How Readest “Thou”?
In almost every part of the world there are companies (or assemblies) of Christians who accept no name which would distinguish them from other Christians. These assemblies (or churches) hold that among the many truths contained in the Bible are the following.
(1) THE ONE GOD
There is one true God-God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. These three Persons are equal. This one God, the Creator of all, changes not and is from everlasting to everlasting.
The Father sent the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, from heaven into the world to be the Saviour of the world. So the eternal Son of God became Man and because of His sinlessness was able to bear the punishment due to sin. He bore this punishment when He died upon the cross. He was buried and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. In heaven He is now crowned with glory and honour.
(2) THE ONE BOOK
Holy Men of God were used to write the sacred Scriptures (the Bible), but the very words they wrote were God given. All Scripture is God-breathed. Being Gods revelation, the Holy Scriptures are accurate, authoritative and sufficient.
(3) THE ONE GOSPEL
In the Holy Scriptures there is the gospel (the good news) that through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who suffered for sins the Just on behalf of the unjust, salvation has been provided and that there is salvation m none other.
(4) THE TWO WAYS
(a) The gospel is preached for the obedience of faith. The one who truly believes passes immediately and for ever from spiritual death into life, receives eternal forgiveness of sins and becomes (and that for ever) a member of the family of God — a child of God.
(b) But not all obey the gospel. Many are guilty of unbelief and refuse so great salvation.
Theirs is the way that leadeth to destruction — to Hell.
(5) THE TWO DESTINIES
(a) Those who obey the gospel will be for ever with the Lord.
(b) Those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.
(6) THE TWO ORDINANCES
The one who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ should be baptised and break bread, as He commanded.
(a) Baptism: immersion in water in public confession of the Saviour, is an act of obedience which the believer never repeats.
(b) Repeatedly, indeed week by week, the believer should break the bread and drink out of the cup in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose body was broken and Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary’s cross.
(7) THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS
All believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have equal access through HIM to God the Father in worship, praise, thanksgiving and prayer.
(8) ELDERS
Each local assembly (or church) is directly responsible to Christ, the Chief Shepherd, and in each developed local assembly there are responsible men who have to take care of the flock of God. These responsible men are described in the Bible as elders or overseers (bishops)
(9) THE COMING AGAIN OF THE LORD JESUS
The Lord Jesus Christ is coming to the air for His people-both those who have died and those who are still living at the time of His coming. He is also coming to the earth with His people and will reign upon the earth.
Let us consider our subject under the following three headings:-
(1) The UNDERgoing of believers.
(2) The UNDERlying meaning of baptism.
(3) The UNDERstanding of that meaning.
(1) The UNDERgoing of believers.
This heading embraces two ideas, namely (a) who should be baptised, that is, believers, and (b) how they should be baptised, that is, by undergoing, or going under, water. Let us consider these two thoughts
(a) Believers should be baptised
When we speak of believers baptism, we name those qualified to be
baptised, that is, believers. The Lord Jesus, after His resurrection from among the dead, said to the eleven disciples, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16 v15 and 16.) Thus the Saviour links baptism with belief, and indicates by the order of His words that baptism is to follow belief, which follows hearing the preaching of the gospel.
We know from other passages of Scripture that salvation is upon faith. We know that it is true to say that he that believeth, even if he is not baptised, shall be saved, but God has not put such a statement in His Word; for He has said nothing that could be interpreted as justifying the existence of such a thing as an unbaptised believer. In Gods order of things, he that believeth should be baptised.
The last two verses of Matthew reveal that the Lord Jesus told the eleven disciples to go, to make disciples, to baptise such, and to teach such. The apostles were quick to obey this commandment of the Lord. On the day of Pentecost, Peter, who spoke for the rest of the apostles, said to those who, on hearing his address had been pricked in heart, Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2 v 38) Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, in effect echoes the Saviours words, He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved.
From Mark ch 16 we sought to show the divine order as
(1) Preaching the gospel
(2) Belief
(3) Baptism.
According to the word order of Acts 2 v 38, remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit follow baptism. The true sequence of these events is shown by the same preacher (Peter) in Acts ch 10. In verse 43 we may read how Peter taught that, in accordance with the witness of the prophets, remission of sins is through the Name of the Lord Jesus to everyone believing in HIM. Moreover it is recorded in verses 47 and 48 of the same chapter that Peter commanded baptism for those who had received the Holy Spirit.
Immediately a person believes in our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, that person receives forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit. That person should be baptised. In the early days baptism followed so closely upon obedience to the gospel that the two things, one visible, the other invisible, could be regarded as one event, and Acts 2 v 38, quoted above, provides an example of this. Baptism is not essential to salvation, but salvation is essential to baptism. Baptism is the answer of a good conscience towards God.
Those responsible for interviewing applicants for baptism should seek, as before God, to ensure that only those who are truly believers are accepted. Of many Corinthians it is recorded (Acts 18 v 8) that they hearing, believed, and were baptised. How simple and how blessed is this. They heard the gospel; they believed, and they were baptised.
(b) Baptism signifies undergoing, or going under, water.
That baptism necessitates immersion in water is indicated by
(1) The meaning of the word baptise;
(ii) Passages of Scripture referring to the practice of baptism;
(iii) passages of Scripture referring to pictures of baptism.
(1) The basic meaning of the Greek word carried into the English language as baptise, is to dip.
(ii) In John chapter 3, verse 23, we read that John was baptising in Aenon, because there was much water there. Some depth of water was required for the process of immersion. In Acts chapter 8 verses 38 and 39, we read that Philip and the eunuch went down into and came up out of the water.
(iii) As the Saviour anticipated the sufferings of the cross, He spoke of them as a baptism. (Luke 12 v 50) In Psalm 69 v 2, we read words belonging to the same lips at the time of the same sufferings, I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow Me. In the baptism of the cross all God’s waves and billows of judgement went over Him.
That was complete immersion.
Immersion in water affords an apt picture of burial. (Please read Romans chapter 6, verses 3 and 4, and Colossians chapter 2 verse 12.)
(2) The UNDERlying meaning of baptism.
In our consideration of the meaning of baptism let us refer to three
Scripture portions in which baptism is linked with the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Acts 10. 48* we may read, And he (Peter) commanded them to be baptised in the name of the Lord; in Acts 2 v 38, Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ; and in Acts 19 v 5, They were baptised in (or, to) the name of the Lord Jesus.
The different ways of referring to the Saviour, namely the Lord, Jesus Christ and the Lord Jesus, are very significant, and something of the significance we may observe in our meditation upon these portions
In the first of these portions the Name is the AUTHORITY, for the baptising commandment is given by the AUTHORITY of THE LORD. The One Who is Master, Who is Sovereign, the One Who has all power in heaven and upon earth, the One Who is THE LORD has given commandment. In its simplest aspect the baptism of the believer is an act of obedience. The Lord commands. The believer should obey. Has the saved reader obeyed this command of his Lord? He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me. (John 14 v 21)
In the second of the three portions now under consideration, namely, Acts 2. 38, the Name is the basis of baptism. The One Who became Man, Jesus (Jehovah-Saviour) and accomplished the work for which He was anointed, this One, Jesus Christ, died and rose again. These facts are essential to baptism. Baptism is in the Name of Jesus Christ.
In Romans 6 (the baptism chapter), the references to the Saviours death and resurrection are most marked. We read in verse 3 of his death, in verse 4 of His resurrection, in verse five of both, in verse 9 of both, and in verse 10 of both. (The life in verse 10 is His resurrection life.) All true believers in our Lord Jesus Christ who have been baptised, have been baptised unto HIS death. Had the Lord Jesus not died and risen again, baptism would be a meaningless ceremony. The believer goes down into the water and comes up out of it. The Lord Jesus Christ went down into death and rose again.
In the third portion, namely, Acts 19 v 5, baptism is to, or into, the Name of the Lord Jesus. Here we may see confession and consecration.
In the baptism of John the Baptist there was a confession of sins (Matt 3 v 6); in the baptism into the Name of the Lord Jesus there is a confession of faith and ownership. By the act of being baptised in obedience to HIM, the believer confesses faith in Jesus as Lord, that is, as the Lord and as his Lord. The believer confesses His ownership, that is to say, the believer confesses that he belongs to HIM. In baptism there is a pointing back to what happened when the person baptised obeyed the gospel. As a poor sinner who deserved eternal death he came to God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for sinners, and was accepted in Christ.
Baptism is unto the Name of the Lord Jesus. As they followed the pillar of cloud and passed through the Red Sea, all the children of Israel confessed the leadership of Moses. They were all baptised unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea (1 Cor. 10 v 2). At times there were those of them who questioned the place of Moses as leader, but in following the pillar of cloud and in passing through the sea they acknowledged God’s appointed leader.
In 1 Cor. 1 v 13, IS, it is made clear that none was baptised unto the name of Paul. Baptism is unto the Name of the Lord Jesus. Closely linked with this thought of confession is the thought of consecration The believer is baptised unto his LORD. Baptism should be a step of consecration. The sixth chapter of Romans would teach us that the believer is not to be the subject of sin (as king-verse 12), or the slave of sin (as master-verse 16). Christ died unto sin (verse 10). We died with Christ (verse 8). We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein (verse 2, R.V.). We must reckon ourselves dead to sin (verse 11). We must be slaves to righteousness unto holiness (verse 19). We should have this in mind when we are baptised unto the Name of the Lord Jesus.
(3) The UNDERstanding of the Meaning.
In this subject, as in many another, there are dangers in opposite directions. There is the danger of setting no value upon a candidates understanding of baptisms meaning. There is the danger of raising an unwarranted barrier by an improper insistence upon a certain degree of understanding on the part of the candidate for baptism. Let no obstacle be placed before the true believer who seeks baptism out of a sincere desire to please his Lord. At the same time let there be loving and wholehearted exhortation respecting the acquisition of the greatest possible understanding of baptisms meaning. Let wise instruction be given. May those who take the step of baptism do so intelligently.
FINALLY, let us consider verses 41 and 42 of Acts ch. 2, Then they that gladly received His word were baptised . . . And they continued steadfastly (persevered) in the apostles teaching and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. How happy it is when this order and example are followed. Is the reader a true believer in our Lord Jesus Christ? If so, have you been obedient to your Lords commandment in the matter of baptism? Are you by God’s help persevering and in prayers?