"I do not believe there is anything magical or mystical about being immersed in water, or that being immersed in water itself changes people's lives. This idea is too superstitious for me.
"I believe elect, redeemed, regenerate human beings enter into the conscious, subjective experience of their salvation when they are initially converted to the Lord Jesus Christ. I further believe that initial conversion to Christ takes place when a repentant believer is baptized, not before he is baptized.
"I also believe that Romans 6:3-6; I Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:26-29; and Colossians 2:11-13 refer to water baptism, not to Holy Spirit baptism."
[By John Kohler III, in "Far More than a Mere Symbol", on the Historic Baptist Symposium, 7 June 2007]
Is this language strong enough for you? Too strong? Could you close a sermon with Acts 2:38? Have you?
2 comments:
I think we make a mistake when we separate conversion and baptism since in the NT they are seen as one. Yet one must be a believer, a new disciple Matt. 28:16-20)Regeneration precedes conversion- yet repentance and faith are its immediate fruit. Baptism is the objective sign and seal thereof.
We need baptism to function as it did in the early churches- how the believers expressed their faith and received the sign of their participation in the New Covenant through union with Christ Jesus.
Part of our problem as baptist is a devaluation of baptism because it has been in large part replaced with a non biblical "sacrament" of walking the aisle to profess faith in Christ as well as every other response possible to sermons.
Baptism does not save- only Christ Jesus through his redemptive work saves. Yet baptism is part of the gospel message presented in the NT because it is God's ordained way of objectifying our faith in a rite that expressed the gospel and functions as a twofold pledge- from God to us and from us to Him. Baptism is more than mere symbol. Baptism is the normative way one expresses saving faith in Christ.
Yes we can use Acts 2:38 and other passages to call people to come to Christ. Obviously it was part of Phillip's message to the Ethiopian in Acts 8 for as they traveled and the converting one saw water he said- Look there is water what hinders me from being baptized?
"So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”
And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”( NKJV)
As Annais said to Saul so we should say to those desiring to come into the Christian fold- And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'
“baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” NASV
Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. HCSB
1 Peter 3:21
Wayne, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I enjoying reading what you had to say. I have mulled over this issue for quite some time. At times I think we can scare people with what they view as improper use of words like conversion.
I find myself very much in agreement with your words -- "Part of our problem as baptist is a devaluation of baptism...baptism is part of the gospel message presented in the NT because it is God's ordained way of objectifying our faith in a rite that expressed the gospel and functions as a twofold pledge - from God to us and from us to Him. Baptism is more than mere symbol. Baptism is the normative way one expresses saving faith in Christ." Seeing baptism as a "mere symbol" has definitely undermined its importance in Baptist churches -- a place where you would think it would be emphasized.
Another post you might wish to read and comment on is found HERE.
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