A reader of this blog recently brought up an interesting question: why
was Christ baptized if baptism is not a necessary step in the path to eternal
life? Their point was that Jesus said He was fulfilling all righteousness (Matthew 3:15), and that He was
perfect, and yet seemingly in need of baptism. It seemed to that reader a
contradiction that we could be saved by faith alone, as we are sinful and
imperfect, and that it was prideful to think that we did not also need baptism
and works to be saved.
Our pastor likes to say that baptism doesn't make you
saved any more than wearing a wedding band makes you married. Both are symbols
of a deeper union. In the case of baptism, it is usually one of the first, acts
of obedience a Christian does once they are born again (John 3:3-7), as a symbol of their spiritual rebirth.
Baptism by immersion symbolizes the death and burial of
Jesus as the believer is plunged under the water, and it also symbolizes the
believer dying to his sin nature (2
Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:2-7). When the believer is raised up
out of the water, it symbolizes Christ's resurrection and also the believer
becoming a new creation in Christ (2
Corinthians 5:17), raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). Baptism shows those
present that we are not ashamed to be followers of Christ, and that we are
obedient to His Great Commission which includes baptism (Matthew 28:19-20).
But baptism, or any works in general, are not necessary
for salvation. To be saved, all we need is the freely given gift of God’s grace
through faith in Jesus' death, burial and resurrection as the only way to
Heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9; 1
Corinthians 15).
Ephesians
2: 8 For by grace are
ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
We cannot accomplish our own salvation, for we can add nothing
to Christ’s completed work on the cross. However, once we are saved, obedience
and good works, such as baptism, flow naturally out of our love for and
gratitude to Him. Baptism and other good works are the fruit and evidence of
our living faith (James 2:17-26).
When Philip preached about Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch, he asked
what would prevent him from being baptized, and Philip replied “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou
mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
After this confession of faith by the eunuch, Philip
baptized him right away (Acts 8:26-38).
This shows the proper order of being saved by believing and verbally confessing
faith in Christ, Whom God raised from the dead (Romans 10:9) and then being baptized as an act of obedience.
Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, who immersed Him
in the river Jordan ((Matthew 3:13-17).
Yet John protested before baptizing Jesus, for he clearly recognized long before
that Jesus was far more powerful and holier than himself (Luke 3:16-17). Only Jesus would be able to baptize with the
Holy Ghost, and only Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the
world (John 1:29,36). None of
these powers were contingent on Jesus being baptized. In fact, John, Mary, and
Elizabeth all recognized Jesus as their Savior before He was even born!
We cannot use Jesus’ example in being baptized to prove
that we must be baptized in order to be saved, any more than we can use His
example in being circumcised (Romans 2:25-28),
or keeping the Jewish feasts, or other works of the law that He kept and
fulfilled (Matthew 5:17), as
works necessary for our own salvation. The law saves no one, for no one can
keep it completely.
The law is only a mirror showing us the extent of our
shortcomings and our need for a Savior. As sinners before a righteous and holy
God, we deserve eternal punishment in hell, which would be our fate if Christ
had not paid our sin debt in full to reconcile us to the Father (Romans 3:20-26).
If baptism or any other works were necessary for our salvation,
then the thief who repented and recognized Jesus as Lord just before he died on
the cross would not have been saved. He had no opportunity to be baptized or to
do any good works, yet Jesus said to him, "Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:40-43).
In a way, it is pride and unbelief that makes some think
that God's grace is not enough to save their souls, and that they need to add
their own good works to the amazing love and self-sacrifice Christ showed by
dying for our sins. The Mormons like to say "We do our best, and Jesus
does the rest." But Jesus freely gave Himself for us, and that is enough.
It is as if someone offered you a brand new Mercedes Benz
as a gift, no strings attached, and you said -- "No, I want to help pay
for it, so here is a penny." Thinking that our penny would make a
difference would not only be prideful; it would also be insulting to the giver
and would belittle the immense value of his gift. It is prideful to think that
we could save ourselves by our good works, because the Bible says that our
righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah
64:6).
Yes, we are all sinful and imperfect (Romans 3:10-23), before and after
we are saved. We have no righteousness on our own, before or after baptism. But
once we place our faith in Jesus, all His righteousness is imputed to our
account, and all our sins are imputed to His account (Romans 4:6-8; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21). So, praise God,
when the Father looks at a believer, He no longer sees our sins, but only the
perfect righteousness of His Son!
© 2012 Laurie Collett
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