When the sermon is too long or too strong.
When you murmur if called upon to give a little more.
When everyone is wrong but you.
When things have to go your way or you won’t cooperate.
When you won’t admit wrong---when you are.
When the headache you take to work keeps you from attending worship.
When visitors keep you from attending worship.
When you grow weary of sound doctrine.
Author Unknown
Repentance is absolutely essential to one’s salvation (Acts 2:38; II Peter 3:9). It is universal in its import (Luke 13:3, 5). Without doubt, however, the hardest command to obey in becoming a child of God is the command to repent of one’s sins. Human beings as a rule do not like to be told that they are wrong about anything, especially when it comes to their moral conduct. To be criticized about anything seems to “cut against the grain” in our mental make-up. Yet, it is precisely the humbling of ourselves- -so as to recognize we are wrong when we are wrong--that lies at the very heart of genuine, heart-felt, and life-changing repentance. It is the lowering of ourselves in our own eyes, not only to acknowledge with both mind and lips “I am wrong,” --but the steeled determination to do something about it, regardless of what may be required by the Lord, that is the essence of true repentance. Repentance is produced by “godly sorrow,” but it is more than this (II Corinthians 7:10). While it recognizes the fact of wrongdoing and creates in the human heart genuine sorrow “after a godly sort,” it proceeds to motivate the penitent to do something about the wrong—to try in some fashion to correct it or, at the very least, to change his behavior about it. Where restitution is possible, it seeks to make it. It is a change of life itself, produced by a change of mind! Repentance is beautifully illustrated in the parable of the two sons in Matthew 21:28-32. The first son refused to go into his father’s vineyard to work, but then “afterward he repented, and went” (v. 29). It is also demonstrated in the wonderful account of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who went on to preach the faith which he once destroyed.
Some years ago, I was studying the Word of God with a young man. He soon came to understand God’s plan of salvation. When it came time to press the matter and call upon him to obey what he now knew to be true, he backed away from the Gospel by claiming that he simply could not bring himself to stop doing certain things, such as drinking alcoholic beverages, dancing in the nightclubs, et. al. He ultimately rejected the Gospel because it demanded more of him than he was willing to do! Invariably when people reject God’s plan of salvation, the key point is repentance.
I am convinced that more people get hung up on that command far more even than the command to be baptized for the remission of sins. In fact, if the truth be known – in all cases where the latter is rejected, the former has never begun really to take place! True faith and repentance demand nothing less than full compliance with God’s Word in becoming a Christian. The biggest obstacle is not getting into the water to get into Christ, it is getting out of self so that the other can occur! The first requirement of discipleship is a denial of self (Mat.16:24).
Repentance is the proper expression of such radical change in one’s focus in life.
Daniel Denham
Because people are often looking for a way into something without having to do what is actually required for entrance, many have asked me the question: “Can you be taught wrong and baptized right?” In response, I have thought (and sometimes asked), “Can you be taught wrong and hear right?” “Can you be taught wrong and believe right?” “Can you be taught wrong and repent right?” “Can you be taught wrong and confess right?” If we cannot do these things, then what makes us think that we can be taught wrong and baptized right? The bottom line is that God has clearly identified the purity of purpose for baptism. There is no reason for someone not to know what the purpose of baptism is when they are baptized, and if they are not following the purpose that God has clearly set forth, they are just getting wet.
When we really get down to the truth of the matter baptism is an act of faith. When a person is baptized, they must believe that baptism is for the remission of their sins—that is the act of faith. In Colossians 2:12 the Bible says, “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.” Without that act of faith involved in baptism, one is merely getting wet. If a person is just baptized “to obey God,” what is the act of faith? Where are you putting your trust when you are baptized “to obey God?” One might say, “I am putting my trust in God.” Great! So what are you putting your trust in God to do? When faith trusts God, it trusts God to do something (Romans 4:20-22; Hebrews 11). Baptism does not need to show that one merely believes God; confession accomplishes that. Baptism is not just a restatement of one’s confession. It is much more than that.
Notice what Peter says on the matter of baptism. “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.”Please notice what is said in that (1 Peter 3:21) passage: (1) Baptism saves us. (2) Baptism is not merely taking a bath. (3) Baptism is the response to God of a good conscience. (4) Baptism saves by the resurrection of Jesus. Notice item number three. When we are baptized, we have to have a good conscience about it — we must do it with the right purposes in mind. The good conscience when taught properly is going to understand that baptism is necessary for salvation and is going to motivate the individual to take the appropriate action. To say that one can be baptized correctly without understanding the purpose of baptism denies the role of the conscience in baptism.
There is nothing magical in the waters of baptism. The water is just water. So dunking a person under the water just for the sake of dunking someone under the water is not going to cut it. If the proper motive and purpose is not present, it is meaningless, just like all the other steps of salvation. If a person is not baptized for the proper motives and purposes, he is just getting wet. The Bible clearly teaches that the purpose of baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).
This is why we must insure that those we teach clearly understand the purpose of baptism. One cannot feel safe just because they went through the motions, and we should not feel that this has somehow relieved us of the need for more thorough and detailed teaching before baptism. We do no one any favors by putting them in the baptistery if they have no real appreciation for the fact that their sins are being forgiven.
Johnny Oxendine
Because people are often looking for a way into something without having to do what is actually required for entrance, many have asked me the question: “Can you be taught wrong and baptized right [sic]?” In response, I have thought (and sometimes asked), “Can you be taught wrong and hear right?” “Can you be taught wrong and believe right?”
“Can you be taught wrong and repent right?” “Can you be taught wrong andconfess right?” If we cannot do these things, then what makes us think that we canbe taught wrong and baptized right? The bottom line is that God has clearly identified the purity of purpose for baptism. There is no reason for someone not to know what the purpose of baptism is when he is baptized, and if one is not following the purpose that God has clearly set forth, he is just getting wet. When we really get down to the truth of the matter, baptism is an act of faith. When a person is baptized, he must believe that baptism is for the remission of his sins — that is the act of faith. In Colossians 2:12, the Bible says:
Having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Without that act of faith involved in baptism, one is merely getting wet. If a person is just baptized “to obey God,” what is the act of faith? Where are you putting your trust when you are baptized “to obey God”? One might say, “I am putting my trust in God.” Great! So what are you putting your trust in God to do? When faith trusts God, it trusts God to do something (Romans 4:20–22; Hebrews 11). Baptism is not needed to show that one merely believes God; confession of one’s faith accomplishes that. Baptism is not just a restatement of one’s confession. It is much more than that. Notice what Peter says on the matter of baptism:
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).
Please notice what this passage says: (1) Baptism saves us. (2) Baptism is not merely taking a bath. (3) Baptism is the response to God of a goodconscience. (4) Baptism saves by the resurrection of Jesus. Notice item number three. When we are baptized, we have to have a good conscience about it — we must do it with the right purpose in mind. The good conscience, taught properly, will understand that baptism is necessary for salvation and will motivate the individual to take the appropriate action. To say that one can be baptized correctly without understanding the purpose of baptism denies the role of the conscience in baptism.
There is nothing magical in the waters of baptism. The water is just water. So dunking a person under the water just for the sake of dunking someone under the water will not suffice. If the proper motive and purpose are not present, it is meaningless, just like all the other steps of salvation. If a person is not baptized for the proper motives and purpose, he is just getting wet. The Bible clearly teaches that the purpose of baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).
We must therefore insure that those we teach clearly understand the purpose of baptism. One cannot feel safe just because he went through the motions, and we should not feel that this has somehow relieved us of the need for more thorough and detailed teaching before baptism. We do people no favors by putting them in the baptistery if they have no real appreciation for the fact that their sins are being forgiven by Jesus’ blood in that act (Acts 22:16).
Johnny Oxendine