This Article is only helpful for those who want the Scriptures to be the standard of their worship of God. It is not what the majority is doing or teaching; It is not about experience or feelings; But it is about following the word of God, according to His standard!
“Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38
The people of God have been under the Old Covenant since the time of Abraham. However, all this would change on the day of Pentecost in 29 AD! The New Covenant that Jesus spoke about has now come, the “Church” has finally arrived! After teaching the first “Christian Gospel” message, the people ask Peter what they shall do. The reason they ask is because they believed the message as they were cut to the heart (Acts 2:37). Whatever Peter would tell them to do, would be for every person for all generations, who would want to be apart of this New Covenant with God! The answer is simple, Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. Once having done this, you can be added to the church, the number of disciples (Acts 2:41,47).
Why in the 21st century has this elementary teaching been lost? In the largest congregation in the United States with over 40k in average attendance, we find this teaching:
Salvation
We believe Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for our sins. We believe that salvation is found by placing our faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross. We believe Jesus rose from the dead and is coming again.
Water Baptism
We believe water baptism is a symbol of the cleansing power of the blood of Christ and a testimony to our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The doctrine is that Salvation is found the moment you put your faith into Christs Sacrifice, and that baptism is just a symbol of what has already happened. According to Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is being sure of what you hope for, certain of what you do not see.” This is an intellectual faith to know that Jesus died for the sins of the world and resurrected from the dead. But just by believing this, is one saved?
When the Jews asked Peter what they shall do, Peter told them to repent and be baptized. According to Jesus the two standards of being saved is to believe and be baptized (Mark 16:16). Does this mean one would not have to be baptized to be saved but could be saved by faith alone?
The problems we face when hearing we must be baptized is the thought, we are saved by faith and not by works; and baptism is a work (said to be taken from Ephesians 2:8). But what if this teaching was misleading to what the Bible actually says?
“Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:28-29
According to Jesus, to believe in the Son of God is a work! This is the work God requires us to do. And yet, this would be a contradiction if the Bible said we were saved by faith alone and not by any works! The problem is not with the message, but with the teaching people have from the scriptures.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—” Ephesians 2:8
This scripture is not teaching you are saved by “faith alone,” and one must not work; But that you are saved by faith and not by works of the law. The only time “faith alone” is mentioned in the Bible is James 2:17,24 “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” Faith is necessary, but so is action! According to Colossians 2:11-12 getting baptized is not a work of man, but a work of God when combined with your faith.
“In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Colossians 2:11-12
So if faith is necessary (work of man) and baptism is necessary (work of God), when is one saved? We find a powerful teaching in Romans 6:23 that we deserve Hell for the sins we have committed. If one were to have sin no longer, then one could receive the gift of eternal life. How is sin forgiven and when is sin forgiven?
According to Romans 6:23-25 the blood of Jesus has the power to atone for our sins. This blood must be received by faith! When, by faith would you receive the blood Jesus shed on the cross?
“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:3-4
By faith, when one gets baptized as a repented believer (someone who has been made into a disciple), then by faith they are participating in Jesus death, burial and resurrection. By faith, they are contacting Jesus on the cross (when he shed his blood), and because the blood of Christ has the power to forgive sins, you are forgiven in the waters of baptism! As a baptized disciple, as you walk in the light (confess your sins), you continually get the blood of Jesus to forgive you (1 John 1:5-7).
Why the confusion? (See article The book of Galatians to understand the false teaching of the sinner’s prayer). Because some have lied about the Greek word “eis” in Acts 2:38. According to gotquestions.org if one has to get baptized this is a major teaching: the Greek word eis are seen in different passages of Scripture, such noted Greek scholars as A.T. Robertson (Baptist Preacher) and J.R. Mantey (Studied under Robertson) have maintained that the Greek preposition eis in Acts 2:38 should be translated “because of” or “in view of,” and not “in order to,” or “for the purpose of.”
The major problem with this teaching is, you can not find it in an Ancient Greek dictionary. The word “eis” according to The Elements of New Testament Greek by Jeremy Duff, printed by Cambridge and used to teach Ancient Greek at Boston University, eis is defined as “into” (page 305). According to Greek New Testament reader (gntreader.com), the word is defined as expressing entrance, direction, limit, into, unto, to, upon, towards, for, among (Lat. in, c. acc.). As we can see the definition of the word itself when translated is “into.” This means that when one gets baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, they are actually baptized “into” the forgiveness of sins. We are forgiven because by faith we are actually participating in the death and burial of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-4), contacting His blood shed on the cross (Romans 3:25), then we can rise to live a new life, the life as a Christian! Baptism is a personal decision of the one to be baptized, no one can make this decision for them, as everything done without faith is sin (Romans 14:23).
So we can understand from our study that Faith is necessary, Repentance is necessary, and Baptism is necessary for salvation! Jesus says it very clearly in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 that repented disciples are candidates for baptism.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
The question is not, “What is the truth?” The question is, “Can you handle the truth?” Because Jesus is Lord; we do not have the right to do it any other way. Let us then not argue with God, but simply obey him. Let us hear the message, believe the message, repent and be made into disciples of Jesus and get baptized in the name of Christ for the forgiveness of sins! Let us not let go of Jesus teaching but proclaim the truth unapologetically.
To God be the Glory!