Baptism
Scripture Reading: Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:20-21; Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:12
Salvation – Song
Salvation
1.Salvation is knowing a person
A Friend like no other is He.
When He touches lives they are quickened,
The Word because flesh just for me.
Refrain
We’re saved when we come to the savior,
We’re saved when we cling to His Grace.
We’re saved when we trust His Provision,
We’re saved at a time and a place.
We’re saved when we know He has heard us.
We’re saved when our guilt He’ll erase.
We’re saved when His Spirit has entered.
We’re saved when we look on His Face.
2. Salvation is having provision.
His blood paid the debt long ago.
He freely gives justification.
He’s building my mansion I know.
Refrain
We’re saved when we come to the savior,
We’re saved when we cling to His Grace.
We’re saved when we trust His Provision,
We’re saved at a time and a place.
We’re saved when we know He has heard us.
We’re saved when our guilt He’ll erase.
We’re saved when His Spirit has entered.
We’re saved when we look on His Face.
3. Salvation is being God’s partner.
We tell the whole world of His love.
He walks with us through our dark valleys.
He prays to our Father above.
Refrain
We’re saved when we come to the savior,
We’re saved when we cling to His Grace.
We’re saved when we trust His Provision,
We’re saved at a time and a place.
We’re saved when we know He has heard us.
We’re saved when our guilt He’ll erase.
We’re saved when His Spirit has entered.
We’re saved when we look on His Face.
I. What baptism does for a person – the other side of
Salvation.
Mark 16:15-16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (16) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. This is instructions that Jesus gave his apostles to determine who really got saved and who did not. It was always a public testimony that symbolized the commitment to God of a true believer.
It started with John the Baptist who preached the baptism of repentance. He put it this way, “Matthew 3:1-12 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, (2) And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (3) For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (4) And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. (5) Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, (6) And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. (7) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (8) Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: (9) And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. (10) And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (11) I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: (12) Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
And this is what is said in the book of Mark about John the Baptist – “Mark 1:1-5 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; (2) As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. (3) The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (4) John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. (5) And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.”
In the book of Luke it says this about John the Baptist – “Luke 3:2-18 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. (3) And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; (4) As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (5) Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; (6) And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (7) Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (8) Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. (9) And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (10) And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? (11) He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. (12) Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? (13) And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. (14) And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. (15) And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; (16) John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: (17) Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. (18) And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.
Billy Graham in his revivals preached a similar message telling people that when they come to Jesus they should do it PUBLICALLY making a commitment while repenting of their sins and committing their lives to Jesus as Lord and master. He does not baptize all of those who come the the principal is the same as what John the Baptist preached.
A. Baptism symbolizing a man repenting before the whole world.
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. It is not an instruction of how to be saved given to lost sinners but instructions given to the Apostles, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” Some religions attempt to make this an instruction to lost sinners about how to be saved, Catholics and Church of Christ make this mistake when it is only an open sign of true faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior by following him who gave the example of being baptized as an example for all to see, not that he was repenting of sins but showing the world what the sign of separation from the world was all about. In Matthew it says this: “Matthew 3:13-17 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. (14) But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? (15) And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. (16) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: (17) And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
1. Salvation being a deliverance from the world
Let us now pay attention to the meaning of the word salvation in the Bible. What is a person being saved from? According to the Bible, a man is saved from the world system as he is being saved from Hell. The meaning of salvation is tied closely to separation from the worldly system which we will see later.
Let us consider man’s condition before God. Today man does not have to do anything to perish. I will not perish because I have killed someone, and I will not be saved from hell because I have not killed someone. The fact is that the whole world is perishing. From among the perishing ones, God has pulled us out and saved us. The whole world is perishing corporately, but God is saving men one by one, individually. God does not catch all the fish from the sea and then separate the good from the bad, assigning some to salvation while destining others to perdition. All the fish in the sea are perishing. Those which are caught by God are saved and separated from the rest that remain in the sea (world).
Hence, the matter of salvation salvation has a dual meaning whether or not you have believed and has to do with your location. If you are in the boat, you are considered saved. If you are still in the sea, you have no testimony, you made nothing public. . You may not have done anything evil, but as long as you are in the considered part of the world, they consider you as no different than them. It does not matter whether you are good or bad, a gentleman or a villain. It does not matter whether or not you live by your conscience. As long as you are still recognized as part of the world, you have no testimony If you have not left that place, you are viewed by all as being in a position that is condemned by God.
2. The Salvation of baptism being a matter of position
Because Adam sinned and became a sinner, all men became sinners. Man need not sin to be qualified as a sinner. All have become sinners through one man’s sin. Today God has saved you from among many men. If you are still considered to be on the world’s side, no matter what kind of person you are, you are seem opposed to God, as if you are God’s enemy. Your position is wrong; it is a position of those who are opposed to God and are heading for hell. Even Jesus was baptized as an example showing us the perfet way of testimony. No one should be satisfied to be still considered part of the world when they could be identified with the Body of Christ, following His example.
The word salvation has been used freely among us and with much confusion. There is a distinction between salvation and obtaining eternal life. Obtaining eternal life is a personal matter, but the testimony of salvation is a matter not only of receiving the eternal life personally but also of coming out from a wrong corporate body as a public testimony. Brothers and sisters, are you clear about this distinction? Receiving eternal life is a personal matter. The whole matter of Salvation, however, is not just a personal matter; it has to do with the corporate body to which you formerly belonged.
Salvation includes coming out of one corporate body into another. The receiving of eternal life speaks of what one has entered into; it does not speak of what one has come out of. Salvation includes both a coming out of and an entering in. Therefore, the scope of the testimony of salvation is wider than that of receiving eternal life. It includes being delivered from the world, that is, coming out of the world.
3. Four major facts concerning the world before God
There are four major facts concerning the world as shown in the Bible: (1) The world is condemned in the eyes of God, (2) the world lies in the evil one, (3) the world has crucified the Lord Jesus, and (4) the world is at enmity with God; it is God’s enemy. These are the four major facts concerning the world before God. As long as a person is considered in the world, he is considered part of a world that is condemned and will perish regardless of his conduct.
Please remember that the salvation of men is not only a matter of personal conduct. They are wrong because their position is wrong. We know that it is not easy to be delivered from the world. How can I forsake the world if it is still attractive to me? However, when I realize that the world is in a wrong position with respect to God, I will have to forsake it no matter how lovely it may be to me. Hence, salvation is not just a matter of our personal conduct. The corporate body to which we have belonged is wrong. We need to be saved from by having our relationship with and our position in the world changed to that of those who are saved..
When the Jews tried to do away with the Lord Jesus, they cried, “His blood be upon us and upon our children!” (Matt. 27:25). Although we are not the ones who killed the Lord Jesus, our forefathers did. Even though we did not commit the act, the corporate body to which we used to belong did. The corporate body to which we used to belong is an enemy of God and is condemned to perish. Whether we are right or wrong individually is another matter. I hope you can see not only that we are sinners individually and need to be saved individually, but that we also used to belong to a corporate body which is wrong. The world to which we were a part is God’s enemy. The world we were in is condemned by God. We need to be delivered from that relationship and that position.
4. Salvation in this instance being to come out of the world
What is salvation? ‘This baptism side of Salvation is a symbolic deliverance from a certain corporate body. It is a deliverance from a certain position and certain relationships. In other words, it means to come out of the world. Most people pay much attention to their personal salvation, but the question before us is what are they saved from. The salvation highlighted in the Bible involves being saved from the world, as well as from hell. The world as a whole is condemned by God.
There is no doubt that he who believes has eternal life. We have been preaching this for many years. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, ” For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast. (10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Once a person believes in the Lord Jesus, he has eternal life and is saved forever. All problems are solved. But please remember that if a person believes but is not baptized, he is still not considered saved before the world. Indeed, you may have believed and you may have eternal life, but are you saved in the eyes of the world? If you are not baptized, you are not saved in their eyes, because no one knows that you are different. You must rise up and be baptized, publicly declaring that you have terminated your relationship with the world. Only then will you be condidered saved.
5. Believing being on the positive side, and baptism being on the negative side – see my song on Salvation above.
What then is baptism? Baptism is a deliverance. Believing is on the positive side and baptism is on the negative side. Baptism delivers you out of that corporate body. Many people in the world may say that you are one of them. But the moment you are baptized, they should realize you are finished. The one whom they have known for years is now saved and baptized. Your friendship with them is terminated. You are in the tomb; you have reached the end of your road. You already know that you have eternal life. Now that you are baptized, you are saved publicly. From now on, everyone knows that you are the Lord’s and that you belong to Him.
The instructions to the Apostles were, “He who believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” This is true because once a person believes and is baptized, everyone will know where he stands. Without believing, there is no inward reality, and what one does will be nothing but an outward display. With believing, there is inward reality, and if one takes a further step to be baptized, he will be separated from the world, having terminated his relationship with it. Baptism is a separation. It separates us from others.
Jesus told the Apostles, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” The Lord Jesus’ word is quite clear. It goes on by saying, “he that believeth not shall be damned. ” Unbelief alone is sufficient for condemnation. As long as a person belongs to that corporate body, his unbelief is sufficient for condemnation. Jesus said this, “John 3:18-19 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (19) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” But if one has believed, he still needs to be baptized. If he is not baptized, he still has not made an exit publicly.
6. A very amazing thing in the world
A very amazing thing in the world today is the attitude of Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam toward baptism.
Any Jew who embraces the Christian faith in secret will not be persecuted. Many Jews believe in the historical record concerning the Lord Jesus. Their greatest hurdle is not in believing in Him but in baptism. Once they are baptized, they are cast out. Some sisters were poisoned by their fiancé after they were baptized. Such things happen even in civilized communities like London and New York. It is all right for a person to believe in his heart, but once he is baptized, others will persecute him.
In India, no one will do anything to a believer if he is not baptized. But once he is baptized, they will cast him out. It is all right for one to believe in the Lord, but he cannot be baptized.
The reaction of the Muslims is more violent. Someone once said that it is difficult for a Muslim believer to remain alive. As soon as he believes, he will die. Dr. Swema is the first person who succeeded in working among the Muslims. He said, “My work will never grow, because once a person believes in the Lord, he has to be sent away immediately. Otherwise, he will die within two or three days after his baptism.” This condition is prevalent even among Muslims today.
Baptism is an open declaration that one has come out. “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.” We should never consider the salvation here to mean a personal salvation of the spirit. In the Bible, salvation signifies a deliverance from the world, as ell as deliverance from hell.
B. Baptism being for the forgiveness of sins
On the day of Pentecost, the apostles told the Jews, “Acts 2:38-39 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. (39) For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Some Christians have difficulty accepting this verse. But this verse is the plain word of the apostles. “Be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” It is strange that the emphasis of the apostle’s word is not upon faith but upon baptism.
Was the focus of Peter’s message in Acts 2 on persuading men to believe? No. Does this mean that Peter’s preaching was inferior to ours? The Bible tells us that the most crucial thing concerning salvation is faith. How could Peter have left this out? Perhaps he could ignore other doctrines in his message, but how could he not speak about faith? Nevertheless, he did not speak about it. Instead, he spoke about baptism, and the Holy Spirit pricked the heart of those who listened. What about us? We say that faith alone is enough but faith needs to be public. Is what he said unorthodox? Yet Peter said, “baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.”
Peter spoke only of baptism because those who listened to him were the ones who had killed the Lord Jesus. Fifty days prior to that, they were crying, “Take this man away.” These were the same people who were shouting and crying in Jerusalem. Now they needed to be separated from the rest of the Jews. This is why it was not necessary to speak to them about believing. They only needed to be baptized as a public testimony of their repentance. That would be sufficient for them to get out. As soon as they were baptized, their relationship with that corporate body would be terminated. As soon as they were baptized, they would leave that corporate body and their sins would be washed away because they had repented as John the Baptist had preached. They would no longer be part of that corporate body; they would be out of it. This is why Peter said, “Be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” The act of baptism brought them out, it actually showed their faith. As soon as they came out, all problems were solved.
We need to realize that we were originally in the world and that we were an enemy of God. Since we have come out, we are saved. We need to confess before God and before men that we have come out and have nothing to do with that corporate body. You are through with it. “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.” This was the main teaching on the day of Pentecost. At this point our minds need to be directed by God’s Word, the whole Word of God.
C. Baptism being for the washing away of sins
Let us consider the case of Paul. Ananias came to Paul and said to him, “Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
Paul was the foremost and greatest teacher, prophet, and apostle of Christianity. Was there a little error in his experience? Sometimes we preach the right doctrines but have the wrong experience. What would happen when we gave our testimony? What would happen if others did the same thing we do? The testimony of a teacher is very important because it may mislead others. Could it be that the experience of the foremost teacher of Christianity was wrong?
“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Please take note of this verse. It says that baptism symbolically can wash away one’s sins. The Catholics quote this verse and regard it as a personal matter before God. The error of Catholicism lies in saying, “If you are baptized, your sins will be washed away.” Therefore, they claim that a death-bed baptism can wash away sins. They do not realize that the significance of this matter is not before God but before the world.
Formerly, Paul was a man in the world. After he had believed in the Lord Jesus and had seen Him, he needed to rise up and be baptized. The moment he was baptized, his sins were washed away symbolically. The moment he severed his relationship with the world and those who persecuted Jesus, his sins were gone. If you are a Christian secretly and are not baptized, the world may still consider you as one of them. You may say that you are saved, but the world will not admit it. You may say that you have believed in the Lord Jesus, but they will say that they have not seen it. Once you get into the water, they will see it; they will know that you have believed in Jesus. Otherwise, why should a person be so foolish as to get into the water? The moment you are baptized, you are freed from the world system symbolically. Water baptism is a severance of one’s relationship with the world.
If a person believes in his heart but does not have any outward gesture no publ;ic testimony, the world will still consider him to be part of it. For instance, in Kuling of Fukien (China) there is a strong tradition of idol worship every fall; everyone is required to donate some money. If a person merely says that he has believed in the Lord, others will not believe him. But the moment he is baptized, they will know that he is no longer one of them. Therefore, baptism is the best way to free oneself from the world symbolically. If you want to be freed from the world, you must be baptized. You must tell the world, “My relationship with you is over.” By doing this, you come out of the world.
Baptism is an open testimony, and we should not be afraid to let others witness it. Unbelievers can also be present during our baptism. Recently, when Christians baptized some people in Foochow (China), a brother said, “We do not like to conduct the baptism meeting in such a messy way. There were too many spectators.” If this is the case, John the Baptist would have to learn from this brother because John conducted baptisms that were not that orderly they were very putlic. Even the baptisms of the three thousand on the day of Pentecost were not that orderly. The issue is not whether a meeting is orderly. Of course, it is not good to be disorderly. But all the brothers and sisters should know what we are doing. When we baptize someone, we should let the whole world witness what we are doing.
D. Baptism leading to salvation through water
The Scripture is consistent in its principles. First Peter 3:20-21 says, “1 Peter 3:20-21 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. (21) 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,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:” This verse shows us again that baptism Symbolizes salvation. The Lord Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” On the day of Pentecost, Peter said, “Be baptized…for the forgiveness of your sins.” Paul’s action shows us that when a person is baptized, his sins are washed away symbolically. They are not just forgiven, but washed away. This is because our sins are washed away publicly when we sever our relationship with the world. Here, the word in 1 Peter also shows us that we are saved symbolically through water. Therefore, baptism leads to the testimony salvation through water. Yet Paul says, “1 Corinthians 1:13-17 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? (14) I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; (15) Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. (16) And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. (17) For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”
Those who cannot pass the test of water are not saved from the world symbolically. A person who cannot pass through water drowns. During Noah’s time, everyone was baptized, but only eight souls came out. All the people were baptized and immersed in the water, but only eight souls emerged from it. In other words, the water became the water of death to some, but to others it was the water of salvation because they were in the ark like we are in Christ. Others go into the water and remain there, but we pass through the water and emerge from it. There is something positive in Peter’s word. When the flood came, everyone drowned. Only the eight souls in the ark, whom the water could not overcome, emerged from it. While the rest perished, these eight souls were saved. Today the whole world is under the wrath of God. For one to be baptized today means that he goes through God’s wrath. But he does not only go through it; he comes out of it. His emergence from it shows that he is one who has come out. This is baptism.
Baptism is being immersed on one side and emerging out of water on the other side. Baptism means passing through and emerging from the water. You must emphasize the aspect of “emergence.” Everyone went into the water, but only the eight souls came out. Today we are saved through through the symbolism baptism. What does this mean? When I am baptized, I do not go into the water and remain there. Rather, I enter into the water and emerge from it. If you have never believed in the Lord Jesus, your baptism will not result in an emergence. Today my going into the water and coming out of it means that I am different from you. I can come out from the world through the water. I testify to others that I am different from the world.
E. Baptism freeing us from the world
The above four portions of the Scripture clearly show us what baptism is. Once we are baptized, we are freed symbolically from the world. We do not need years to be freed from the world. The first thing for a new believer to do is to be baptized. You must see the position of the world before God. You have renounced your former position in the world. This is complete salvation. You must put off the world completely. From now on, you are no longer a part of the world; you are on the other side.
Once we believe in the Lord, we should realize that we are no longer a part of the world. Our baptism is a sign that we are freed from the world. Through baptism we assume a different role. Henceforth, we abide in the ark and are persons on the other side. We can tell others that we do not do certain things because we have believed in Jesus. But, even more, we can tell others that we do not do them because we are baptized publicly. We have crossed the bridge; we are on the other side.
Today we must recover the place of baptism before God. What is the meaning of baptism? Baptism means to symbolically come out of the world. It is a step which we take to free ourselves from the world. Our baptism is a declaration to others that we are out. This is like the words of a hymn which say, “Then the grave, with dear ones weeping, / Knowing that all life has fled” (Hymns, #628). Our dear ones know that we are finished and that we have come to the end of our road. We are through. Only this kind of baptism is effective. If this is not our realization, our baptism is too light and insubstantial. We must realize that we have been freed from the old circle and have come out of it. Eternal life is something that our spirit gains before God, but salvation is an act of our separation from the world.
II. The significance of baptism
Everyone who is already baptized needs to look back and consider the meaning of baptism. Even if you were baptized ten or twenty years ago, you still need to review this matter. We should always remember the verse which says, “Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” This verse is spoken in retrospect, not as a forethought.
The verses in Mark 16, Acts 2, Acts 22, and 1 Peter 3 are for those who have not yet been baptized, whereas the verses in Romans 6 and Colossians 2 are for those who have been baptized. They address those who have been baptized already. God is telling them, “Romans 6:3-4 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? (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.”
Romans 6 emphasizes death and burial even though it also speaks of resurrection. Colossians 2 is more advanced; it emphasizes burial and resurrection, with resurrection as the focus. The emphasis of Romans 6 is death: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? ” The main point here is death. We should die together with Christ. Romans 6 is on death and burial, whereas Colossians 2 is on burial and resurrection “Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”
The water of baptism typifies the tomb. Today, when we put a person into the water, it is as if we are burying him in the ground. When we raise him up from the water, it is equivalent to raising him up from the tomb. Before one can be buried, he must first be dead. You cannot bury a living person. If a person rises up again after he is buried, this is surely resurrection. The first part of this truth is found in Romans, and the second part of this truth is found in Colossians.
A. A great gospel — I am dead
When the Lord Jesus was crucified, He carried us along with Him to the cross; we were crucified there as well. In the eyes of God, He has terminated us. What do you think of yourself? You may say, “I am a terrible person to deal with!” Those who do not know themselves do not realize how impossible they are. A person who knows God and who knows himself will say, “I am an impossible person.”
When we were heavy-laden with sin, we heard of the death of the Lord Jesus. This is the gospel. Then we saw that we were beyond all hope and that we were dead. This is also the gospel. Thank God, this is the gospel! The Lord’s death has included all of us. We are dead in Christ. This is a great gospel! Just as the Lord’s death is a great gospel, our own death is also a great gospel. Just as the Lord’s death is a joyful matter, our own death is also a joyful matter. What should be the first thought that comes to our mind when we hear that our Lord has died? We should be like Joseph of Arimathea; we should bury Him. Similarly, when we hear that we are dead, the first thing that we should do is to bury ourselves, because burial is the first thing that follows death. Death is not the end. We are already dead in Christ; therefore, the first thing we need to do is bury ourselves.
B. Having died and risen
Brothers, when we step into the water of baptism or when we look back after being believers for many years, we must remember that we are already dead. We allowed others to bury us because we believed that we were already dead. If our heart is still beating and we are still breathing, we cannot be buried. In order to be buried, we must be dead.
When the Lord was crucified, we were crucified too. We allowed others to put us into the water because we believed that we had died. The Lord Jesus has resurrected; He has put His resurrection power within us. Now we are regenerated through this power. This resurrection power operates within us and causes us to be resurrected. This is why we rose from the water. We are no longer our former self; we are now resurrected persons. Today, we must always remind ourselves of this matter. When we went into the water, we believed that we died and needed to be buried. When we came up from the water, we believed that we had newness of life. Now we are on the side of resurrection. Death is on the other side, but resurrection is on this side.
C. I am in Christ
Once I saw a headline in the newspaper which read, “One Person, Three Lives.” The article was about a pregnant woman who had been murdered. After the woman died, it became known that she was pregnant with twins. Hence, the headline read, “One Person, Three Lives.” Please note that concerning the Lord, it is, “One Person, Millions of Lives.” This is why the Bible repeatedly emphasizes the words in Christ. In the murder spoken of above, the murderer apparently killed only the mother; he did not kill the two children. However, because the two children were in their mother’s womb, they died when their mother died. Likewise, since we are in Christ, when Christ died, we died in Him.
God has put us into Christ Jesus. This is the revelation in 1 Corinthians 1:30: “Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus.” Since Christ has died, we are all dead. The basis for our co-death with Christ is our being in Christ. If we do not know what being in Christ means, we will not understand what dying with Him means either. How could the children die with their mother? They died because they were in their mother’s womb. The analogy in the spiritual realm is even more real. God has joined us to Christ. When Christ died, we died also.
As soon as this gospel is preached to us, we should learn to look from God’s viewpoint and acknowledge that we have died in the Lord. We have died because we believed this to be a fact. We have been buried in the water and have come out of it. We declare that we are on this side of the tomb. This is resurrection. Reckoning in Romans 6 involves both reckoning oneself dead in Christ Jesus and reckoning oneself alive in Him as well.
Brothers and sisters, I hope that you will take this way once you are saved. These are two separate thoughts. One thought comes before baptism, and the other comes after baptism. Before baptism we must see that we have already died and that we need to be buried. After baptism we must realize that we are in resurrection and that we can therefore serve God today.
What I found in studying this further is an astounding fact. The Dana and Mantey Greek Grammar of the New Testament had an interesting footnote in the definition of the word. It said, essentially, that to believe into or to be baptized into the name of Jesus Christ was to renounce ones self, selfishness and self-gratification, and consider ones self a life-time servant of Jesus Christ. Nothing is clearer by way of illustration than the testimony of Charles G. Finney in this respect. (See the illustration below) The circle on the right, in the illustration below, represents all that Christ stands for. When a person is regenerated, they pass from the left-hand to the right-hand circle. They are placing themselves in the hands of God, Jesus Christ specifically, by faith. When you view the chart you can picture in your mind all the things that we have been saying in this illustration, the attributes of selfishness on the left, and all the things that relate to disinterested benevolence are on the right. The left circle is the world of the unsaved; all things are viewed from a self-centered viewpoint. The right circle is a new world of knowing God through Jesus Christ. As Charles Finney indicated, there are baptisms of love that no one can describe that come over a new Christian. He can never be the same. His position has changed. He has moved from the left, sometimes without even realizing it, over to the right. The left feels most uncomfortable now and the right seems most peaceful and tranquil. On the left a person feels that his life is owned by himself; on the right the person feels that his life is owned now by God. On the left the person has self as lord; on the right, Christ is now Lord with no problem. Some seem to cringe at the term “Lordship Salvation” but that is precisely what happens whether there is conscious thought of it or not. A new Christian is slain by the Love of God and He is Lord of the heart by that same love. The truth is that regeneration is a drastic change, it is being born again. The position has changed, as far as the perspective that one has concerning his place in the world and in his place in his relationship to God. That is just a fact of regeneration that cannot be denied, it is a fact that cannot be otherwise if a person comes to know God. Is it any wonder that the moral law has this, knowing God, as the number one goal of every human being and of every being in the universe? There is nothing that can substitute for the thrill and yet the peace and contentment that comes from having a personal relationship with the God of love, the lover of our souls. So as we have said below, there is a part that the sinner plays, as Charles Finney testifies in his book, and there is a part that God plays as well. It has happened to all that have come to know God, their perspective is altered in such a way that they can never return to the old life. Truly old things have passed away and all things have become new. Here is a list of things below from the Bible that show conditions that existed in the left circle and what they are changed to in the right circle:
THE LAW THAT EVEN GOD CAN’T CHANGE – MORAL LAW
| Unsaved/Selfish | Saved/Benevolence |
| Owned by me Genesis 3:1-6 | Owned by God I Corinthians 6:19,20 |
| Self the lord Psalm 49:18; 81:12; Proverbs 14:12; Zechariah 7:6; Matthew 19:21; II Corinthians 5:15; Philippians 2:21; II Timothy 3:2-4 | Christ the Lord Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:17; Psalms 2:6; 24:8; Isaiah 6:1; 11:10 33:17; 40:10; Jeremiah 23:5,6; 30:9; Daniel 7:13,14; Micah 5:2; Zechariah 9:9,10; Matthew 2:2,6; Matthew 12:6; 19:28; 21:5; 26:64; 28:18; Luke 2:11; 10:22; 23:42; John 1:49; 3:31; 12:13; 18:36,37; Acts 3:15; 5:31; 10:36; Romans 5:9; 14:9; I Corinthians 15:23-28; Ephesians 1:19-22; Philippians 2:9-11; I Timothy 6:15,16; II Timothy 4:8; Hebrews 2:7,8; I Peter 3:22 |
| In the World Ephesians 2:12; II Peter 1:4; I John 2:15,16; 4:3-5; 5:4,5; 5:19; | In Christ Jesus Romans 3:24; 8:1,2; 8:39; I Corinthians 1:30; 3:11; 4:15; 15:22; II Corinthians 2:14; 5:17; Galatians 2:4; 3:26; 3:28; 6:15; Ephesians 1:1-3,10; 2:6; 2:8-10; 2:13; 3:11; Philippians 2:5; 3:3; 3:9; 3:14; Colossians 1:28; 2:6; I Thessalonians 4:16; 5:18; I Timothy 1:14; II Timothy 1:1; II Timothy 1:9; 1:13; 2:1; 2:10; 3:12; 3:15; Phileman 1:6; I John 5:20. |
| Servant of sin Romans 6:17,20 | Servant of Righteousness Romans 6:18 |
| Walk in the flesh Romans 8:12,13; Galatians 6:8 | Walk in the Spirit Galatians 5:16,25 |
| Lost Matthew 18:11; Luke 15:4-9,24; 19:10; John 17:12; II Corinthians 4:3,4 | Saved Matthew 10:22; 19:25; 24:13; Mark 16:16; Luke 7:50; Luke 8:12; John 3:17; 5:34; 10:9; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30,31; Romans 5:9,10; 8:24; 10:9,10,13; I Corinthians 1:18; 3:15; 5:5; 15:1-6; Ephesians 2:5-10; II Thessalonians 2:10; I Timothy 2:4; II Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5; I Peter 3:20,21; I Peter 4:18; |
| Dead in Sin Ephesians 2:1,5; | Dead to Sin I Peter 2:24: Romans 6; Galatians 2:20 |
| Love the World I John 2:15 | Love the Lord Deuteronomy 6:5; 11:13; 30:6,10; Psalms 97:10; 116:1; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27 |
| Sin is the Master Jeremiah 17:1-3; Ezekiel 3:20,21; John 8:34; 9:41; Romans 3:9; Romans 6:12,16,17,20; 7:17; I Corinthians 15:56; Galatians 2:17; II Peter 2:14; I John 3:8,9 | Christ is the Master Matthew 10:24,25; 23:8-10; Mark 13:35; Luke 13:25; 14:21; John 13:13,14; Romans 14:4; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1; II Timothy 2:21 |
| Yoke of sin Leviticus 26:13; Deuteronomy 28:48; Isaiah 10:27; 58:6-9; Ezekiel 34:27; Hosea 11:4; Galatians 5:1; | Christ’s Yoke is Easy Matthew 11:28-30 |
| Eternal death Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:46; I John 3:15; | Eternal Life Daniel 12:2; Matthew 19:29; 25:46; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:18-23,30; John 3:15,16,36,; 4:14; 5:24; 6:40,47; 10:28; 12:25; 17:2,3; Acts 13:48; Romans 2:7; 5:21; 6:22,23; Galatians 6:8; I Timothy 6:12,19; Titus 1:2, 3:7; I John 1:2; 2:25; 3:15; 5:11-13; 5:20; Jude 1:21. |
| Reject Christ Mark 7:9 | Accept Christ John 1:11,12 |
| Hell the home Psalms 9:17; 16:10; 18:5; 55:15; 86:13; Proverbs 5:5; 7:27; 9:18; 15:11,24; 23:14; 27:20; Isaiah 5:14; 14:15; Matthew 5:22,29,20; 10:28; 18:9; 23:33; Mark 9:43-47; Luke 12:5; 16:23; Acts 2:27,31; II Peter 2:4; 20:13,14; 21:8 | Heaven the home Psalms 14:2; Matthew 4:17; 5:3,10,12,16,18,19,20,48; 6:20; 7:21; 10:7,32,33; 18:3,4,10,14,18; 19:14,21,23; 28:18; I Corinthians 15:47; II Corinthians 15:2; Ephesians 3:15; Philippians 2:10; 3:20; Colossians 1:5; I Thessalonians 1:10; 4:16,17; 9:24; 10:34; I Peter 1:4; 3:22; I John 5:7; Revelation 3:12; 4:1,2; 5:13; 11:19; 15:5; 21:1,2,3,10. |
| Spiritual death Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 18:20; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:6; Ephesians 4:18; James 1:15; James 5:20; Revelation 21:8 | Spiritual Life Matthew 7:14; Matthew 10:39; 16:25-26; 19:17; John 1:4; 3:15,16,36; 5:24,26,29,39,40; 6:27; 6:35,48; 6:63,68; 8:12; 10:10; 11:25; 12:25; 17:3; 20:31; Acts 5:20; 11:18; Romans 5:10; 5:18; 6:4; 8:2,6,10; II Corinthians 2:16; 3:6; 4:10,11,12; 5:4; Galatians 2:20; 3:21; 6:8; Colossians 3:3; II Timothy 1:1,10; James 1:12; II Peter 1:3; I John 1:1,2; 3:14; 5:12; |
| Spirit is dead Ephesians 2:1-10 | Spirit is alive by the Holy Spirit Romans 8:10; Ephesians 2:1-10 |
| No Holy Spirit Jude 1:19 | Holy Spirit indwells believer II Timothy 1:14; James 4:5; |
| Physical birth only John 1:13; 3:6 | Born Again of the Spirit of God John 1:13; 3:3; 3:5,-8 |
| Doing their own works Matthew 7:22,23; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:4,5 Hebrews 4:10 | Enter into HIS REST Exodus 33:14; Psalms 116:7; Isaiah 28:12; Matthew 11:28-30; Hebrews 4:1-9 |
| Self the motive Proverbs 16:26; Luke 12:19-20 | Christ and others the motive Matthew 22:27-40; Philippians 1:21,23-24 |
| Selfishness the mind set Proverbs 12:15; 20:6; Jeremiah 2:35; II Corinthians 10:12 | Agape love the mind set Matthew 22:27-40; John 13:35; 15:9,12,13; 21:15-17; I Corinthians 13; I Thessalonians 3:12; I Peter 1:22 |
| Works of the flesh Galatians 5:19-23 | Fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:16-18,25 |
| Man’s will is sovereign John 1:13; II Peter 1:21 | God’s will is sovereign Psalms 40:8; 143:10; Matthew 12:50; Ephesians 6:6 |
| Spiritually blind John 9:41 | Spiritual sight II Kings 6:17; Job 42:5; Matthew 5:8; John 14:19; 16:14,15; Hebrews 2:9; 11:27; |
| Unbelief Deuteronomy 32:20; Romans 3:3; | Faith and belief foundation Habakkuk 2:4; Matthew 8:10; 9:2,22,29; 15:29; 17:20; 21:21; Mark 5:34; 10:52; 11:22; Acts 3:16; 6:7; 14:9,22,27; 20:21; 26:18; Romans 1:5,8,17; 3:22,25,27-31; 4:5; 5:1,2; 10:6-13,17; I Corinthians 2:5; 15:1-17; 16:13; II Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 2:20; 3:11,24,25,26; 5:5,6,22,23; Ephesians 2:8,9; 3:12,17,18; 6:16; Philippians 3:9; Colossians 1:23; 2:12; I Timothy 6:12; II Timothy 3:15,16; Hebrews 4:2; 10:22,23,28; 11:1ff; |
| Draw back to perdition Hebrews 10:38,39 | Commitment to Christ Psalms 37:3,5; 118:8; Proverbs 3:5,6; Isaiah 26:4; 50:10; II Timothy 1:12; |
| Believe in the mind James 2:19,20 | Believe in the heart Deuteronomy 6:5; Proverbs 3:5,6; Jeremiah 29:13; Joel 2:12; Acts 8:37; Romans 10:9,10 |
| End and scope of life is self Proverbs 16:26; Luke 12:19-20 | End and scope of life is God Deuteronomy 6:5; Ecclesiastes 12:13 |
| Does not seek God with whole heart Ezekiel 33:9; Luke 14:18; Acts 24:25; 28:27; Hebrews 2:3; 12:25 | Seeks after God with whole heart Psalms 119:2; Proverbs 3:5,6; Jeremiah 29:13; Joel 2:12 |
| Sin unto death Romans 6:16 | Obedience unto righteousness Romans 6:16 |
| Love self Luke 12:19,20; 18:10-14 | Love God with all the heart Deuteronomy 6:5; Proverbs 3:5,6; Romans 8:28; I Corinthians 8:3; I John 4:20,21; 5:2,3; |
| Hate or compete with neighbor Matthew 25:41-46; Romans 13:10 | Love neighbor as self Matthew 5:44; 19:19; 22:29; 25:34-40; Mark 12:31,33; Luke 10:25-37; Romans 12:20; 13:9,10; 15:1; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8 |
| Hold truth in unrighteousness Romans 1:18ff | Hold truth in Word of God Psalms 119:72,127,162; Proverbs 23:23; John 1:1-3,14; 14:6; 18:37; Ephesians 4:25; 6:14 |
| Will chooses selfish goals Proverbs 18:2; Romans 3:23 | Will chooses glory of God John 11:40; Acts 7:55; Romans 5:2; I Corinthians 10:31; II Corinthians 1:20; 4:6; 4:15; Philippians 2:9-11, |
| Continue in sin Romans 6:1-7 | Dead unto sin Romans 6:1-7 |
| Old man is alive and well I Peter 4:2-6; II Peter 1:9,10 | Old man is crucified Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20; II Timothy 2:11 |
| Free from righteousness Romans 6:20 | Free from sin Romans 6:18,22 |
| Life of habitual sin I John 3:8 | Cannot habitually sin I John 3:9 |
| Living in continuous sin I John 3:8 | Occasional sin I John 2:1 |
| Save their life now but lose it at end Matthew 16:25,26 | Lose life now but save it in eternity Matthew 16:25,26 |
| Regret when they sin Luke 16:30-31; II Corinthians 7:10; Hebrews 12:17 | Repent from their sin Matthew 4:17; 9:13; Mark 1:15; 2:17; 6:12; Luke 5:32; 13:3-5; 15:7; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20; Romans 2:4; II Corinthians 7:10; II Timothy 2:25; II Peter 3:9 |
| Sorrow of the world (being caught) II Corinthians 7:10 | Godly sorrow (see sin as God sees it) II Corinthians 7:10 |
| Reject Christ as Lord & Savior Matthew 7:21; Luke 6:46; Hebrews 10:38 | Accept Christ in ALL THAT HE IS! Romans 10:13; I Corinthians 1:30,31 |
| Selfish love (lust) James 1:13-15 | Agape sacrificial love I Corinthians 13 |
| Gain the world Matthew 16:26 | Lose the World Matthew 16:26 |
| Lose their soul Matthew 16:26 | Save the Soul Matthew 16:26 |
The universal necessity of regeneration.
- As you can see by the diagram above it is necessary for salvation that a person moves from the left to the right. Regeneration must be coextensive with moral depravity. They are each opposite ends of the spectrum. It is not possible for a selfish person to be totally happy and peaceful and heaven could never be made up of people with that mindset or world view. None can deny that without holiness or benevolence no one could ever be truly happy. Without regeneration a person would never enjoy the employments or enjoyments of heaven. That is why the transformation must take place on this earth go give a person the mindset that all persons in heaven enjoy. We can actually have heaven on earth, as it were.
- The Bible tells about this necessity, regeneration by the Spirit of God. “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” (Galatians 6:15)