One Baptism

Introduction

Good morning. What a wonderful day the Lord hath made. Amen. Wanted to address something that was spoken of at the 9 o’clock hour. And Brother Adam did a wonderful job preaching about Isaiah and how he said, Here am I, send me. I think the congregation here would agree, and perhaps, amen, that we’re thankful that at the open opportunity we had here at this congregation that Brother Willingham raised his hand and said, Here am I, send me. Amen. Thankful for his work and his dedication to the gospel here. If you open your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 4, we’re going to see something that seems fundamental and yet has been a cause for much division amongst God’s people. If you look at Ephesians chapter 4, and you begin in verse 4.

Notice what Paul writes. And keep track with me of what it is he isolates. Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse 4. There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Brother Adam has done a wonderful job here. Brother Bob has done a wonderful job here. I have existed here. But the truth of the matter, the wonderful Almighty purpose in life is to serve the one God Almighty who is and was and will ever be an awesome God. And we agree on some of those points. In Ephesians chapter 4, notice what Paul isolates.

There is one body. We understand there is to be one body of followers of Christ, one body of Christians. There shouldn’t be division. There should be those who claim Jesus as Lord and they live it. There is one Spirit, one hope, one Lord. We take all these things for granted. We say, of course, there is one Lord. There is one. Everything. And of course, how does this verse end? There is one God and Father of all? Of course. We would look as Christians and say, there is one God. How can anyone disagree? But you know, there’s something in the middle there that just kind of sticks out like a sore thumb in today’s Christianity, doesn’t it? Look at verse 5 again. There is one Lord. Nope, that’s not our problem.

Numbers, the next one, one faith. Well, we agree there’s one faith. That’s not really a problem. One baptism. This morning I would like to talk about keys. I have before me my car keys, both to ensure that no one here takes them and to make the illustration. What do you do with the key? Well, you take a key and you insert it into a lock and it opens something. Now, the problem with keys are, as my wife found out this morning as she went home sick, that if you don’t have your key and the door is locked, you can’t get in. So graciously, she’s not just sitting around out there. My dad allowed her to go into their home right now, so rest assured. But we have keys in the gospel to coming to God, to coming to Christ.

We understand as people, we have an inherent problem, don’t we? It is sin. What’s the mess with sin? What’s the problem? It causes us. We deserve because of it death. And only Christ can save us from it. Only Christ’s blood, the perfect Lamb of God, had to be sacrificed. His blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins. We just remembered that as we partook of the body and the blood of Christ. But the question is, what key do we have to come into contact with that blood? How do we take advantage of the love of God? How do we serve him in a way that is faithful to him? And I tell you, the answer is really simple. Read his word. Do what he says, and understand from what he has revealed to us the purposes, the why, the hows.

And while that sounds simple. And it sounds good, doesn’t it? There’s so much division. Look around. There’s a church right over there. There are churches amongst the streets if you drive throughout Orlando. And on a lot of them they divide over the issue of baptism. And my question is, if baptism is so important, if it’s so fundamental that it’s included in the very list with one God and Father of all, one Lord, one faith, one body, why are we so confused? So this morning I’d like to take a step back and do two things. I’d like to examine common ideas of baptism and what Scripture reveals about them. And I’d like to look at what the purpose of baptism is, just separate and apart. So first I’d like to look at the purpose of baptism.

1. Baptizing in the Name of the Father, Son and Spirit

So open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 28. Notice a very fundamental point in Matthew chapter 28. In verse 19, Jesus reveals something important to his disciples, doesn’t he? And Matthew chapter 28, notice in verse 18, and Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations doing what? Look closely? Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Now notice the importance that I want to draw from this is when Jesus says you are to be baptized into what?

Into the name of the Father, of the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is a serious action. It’s not something we do, it’s not a punchline, it’s not a religious ceremony or act that men can vote on. It’s the Lord’s design. And who are we to mess with such a perfect design? One from our very loving God. You see, what’s important about Matthew chapter 28 and verse 19 is that we do things in accordance with the authority of the name of Jesus, the name of God, and in the name of the Spirit. We are to do things as He has told us. We are to take the key that He has given us and insert it into the correct lock. Because after all, if you go back to thinking about your key, you know, your key doesn’t actually work in other people’s locks most of the time, does it?

It has a specific function. What God has given us is a very specific set of tools, set of responsibilities that have a very certain outcome. They all end with one thing: obeying God’s commands. Taking the key that he has given us ends with being with our God forever. That’s the end. That’s the sum of this game. And so we want to make sure that we’re using not only the right key, but putting it into the right lock, taking advantage of the love and the sacrifice of Christ that he has made for us. And so we understand that baptism is to be done in the name of the Father and the Son of the Holy Spirit. And you say, Greg, of course. I know that there’s no real division over that, that it’s something that we should do, that it’s good to do.

2. Scripture Doesn’t Contradict: They Work Together

But I want to note the number one scriptural contradiction about baptism and how it happens. Look with me at Acts chapter 16. In Acts chapter 16, I want to show you how division happens among men. In Acts chapter 16, pick up the reading with me in verse 25. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, do not harm yourself, for we are all here.

And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? There’s the question we all look for, isn’t it? We want to know, God, how can we be saved? And the jailer asked it to Paul. We know he’s going to deliver the answer. And he says in verse 31, they said to him, believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. You and your household. And the collective world that believed baptism is not a necessary step. It does not function for the forgiveness of sin says, see, this is the God given pattern. But just like with any scripture, with any story, you don’t finish or draw morals until you see how the story develops.

So let’s continue reading in verse 32. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them, and he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. Notice that when Paul and Silas spoke the Lord to him, something in that teaching involved baptism. Okay, well, what’s he getting at? What are Paul and Silas teaching about baptism? What’s the scriptural contradiction? Well, now look with me at Acts chapter 2. Many of you may know this passage. In Acts chapter 2.

Notice in verse 38. Peter, when asked, what shall we do? says, repent and be baptized. Every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So I want to suggest to you this morning that this is a very important, crucial thing that we need to understand. You have Paul and Silas who are teaching the Philippian Taylor, their response to what must I do to be saved is believe, and you and all your household will be saved. And Peter says in Acts chapter 2 and verse 38, repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. I tell you, when we see passages like that, you can only go one of four ways.

The first one is one we should all gather together and reject wholly and soundly, and that’s that the word of God is mistaken, that there is error. Do you realize when people suggest that baptism can’t be for the forgiveness of sins because of passages like John 3.16 and Acts chapter 16, that they’re suggesting that perhaps there was a mistake in God’s word? That cannot be. So we’ll go to the next option. It’s that we elevate one passage over the other. So let’s say in this case we decide, okay, Peter says repent and be baptized. Paul and Silas say believe and you’ll be saved. I’m going to choose belief. That works for me. Well, the third option is you go with Peter and you say, I want to be repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of my sins.

That works for me. Or perhaps there’s a fourth option that we should evaluate solely. And it’s that they can work together. They are not mutually exclusive. If I ask you to drive to my house, I live near the airport, I could tell you you have to drive on Conway to get to my house. That doesn’t mean you don’t take Cimarron or Hoffner, but I have made one step of the way available to you through my spoken word. You see, Scripture doesn’t contradict itself unless one mandates that the other cannot happen. And so when we see this example of Acts chapter 16 and John 3.16 that emphasize the importance of belief, it’s not that that’s wrong. Or when we look at Acts chapter 22 and verse 16, and Paul’s told, rise, be baptized and wash away your sins.

It’s not that Ananias was wrong. It’s that they work together. You see, we need to understand Scripture as a whole and as God has authorized. If we find, we want to find the right key and insert into the right lock. We need all the details, don’t we? It’s not good enough to get close. Getting close enough to the right key doesn’t work. You’ll still be locked out of your house. You have to have the right key. And then not only if you have the right key, you have to find the right lock. It takes the entirety of our understanding of God’s will to decide what we have to do. And so when it comes to baptism, I’ve thrown a lot at you, but I want you to understand when two passages stand out in such a different way, like John 3.16 and Acts chapter 2 and verse 38.

3. Whoever Believes and Is Baptized Will Be Saved

We have to examine can they work together? Is the Bible flawed? Or do we have a right to somehow alter or change the meaning of one so that they do work together or so that one is elevated over another? And I would suggest changing the will of God is never an acceptable practice. We must always adhere to what God has said and hear him out on the matter. And so we come to a dilemma in Mark chapter 16. Please look with me there. We begin looking at a two-fold purpose of the purpose of baptism and how it might save. In Mark chapter 16.

Beginning in verse 15. Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. But whoever does not believe will be condemned. So when we’re examining this issue of what exactly is baptism in Ephesians chapter 4, there’s one. It’s important. What is it? What does it do? Let’s see. If you look at Mark chapter 16 and verse 16, it says, whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. You need belief and baptism. Does that make sense? Amen? Is that the scriptural reading of the text? Amen? Okay. We take that, and then people in the world say, but Greg, you didn’t follow your own rule. You didn’t finish the text. It also continues on to say, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

And so, in Mark chapter 16 and verse 16, we see it once and for all. Baptism isn’t necessary because the scripture doesn’t say if you aren’t baptized that you will be condemned. It does say if you don’t believe, you’ll be condemned. But I have a question for you. Who, what person would be baptized if they didn’t believe in God? That would be taking a bath. What would be the purpose? Why would someone come into this auditorium and ask to be baptized if they reject the notion of God altogether? It doesn’t hold. But I’ll give you an more specific illustration. When we’re trying to understand this verse and what is Jesus trying to convey, is it baptism that saves? Is it belief in baptism? Or is it just belief that’s important?

Think about it if you were to go on a trip. Thinking of Mark chapter 16 and verse 16, think about the wording as I tell you this illustration. If I told you to go to New York City, you have to buy a ticket and board the plane. We all say, well, that makes sense. I’m not getting to New York City without the plane ticket, and I’m not certainly not getting it even if I have the ticket if I don’t board the plane. And if I told you, if you don’t buy a ticket, you’re not getting to New York. Do I have to tell you at that point you’re not going to board the plane? No. It’s common sense. If you don’t buy the ticket, they’re not going to let you onto the plane, even if you desired to do that.

And so when we look at Mark chapter 16, we need to examine what Jesus is saying is it’s not belief is emphasized, or that baptism is emphasized, but that we need both. Why? Because God said so. It’s not man’s conjecture, it’s because of what God has said. And so when we’re examining the topic of what does baptism do, it somehow saves us. We see that from Mark chapter 16. But my question this morning, and this is how we’re going to wrap up this morning’s lesson is how? How does it save us? Because that’s the important question. Many people who say belief saves us, they point to passages that are very clear. That if you believe, you will be saved. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

4. Baptism Forgives Us: It Washes Away Your Sins

That’s clear. We understand that. But I want to show you scripturally how baptism does save us and how what Jesus said is upheld throughout the rest of the New Testament. So noting the purpose of baptism, I want to note three important aspects. The first one is that it forgives us of our sins, and I want to show you how. Look at Revelation chapter 1. If you look with me in Revelation chapter 1, the New King James Version in verse 5 of Revelation chapter 1. Reads, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth, to him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. I just said something that and read something that everyone in here knows and agrees.

We were washed from our sins by his blood. What a wonderful thing that is. But I want to note the parallel. Thinking of that imagery of washed by his blood. Our sins have been washed away. Look now at Acts chapter 22. Look at me at Acts chapter 22. And notice verse 16. When Saul is telling of his conversion, he reminds the people of what Ananias said in verse 16. And now, why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name. You notice that he had his sins washed away through baptism and calling on his name. So we haven’t isolated passages that say those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. They work together. Why? What does it do?

What does baptism do? It washes away your sins. But how? Revelation chapter 1 and verse 5 tells us our sins are washed away by his blood. All of Scripture comes down to this. Jesus is the Son of God who was the perfect sacrifice. We live on this earth and we are sinful people deserving of death. Christ has life. We deserve death. We need Christ. We need his blood. We need to be a part of him. We need to be in him. And we see that the answer to doing all of those things to be in Christ, to come into contact with his death, burial, and resurrection, to be called a child of God, they all happen at the same moment. It’s funny how that works, isn’t it?

5. Baptized Into His Death, Burial and Resurrection

When Jesus’ blood was shed. When we say Jesus died on the cross and he bled, so that our sins could be washed away, are we talking about a nick on his hand? Or are we talking about the fact that he was sacrificed like a lamb for slaughter? Certainly it’s the latter. He was sacrificed, so it’s his cross that we have to come into contact with. It’s that death that he died for us, his burial and resurrection. But how do we do it? How does it happen? Well, it happens at the same moment. Look at me in Romans chapter 6. The purpose of baptism is to allow us to come into contact with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus our Lord. But don’t take my word for it.

Take the word of the Apostle Paul. In Romans chapter 6, beginning in verse 3, do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Verse 5, for if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.

Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we also will live with him. What does that text tell us? I think it’s crucial. I think it’s so important. Because in a world where many Christians teach this idea of you are baptized as an outward sign of inward grace, I want to ask a question. If that’s what baptism is, who’s ever heard of burying someone who is alive?

Are you familiar with that practice? Is that something you want to be a part of? Burying someone who’s alive? Because someone who believes that baptism is just a sign that you’re saved at belief, suggests that the person of sin is already gone. So either the text is wrong or you’re waiting to have that body of sin that in verse 6 talked about put away a week later. They’re burying someone who’s alive. We’re being buried into the death of Christ. That’s what baptism is, as Romans chapter 6 reveals to us. It’s at that point we put to death our old self and come alive again, just like Christ was resurrected from the dead. Because we are burying the dead, not the alive. Because that means at that point up until baptism, we are dead in our sins.

Because why? We haven’t come into contact with the blood of Christ. We haven’t accessed the sacrifice of the beloved Son of God. But the beauty is it’s not hopeless. You can do it at the point of baptism. It puts us into his death, burial, and resurrection. But notice Galatians chapter 3 makes this point even more punctuated. Notice Galatians chapter 3.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. So again, I come back to this issue, and this is where I will not be moved in terms of baptism. And is it from God? Is it for the forgiveness of sins? Who here claims they can be saved without being in Christ? If baptism is the point at which we are baptized into Christ Jesus, how can you claim to be saved without being in Christ? It makes no sense. Why would you wait a week to be into Christ? Who says that they can be saved without him? And the truth is, I have to conclude that sometimes we just don’t think about it that way. We think about how nice it is to think about, yeah, baptism, it’s symbolic of putting off the old man and bringing up the new.

But we don’t recognize that the scripture is clear. That we’re baptized into Christ. And when we’ve done that, we’ve put on Christ. I’m encouraging everyone here this morning, if you haven’t, put on Christ. Take advantage of the sacrifice that is there. Because what do we need to be saved? We need Jesus. We need the Son of God who was sent by Him in His Almighty P. And you can do it. You can come into contact with His blood, with His sacrifice. You can put on Christ all at the same time. And there is no other explanation other than piecemealing part of it here and part of it there. You can say, I can believe and will be saved, but then my question is, why do you need to be baptized?

You’ve already reaped the benefits of the death, burial, and resurrection. What’s the point then? Are you burying someone who is alive? That simply doesn’t follow. Can you be saved without having put on Christ? Of course not. Can we be saved any way except in the name of the Son of God? Of course not. And when we come back to Matthew chapter 28 and verse 19, it all makes sense. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because God made it that way. Who are we to question the Almighty God? I am not up here proposing some sort of works based salvation. I am simply saying God made it all easy. He did the hard part. Jesus did the unthinkable.

He left heaven to be in our form. Do you realize how tough life is? How much you hurt, how much we’re sick, how much we are in pain and agony thinking about our loved ones in a physical or a spiritual way. Jesus above all would have hurt at recognizing the sin that was all around him. He left heaven to do it. Who are we to look at what he did and what he said and what he taught. And to say, that’s not quite the way I see it. In Matthew chapter 28, in verse 19, he tells them, Go therefore, making disciples, baptizing them the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. If baptism is just the first thing you do after you’re saved, why did Christ call a distinction there?

6. Born of Water and the Spirit

Why was it making disciples and baptizing them? Because there’s a third element of baptism that is crucial and is very necessary to any Christian’s life. Look at me in John chapter 3. It’s the home of John chapter 3 and verse 16, something we’re all very familiar with. But notice in John chapter 3, we see a piece of the puzzle missing. I want to suggest to you that it’s not missing at all. It’s something we just need to piece together. We’re relying upon the wisdom of God. In John chapter 3, notice in verse 1, now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God.

For no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. And Jesus answered him, truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? And Jesus answered, Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. What’s the point? We need a second birth. What’s the point? Our man of sin, our body of life that was dedicated to sin, whether on purpose or out of ignorance, needs to be put away.

We need a spiritual life. When does that happen? We already have the answer, don’t we? In Romans chapter 6. We put to death the old man and his sin. Taking advantage, coming into contact with, joining the death of our Lord. And the beauty is it doesn’t stop there. The gospel’s not about dying, it’s about life. And when you were put to death the body of sin, you come up from the watery grave, just as Christ was resurrected from the dead, and you become a new child of God in that sense. Do you see how wonderful and amazing the plan of God is this morning? It really is something to behold. It’s something that man couldn’t devise. All of these crucial components of any faith are wrapped up in it.

Not because baptism is more important than belief, but because you wouldn’t do it unless you did believe. Who would be baptized if they didn’t confess and believe that Jesus is the Son of God? What good would that be? What good would it be to be baptized and to put to death the body of sin if you weren’t willing to turn from it? And you were just going to go and commit sin and die all over again. Repentance. You see, all these aspects. They aren’t individual components. They work together. Our minds, human minds, break things apart, and we say you would do this, and then we do that, and then we do this, and then we do that. But the Son of God taught, we come to Him.

That’s what the gospel is. That’s what obedience is, saying, I will do God’s will. And it all comes with it. And when you believe Jesus is the Son of God, you’ll want to tell people all about Him. You certainly won’t deny Him. You’ll confess He’s the Son of God. But I want to come back to where I started with contradictions. Look at me in Romans chapter 10. In Romans chapter 10.

There’s one more issue to be discussed. In Romans chapter 10 and verse 8. Paul writes, but what does it say? The word is near you in your mouth and in your heart. That is the word of faith that we proclaim. Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with a mouth one confesses and is saved. I don’t reject that. I say amen to that because they work together. Many people don’t have a problem saying we need confession and belief, but they have a big problem with baptism, and I suggest that creates a bigger problem for their theology because that doesn’t talk about coming into contact with the blood of Christ.

Conclusion

That doesn’t put us into the body of Christ. And even if you wish to move off of baptism for the forgiveness of sins, who can be saved apart from the body of Christ? It still doesn’t add up, even if man messes it up. There’s nothing I can say, no funny great words that I can speak, no eloquence that I can twinkle over you in the audience, and it would be twinkled if it was eloquence. There’s nothing I can do that will change the validity and the truth of God’s message. The only change is within our hearts. Do we want to accept all of what God has said or just the part that we think works?

I gotta tell you. That has become a works-based salvation. Something where we take it and we say, I did this, I said that, I did this, I deserve this. You know, the truth is God has promised us great things. He has promised us an eternity in heaven if we will diligently seek him. Well, Jesus say in John chapter 14 and verse 15, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. I don’t know why baptism, as given as one of the seven staples in Ephesians chapter 4, has been so muddy muddled with controversy. I don’t understand why people would reject something that seems so fundamental to faith and has so many aspects of what a Christian has wrapped up into that one significant part. But what I do know is if we just obey God, if we recognize how wonderful He is and we believe in Him, if we confess that Jesus is the Son of God, if we repent and turn from our old lives, put to death that old self and come up anew, God has promised us great things far beyond that we can even think or imagine, because we will be in heaven in his presence forever.

And what is better than that? The answer is nothing. But the question is, will you obey him this day? What reason do you have for not partaking in Christ’s sacrifice? How can you think you can be saved without being into Christ, having put on Christ? If you have an answer, let me know. But if not, take advantage of God’s plan this morning. Come forward. In just a moment, we’re going to sing. Put your old body of sin to death. Secure your eternal salvation that God is so wonderfully offering before you this morning. Please, if there’s any way we can help you, come forward right now as we stand and as we sing.