I. INTRODUCTION
A. When Christians assert the necessity of baptism for salvation and forgiveness of sins, men often object and say that any such assertion is an attempt at salvation by works.
1. Christians support their belief with the plain teachings of Scripture, such as:
a. Mark 16:16 -- "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned."
b. Acts 2:38 -- 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."
c. 1Peter 3:21 -- Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you -- not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience -- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
2. Those who object to the teaching of salvation by baptism will counter with Ephesians 2:8-9 -- 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.
3. How can one passage of Scripture say that baptism saves and another says that we are not saved as a result of works? Is there a conflict in the Scriptures, or is there a conflict in interpretations? What is the correct interpretation?
B. While it is true that we are not saved by our own works, it is false that baptism is a work of man. In truth, baptism is a work of God that is certainly necessary for salvation. This answer will be demonstrated in the lesson.
II. GOD PERFORMS THE WORK IN BAPTISM
A. The person who is baptized is passive in the action of baptism.
1. Baptism is done to the person who is being saved. It is not a work of him, but rather it is a work upon him. He is not baptizing, but rather he is being baptized.
2. This is evident in the many commandments and examples concerning baptism.
a. Matthew 28:19 -- "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit..."
b. Mark 16:16 -- "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved..."
c. Acts 2:38 -- "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins..."
d. Acts 2:41 -- So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
e. Acts 8:12-13 -- But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized...
f. Acts 8:36, 38 -- "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?"...And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.
3. Therefore, a person who is baptized in the name of Christ is not attempting to be saved by his own works, for he is not performing a work at all. The work is performed on him.
B. The person who physically administers baptism is insignificant in the process.
1. The Scriptures record many people administering baptism, and no particular requirements for the baptizer are given.
a. In the events recorded in the passages above, the various apostles as well as Philip the evangelist were the baptizers. It is evident in the New Testament that other men administered baptism as well.
b. Consider 1Corinthians 1:13-17:
Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 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.
i. Paul did not baptize most of the Christians at Corinth, and it was of no consequence. Their baptisms were just as effective regardless.
ii. Paul was even thankful that he had not baptized them because of their tendency to exalt men.
2. Therefore, the baptizer is not attempting to save another by his own works or power. He knows there is no power in himself for salvation, for he baptizes in the name of Jesus Christ.
C. Baptism saves undeniably (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1Pet. 3:21), but neither the person being baptized nor the baptizer are performing a work of salvation. Therefore, baptism must be the saving work of God.
1. Through baptism, God works upon a penitent, believing sinner to bring about his salvation. Notice two passages that describe the work of God in baptism:
a. Romans 6:3-4 -- Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
b. Colossians 2:9-14 -- For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
2. Thus, we see that the work of God in baptism includes:
a. Spiritually burying the sinner who has died to sin via repentance;
b. Spiritually raising up the penitent sinner to walk in newness of life in which he is enslaved to righteousness rather than sin (see Rom. 6:5-23);
c. Spiritually circumcising the penitent sinner as a sign of the new covenant in Christ (compare to Abraham's circumcision in Gen. 17:9-14).
3. Notice a few observations:
a. Baptism puts one into Christ and into His death (Rom. 6:3). This is not something that man can do. It must be the work of God.
b. Baptism raises one from spiritual death into newness of life (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12-13). This is not something that man can do. It must be the work of God.
c. Baptism is "a circumcision made without hands" (Col. 2:11). This is not something that man can do. It must be the work of God.
d. Baptism is effective only "through faith in the working of God" (Col. 2:12).
III. CONCLUSION
A. Indeed, baptism is a work of God, and it is for this reason that it is done in the name of Christ.
1. It is not the act or work of baptism itself that saves, but rather it is the power of God that is accessed through baptism according to His will and authority.
2. Men could be baptized in the name of anyone else in the world, but none of them would be saved. Concerning Jesus, Peter declared, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
3. Thus, we are to be baptized "in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19) and "in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38). (Note: The name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are synonymous, for they are all God.)
B. Because baptism is a work of God, there is no conflict between the teaching of salvation by baptism (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1Pet. 3:21; etc.) and salvation by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9).
1. It is God's grace that instructs us in the gospel, including God's work in baptism (Tit. 2:11). By faith, we believe in the gospel, including God's work in baptism (Heb. 11:1, 6).
2. The gospel does not teach salvation by baptism alone, but neither does it teach salvation by grace alone or faith alone (Jas. 2:14-26).
3. Instead, the gospel teaches a plan of salvation designed, executed, and delivered by the grace of God and received, believed, and obeyed through the faith of man. This plan includes baptism as a saving work of God.