Sunday Sermons

God's Purpose - Part 2

Mark Dunagan
12/16/01 - Sunday Morning

God’s Purpose

Part 2

Mark 16:16

“He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned”

In order to avoid the clear teaching of the above verse, it has been argued that this verse only refers to two types of people: 1) Those that believe and are baptized and 2) Those who do not believe. Then it is argued, that this verse does not refer to those who believe in Jesus, but have not yet been baptized. In response, the verse does deal with the person who believes but is not baptized, simply end the verse at the word “believed” and as yourself, is that person saved yet? The verse places salvation after baptism, “and has been baptized shall be saved”. The verse does not place salvation between faith and baptism. When people read this verse and then argue that baptism has no role in our soul’s salvation, then why did Jesus even include baptism in the above verse? Note the word “has” in Mark 16:16. The statement “has believed” makes it clear that one must believe to be saved and that one is not saved prior to belief. The same is true of the statement “has been baptized”. If one is not saved prior to faith, it is obvious that one is not saved prior to baptism.

Another argument against the necessity of baptism is that the end of the verse says, “but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned”. The argument is that failure to believe condemns and not a failure to be baptized. The reason that Mark did not add “and is not baptized”, is because such a statement was not needed. A failure to believe in Jesus stops a person dead in their tracks as far as reaching salvation. If one does not fulfill the first part of the process, then one can go no further, for obviously the unbeliever is not going to be baptized. However, a failure to be baptized will also condemn a person, because the Holy Spirit said, “and is baptized shall be saved”. Between faith and salvation in this passage is the statement, “and is baptized”. What will happen if I do not obey that statement? Someone tried to argue that a comparable sentence to Mark 16:16 is “He that starts his car and puts on his hat will drive home; but he that does not start his car won’t”, and then adds that it should be apparent that putting on a hat (likened to getting baptized) has nothing to do with driving home (likened to getting saved). Such an argument accuses Jesus, who spoke Mark 16:16 of throwing something frivolous and unnecessary into a very important process. A better analogy would be that the person who unlocks their car and starts it would get home.

Faith and Baptism

It is also taught that we are inconsistent when we contend that baptism is incorporated into believing, and then turn around and quote verses that speak of believing and being baptized. This argument fails to understand that the term “faith” or “belief” can be used in a variety of ways. There is a “faith” that is nothing more than mental assent (John 12:42-43; James 2:19). There is a “faith” that is dead, all by itself “faith alone” or “faith only” (James 2:24,26). Clearly, the “faith” that saves which is mentioned in passages such as John 6:47; 3:16 and Acts 15:9 is not a faith that is all by itself. Many people are inconsistent on this point, for they will argue that one is saved by faith alone, and then will start qualifying that faith and adding things to it, such as repentance, confession, and a definite prayer that one needs to offer to receive Jesus. There are times, when “faith” obviously includes the entire process of being saved, including hearing the gospel, believing that Jesus is the Son of God, repenting, confessing and being baptized (Romans 5:1). In Acts 16:31 the Jailor was told, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household”. Yet, before he could believe or before his household could believe, they needed to hear the gospel (Acts 16:32). Verse 33 mentions an act of repentance upon the part of this man, and the fact that he was baptized. Then verse 34 notes, “and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household”. Here the term “believed” sums up the entire salvation process, including hearing the gospel, believing in Jesus, repentance, and baptism.

Romans 6:3-5

“Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ as raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection”

One person tried to explain the above passages by saying that by baptism, a person who is already saved identifies with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. The problem with this argument is that the verse teaches the exact opposite: 1. One does not have newness of life prior to baptism; rather, baptism stands between a person and newness of life. 2. One is not spiritually alive prior to baptism; rather, we can only be in the likeness of His resurrection (alive), “if” we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, i.e., buried with Him in baptism. Finally, note that Paul said, “all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death”. Paul does not envision a group of “unbaptized Christians”. In conceding that Romans 6:3-5 is speaking of water baptism, the opponents of water baptism have also conceded that it is water baptism that stands between a person and being “in Christ Jesus”, where are spiritual blessings are found, including salvation (Ephesians 1:3). Someone tried to confuse the issue by arguing that he above passage is figurative and not literal. Yet this misses the entire point. We are literally baptized; the actual baptism is not figurative. Paul knew that he was making a comparison between our baptism and the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. He knew that in baptism we do not physically die, are buried in a cave, or are resurrected physically, rather the power of Romans 6:3-5 is the truth that our baptism is a parallel of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus died, went into the tomb dead, and was not alive until He was resurrected. In like manner, we die to sin, we enter the waters of baptism spiritually dead, and we are alive again until we come up out of that water. To argue that we are spiritually alive prior to baptism completely destroys the parallel in Romans 6:3-5, for such a teaching would have to concede for the parallel to be valid, that Jesus was actually alive in the tomb and therefore was never truly resurrected.

Acts 22:16

“And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on His name”

The argument is that the expression “wash away thy sins” and the expression “calling on His name” are the same thing, and that a person being baptized is not calling on the name of the Lord. In contrast to this, on the day of Pentecost, Peter said, “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). Peter then went on to give specific conditions to be saved, “Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (2:38). From all these verses it is clear that “calling upon the name of Lord”, that is, appealing to God for salvation, includes the definite act of being baptized. Secondly, it would be strange for the Holy Spirit to link together “baptism”, which is in water and the expression “wash away thy sins” and then expect us to reason that the two have nothing in common.

Another argument against Acts 22:16 is the connection that Paul was already saved when Ananias spoke the above words to him. This argument does not make any sense at all. Why would the Holy Spirit tell Paul to stop delaying, to get up and be baptized and wash away his sins, and in doing so to call upon the Lord to save him, if he was already saved? Some argue thatActs 9:17 proves that Paul was already saved. It is contended that the twofold purpose that the Lord sent Ananias to Saul was so he would receive his eyesight and be filled with the Holy Spirit, and that Jesus never sent Ananias to Saul to get him saved. The problem with such reasoning is that the person making it has already decided to reject Acts 22:16. Why don’t we just believe all the verses on the subject? When Acts 22:16 and 9:17 are placed together we find Ananias coming for three reasons, 1) So Saul can be baptized and thus be saved, 2) to have his sight restored, 3) to receive the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 1:17

“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel”

From the above statement, people conclude that Paul is saying that baptism has nothing to do with preaching the gospel, or for that matter, baptism is not part of the gospel message. As opposed to this contention, Paul did baptize people when he preached the gospel (Acts 16:15; 34; 18:8). He also wrote inspired letters that stressed the necessity of baptism (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12-13). In the context of 1 Corinthians 1:17, he argued that one couldn’t wear the name of Christ unless two things are true, first, that Jesus died for you, and secondly, you were baptized into the name of Christ (1:13,15). The problem for those who use the above passage as an argument against baptism is, “Did Paul disobey Jesus’ mandate when he baptized people?”

There are other passages like 1 Corinthians 1:17, which we might call a “not-but” passage. In John 12:44 Jesus said, “He that believeth on Me, believeth not on me, but on Him that sent Me”. The meaning of the passage is that the person who believes on Jesus not only believes on Him, but he also believes on the Father. Notice the words not and but. In John 6:27 Jesus said,“Work not for the food which perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life”. If one attempts to take the not phrase in an absolute sense, then we cannot have a secular job to order to buy food. When we see these parallels to 1 Corinthians 1:17,we understand that Paul is saying that Jesus did not merely or only send him to baptize but also to preach the gospel. The point that he is making is that the person doing the baptizing is not the important thing; the important thing is that Christ died for you and you were baptized into His name.

Not enough water, no one to baptize you?

A final argument is that if we teach people that they must be baptized to be saved, then we are saying that the unsaved are at the mercy of enough water and a person willing to baptize them, which places an additional mediator between them and Christ. First, this earth has far more water than dry land, so God in His wisdom knew that “enough” water would not be an issue. Even the eunuch who was traveling found enough water (Acts 8:26,36). Any place where there is not enough water is a place where human life cannot survive for long! Secondly, if we argue that they are at the mercy of having someone around to baptize them, the same is true of having someone around to preach to them, or give them a Bible. The “lone man” on an island still needs a Bible!