The Historical Baptist Position on Baptism. CHAPTER 4; WATER BAPTISM: PROPER DESIGN.

The Historical Baptist Position on Baptism
By Berlin Hisel

CHAPTER 4
WATER BAPTISM: PROPER DESIGN

"By the proper design, we mean for the proper reason. Many say the reason for baptism is to wash away sins or to secure salvation for the candidate. These are reasons or designs given by men and therefore fall short and miss entirely the design or reason given by the Almighty in the Bible.

BAPTISM A FIGURE

"In the baptism of Jesus, our Saviour said His baptism was to fulfill all righteousness. If we understand the life of Christ as represented in the Bible, we know Christ was already righteous.

"Therefore baptism could only fulfill all righteousness in a figurative sense.

"The Apostle Peter assures us that baptism is a like figure of something (1 Peter 3:21). Turning to Romans 6:4-5, we find the answer to what baptism is a figure of. We are here told that baptism pictures the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. This is the gospel. It is the thing that saves us (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). By following our Lord in baptism we picture the death, burial, and resurrection and thus in a figure fulfill all righteousness.

MISINTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE

"Those of our opponents who believe that baptism is designed to save a person, do so because they misinterpret the Scriptures. We shall honestly consider the passages of Scripture that they bring forth to try to prove that baptism saves us.

MARK 16:16

"The first we shall consider is found in Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." To suppose that this Scripture teaches that baptism is necessary for one to be saved is a gross error. Mark has made a simple statement of truth. He could have said and been just as true, "He that believeth and partaketh of the Lord's Supper shall be saved." Mark makes this clear in the last half of this Scripture when he says that believeth not shall be damned.

"This Scripture deals with believing and nothing else.

"If baptism was necessary for a person to be saved, Mark would have said, "He that believeth not and is not baptized shall be damned."

"If baptism does save our soul it follows that the absence of baptism is what condemns along with not believing. Jesus said in John 3:18, "He that believeth on Him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already..."

"So this passage in Mark is in agreement with all Scripture that salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ apart from baptism. Was the thief on the cross baptized? He was not yet he was saved! Did Jesus make an exception with this thief? If we believe in making exceptions to what God has said we are no better than the Catholics who change the Scripture to meet their needs.

ACTS 2:38

"The next passage used by those in favor of baptism in order to be saved is found in Acts 2:38.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Their faith that baptism gives us the remission of sins is based upon the thought that the word 'for' in this passage means in order to get. Anyone who knows the English language knows this to be wrong.

"If I say that Adolf Eichmann was hanged by the Jews 'for' killing millions of Jews, do I mean he was hanged in order to kill millions of Jews?

"If I punish my children 'for' disobeying me, do I punish them in order that they will disobey me?

"This is absurd. Adolf Eichmann was hanged because he had killed millions of Jews already.

"My children are punished because of disobeying me.

"This is the only logical meaning.

In this passage of Scripture the word 'for' means because of.

"Let us read it again. "Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ because of the remission of sin..."

"Peter urges the people to repent of their sins, and because of this repentance, to be baptized.

"I firmly say for people to repent and be saved, and go on to say, then be baptized!

"Before leaving this passage let me ask one favor of those who believe they must be baptized in order to be saved.

"Turn to Matt. 3:8. "Bring forth fruits meet 'for' repentance." Who will say we are to bring forth fruits in order to get repentance? No one! John the Baptist is here dealing with the Sadducees and Pharisees (verse 7) who wanted to be baptized. John would not baptize them until first they brought forth fruit to prove that they had repented. Then he would baptize them.

"The same Greek word translated 'unto' in Matthew 3:11 is translated 'for' in Acts 2:38.

"Over Matthew 3:11 we may well write, 'Here lies baptismal regeneration,' for none can believe one is baptized in order to get repentance. He is baptized because of repentance.

ACTS 19:1-7

"It would be quite proper, at this time to look at the candidate for Paul's baptism in Acts 19:1-7.

"Many bring them forth as proof that baptism saves. Since most paedobaptists and exponents of baptismal regeneration deny that John's baptism was Christian or belonging to this dispensation, they say that these men at Ephesus needed the baptism of one under the new dispensation in order to be saved. Thus they believe Paul's baptism resulted in their salvation.

"Let's first examine this Scripture and see just what it does teach.

"First, it would seem from the context that these men were baptized by Apollos and not John.

"In the chapter before this one, we are told Apollos knew nothing but the baptism of John (Acts 18:25).

"In Acts 19:1 Apollos is mentioned again as now being in Corinth. In Acts 18:24 we are told that he was preaching at one time in Ephesus. In a strict context, Apollos must have been the administrator.

"Next, we are told in verse 2 that they had not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. We are told in Romans 8:9 that... "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His."

The logical conclusion then, is that these men when found by Paul were still in their sins.

"When Paul preached to them that they should believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (verse 4), they heard with their hearts and were saved (verse 5).

"Following their faith in Christ which saved them, they were baptized.

"Only after their having been saved were they proper candidates for baptism.

TRUE CAMPBELLITES

"Let us briefly summarize this passage. Paul, coming to Ephesus, found certain men who were trusting that the baptism which they received from Apollos had saved them. Of them it might be said, they were true Campbellites. Paul preached that baptism didn't save and that it takes the Holy Ghost. Realizing then that they were lost, they believed Paul's report about Christ, were saved, then baptized.

"My friend, one must repent and believe, then seek to fulfill all righteousness by following the Lord in baptism. Those who have their hope of salvation in baptism shall spend eternity in hell because the only salvation in the Bible is by faith in Jesus Christ plus nothing whatsoever.

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ACTS 22:16

"Another passage brought forth by learned members of the Christian Church of Christ and Disciple of Christ churches to strengthen their hope of salvation in baptism is in;

Acts 22:16. "And now why tarriest thou?
Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins,
calling on the name of the Lord."

"Many suppose that this text says that the waters of baptism wash away literally, the sins that we have. In the Bible, nothing is much clearer than where our sins are. If sins were on the outer surface of our bodies maybe water could wash them away as it does dirt. But sin is much different than dirt.

"Water and soap get dirt but it takes the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse away our sins.

"1 John 1:7... "and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin."

"Man's sins lie deep within him.

"Jeremiah realized this when he said, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it" (Jeremiah 17:9).

"Moses tells in Genesis 6:5, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

"The waters of baptism cannot reach these parts of man wherein sins lie. Even if they could the water has no power to cleanse them. If the water could, why did Christ have to die?

PAUL'S BAPTISM

"Paul, just prior to his being baptized by Ananias was called brother (Acts 9:17). This can only mean that he was saved before his baptism and therefore a brother to Ananias. Paul was to be baptized and therefore in a figure wash away his sin. To be baptized pictures the resurrection of Christ and pictures that, we too, are to walk in newness of life putting away our sins (Romans 6:4-7).

A QUESTION

"Let me ask the question, if baptism washes away sin what happened to the sins of the people in the Old Testament times when the ordinance of baptism did not exist? Were they all lost?

BAPTISM AND GOSPEL SEPARATED

"That baptism does not save but is a design to show what has already taken place (namely salvation) is very well proven by the apostle in 1 Corinthians 1:17. Paul absolutely says that baptism and gospel are two separate things.

"Paul was sent by Christ, not to baptize; but to preach the gospel. We are told what the gospel is in this same book in chapter 15. "Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (verses 1-4).

"Paul says it is the gospel by which ye are saved. The gospel he says is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. If then, we are saved this way it follows that baptism does not save nor has any part in our salvation for it is not a part of the gospel.

POSITIVE PROOFS

"When considering the thought of baptism saving us, we should look at the verses in the Bible that speak of salvation. In doing this we will never find mention of baptism in order to be saved.

"In Acts 16:30, we have a man desiring salvation and seeking to know how to be saved, asking the direct question to the apostles; "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" If God is honest we should find the answer following. Remember that it is God answering the question through inspiration.

"We should not accept the answer of Alexander Campbell. Many would rather believe him than God. Alexander Campbell answers the question thus, "In and by the act of immersion, as soon as our bodies are put under the water -- at that very instant -- all our former or old sins are all washed away." See his book on Christian Baptism, page 100.

"God's answer comes forth thus, "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house" (Acts 16:31).

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

"Not one mention of baptism here. Who are you going to believe? I am going to believe God. "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar..." (Romans 3:4).

BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR BAPTISM

BAPTISM NOT FOR INFANTS by T. E. Watson (Henry E. Walter Ltd., 1962).
JOHN'S BAPTISM by J. R. Graves (Baptist Sunday School Committee, 1928).
THE ACT OF CHRISTIAN BAPTISM by J. R. Graves (B.S.S.C., 1928).
THE RELATION OF BAPTISM TO SALVATION by J. R. Graves (B.S.S.C., 1968).
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM by J. R. Graves (B.S.S.C., 1928).
TRILEMMA by J. R. Graves (B.S.S.C., 1928).
THE ORIGIN OF SPRINKLING FOR BAPTISM by R.A. Venable (B.S.S.C., 1968).
BAPTISM: ITS MODE AND ITS SUBJECTS by Alexander Carson
(Sovereign Grace Bookclub, no date).
TRAIL OF BLOOD by J. M. Carroll (Ashland Avenue Baptist Church, 1931).
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[The late Berlin Hisel was pastor of FBC, Harrison, Ohio, and taught at Cincinnati Baptist College and Lexington Baptist College.]