Why the First Believers Were Baptized (Part 1)

My previous seven blogs have focused on reasons that some believers have given for being baptized. In each case the reason was found to lack biblical support. Yet, as noted in the first blog on the subject, the reason a person is baptized is vitally important. That leads to a very important question:

Recognizing that the first believers in Jesus were baptized and that baptism was in some way associated with salvation, why were they baptized?

Let’s begin with the instructions that Jesus gave His apostles after His resurrection and before He ascended to heaven. (It is commonly called the Great Commission.)

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”      —Matthew 28:18–20

Jesus gave His apostles three basic instructions:

• Make disciples;
• Baptize them; and
• Teach them.

From this passage we can make a simple conclusion about baptism: Jesus expected his apostles to baptize those who were becoming disciples. If this were the only reference to baptism in the New Testament, we might wonder why Jesus instructed baptism. Yet, other passages also make a connection between baptism and discipleship.

Those who were baptized by John the Baptist became disciples of John. Likewise, those baptized by the disciples of Jesus became disciples of Jesus. (John 4:1-2; Acts 19:1-5)

Consider also the instruction Jesus gave in the Gospel of Mark (16:15-16), also set after His crucifixion and before His ascension:

And He said to them [apostles], “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”

Jesus expected the apostles to baptize believers, and he gave a specific reason: The baptized believer will be saved (from condemnation).

One fellow told me that this passage does not say that a person will be condemned if they are not baptized but only if they do not believe. Technically, yes, but let's test his conclusion. A simple illustration should do:

Some years ago a local burger joint offered a burger for only $1 on Sunday if you brought a current church bulletin. (The regular price was about $2.50.) So, this was the deal: On Sunday, whoever brings in a current church bulletin and a dollar will get a burger.

That seems simple enough to understand, but wait! Using the reasoning of my acquaintance, the ad did not say that you would not get a burger for a dollar if you did not bring in a current church bulletin. On a technical point, that is true. However, would you expect to pay only one dollar for a burger if you did not bring in a church bulletin? To ‘assume’ that you would get a dollar burger without the bulletin would be just that, an assumption.

When my acquaintance made his statement about baptism, he was making a bold assumption that he could simply choose to omit baptism, though it was clearly and directly instructed. I guess he can take a chance on his reasoning, but I cannot teach different from what is written. Belief in Jesus accompanied with baptism will save.

So, it is clear from the instruction given by Jesus in the Great Commission that He expected believers to be baptized.

The purpose, according to Jesus: Discipleship and salvation.

Why Were You Baptized? (Reason #6)

For some believers the question of baptism is troublesome since baptism undeniably appears in the New Testament and it is clearly connected in some way to salvation. For example:

He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. —Mark 16:16

...Baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience…. —1 Peter 3:21

Yet, the Bible also clearly states:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. —Ephesians 2:8-9

Some assume that baptism is a ‘work’ and since a person is not saved by works, then baptism does not save, rather...

Reason #6: Baptism is an outward sign of an inward faith (or grace).
Different words may be used to express the same thought, such as, “baptism is an expression of my love for God for having saved me.” Whatever the expression, the idea is that baptism is merely symbolic. So, once a person has been saved (by grace through faith), they are baptized as a sign of their salvation, that is, to show that they have been saved.

Is that what the Bible teaches about baptism?

First, there truly is rich symbolism associated with baptism. The Apostle Paul wrote that a believer’s baptism is symbolically parallel to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:3-4). However, he did not say that the believer’s baptism was merely ‘like’ the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Rather, in the same passage of scripture, he said that the baptized believer:

• Has died with Christ (vv. 6 & 8);
• Is buried with Christ (v. 4);
• Is united with Christ in His death (v. 5);
• Is united with Christ in His resurrection (v. 5).

The “likeness of His death” (v. 5) is the believer’s baptism. The “uniting” with Christ in his death and resurrection is the work of God. Paul recognized the work of God as he wrote:

Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. (v. 6)

So, God is doing something very real that we cannot sense with our physical senses. He is literally uniting the baptized believer with Christ in a spiritual death, burial, and resurrection so that the believer “might walk in newness of life” (v. 4). So, Paul did not describe baptism as an outward sign to ‘show’ anything to others, but rather to unite the believer with Christ.

Second, there are signs of one’s existing relationship with God. For example, just as an apple (fruit) is a sign of an apple tree, the fruit of the Spirit is a sign of the Spirit of God dwelling in a Christian (Galatians 5:22-25).

When Jesus told His disciples to “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works” (Matthew 5:16), the good works were a sign of one’s devotion to Jesus.

Paul encouraged Christians to “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” He indicated that this was a “sign...of salvation for you” (Philippians 1:27-28).

Curiously, baptism is never referred to in scripture as an visible sign of love or faith or even salvation. So, if you were baptized as an 'outward sign’ of anything, I would urge you reconsider your baptism and to turn to scripture for your answer.

Why Were You Baptized? (Reason #5)

So many different ’churches’ claiming Christianity; so many different teachings and practices associated with baptism; it is all very confusing. Today's blog addresses:

Reason #5: The Sacrament of Baptism

The Roman Catholic Church and other similar churches teach a system of sacraments. Baptism is the first of seven sacraments which are, in the broadest sense, “external signs of the action of God’s grace.” ¹ Distinguished from lesser signs called sacramentals, “a sacrament imparts grace in virtue of the rite itself." ²

According to sacramental theology, when baptism is administered in the correct way, with the correct water, with the correct words, by the correct person, the one being baptized receives God’s grace in the forgiveness of sins. Since parents make baptismal vows/promises for infants, the Holy Spirit is not received until the rite of the sacrament of Confirmation is administered by a Bishop when a child is older.

Does all this make sense according to the Bible?

Let’s make a couple of observations from the Catholic Encyclopedia compared to Scripture.

First, “in the early Church, it was difficult to distinguish between the sacraments of Initiation,” including baptism and confirmation. One reason is that in the early church only adults were baptized.³ So, originally the Roman Catholic church taught that forgiveness of sins and the receipt of the Holy Spirit occurred at baptism, just as Peter instructed those who heard the gospel when it was first preached:

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. — Acts 2:37-38

So, the separation of forgiveness of sins (at Baptism) and a later receipt of the Holy Spirit (at Confirmation) was an invention of the Roman Catholic Church that did not follow Scripture and the practice of the first century Christians. (The practice of separating the two seems to have coincided with the increased practice of baptizing infants during the 4th and 5th centuries.⁴)

Second, as a sacrament, the ritual of baptism “imparts grace in virtue of the rite itself.” ⁵ This suggests that the baptism ritual itself, if done correctly with all the right ingredients will, in and of itself, bring about an expected effect. This further suggests that the ritual itself is used to invoke the power and/or activity of God.

However…
Reflecting on Peter’s answer in Acts 2 (above), the people were instructed to “repent and be baptized.” Repentance involves an active response of the mind of the one being baptized. Later, Peter wrote that baptism is “an appeal for a good conscience” (1 Peter 3:21). Clearly, ‘ritual’ baptism would be incomplete without a proper response of the mind of the one being baptized. So, ‘ritual baptism’ without repentance and without an appeal of the mind cannot possibly “impart grace in virtue of the rite itself.”

Anyone who has only received baptism as a sacrament is urged to consider the historical development of such a practice in light of Scripture and to follow Scripture instead of traditions originating in the minds of men.


¹ Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia, ‘Sacraments, Seven,’ p. 849.
² Catholic Encyclopedia, ‘Sacramental,’ p. 848.
³ Catholic Encyclopedia, ‘Confirmation,’ p. 246.
⁴ Catholic Encyclopedia, ‘Confirmation,’ p. 246.
⁵ Catholic Encyclopedia, ‘Sacramental,’ p. 848.

Why Were You Baptized? (Reason #4)

The reason for baptism that I wish to address today might be generalized:

Reason #4: External pressure.

A young lady sat across my desk from me and broke into tears when I asked the simple question, “Why were you baptized?”

She regained her composure enough to answer, “All my friends were getting baptized, so I did too. I didn’t know what I was doing.”

I spoke with a wife who wondered about her husband’s motive when he was baptized. One thing was certain, her father would not allow the two to marry unless the young man was baptized. Questions lingered.

I have heard it taught that we just need to be obedient, "Be baptized." As a result some have felt pressured into going through a baptism ritual as an act of obedience. Yet, there is much more to baptism than an arbitrary command: "Be baptized!"

Related to that, “If you aren’t baptized you’ll go to hell.” Or, at church camp, “If you haven’t been baptized yet, you won’t be saved.”

All of these examples have one thing in common: Some degree of external pressure.

Let me quickly add; I am sure that the crowd that heard the first gospel sermon on the Day of Pentecost felt pressure. (Read Acts 2.) Having been cut to the heart, they interrupted Peter’s sermon: “What shall we do?” However, the pressure they felt was related to an inner conviction brought about by the gospel message. That is the right kind of pressure.

I am more concerned about external pressure that is not rooted in the gospel message. The problem is an insufficient understanding of the reason for baptism. Sometimes it is the fault of the preacher/teacher, and sometimes the fault of the listener.

Some preachers have pressured people into baptism by using high-pressure sales techniques or by using guilt to manipulate. Paul was on fire for the gospel, but he did not coerce people; no belt-notching, baptism boasting for Paul.

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.    —1 Corinthians 1:17

In the New Testament baptism was always a faith response, not the mere observance of a ritual act. Anyone can participate in a ritual without understanding (e.g. Latin Mass for English-speaking people). However, a faith response is, by nature, a conviction of the heart based on understanding.

If you were baptized just to follow the crowd or to please someone, your baptism lacks meaning and substance. You should rethink your reason for being baptized in light of biblical teaching.

If you were pressured into baptized as an act of obedience to a legal command, you really missed the point of baptism. You desperately need to turn to the scriptures and reevaluate.

Baptism is not a magic shield against God’s wrath. So, if you were pressured into baptism through fear or through guilt, yet did not understand the biblical teaching on baptism, you also need to turn to the scriptures and reevaluate.

I never want to create doubt in the hearts of people. However, there is but ‘one baptism.’ As believers, we must make sure that we have made a proper faith response to God in baptism. If there is any pressure, it ought to come from God through the gospel message.

Reason #5, next week.