THE SAVING WATERS OF BAPTISM

          One popular area church has a brief two-minute video on their website that highlights “baptism" (www.gracelives.org).  The video accurately depicts baptism as an immersion in water and is graphically quite attractive, but the narrator makes this observation midway in the production.  He asks, “Is baptism a part of what causes your salvation?”  And then he answers quite emphatically, “No!  No!  Absolutely not!"  I must admit, I could not help asking myself, "Is he reading the same New Testament that I am?"  On what basis does he make such a statement? 

          It seems to me that his strongly-stated denial of the connection between baptism and salvation is the polar opposite of the voice of Scripture.  In the Bible we read the words of Jesus, commissioning His disciples to go and preach the gospel, noting that he who believes and is baptized shall be saved… (Mk.16:16).  When God directed Ananias to go to Saul of Tarsas and tell him what he must do (Acts 9:6), Ananias came to Saul and spoke these words:  Why do you delay?  Arise, and be baptized and wash away your sins (Acts 22:16).  Even though Saul of Tarsus had seen “a light from heaven" (Acts 9:3) and had heard the voice of Jesus (Acts 9:4); and even though he had fasted (Acts 9:9) and prayed (Acts 9:11), he apparently still had his sins.  Thus the need to arise and BE BAPTIZED and WASH AWAY (HIS) SINS.  While praying to God is vitally important, it was not a sinner’s prayer that relieved Saul of his sins, it was an act of faith (obedience) that put him in good standing with God Almighty. 

          Later in his writings, Saul who comes to be known as the apostle Paul (Acts 13:9), writes:  all of you who have been baptized into Christ have been buried with Him into His death and are subsequently raised to walked in newness of life (Rom.6:3-4).  Can one die with Christ without bap-tism?  Can one walk in newness of life without first dying to a life of sin in the waters of baptism?  In writing to the churches of Galatia, Paul con-tinues to connect salvation with one's baptism INTO CHRIST:  For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Gal.3:26-27).  Can one be clothed with Christ without the saving waters of baptism?

          When the apostle Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, his audience was convicted (pierced to the heart) and cried out, What shall we do?

Peter said to them, ‘repent, and let each of you BE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS...' (Acts 2:38).  Here Peter, too, clearly connects baptism with the forgiveness of sins.  In one his epistles, Peter references the salvific role of the ark in the days of Noah and then states quite clearly, corresponding to that, BAPTISM NOW SAVES YOU... (1Pet.3:21).  So whose voice shall we follow - - the voice of the narrator of a slick video on baptism or the voice of Scripture?  Isn’t it always best to take one’s stand on a "thus saith the Lord"?     

                                                                                                                Terry Siverd / Cortland Church of Christ