Yes, this is long. The origanal study is twelve pages long. I've divided it up into five parts to make shorter posts. In the study, references are given, but the verses are not written out. I have written out the verses here, using the ASV. I hope this is of help to you.
Part 1 of 5
Baptism is really not a difficult subject. The first half of this study deals with the baptism practiced by New Testament Christians. We will look at other baptisms in the last half of this study. In Heb. 6:1-2, Paul speaks of repentance, faith, baptisms (or washings), and such as first principles of Christianity
(1) Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, (2) of instruction about washings, and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement.
While we can certainly develop deeper understanding of these elementary teachings, they can be easily understood by a new Christian or someone investigating Christianity. In Mt. 11:25, Jesus speaks of little children understanding more than the wise and learned.
(25) At that time Jesus answered and said, "I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes."
Obviously, someone who is searching Scripture to see what it says will do better than someone who has already decided what the Bible teaches.
The Bible is very clear on the subject of baptism. The confusion stems not from what Scripture says, but rather from what man has decided that Scripture says. I don't know who said the following, but it illustrates the problem:
If a rich man were to say, "He that believes and is baptized shall be given one thousand dollars," no one would misunderstand. No one would fail to do just that because of the money reward offered. But when Jesus said, "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved," (Mk. 16:16), somebody is always ready to say, "I just cannot see it that way. That makes baptism too important." How wise are men for a dollar - how foolish for a soul.
(Note from the Truth Seeker: Mr. Yeager here echos a quote from 'Bulwarks of the Faith' by Foy E. Wallace Jr. Here is the quote: "Which do you choose? If the sentence [He that believeth and baptized shall be saved] should be paraphrased to read, 'He that believeth and is baptized shall receive $5,000, but he that believeth not shall receive nothing,' not a person would fail to understand it, or apply it, including all these ranting radio preachers.
"If Noah had said 'he that believeth and entereth the ark shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be destroyed' could an antedeluvian [pre-flood] believer have been saved without entering the ark - by only believing?
"When God appoints two things for the accomplishment of one end, it takes both to accomplish that end. Will anyone therefore dare say, 'he that believth but will not be baptized shall be saved'?" That said, we go back to Mr. Yeager.)
I've been told that I was trying to earn my salvation because I was baptized so that my sins would be forgiven. Acts 2:38
(38) And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
But if a rich (and eccentric) man gave me a thousand dollars for believing and being baptized, I doubt anyone would say I earned the money. They might say I'm lucky or they might accuse me of ripping off a foolish old man, but no one would say, "Wow, you really worked for that money. I sure with I knew how to be baptized like you so that I could earn money like that. But I'm afraid being baptized requires so much time, effort, and skill that I would never be able to accomplish it."
I suppose there is some work involved in baptizing if you're the one doing the baptizing. But the person being baptized doesn't do anything except submit to the procedure. Awhile back there was a popular song that went something like this: "That ain't working; That's the way you do it; Relax you body in the baptistry." Or maybe it was: "Play the guitar on the MTV." But playing a guitar takes time and effort and skill. At any rate, when it comes to baptism, "That ain't working; That's the way you do it; Man earns nothing and salvation is free."
I'm not saything that there isn't any work involved in salvation. Paul told the Philippians to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil 2:12)
(12) So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling...
Maybe he's talking about baptism in icy cold water. That would bring on fear and trembling. And you'd have to "work" up the courage to get in. But that's obviously not what he's talking about. When the crowd asked Jesus what work God wanted them to do, Jesus told them to believe. (John. 6:28-29)
(28) They said therefore to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"
(29) Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."
Of course, there's not mcuh work involved in believing if you believe like the demons believe. (James 2:19)
(19) You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
But if your belief includes repentance, that's where the work comes in. Being baptized is easy. Repentance is tough. If you want to work out your own salvation, try repenting. To "repent" means to "change". Try changing old habits. It's not easy to control a hot temper or clean up your language. (Col. 3:8)
(8) But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speach from your mouth.
Little "white" lies are tough to give up. (Col. 3:9)
(9) Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices.
It takes effort to clean up your thought life. (Phil. 4:8 and 2 Cor. 10:5)
(8) Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.
(5) We are destroying speculation and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
It's hard to consider others more important than yourself. (Phil. 2:3-4)
(3) Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; (4) do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Making God first in your life is easier said than done. (Matt. 6:33)
(33) But seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
It's not easy giving control of your life to Jesus. (Matt. 7:21)
(21) Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father, who is in heaven.
We want to be in charge. But before you can be saved, you have to make the decision to submit your life to the will of God.
Here's the problem: one one hand, the Bible says to work out your own salvation. (Phil. 2:12) On the other hand, it says that salvation is by grace and not of works. (Eph. 2:8-9)
(8) For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; (9) not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
So either the Bible contradicts itself or we're misunderstanding something. The confusion comes when we say there is nothing a person can do to be saved and then we turn around and point out what you have to do to be saved. But we don't really mean "there is nothing you can do to be saved." What we actually mean is, "there is nothing you can do to 'earn' salvation."
The Bible says if we try to "earn" even a part of our salvation, it's an insult to God. (Isa. 64:6) Try telling people that you "helped" God create the solar system. It's an insult. So when it comes to eternal life, Jesus did 100% of the earning. We do 0% of the earning. That's because there is nothing we can do to "earn" salvation. All we can do is "accept" salvation. And accepting salvation requires that we "do" something to accept it.
Belief is necessary (John 8:24) but there is no salvation earning power in believing in Jesus.
(24) "I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins."
There is only salvation-accepting power in belief. Repentance is necessary (Luke 13:3) but regardless of how much effort we put into it, there's no salvation-earning power in repentance.
(3) "I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."
There is only salvation-accepting power in repentance.
So after teaching people that there is nothing they can do to be saved, we print up tracts and pamphlets telling people what they must do to be saved. Of course, what we really mean is that you can't earn salvation but here's how you accept salvation:
1. Realize that we are sinners and will be lost eternally.
A few examples from the Bible:
Mt. 25:41: "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels...' "
Rom. 3:9-12, 23: What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; (10) as it is written,
'There is none righteous, not even one; (11) there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; (12) all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.'
(23)...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...
Rom. 6:16, 23: Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? ... (23) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2. Realize that only Jesus can save us.
A few examples from the Bible:
Acts 4:12: And there is salvationin no one else; fro there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.
Rom. 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Eph. 2-8-9, 12: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that no f oyourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast...(12) remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and stranger to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
2 Cor. 5:21: He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
3. We must believe before we can be saved.
A few examples from the Bible:
Mk. 16:16: He who has believed and has been been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
John 3:16, 36: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life...(36) He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
John 8:24: "I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins."
Acts 16:31: And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household."
4. We must repent before we can be saved.
A few examples from the Bible:
Luke 13:3: "I tell you, no, but, unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
Acts 2:38: And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Acts 3:16: Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord...
Acts 17:30: Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere sould repent.
5. We must confess before we can be saved.
A few examples from the Bible:
Mt. 10:32-33: "Everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven."
Acts 8:37: And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son the God."
Rom. 10:9-10: ...that if you confess with your mouth Hesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
6. The moment of salvation comes when we ask Jesus to come into our heart and be our savior.
A few examples from the Bible:
???
Isn't it incredible that we follow God's way right up until the moment of salvation? Then we turn around and receive salvation in man's way. We follow the Scripture very carefully right up to the point of being born again and then, out of the blue, we come up with a man-made prayer that is found nowhere in Scripture, and we call that the "new birth" As Paul said in Gal. 5:7, "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?" It's almost as though we're saying, "Okay God, thanks a lot. We can take it from here. Your Word brought us right up to the point of salvation but we'd like to actually receive salvation in our own way," Of course, God wats us to be saved so much that he might well accept us on our own terms rather than on his terms, but our rejection of his beautiful plan of salvation must hurt him.
Someone will say, "But praying for salvation is scriptural. Look at Rom. 10:13."
(13)..for "whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved."
But this verse can't mean that everyone who says "Lord, Lord," will be saved. (Matt. 7:21)
(21) "Not every one who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father, who is in heaven."
"Calling on the Lord" abviously includes doing things God's way rather than man's way. Does Rom. 10:13 mean we don't have to repent and make Jesus the Lord of our lives before we can be saved? "Jesus, I call on your name and ask you to be my personal savior here and now. I'll continue to be my own personal lord but after I've been saved a few years, I'll consider making you the lord of my life." I wouldn't bet eternity on that one.
How about Rev. 3:20?
(20) 'Behold, I stand at the door and nock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.'
This beautiful Scripture is Jesus calling the Christians at Laodicia to come back to him. It's good to know that once you've become a Christian, if you ever fall away, he will always be there, asking you to come back. But what about those non-Christians who have never been saved? This verse isn't speaking to them. Once of the many spiritual blessings of being in Christ, (Eph. 1:3)
(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
...is the benifit of being able to pray for forgiveness of sin. Non-Christians don't have this benefit. If a non-Christain sincerely prays for salvation, God will send someone to tell them God's way of salvation. When Saul realized his sin, he prayed for three days. (Acts 9:1-18)
(11) And the Lord said to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying..."
But praying won't wash away a non-Christian's sin. Still, sencere prayer is effective. Gor God sent Ananias, a Christian, to tell Saul how to wash away his sins. (Acts 22:12-16)
(16) "And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name."
Some people, desperate to hang onto man's way of salvation, have said that Saul was a Christain before he was baptized. But how can one be a Christain and still need to have his sins washed away?
Then there's Luke 18:13-14.
(13) "But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted."
This man, like the thief on the cross, lived and died under the Law of Moses. God, who ever changes, has always given salvation to the same group of people: those who are imperfectly obediant to him. (Those who are perfectly obedient don't need salvation...and don't exist. Rom. 3:23)
(23) ..for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
The Old Testament said were saved by obeying God's law given though Moses. New Testament saints are saved by obeying God's law given through Jesus Christ. Although God's law has changed, (Heb. 8:13)...
(13) When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.
God is still the same and he still saves those who obey him. (Heb. 5:9)
(9) ...and having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation..
But we're not being obedient if we insist on being saved under Old Testament law.
To be continued as soon as I get the next part typed out....