PREACHING THE GOSPEL . . . WITHOUT MENTIONING BAPTISM

An incident occurred in the Texas country years ago, the story of which I remember. The preachers of a small town proposed a union meeting in which all of the preachers of the town would take alternate turns to preach. There was a certain gospel preacher in the town, who had not been consulted on the arrangement. When he heard about this meeting he called on the other preachers to request his turn to preach, and asked to have a time assigned to him. He was in-formed that an agreement had been made that the subject of baptism would not be mentioned—that they had agreed to preach Christ and say nothing about baptism. To their surprise this preacher promptly accepted the conditions, and agreed to preach without the mention of the word baptism. A night was assigned for his sermon, and he announced in advance the subject: “What Must I Do to Be Saved?”

The people wondered how that kind of preacher could preach on that kind of subject under that kind of agreement to not mention baptism. They came from the necks of the woods and forks of the creeks to hear him preach that kind of a sermon.

He preached with much animation and eloquence on salvation, and the love of God that brought salvation to man through Jesus Christ. Reaching the point of the question—“what must I do to be saved”—he turned to Mark 16:15-16 and read the words of Christ: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth”—and doeth that thing I promised not to mention—”shall be saved.” He then read Acts 2:38: “Repent, and do that thing I promised not to mention, “for the remission of sins.” And he read every verse in the New Testament on baptism, and called it that thing I promised not to mention!

It is a strange thing that denominational people will detour around such a plain and positive command, so simple to be understood and performed, so easy to accept and obey—and so much emphasized in the New Testament.

When Philip preached Christ, he preached the kingdom of Christ, he preached the all-prevailing name of Christ and he preached baptism into Christ.

“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them…. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:5-12).

Foy E. Wallace, Jr.

SALVATION FROM SINS

Some people believe and teach we are all God’s children, but that is not true. We are all God's creation. However, all who are accountable to God for their actions have sinned and are thus separated from God―they are lost in their sins and in need of God's salvation (Romans 3:23; 6:23). All who are in need of salvation are children of the devil. In this world, all people who are accountable to God for their actions are either children of the devil or they are children of God. Jesus said to some Jews of His day that they were children of their father the devil, and they loved to do the evil things that the devil does. Jesus told them that the devil was a murderer from the beginning and always hated the truth. Jesus said that was the case because there is no truth in him. Furthermore, Jesus said that when the devil lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice, and He knows them, and they follow Him (John 10:27). And, Paul tells us that the children of the devil become the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians3:26) We learn from the next verse when one is by faith made a child of God―“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (ASV, 1901). Jesus said, “For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:35). He also asked, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).

Ephesians 1:3 tells us that Christians are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Paul also wrote of Christians, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). A child of the devil must take each step in God’s great plan of salvation. This is the conversion process of one ceasing to be a child of the devil and becoming a child of God in God’s great family, the church of His Son. This is the process of being born again (John 3:1-21).

The steps in God’s singular plan of salvation leading to eternal life in Heaven are:

Hear and understand the gospel, for that is how faith is formed in one and then strengthened and sustained.

• Romans 10:17―“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”.
• John 20:30-31―“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
• Romans 1:16―“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
• I Corinthians 15:1-4―“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

Believe in the deity of Jesus Christ.

• John 8:24―“I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”
• John 3:18―“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.”
• Hebrews 11:1, 6―“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen … But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a re-warder of them that diligently seek him.”

Repent of one’s sins.

• Luke 13:5―“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
• Acts 17:30―“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.”

Confess one’s faith in Christ.

• Romans 10:9-10―“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
• Acts 8:36-38―“And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”

Be baptized (immersed) by the authority of Christ in water for the remission of sins.

• Mark 16:16―“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
• Acts 2:38―“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.”
• Acts 22:16―“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
• Romans 6:3-4―“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
• Galatians 3:26-27―“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
• I Peter 3:21―“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.”

Having been added to the church by the Lord Himself (Acts. 2:42, 47), one must continue to be faithful to Christ in the church of our Lord, for salvation can be lost.

• I Corinthians 15:58―“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
• Hebrews 10:36-39―“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”
• Revelation 2:10―“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
• II Peter 2:20-22―“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”
• Galatians 5:4―“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”

More than the foregoing God does not require of the child of the devil to become a child of God. Less than obedience thereto and one will remain a child of the devil, losing one’s soul when life on earth is finished. Don’t turn a deaf ear to God’s great plan to make a child of God out of a child of the devil, so one can live with him in glory when this life is over. Jesus saves only those who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9).

David P. Brown

Salvation by Faith and Honest Searchers of Scripture

We should all be searchers of the Scriptures helping each other come to an understanding of the truth, which is the Word of God (John 17:17). I believe that there is much for me to learn from God’s Word, but I also believe that I can know the truth and can know that I am saved (1 John 5:13). I also know that there are many false teachers in the world and sometimes in the church (2 Peter 2:1-2; Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:29-30). There are some who wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction (2 Peter 5:16). We are warned, therefore, to try the spirits whether they are of God (1 John 4:1). The majority is not necessarily the right standard (see Matthew 7:13-14); following the traditions of men including the majority is what Isaiah and Jesus had in mind when they described people’s reception (or lack of it) of God’s Word: “For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Matthew 13:15; see Isaiah 6 10). The right standard, the standard by which we will all be judged, is the inspired Word (John 12:48).

I believe that we are “justified by faith” (Romans5:1)—that is what the text says. But what kind of faith saves? Paul begins and ends this letter to the Romans by defining the faith that saves (justifies). In Romans 1:5 he refers to the “obedience to the faith” and in Romans 16:26 he concludes with “the obedience to the faith.” The kind of faith that justifies is the kind of faith that obeys. Abraham’s faith, since he is the “father of the faithful,” is a prime illustration of this. See James 2:21-24. By the way, the only verse in the entire New Testament that says anything about faith alone as it relates to salvation is in James 2. It reads: “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (verse 24).Even the demons believe (James 2:19), but surely they are not saved. Notice please that Romans 5:1 does not say that one is justified by “faith ONLY,” I believe that would be adding to the Scriptures, don’t you?

Consider Acts 11:12-18. Look at verse 14. Cornelius was told to send for Peter, a preacher, “who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and thy house shall be saved.”  Some of those words Peter told them “whereby thou and thy house shall be saved” included that which is here referenced: “And he (Peter) commanded them (Cornelius and his household) to be baptized” (Acts 10:48). [this is water baptism (see also Acts 8:36); Holy Spirit baptism is nowhere commanded in the Scriptures] While we are here, let me emphasize that the book of Acts records cases of conversion in the first century. Look at these records carefully. Baptism is the only act of obedience that is specifically mentioned in every single case of conversion recorded…not hearing the Gospel, not faith, not repentance, not confessing faith. The rest are surely implied in each case, but baptism is specifically mentioned and yet it the one that many object to. If baptism is a work, it is a work of God (not a meritorious human work) for He authorized it, but so is even faith (John 6:29). God’s plan for the salvation of man involves the preaching and teaching of the Gospel, God’s Word, and not some direct operation on the human heart. If the later were the case God would be a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).

Consider Mark 16:16 (some question the authenticity of this verse, but I have considered the evidence and believe it to be part of the inspired text). The text reads: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Jesus did not say “He that believeth shall be saved and be baptized if he decides he wants to or to demonstrate that he is saved.” The conjunction “and “ties the two things together. You cannot meet half of the requirements and meet the requirements. Both are necessary. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Then consider the last part: “he that believeth not shall be damned.” Some suggest that nothing is said about the one not baptized. Such is not necessary. This is statement of Jesus is parallel to this sentence: “He that eateth and digesteth his food shall live; but he that eateth not shall die.” In this case it should be obvious that if one refuses to eat then digestion would not occur and therefore the person would die. The same is true in the statement of Jesus which is parallel.

But also consider: “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” (Acts 2:38). Man is lost because of his sins. Unless and until those sins are forgiven, he will remain lost. To receive the remission of sins (this phrase “unto the remission of sins” is exactly parallel to “unto to the remission of sins” in Matthew 26:28 if you need help in determining the meaning here) one must “repent and be baptized.” Note the conjunction and again. Both repentance and baptism are required—not just one, but both. In Acts 22:16, Saul is told to be baptized to “wash away” his sins. Not here or anywhere else in the Scriptures is it taught that baptism is an outward act signifying sins already remitted, or forgiven.

Hence, completely in agreement with all of these Scriptures (and more which could be cited); “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” (1 Peter 3:21).

“Study to show thyself approved unto God…” (2 Timothy 2:15). Be like the Bereans and search the Scriptures to see whether these things are true (Acts 17:11).

“Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16). I pray that the Lord will open your heart through His Word.

Lester Kamp

I AM THE TRUE VINE

Isaiah used the vine as a type of Israel, planted and tended by the Almighty as the husbandman.(Isaiah 5:1). Israel was not the true vine. Christ is the true vine (John 15:1). In John 14 the Lord had just said to the disciples, “Arise, let us go hence.” He had just eaten the last supper with the apos-tles. He said that he would not drink of the fruit of the vine again on this earth. Likely on the table from which they had just risen was the fruit of the vine. And now he says, “I am the true vine.”

In the first eight verses of John 15 we find the following outstanding lessons about the vine and the branches.

1. That morality alone cannot save.
2. That there is but one true church.
3. That we should get in Christ, stay in Christ, and stay out of everything else or be lost.

Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Morality alone cannot save. Men can be morally good apart from Christ. Yet apart from Christ they can do nothing. There is no spiritual life apart from Christ. Cornelius was a moral man apart from Christ but he was unsaved (Acts 11:14). If morality alone can save then Jesus died in vain. There were just as good men morally to be found in the Mosaic age as there are now. If a man can be saved by his own goodness then Jesus died for no purpose at all. Why did he die if they could be saved by their own goodness? Let the moral man remember these words, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” There is no spiritual life apart from Jesus Christ, the true vine.

Thus we see that one must get into Christ to be saved. Paul says that we are baptized into Christ. That makes baptism necessary to salvation in Christ Jesus. You cannot do anything apart from Christ but you can’t get into Christ unless you are baptized (Galatians 3:27).

This “true vine” is the true church. The vine is the spiritual body of Christ. The church is His body (Colossians 1:18). There is one body (Ephesians 4:4). There is but one body (I Corinthians 12:20). Paul does not say “churches” but “the church.” If one desires to be united with Christ let him obey the gospel and thus be added to the “one body,” the church, the “true vine.”

The objector says that Christ is the true vine and all the denominations are branches. Christ said, “I” am the vine and “ye” are the branches. “He” that abideth in me. Note the use of the per-sonal pronoun. Do men refer to churches as “he” and “ye”? Is that the way they talk where you live? Is that the way your preacher talks? Would you say about the Baptist Church—he is a large church? The use of the personal pronoun shows that Christ was talking to his disciples and not to “churches.” Individuals are the branches and not organizations. But just suppose for a minute that the branches are churches. In what branch are you? You say that I am in the Baptist branch. Yes, but wait, Christ said abide in “me.” You should not abide in a branch but in the vine. If you are in a branch you ought to get out of it and get in the vine. Get out of the branch and get in the vine. “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” Abide in the vine or be burned. Do not abide in a branch. You cannot abide in a branch. A branch is a disciple or a Christian. Individuals are the branches and not denominations.

Did God set denominations in the vine? If so, which ones did He put in? If God set denominations in the vine it is strange that He never said anything about it. If He did mention them will someone please tell where?

For one to claim that denominations are the branches is an apology for something they know that is not mentioned in the Bible and a rank per-version of the fifteenth chapter of John. Denominations came into existence hundreds of years after Christ. They are of human origin and no one has a Bible right to belong to any of them.

The “true vine,” the church, was established by Christ and all Christians are members of it (John 3:5). The church is God’s house. God’s house is His family (I Timothy 3:15). God has no children out-side of His family.

From this chapter we learn that we must bear fruit to please God. “Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit; and so shall ye be my disciples.” You cannot bear fruit apart from the vine. To bear fruit you must be in the vine. How does one get in the vine? He must believe (Mark 16:15-16.) He must repent. (Acts 2:38.) He must be baptized (Galatians 3:27.) These steps put one into Christ. Yet it is not enough to get into Christ. In Christ the branch must bear good fruit. The fruitless branch (disciple) will be lost. He will be cast forth and be burned (John 15:6.) Our duty in regard to this is clear. We must get in Christ, stay in Christ, and stay out of everything else.

Someone may ask, “Can a man be saved and go to heaven and stay out of the vine?” No, for Christ says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” It is Christ or nothing. It is the true vine or no vine. It is the true church or no church. Christ here teaches that you cannot be saved out of the church and you cannot be saved unless you stay in the church.

G. K. Wallace

Denominationalism Is Sinful

In the discussion of denominationalism and its evils, I am discussing the question, "Is it possible for one to know for certain when he is in the church the Lord had in mind when He said in Matthew 16:18, '...I will build my church..."? If I can find that church, and how to enter it, then I will have paved the way for the destruction of all denominations, for they will be of no more use in this world. 

 It is common to hear people say, "How can you know which one is the church the Lord built?" They say, "Since you cannot know which one He built, then we just get in a branch of the church." The Lord said, "I will build my church..." He never said, "I will build branches of my church." Now for one to know that the "branch" of which he is a member is a "branch" of the church the Lord built, he would have to find the church the Lord built. If he could not find the one the Lord built, how could he know that the thing he is in was a "branch" of it? Well, if he found the one the Lord built, then why not just come down out of the limb and get in that which the Lord said He built? 

Now turn with me to Acts 2, and find out just how we become members of the church of the Lord. It is the day of Pentecost. The promise of the Lord to His disciples of the Spirit has been fulfilled (Acts 2:33). They are now speaking as moved by the Spirit, (Acts 2:1-4), Who came to guide them into all truth (John 16:13)? That truth is now being spoken. It is from heaven, and not from men. 

On that day, Peter told them they had crucified the Lord of Glory, and that they did it by wicked hands. He brought the Old Testament prophets to witness that the things taking place there that day were the things spoken of by them, that Christ was raised in fulfillment of them, and that He was raised up to sit on the throne of their father, David. He declared that Christ was at that time exalted at the right hand of God, and commanded them to know assuredly that this same Jesus whom they had crucified was then made both Lord and Christ. 

They were cut to their hearts by this message. Nothing but faith, or belief, in that message would have cut them to the heart and made them inquire, "...What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). Thus faith comes before repentance, Baptist preachers notwithstanding. Then, guided by the Holy Spirit, Peter answered that question in these words: "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." (Acts 2:38). Not a denominational preacher that I know will give that answer and stay with it all the way through. Did you ever hear a Methodist, Baptist, or Presbyterian preacher give that answer? Why do they not give it? It is not the doctrine of denominationalism. The Lord is the author of Peter's answer. Man has made an answer to fit his denomination. God did not build a denomination, branch, or limb of the church, and neither has He given the various doctrines that govern those "limbs." He built the church and gave the terms of admission into it, and here those terms were given. 

How do I know that to believe the word of the Lord, repent of sins, and be baptized for the remission of sins are the conditions of membership in the church of the Lord? Hear the book as it speaks in verse 41: "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." Verse 47: "...And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." 

Now we have a question or two to ask. The Lord said in Matthew 16:18, "I will build my church..." In Acts 2:47, the record says "...the Lord added to the church..." To which church did the Lord add them? He said He was going to build His church, and here we find Him adding to the church. To ask that question is to answer it. He added them to the church He built. What had they done? Those who believed what Peter preached were told to, "Repent, and be baptized...for the remission of sins..." So they were not members of a church that will not preach that same thing. But those who did that back there were members of the church the Lord built, and it looks like all preachers could see this.  

Did you know that the Lord did not take 500 of them and add them to the Baptist Church, then add 500 to the Methodist Church, 500 to the Nazarene Church, etc., until He got them all situated? There were no such denominations then. These denominations are the products of error taught in our land, and if all taught today just what Peter taught then, there would be no denominations and we would all be one. Someone is teaching error, and that is the church — or churches — that deny what Peter preached as being necessary today. If you are in one that will not teach what he did, then you are in the wrong one. It could not even be a "branch" or "limb" — if there were such a thing — for you would have the branch trying to destroy the trunk! 

What is the danger in being in that which the Lord did not build? In Matthew 15:13, Jesus said, "Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up." Be it remembered, He never did say, "I will build branches of the church as warring denominations." He said, "I will build my church," and it was one body (I Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 2:16). 

Now, since He never promised to build "branches" of the church — one teaching one thing and the other denying it — but since He promised, and built His church, and has definitely said He will root up all He has not planted, don't you think you'd best be thinking whether you are out on a limb that has no connection with the Lord's building program, or whether you are in that which the Father sent His Son to build? 

Friends, get out of denominations now and come to the sermon preached by Peter and obey it, and let the Lord add you to the church, as we of the church of the Lord beg you to do. We have done just what they did on Pentecost. Since God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11), He has added us to the church He built, just as He did those on the day of Pentecost, and will add you to that same church if you will obey Him.

E. R. Harper

The 5 B’s of Baptism

There is much confusion about baptism. Many do not believe that a person must be baptized to be saved from his sons. Others say baptism is necessary for salvation. Some say sprinkling or pouring are acceptable forms of baptism. Others say only immersion in water is acceptable. There is only one way to settle the confusion about baptism. We must go to the New Testament, which is the law for all men today. What does the Bible tell us about baptism? Its teaching is clear on this subject. Let us notice the five “B’s” of Bible baptism.

First, baptism is a BURIAL. Notice the apostle Paul’s statement in Romans 6:3-4: “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were into His death? Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Paul states clearly that baptism is a burial. To bury something is to cover it completely. Sprinkling or pouring will not substitute for the burial which baptism demands. In fact, the word “baptism” itself means “to immense, dip, plunge.” Bible baptism is a burial.

Second, baptism is for BELIEVERS. Bible baptism is for those who can show they believe in Jesus, the Son of God. In Mark 16:16, Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” No where in the New Testament will one find a person baptized who was not able to express his belief in Christ. In Acts 8:12 we read, “But when they believed Philip as preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.” Notice that “both men and women” were baptized, not little children. Why? Because baptism is for believers, not babies. Babies are born innocent. They are not guilty of the sins of their parents, as some teach (Ezekiel 18:20). Jesus used little children as examples of humility, and said we must become like them to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:1-5). Would Jesus use sinful children as examples of what we must become to be pleasing to God? Certainly not!

Third, baptism is BEFORE the forgiveness of sins. Jesus made this clear in His statement, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Jesus said belief AND baptism bring salvation. He did not say belief brings salvation, and then one is baptized. One cannot be saved without baptism. In Acts 22:16, Saul of Tarsus, a man who believed in Christ, repented, and confessed Jesus as Lord, still had to be baptized to wash away his sins. There  is not a single instance in the New Testament where anyone was said to be saved until he was baptized. Baptism comes BEFORE forgiveness.

Fourth, baptism is the BIRTH of the Christian. It is the beginning of the Christians’s life. In John 3:5, Jesus told a man named Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” To be born of water and the Spirit involves being baptized in water in obedience to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. How does the Spirit teach us? He does so through the Word of God. In the New Testament we learn of the importance of being baptized in water. So it is the Spirit who teaches us to be baptized as we read His Word. This is what the apostle Paul meant in I Corinthians 12:13. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free – and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” Paul says all must be baptized into the body of Christ, which is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). It is by the teaching of the Spirit through the Word that we learn of our need to do this. Then, we must “drink into one Spirit,” which means we are to continue to study the Word which the Holy Spirit has given – the New Testament. We must grow in our knowledge of God’s Word, and we must remain faithful in the one church (Revelation 2:10).

The final “B” is that Bible baptism is where the BLOOD of Christ is applied to cleanse us from our sins. Can a person be saved from his sins without the blood of Christ? No! But only in baptism is the blood applied from Heaven to take away our sins. The blood of Jesus was shed in His death. The soldier pierced the side of the slain Savior of the world, and “...immediately blood and water came out” (John 19:34). Then, in Romans 6:3-4, Paul speaks of being buried in the “likeness” of Christ’s death through baptism. The blood that was shed in Christ’s death is reached only in the likeness of His death – baptism. In Revelation 1:4-5, John says Jesus washed us from sins in His blood. When does that washing take place? It is the washing of baptism. Remember what Ananias said to Saul of Tarsus: “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” When we look at Acts 22:16 and Revelation 1:4-5, we conclude that in baptism the blood of Jesus is applied to wash away our sins.

We should never forget the five “B’s of baptism. They remind us of what the Bible teaches about this very important subject. The Bible says baptism is a BURIAL. It is for BELIEVERS, those who can express their belief in Christ. It comes BEFORE forgiveness of sins. It is the BIRTH of the Christian, and it is where the precious BLOOD of Jesus is applied to wash away our sins. Have you received BIBLE baptism?

Author Unknown

If One Were Save Before Baptism

1. He would be saved before his sins are remitted. “The 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 received the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).
2. He would be saved before his sins are washed away. “And now why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).
3. He would be saved before he is born again. “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee. Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
4. He would be saved outside of Christ. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).
5. He would be saved before he is saved. “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” (I Peter 3:21).

He would be saved sooner than the Lord promised. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be condemned” (Mark 16:16).   

Author Unknown