
corresponding with us regarding it.
Firstly, we maintain that the Bible shows that baptism
is essential to salvation, and if we are not prepared to humble
ourselves and submit to it, we will not be saved, no matter how
"pious" we may imagine ourselves to be.
But a knowledge of the basic principles of the Gospel
is first necessary to make baptism valid.
Consider Christ's commission to his Apostles:
"Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to
every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he
that believeth not shall be condemned" (Mark 16:16).
He taught that belief of the Gospel must precede
baptism, and that unbelief will reap condemnation. Elsewhere he
further decreed that obedience to his commandments must follow baptism
if we would attain unto life (Matt. 28:20).
Belief, baptism and obedience (in that order) are the
essential steps to salvation. "True worshippers," taught
Jesus, "worship the Father in spirit and in truth" (John
4:22). By using the adjective true, he clearly implied that
there is such a thing as false worship, and that it is found where
truth is not upheld.
Salvation is reserved only for those who worship in
truth.
Consider these statements:
"This is life eternal to KNOW Thee, the only true
God, and Jews Christ whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3).
"The gospel of Christ ... is the power of God unto salvation to
everyone that BELIEVETH" (Rom. 1:16).
"By (the Gospel) ye are saved, IF ye KEEP IN MEMORY what I
preached unto you unless ye have believed in vain" (1 Cor. 15:2).
These references (and they can be multiplied) show
that a knowledge of God's revelation to man is absolutely essential to
salvation. But this is not generally acknowledged. Few are prepared to
search the Scriptures to ascertain the basic principles of Bible
teaching as a foundation of acceptable worship before God. Most claim
that it is unnecessary. They believe that such knowledge is of little
account so long as their "motives" are pure in their own
eyes, and they worship God "according to their conscience."
The result is, according to the Bible, that many are
perishing "for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6).
On the other hand, the Bible teaches that there is but
"one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians
4:4-5), that man is "alienated from the life of God through
ignorance" (v.18), and that in such a state he has "no hope,
and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12).
It is important, therefore, that we put our minds
right with God by seeking to understand the saving truths of the
Gospel. We plead with the reader to consider his own future in that
light. Can he give a Scriptural definition of what constitutes the
Gospel? If not, why not write to us for an explanation of it.
The Next Essential Step
Having come to a clear understanding of the Gospel,
what then?
Christ declared: "He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved."
But though Christ's statement is clear, many hesitate
to take this vital step.
Why is that?
Usually because they fail to comprehend its
significance, and therefore doubt its importance. They
"feel" that it is not of much importance, that the Lord will
not hold it against them if they neglect to submit to it, and
therefore ignore his specific teaching.
There is no denying that the Lord commanded his
Apostles to teach that believers be baptized, and no disputing that,
in Apostolic times, all submitted to it. Indeed, Christ himself showed
the way. He presented himself to John the Baptist and was baptized of
him, even though he had no sins to confess. When John suggested that
under those circumstances it seemed unnecessary for Jesus to be
baptized, the Lord replied:
"Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us
to fulfil all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15).
If Christ considered it so essential in his case, are
we wise to refuse it in our circumstances?
The great Apostle Paul also submitted. He was
commanded:
"Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins,
calling upon the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16).
If Paul considered it necessary to be baptized in
order that his sins might be "washed away," why should
lesser men resist the command?
Consider also the example of Cornelius, the first
Gentile convert. The record of his conversion and baptism is contained
in Acts 10, and will well repay a reading. He was an outstandingly
pious man, even before baptism, and yet was required to submit. The
record says of his spiritual state before he was baptized that he was:
"A devout man, and one that feared God with all
his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God
alway" (Acts 10:2).
Surely such a man was assured of salvation without the
need of baptism. But no! He was told to send for Peter, and "he
shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do" (v.6).
When Peter arrived at the home of Cornelius, he found
that he was already familiar with the teaching of the Lord Jesus.
Peter declared:
"The word which God sent unto the children of
Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), that
word, YE KNOW . . . . " (vv. 36-38).
Cornelius already had an understanding of certain
truths, and needed little further instruction before he had sufficient
knowledge to justify baptism. The account of his conversion closes
with the statement that Peter "commanded them to be
baptized" (v.48).
Thus Cornelius was a man whose piety was above doubt,
whose motives were sincere and honourable, whose knowledge was sound,
who was in the habit of praying regularly, paying alms to the people,
and worshipping God according to his light; and yet he was commanded
to be baptized!
If such a man as that required baptism to ensure his
salvation, what of us?
Notice, however, that before Cornelius was baptized,
he was properly instructed in the right doctrine.
What About Infant Christening?
Sometimes, when we press these points home to folk,
they protest that they were baptized when, as children, they were
christened. But christening (the sprinkling of infants with
"holy" water) is quite unscriptural.
Certainly it is no valid substitution for baptism, but
is a meaningless rite introduced by an apostate Christendom.
It is contrary to Apostolic practice. The Apostles
invariably instructed people in the truth before they were baptized,
and in performing the act, believers were placed bodily into water.
Thus the Bible speaks of Jesus, at his baptism, coming "out of
the water" (Matt. 3:16); of John baptizing in Aenon because
"there was much water there" (John 3:23); of the Ethiopian
convert going "down into the water" (Acts 8:38). All these
expressions show that baptism took the form of bodily immersion.
The very word baptism implies this. Concerning
it, The Diaglott declares:
"Bapto signifies immerse, dip, plunge; no
translator has ever ventured to render the words as 'sprinkle' or
'pour' in any version."
It is openly admitted by most church authorities that
the custom of baptizing children of tender years was wholly unknown in
Apostolic times. Herzog, a well-known Church authority, has written:
"That in the New Testament there is no trace of
infant baptism may, for scientific exegesis, be held as established:'
Another authority (Prof. Feine) declares:
"The practice of infant baptism is not to be
traced in the Apostolic or immediate post-Apostolic time . . . "
Infant baptism was first heard of in the days of
Tertuilian (about 200 years after Christ). He opposed it vigorously.
In a book on Baptism he wrote:
"The Lord did indeed say, Forbid them (i.e.
children) not to come unto me (Matt. 19:14). Very well, they may then
come when they are grown; they may come when they learn; when they
become instructed whither they come. They can become Christians when
they can know Christ . . . . Let them first understand to ask for
salvation so that it may be granted to them at their request . . . .
When one perceives the weightiness of baptism one will fear to reach
it too early rather than to postpone it. Only complete faith (which
comes by understanding) can be without care (i.e. can give assurance)
in regard to salvation."
The rite of infant sprinkling dates back to pagan
times. In the religious customs of the Romans the aqua lustralis
or water of purification played an important part. A newly born girl,
on the eighth day after birth, and a boy on the ninth day, underwent a
ceremony of purification with this so-called "holy water" in
order to protect them against sorcery. It was effected by the child
being carried through the house to the household altar and even
through the temple.
In Manual of Roman Antiquities (Ramsay and
Lanciane), it is recorded:
"Boys on the ninth, and girls on the eighth day
after birth underwent a religious purification termed 'lustratio', and
on this day, which was called 'Dies Lustricus', the former received
their 'Proenomen' (nomen accipiebant)."
Proenomen means "first name," in
Christendom the Christian name, or name given at baptism or
christening.
Like so many other pagan ideas and doctrines, this
rite of infant baptism was gradually superimposed upon Christian
teaching, and became an established ordinance of an apostate church
that ultimately fully answered to the description given in the
prophetic words of Paul:
"The time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine: but after their own lusts they shall heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away
their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2
Tim. 4:3).
The introduction by the church of infant baptism, or
christening, and the neglect of adult baptism after an understanding
of sound doctrine as an essential step to salvation, helped to fulfil
these words of Paul.
But even adult immersion does not necessarily
constitute a Scriptural baptism. This is shown by the meaning of the
word, for baptism signifies more than immersion. W. E. Vine in his Expository
Dictionary of New Testament Words declares of the word Baptizo:
"To baptize, primarily a frequentative form of 'bapto',
to dip, was used among the Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment .
. ."
Baptism, therefore, defines an act whereby is obtained
a change of color or appearance in an article. To dip a piece of cloth
into clear water is immersion, but it is not baptism; but to add the
dye to the water and then dip the cloth is baptism in the primary
signification of the word.
Thus Tertullian translated baptizio as tinge.
This significant meaning of the word indicates the
importance of a true understanding of the fundamental principles of
God's revelation, before baptism can be considered valid. The
knowledge of the Gospel is equivalent to the dye in the water. It
causes a person to view life from the standpoint of God. He comes to
water figuratively dyed with the blood of Jesus, and the significance
of this changes his life as dye in water will change the color of the
cloth that is immersed therein.
On the Day of Pentecost, when the Gospel was first
preached in the Name of Jesus, people who had been convinced by the
message pleaded with the Apostles, asking: "What shall we
do?"
The reply was:
"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:37-38).
The word here translated repent signifies to change
one's outlook and way of life. It is elsewhere described as
something that God has granted men that they might have life (Acts 11:
18). What induces this change of outlook and new way of life? Not
merely baptism, but knowledge: an understanding of the will and
purpose of God. Without this there will be no true repentance, no real
change (for repentance means much more than to be sorry for sin), and
no true baptism.
What if a person has been baptized without adequate
understanding? The obvious answer is that he must be re-immersed, and
such a case as that is actually reported in Acts 19:1-4. The narrative
records how that Paul found certain disciples (see v.1) at Ephesus who
had been baptized only into John's baptism. They obviously had some
understanding of Jesus, for Paul asked: "Have ye received the
Holy Spirit since ye believed?" When it was revealed that
they had only been baptized into John's baptism, they were
re-immersed. Their action provides an example of what should be done
when one has been immersed without adequate knowledge.
Baptism As A Symbol Of Death
Baptism is actually a very meaningful ordinance. It is
a public testimony on the part of the individual that he is prepared
to die to self in order to live unto God. it is a symbol of sacrifice.
This is shown by the words of Jesus when He spoke of his impending
death. He described this sacrificial death as a "baptism" of
suffering, saying:
"I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am
I straitened till it be accomplished" (Luke 12:50).
His death upon the cross had been pre-figured by his
submission to baptism at the hands of John. In doing so, he had
testified publicly that he was prepared to submit to the Father's
will, even unto death, for baptism is a symbol of death, burial and
resurrection. Paul taught:
"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" (Rom.
6:4).
When a person is baptized, he figuratively dies, is
buried, and is raised again to newness of life.
Thus he figuratively dies to live!
How incongruous is sprinkling under such
circumstances! It would be like sprinkling dust on a dead body and
calling it burial ! True Baptism demands complete immersion in water.
Baptism, however, symbolizes not merely death, but sacrificial
death, for Paul teaches:
"KNOW ye not, that so many of us as were baptized
into Jesus Christ were baptized INTO HIS DEATH?" (Rom. 6:3).
We see what he means when we consider the death of the
Lord.
Jesus died a sacrificial death on the cross. Paul
teaches that he "died unto sin once" (Rom. 6: 10).
"Sin" is used in this statement as a metonymy for the flesh
with its lusts. Jesus never gave way to these. He denied himself in
life to do the Father's will, thus "putting to death" the
"deeds of flesh" (Rom. 8:13, Col. 3:5); and his crucifixion
was a public dramatization of what men must try to do if they would
attain unto salvation. Paul taught that they, too, must become
"dead unto sin" (Rom. 6:2), or, as he declared elsewhere:
"They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh
with the affections and lusts" (Gal. 5:24).
To crucify the flesh is to deny it the free expression
of its lusts, or to so limit personal desire as to do the will of God.
The sacrifice of Jesus was a public demonstration of this, showing men
that they must die to the flesh and live unto God, if they would be
saved.
The first steps to that end are to learn God's will
and purpose, and submit to the ordinance of baptism.
There are two aspects to the sacrifice of Jesus. Not
only was his flesh crucified, but his blood was shed, or poured out.
Whereas flesh crucified implies the denial of its lusts, blood poured
out in sacrifice is a symbolic act denoting life dedicated, "for
the life of the flesh is in tile blood" (Lev. 17:11). The former
sets forth a negative sacrifice: the latter a positive one; and both
must find reflection in the life of the believer. Not only must he
learn to deny personal desires according to the Divine will, but he
must also do the will of God. That is why the Bible teaches
that "without the shedding of blood (a dedication of life) there
is no remission of sin" (Heb. 9:22).
We make figurative contact with the blood of Jesus by
baptism, for true baptism is "into his death" (Rom. 6:3).
The significance of this is shown by animal sacrifice
under the Mosaic Law. This was prophetic of the Lord's offering. Sin
demands sacrifice. The worshipper had to ritually show that he was
conscious of sin, desired forgiveness, and wanted to make amends. In
illustration of this, an animal without blemish was selected, and
presented to the priest. The sinner placed his hand on the head of the
animal and made confession of his sin, at the same time praying for
forgiveness. The animal was then slain (showing that mortal flesh is
rightly related to death), and its blood poured out (implying that
life should be dedicated to doing God's will). By this ritual the
worshipper acknowledged what should be done. As the animal was slain,
so he should deny the flesh to do the will of God; as its blood was
poured out, so he should dedicate his life to obedience, as he
continually failed, so he pleaded forgiveness on the basis of the
sacrifice that God would provide, and which was ritually expressed in
the slain animal before him.
But there was a hopelessness about this offering under
the Law that emphasized the inability of "the blood of bulls and
goats to take away sin" (Heb. 10:4). The animal remained dead and
this symbolized the hopeless condition of the Israelite who put his
confidence in such a sacrifice without faith to comprehend that it was
but a type pointing forward to the Redeemer who should come.
How different was the offering of the Lord Jesus! He
not only died for the sins of humanity, but also rose from the dead.
And so Paul again teaches:
"He was delivered for our offences, and was
raised again for our justification" (Rom. 4:25). "For if we
have been planted together in the likeness of his death (i.e. through
baptism), we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection"
(Rom. 6:5).
That fact expresses the glorious hope of salvation.
But notice that Paul limits this privilege to those who "were
baptized into the death" of Jesus (Rom. 6:3). Those who are so
baptized, and learn thus to deny themselves in order to serve God, are
assured of a resurrection to life eternal at the coming of the Lord
Jesus (1 Cor. 15:23).
They die to the flesh in hope of living eternally.
Jesus Fulfilled The Type
Jesus is described as "the lamb of God which
taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). As such, he was
the antitype of the offerings under the Law of Moses. As they had to
be without blemish, so, in character, was he. His nature was identical
with that of all mankind, but he triumphed over it, in that he never
gave way to its weakness. Strengthened by God (Psalm 80:17), he
brought all its desires into captivity to the will of God. Paul
taught:
"We have not an high priest which cannot be
touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15).
Yet, in spite of his sinless life, the Lord was
required to lay it down in a sacrificial death!
Why was that?
He was teaching that men must die to the flesh if they
would live eternally.
Baptism is a public acknowledgement of this. It is a
demonstration on the part of the believer that the flesh profits
nothing, and that its desires must be denied, or modified, in
accordance with the will of God. He comes to the waters of baptism
with a consciousness of sins enlivened in him by his knowledge of
God's will and purpose; he passes under the water and his past sins
are "covered over," "washed away" or forgiven; he
rises therefrom a new creature in Christ Jesus; he commences a new
life with the realization that he can, through the Lord, derive
strength to conquer (Phil. 4: 13), and that he has access to the
Father for the forgiveness of sins. He now lives in communion with
God, and in constant awareness of Him.
A Covering In Christ
The vital need of baptism is illustrated by the record
of what took place when sin first entered the world. At that moment of
disgrace and fear, Adam and Eve recognized their nakedness, and
attempted to provide a man-made device to hide it (Gen. 3:7). Now
nakedness is representative of a state of sin (Rev. 16:15), and God
deemed that their man-made covering was insufficient to blot out sin.
He therefore stripped them of it, and provided a covering of His own,
from a lamb slain for that purpose (Gen. 3:21). That was "the
lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8),
foreshadowing "the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the
world" (John 1:29), even Christ Jesus.
As Adam and Eve were covered with the covering
provided by God, so we must "put on" Christ. Baptism is the
means divinely appointed:
"Ye are all the children of God by faith in
Christ Jesus. For AS MANY OF YOU as have been baptized into Christ
have put on Christ . . . " (Gal. 3:26).
Paul limited those "in Christ" to "as
many of you as have been baptized." That indicates the importance
of the ordinance. A person "in Christ" has a mediator
through whom he can approach God in prayer (1 Tim. 2:5), and continue
to receive forgiveness of sins (1 John 1:9). As this is only
efficacious when sought "in Christ's name" (John 14:13), and
as we can only take on Christ's name through baptism, so baptism is
absolutely essential to salvation.
A believer who refuses baptism is like Adam after
transgression - naked in sin; a person who has been sprinkled, or
immersed, but not Scripturally baptized, is like Adam with his
fig-leaf device - unacceptable to God; a man of faith who has been
baptized properly is like Adam when his nakedness had been covered by
God - elevated to a condition of favor by having his sins forgiven.
Baptism into Christ, therefore, accomplishes three
things:
-
It provides a cover which blots out past sins by
forgiveness;
-
It inducts one into Christ Jesus providing a basis
of fellowship with God;
-
It provides a means of access to the divine throne
of mercy ensuring the continued forgiveness of sins after baptism,
when such are confessed and forsaken.
The baptismal formula given in Matthew 28:19 expresses
a beautiful truth which the believer must try and transmit into
action. It is: "Baptize in (or into) the Name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
The Name of the Father was revealed by the Son in that
he manifested divine characteristics (see John 17:6, 11, 26). This was
through strength derived from the power of the Spirit by which he was
begotten (Luke 1:35), and which directed his mind towards the Word
(Isaiah 11:1-2). Thus the Name of the Father was manifested by the Son
through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is by the Spirit Word that
the believer is empowered to spiritual life (John 6:63). God was
manifested in Christ to the fullest extent, so that in thought, word
and deed, he reflected the will of his Father. That ideal now is set
before us (Acts 15:14, 1 Thess. 1:1) though, through weakness, we
never attain unto it fully.
Were All Baptized?
In refutation of our claim that baptism is essential
for salvation, it is sometimes urged that the repentant thief upon the
cross received assurance of forgiveness without having been baptized
(Luke 23:39-43).
That, however, can only be urged on the grounds that
his baptism is not specifically stated.
Are we to infer, therefore, that he was not baptized?
Far from it.
It is recorded that vast crowds were baptized by John
and even greater numbers by the disciples of the Lord (Matt. 3:5-6,
John 4:1-2). It is also obvious that the thief had heard of Jesus
before he was impaled upon the cross, and, doubtless, had been
previously baptized. His crime was probably a minor one, if it was not
a complete miscarriage of justice as in the case of Jesus.
Was the baptism of John valid in such a case?
Certainly it was if the one baptized "believed on him which
should come after him, that is on Christ Jesus" (Acts 19:4).
John's baptism was remarkable, not because baptism then was something
new, but because he called upon Israelites to be baptized. Actually,
all Israel had been nationally baptized "into Moses" by the
people passing through the waters of the Red Sea when escaping from
Egypt (1 Cor. 10:2). Thenceafter, a believing Gentile, desiring to
embrace the hope of Israel, was required to be baptized.
But John called upon Jews to be baptized
"believing in him who would come after him, that is on Christ
Jesus" (Acts 19:4). His baptism was anticipatory of that
accomplished through Christ's offering; whereas baptism today is
commemorative of it. Both are valid according to their times and
circumstances.
A Change Of Allegiance
In Romans 6, Paul shows that man is naturally under
the dominance of what he calls "sin" (a metonymy for the
flesh with its lusts), and he personifies it as a Monarch reigning
over the sphere of death (Rom. 5:21). Opposed to this Monarch is
another Ruler, which he styles Grace (or divine favor) which reigns
through righteousness (or justification) unto eternal life by Jesus
Christ.
He stresses the urgency that we should change our
allegiance from King Sin to King Favor; for the wage of the former is
death, whereas the gift of the latter is life eternal through Jesus
Christ (Rom. 6:23).
Baptism, the first act of obedience, is the means
provided for us to change our allegiance. Paul describes the act as
"obeying from the heart that form of doctrine delivered unto
you" (Rom. 6:17). Baptism is an outward manifestation of an
inward knowledge and cleansing of the intellect, and through it, the
believer crosses over from the path of death to that of life.
Paul makes the appeal:
"Let not sin (the flesh with its unbridled
desires) reign (as a king) in your mortal body, that ye should obey it
in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments
(lit. weapons - see margin) of unrighteousness unto (King) Sin; but
yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and
your members as instruments (weapons) of righteousness unto God"
(Rom. 6:12-13).
This is a telling figure of speech. The Apostle is
showing, that under normal conditions, mankind uses the attributes of
the body - thought, sight, speech, feeling and so forth, as weapons of
unrighteousness in the cause of King Sin, by fulfilling the desires of
the flesh; but having changed allegiance to Christ, those same weapons
can be used in a warfare in his service.
Later, in the same chapter (cp. vv.16-18), he changes
the analogy. He contrasts Sin (the flesh with its lusts) and
Righteousness as two slave-owners to whom people are in servitude:
they are either serving Self or God!
By obeying the demands of the flesh irrespective as to
the will of God, men show that they are servants (Greek bond-slaves)
to it; but in the death of Jesus, God paid the price of release, and
those who submit to baptism are represented as having been purchased
by God from the slave-owner Sin (1 Cor. 7:23; 6:20).
The flesh pays wages (what a person earns), and that
is death; but God offers the gift of life eternal (Rom. 6:23). It is a
gift for we cannot earn it. But though we cannot earn it in the sense
that we cannot pay the price commensurate to its value, God has set
down conditions upon which alone His gift will be made. They
constitute the three steps to salvation: belief, baptism, obedience.
A person Scripturally baptized is purchased by the
blood of Christ (I Pet. 1: 18-9), and therefore obligated to fulfil
his will. Paul wrote:
"But now being made free from sin (the
slave-owner), and become servants (slaves) to God, ye have your fruit
unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord" (Rom. 6:22-23).
A slave of Sin (the flesh with its lusts) is one who
obeys its will, and is governed by its thought-promptings. He believes
the flesh which tells him that it is not necessary for salvation to
come to a proper understanding of the purpose of God and submit to
baptism.
On the other hand, a servant or slave of God is one
who seeks to understand and obey Him. He will heed the message of
Jesus Christ to "believe the Gospel and be baptized," and in
doing so will demonstrate that he, like Jesus, is ready to subordinate
his own will to that of the Father in heaven.
Save Yourself From This Untoward Generation
God asks so little of us, but gives so much in return.
Of that little, he requires of us that we understand and believe the
Gospel, and submitting to baptism, commence a new life of service unto
Him.
The reward for so doing is life eternal upon earth at
Christ's coming. The signs of fulfilling prophecy indicate that that
time is near at hand. A crisis is impending that will sweep present
civilization into oblivion, and replace it with the Kingdom of God.
Then God will reward with life eternal those who have
obeyed His will.
Jesus warned of these days of crisis. He declared:
"As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of
the Son of Man" (Matt. 24:37). The days of Noah (Gen. 6) were
noted for widespread rejection of divine principles, for increasing
violence and immorality. Similar conditions exist today. Moreover, as
in the days of Noah so today: men are indifferent to the impending
crisis and appeal of God, and but few are prepared to heed the Word,
and by a sane approach to its requirements, place themselves and their
families in the way to salvation.
At the direction of God, Noah built an ark of refuge
in which he and his family sheltered. The Scripture likens this to
baptism:
"The long suffering of God waited in the days of
Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is eight souls
were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also
now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh -- i.e. it
does not change us physically, we still sin! -- but the answer of a
good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ"
(1 Pet. 3:20-21).
The water saved Noah because it lifted him in the ark
high above the destruction that swept the world of the ungodly at that
time. That is true also of baptism into Christ. It will help to save
us in a time of crisis. Christ is to return to this earth to rid it of
wickedness, at which time we shall obtain salvation, if we are found
sheltering in the ark that he provides.
Baptism is the divinely appointed means of entrance
into that symbolic "ark of refuge."
When the people on the day of Pentecost asked the
Apostle what they should do in view of his preaching of the Gospel,
Peter replied: "SAVE YOURSELVES from this untoward
generation" (Acts 2:40). More, he showed them how to do it: by
believing the Gospel of repentance, and being "baptized for the
remission of sins" (v.38).
We appeal to you, dear reader, to carefully consider
the advice of Peter and act upon it.