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On Baptism

copyright Clark H Smith

Baptism is a consequence of Faith. 

Baptism is a work of God upon a person who has Faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

Salvation is not withheld until Baptism from the person who has truly placed living Faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, Baptism is not the "trigger mechanism" by which God is assured of the believer's sincerity. Take a quick look at Mark 16.16. Faith is the common element in one’s salvation or damnation. Baptism, however, necessarily follows Faith.

Wherever the two concepts are seen together in Scripture, Faith is stated first, and Baptism follows. Wherever the action of Baptism is seen in Scripture, Faith has clearly preceded it. Baptism then is a consequence of Saving Faith - it follows in the sequence of things.

For what other reason than Faith would one consent to baptism? (see Acts 2.36-38) By this argument, Faith must precede Baptism to instigate it. Until the giving of the heart to Christ, nothing else (e.g. Baptism, Confession, Repentance, etc.) has any connection with Salvation, let alone any significance. This is not to reduce the usefulness of Baptism, but to try and sort out its proper place in the various aspects of salvation. Where there is Faith in Christ, there is Salvation! (see Ephesians 2.8)

In God’s revealed thought, Baptism follows upon Faith as inevitably as a rock, released from the hand, moves downward. There is no option for the rock, no alternative - down is its natural movement. In God's spiritual world, Baptism is as natural an outcome of Faith as falling is to a released rock. (Note, by this illustration, I am not categorizing Baptism as a Work. Falling is not a Work of the Rock - it is a force acting upon the rock.) If a rock does not fall down, I do not look to the rock for an explanation, I suspect gravity. For Baptism to be either rejected or neglected, the prior condition of Faith would have to be suspect.

What is the purpose of Baptism? "Baptism Saves You!" shouts Peter (I Peter 3.21). There is no question of the importance of Baptism when it is combined with Faith. There is only a question of Faith when it is not combined with Baptism. This I Peter 3 passage strongly shows that the things we desire most are the consequence of Faith, not Faith itself. I do not desire Faith as much as I desire that my wretched past life be forgotten by God. I desire that my wretched future life be changed by God. And most of all, I desire that my wretched present life be infused with the absolute power of God. God assures me that at baptism He wipes my slate clean, just as He assured Noah that the world would be wiped clean by the flood. Because of my Faith and promised at my Baptism, God gives me the Holy Spirit to guide my walk. 

In Faith, I receive God's offer of salvation in exactly the same way as Noah received God's offer to him of salvation. We see from Peter's own example - that saving Faith literally preceded Baptism by quite some time. For one hundred and twenty years, Noah did not have Faith+Baptism, he had Faith alone! And it was Faith that saved Noah before death was ever a threat to Him. Likewise, Faith saves us from the threat of our second death, even before God marks the washing away, in Baptism, of the sins that would bring our second death. In this sense, Faith saves, Baptism marks. This statement is in perfect harmony with the picture Peter uses.

Let us understand that Baptism is a "marking" of the washing away of sins – all sins. I say it is a marking because salvation comes through Faith, regardless of when Baptism occurs. Acts 2.38 demands that sins are washed away at Baptism, and Peter neither implies nor permits us to infer that he means anything other than a literal and immediate washing away. But what about those sins committed after Baptism? When are those sins washed away? Dare we say that the washing away of our pre-baptismal sins was literal and the post-baptismal sins were figuratively washed away at the same time? If we think about this carefully, we quickly come to understand that all sins are washed away because of Faith, and the washing is marked at Baptism.

I demand that God is above time, not bound to be half-witted or double-minded about how He handles our sins for the sake of our finite-ness. God marks all our sins as washed away at Baptism - and if this does include sins yet committed, it must be done on some basis other than literal. We may say our sins are washed away in principle, in concept, or figuratively, but we must realize that God does not operate in a linear, Eastern Standard Time orientation as do we. 

(To illustrate: If I enjoy a fine meal at restaurant, I may pay for it immediately with cash or with a credit card. In either case, I thank the chef, tip the waiter and make my exit. Regardless of my payment preference, my body quickly begins to benefit from the nourishment. If I pay by credit, then it could conceivably be thirty to fifty days before I get the bill and write a check to pay the debt. Eventually, the cash changes hands and the bill is marked as settled - paid in full! All the while, my body still enjoys the benefit of the meal. To say that I derive no benefit from the meal until it is finally marked as paid runs contrary to what we all understand about the system. The restaurant places faith in the credit card company which, in turn, has placed faith in me for the ultimate payment of the bill. Without faith, it would be necessary to carry large amounts of cash and settle every bill at the moment. Fortunately, Faith eliminates time as a concern. Such is the case with Baptism. Since it is our Faith in God that "settles the bill" we should be looking at this from the standpoint of His timelessness, not our earth-bound view.)

Therefore, Faith being the overall precedent to salvation and being the unifying aspect of all salvation formulae and examples, we may rightly say that one is saved by Grace through Faith and at that moment salvation is assured - based solely on faith. God foreknows the responses that flow from our Faith. If He knows that our desire is to meet Him in everything He desires for us, including Baptism, then does He not credit us with that? If He knows that, when enlightened to meet Him at one thing or another, we will refuse to meet Him there - He returns to judge our original desire, our Faith.

Christians quibbling about Baptism is like students quibbling about a school’s attendance policy. How many tardies? How many absences? How long must wait for an absent teacher? If a student truly desires to learn, her attendance will follow accordingly. If learning is not the priority then no amount of attendance or absence will matter. Let Christians teach faith in Christ and let us teach what He taught and Baptism will be restored to its beautiful place, faithfully following Faith.

(all scripture quoted from the NASB)

On a related subject see Pastor Clark's paper on Assurance of Salvation

(NOTE: If you are inclined to attach more authority to the theological arguments of people who are now dead, then you certainly should consider Alexander Campbell's "Lunenburg Letter" in which he elaborates on the ordinance of and tension about baptism.)

Thinking Further About Baptism . . .

A Traveler Through Cyberia (whom I will call Friend) read my paper on Baptism and responded with the following e-mail message. 

Clark, 

I read your piece on baptism, and I agree for the most part. However, I hold that sins are washed away at Faith, not at baptism as your writing seems to suggest. I hold that one can not go to heaven with "sin", meaning that unless one has had sins forgiven in some way, one can not go to heaven. From reading you paper, we obviously both agree that salvation begins and ends with the finished work of Jesus Christ. However, as far as the time of salvation goes, that time is at faith. If this is not so, what of the thief on the cross? Am I missing something here? If so, please help me out. 

Acts 2:38 is the most often cited example that baptism is the time of salvation. However, Peter says to Repent and be Baptized. Why do we just single one of those actions out as the TIME of salvation. If you hold to this verse as saying that baptism is the time of salvation, what do you do with repentance. What if I am baptized today and repent tomorrow? Am I not saved until I repent? I say that repentance, confession, baptism, "being saved unto good works", etc., are all results of salvation. The time is when the sinner comes to Christ in saving faith. My general feeling is that people hold to baptism as the time of salvation because others can see that. They can't see faith (strictly speaking) and they can't see genuine repentance. We have to see something, so we latch on to baptism . 

To Friend, 

When did TIME begin and when will it end? 

Is there TIME in the presence of an *eternal* God - The Alpha and Omega? I think of the last verse of Amazing Grace: When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we'd first begun. I think that is accurate. What do you think? 

I believe that TIME began when man was thrown out of the Garden of Eden. I believe that TIME is an dimension of experience peculiar to Separated Man. (Note Ecclesiastes 3.11 – God has set eternity in our hearts - we yearn for it.) I believe that TIME will end when Christ returns and the NEW Garden is established - and we once again dwell in the presence of our eternal God. 

Your question about baptism centers around the issue of TIME and as much or more than the process of salvation. Have I understood the question correctly? Would you agree that TIME seems to be the issue? 

(In my response, text lines in red are quotes from Friend's original message presented above.)

However, I hold that sins are washed away at Faith, not at baptism as your writing seems to suggest. 

Friend, Scripture does not gives us permission to make such a statement. This doesn't make it an incorrect statement, it just means we have stepped off of the solid shore of Scripture to arrive at your conclusion. I can say that Scripture connects *baptism* with the concept of washing away sins, I can't say that Faith "washes them away." 

I hold that one can not go to heaven with "sin", meaning that unless one has had sins forgiven in some way, one can not go to heaven. 

You are definitely correct and in total agreement with Scripture on this point - and we agree. Note: You are inserting death into the formula. "One can't go to heaven with sin" presumes that going to heaven is eminent. I assume you are wanting to contrast dying after Faith with dying after Faith+Baptism. This is a common point of debate - to state the question in traditional terms, "Can you ‘go to heaven’ if you have faithed Christ but die before you are baptized?

However, as far as the time of salvation goes, that time is at faith. 

Here is a critical juncture in processing what we think about salvation. It is very typical of Calvinistic beliefs (I specifically point out Charles Stanley who talks enthusiastically about the "moment I placed my faith in Jesus Christ") to look as faith as an EVENT rather than a STATUS. 

As an EVENT, we faith God in that moment of realizing that He is God and that we need salvation from His wrath. That EVENT having passed, we move forward in our life in Christ looking backward to that moment in which our salvation was secured. This approach is not inconceivable in the context of Scripture, but it bumps into some problems with the apostasy or "falling away" passages. (for more on this see Assurance of Salvation) 

The apostasy passages indicate that faith is to be seen as a STATUS! We do keep our salvation by working well!!!, but we are given Scriptural witness that Faith in God must ever be present! If by Grace we are saved through Faith, then what happens if Faith fails (not falters, but fails)? Grace is not received and salvation is not granted. Faith is not a one shot deal. Faith is an ongoing relationship with God (that includes works but is not based on works). Sometimes we forget that Faith is a verb, not a noun as in English. If we replaced Faith with Hold we might get a better sense of the process (although I don't like the work aspects of "hold" - how about "HeartHold"?) By Grace are we saved by HeartHolding on to God in Christ. If our heart lets go, are we saved? I'll come back to all this. 

If this is not so, what of the thief on the cross? Am I missing something here? If so, please help me out. 

I used to use this example as well. Here's the problem - OLD COVENANT! Christ had yet to die, be buried, and to be resurrected - Old Covenant. Romans 6.4 teaches that baptism is picture of (and our uniting in) the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. How could the thief have been baptized into Christ if Christ, Himself, had yet to go through the very act which baptism would signify. 

But let's not throw out the thief with the baptismal waters - What about the thief on the cross? Check out Hebrews 11.13: 

"All these died in faith without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth." (NAS) 

The thief died in exactly the same status as Abraham, Moses, David, etc., etc. He died in faith – the neat thing is he died as closer to the "promise" than anyone else who had preceded him! And what about those old OT saints - whither their baptism? Does the fact that surely Abraham will be in heaven negate the necessity of baptism? NO! Baptism was yet to be given, so like the thief, he died looking forward. Let me ask you a key question here, do you think if God has asked Abraham to be baptized would Abe have done it? You say yes, and I say yes, and I say that is exactly the same situation with those who die - in Faith - but before they are baptized.

Acts 2:38 is the most often cited example that baptism is the time of salvation. However, Peter says to Repent and be Baptized. Why do we just single one of those actions out as the TIME of salvation. 

I am strongly agreeing with you here. (I tease the Restoration Movement of having the motto: "Keep the Act in Acts 2.38") I do not mark baptism as the TIME of our salvation - I mark beginning of Faith as the beginning of our status of salvation. "How precious did that Grace appear the hour I first believed!" You are right in landing on this as a problem application of the verse. Repentance (in this case turning from persecuting Christ to following Him) is dependent on Faith. Look up "synecdoche" - it is a language device wherein the part represents the whole. How could - why would one repent unless one had FAITH in Christ? 

If you hold to this verse as saying that baptism is the time of salvation...

To reiterate - I DO NOT SAY that baptism is the TIME of Salvation! I say it is when God marks the washing away of our sin. I do emphatically say and declare that the "time" between your beginning a Faith status with God and your baptism means NOTHING to our God who is above and beyond TIME. Even if we die in Faith, un-baptized, like every Old Covenant Saint, God knows whether we have true Faith and whether we would have followed Christ in baptism if we had not died first. The only problem with not being baptized is for those who REFUSE baptism. Even then the problem is not baptism, but what kind of Faith in Jesus refuses baptism? Can Saving faith refuse Baptism? I think not.

what do you do with repentance

What if I am baptized today and repent tomorrow? Am I not saved until I repent?

If you had yet to repent, why were you baptized? (Remember, the only reason to repent is because you accept the teaching of Christ in Faith) Obviously for a reason other than Faith and I can get anybody wet - Faith or Not - it just doesn't mean anything. I suggest if you were baptized yesterday and repent today, you will WANT to be baptized today knowing fully what your relationship with Christ now is. (We actually see this "re-baptism" quite often, don’t we.) 

I say that repentance, confession, baptism, "being saved unto good works", etc, are all results of salvation. The time is when the sinner comes to Christ in saving faith.

You see that I agree with this statement as regards to time. HOWEVER, I can never concede baptism being a work in the same sense that caring for the poor are works. Baptism is not a work! It is not something man does. It is something God does (wash away sins) and which man submits to - in Faith.

Look at the great commission "Make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey all that I have commanded. . . ." Baptize is outside of "doing" what Christ commands - because man can't "do" what happens at baptism! 

My general feeling is that people hold to baptism as the time of salvation because others can see that. They can't see faith (strictly speaking) and they can't see genuine repentance. We have to see something, so we latch on to baptism

Right on target Friend, Right on! It's that synecdoche thing again. We ask, "when were you baptized" to mean "When did you place faith in Christ and follow him in Christian baptism?" It is a convenience of words, but has actually shaped our theological thinking. 

I do not feel that my views above either diminish or emphasize baptism beyond what is Scriptural. I do not let TIME get in under and infect my theology about salvation. God knows who will accept his Gospel and who will accept His command to be baptized. Death is an inconvenience - for us not for God. If death comes before baptism, then we humans can't see that act performed in an individual’s life. God doesn't need to see the outside - he sees the inside - and welcomes into His bosom those that Faith him.