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 It
was less than 150 years ago that Walter Scott devised a simple
way to impress his hearers with the relation of obedient faith
to the blessings in Christ. He taught children to count on their
fingers: Believe, Repent, be Baptized, Remission of Sins, Gift
of Holy Spirit. Then, and now, it is obvious that children and
adults could learn those "steps" without understanding
salvation in Jesus Christ. How sad that some have made this
almost the whole of the gospel of Christ.
Although
believing (trusting) in Christ can have meaning only when it
follows an intelligent grasp of divine testimony (Rom. 10:17),
it is far more than an acceptance of historic facts. The
learning must have become apart of us, so that we make decisions
upon its base. We not only "believe that He is" but
also that "He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
Him" (Heb. 11:6). The heart purified by faith (Acts 15:9)
is the center of ones thoughts, emotions, and will cleansed from
its previous self-centeredness and now given unreservedly to
Christ. We act, seeing the unseen. Our sinful condition before
God and the certainty of judgment are so real to us that we
recoil from them. We are so convinced that Christ is the sole
and gracious solution for our condition that our heart leaps
with joy as we reach out for Him.
In
the process of arriving at such a faith we realize that our
former ways were our downfall, separating us from God. We are
humbled in shame, overwhelmed by sorrow (Rom. 2:4, 2 Cor. 2:7)
and turn about, change the direction of our life. This is
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repentance (Matt. 21:28-f). It is
"toward God" in that it recognizes that our old life
was an affront to our Maker; and it involves a genuine
determination to "sin no more." Now, and only now, are
we ready to be "buried with Him" no more to live as
before.
And
that burial of the former life with the subsequent rising to
walk in a new life is the spiritual significance of baptism
(Rom. 6:3-18). Beautifully recalling the death, burial and
resurrection of Him who became a curse for us, immersion in
water has been commanded by our Lord (Acts 10: 48; 2:38), and
those who would come to Him submit to this figure; in fact, can
not have a good conscience without it if they have been properly
instructed in His will (1 Pet. 3:21).
Baptism
is neither a “church ordinance” nor a "sacrament"
that, per se, dispenses grace. It is only for believers (Mk.
16:16, Acts 8:36-37), so that the burial of an infant in baptism
— and certainly the bogus act of sprinkling a few drops upon
its head — can have no religious significance whatsoever.
Submission to baptism is the conscious act of a penitent
believer, and it marks the point at which such are promised
forgiveness and blessing.
The
faith that saves does not stop here — in fact, this is the
beginning of the life of service in the Lord's vineyard, growing
in grace and knowledge (Acts 2:41-47, 1 Pet. 2:). Gentle reader,
can you be serious about heaven, and ignore God's word (Jn.
12:48)?
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