Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?

[Music] we have 40 questions in the inbox about acts 2:38 there in the text a bunch of seekers have gathered and Peter says to them 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 indeed three thousand people repent and are baptized it's an amazing sight the text also appears to put water baptism prior to conversion or in the moment of conversion likewise Paul was told to quote rise and be baptized and wash away your sins calling on his name in acts 22:16 dozens of listeners have written in over the years to basically ask are we saved pastor John after water baptism before water baptism or in water baptism what would you say I would first answer by making the question more precise because the quite the way I'd posed the question is are we justified before in or after are we united to Christ do we become one with Christ and God becomes one over set for us before in or after baptism because in the New Testament the word saved is used for what happens before in and after baptism we fission's 2:8 we have been saved 1st Corinthians 1:18 we are being saved romans 13:11 we are salvation is nearer to us now than when we believed so being saved happened before happen now is happening now will happen finally in the future so the word salvation in the new testament is broad and includes pieces of salvation and what's really being asked is when did it all start the first moment of union with Christ the moment of justification which is not a process like sanctification is but decisive if God is for us who can be against us when did that start at what point does God count us a child not a child of wrath which we all are by nature features two three but a child of God so that from that point on he is 100% for us with no wrath when did that happen what was the decisive means that brought it about that United us to Christ that justified us so that's my question I think it's really really I think that's really what they're asking and it's the same I mean they're they're right to be concerned about it there are texts that that are puzzling so let me give my answer from texts and then show how it relates to how that point relates to baptism so Romans 3:28 we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law Romans 5:1 therefore since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God Romans 4:5 to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly his faith is counted as righteousness John 3:16 God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but has eternal life acts 13 38 through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you and by him everyone who believes is freed or justified from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses and on and on and on I could go I had a bunch of others and I thought for times sake I'll just leave them out so here's my inference from those texts and others many others like them justification being put right with God by union with Christ in the divine miracle of conversion a new birth that point is by faith and faith alone on our part God uses faith as the sole instrument of union with Christ and thus counts us righteous and becomes 100% for us in the instant that we have faith in Jesus that's my answer and now the question is okay how do you talk about baptism and how do you understand those texts that were quoted that seemed to connect baptism to that act that beginning so let me give some answers to that first thing I would say is that the thief on the cross was told by Jesus that that very day he would be with him in paradise he was not baptized and therefore though I know he's a special case I don't think you build a theology of baptism on the thief on the cross but one thing one thing it says is baptism is not an absolute necessity because it wasn't in his case here's a sec here's the second thing I would say Paul treats baptism as an expression of faith so that the decisive act that unites us to Christ is the faith and it is expressed outwardly in baptism here's here's a very key text frame because you know when I went to Germany how is a lone Baptist you know in a bit of of Lutheran lines and they were loving lines they just licked me they didn't they didn't eat me but they did not approve of what I believed and I remember taking a retreat with 12 the Cubs and one and one big doctor father named Leonard goupil's and we were talking about baptism the whole weekend and and this was my text this was my text I put up I said in this is Colossians 2:11 and 12th in him in Christ also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of flesh by the circumcision of Christ having been buried with him in Baptism in which you were also raised with him through faith you were buried with him and raised with him in Baptism through faith in the powerful working of God who raised him from the dead so the burial with Christ in the water and the rising with Christ out of the water it seems to me from that text are not what unites you to Christ that is the going under the water the coming up out of the water that's not what unites you to Christ it is through faith that you are decisively united to Christ and here's an interesting analogy since circumcision was brought into the picture there and there's kind of an image of circumcision in Colossians 2 if you go to Roman's 4:11 Paul says Abraham received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was uncircumcised the purpose was to make him the father of all who believed without being circumcised so that righteousness would be counted to them also if you just take the analogy and that's all it is it's just an analogy between baptism and circumcision then this text would say that baptism is a sign of a righteousness that we have before we are baptized because we have it through ooh faith and through union with Christ then we go to the relevant text in Acts that that the questioner raised like acts 22:16 rise and be baptized and wash away your sins now if you stopped right there you say well there it is you know the water is the forgiving agent but that's not where you stop it says rise being baptized and wash away your sins , calling on his name so the sense I think is the same baptism is the outward expression of calling on the name of the Lord in faith it's not the water that effects our justification or union with Christ the water is a picture of the cleansing but the faith in the heart the call on the Lord from faith is what unites us in and forgives us and now that's the meaning that first Peter 3:21 actually picks up on when it says in relationship to the flood and Noah's rescue through the ark through the water it says baptism which corresponds to this that is the salvation of Noah's family and in the ark and the flood baptism which corresponds to this now saves you that's probably the most clear text for those who want to say that baptism is salvific it actually does the saving it says baptism saves you and then immediately as though he knows he said something almost a radical because it was so compromised justification by faith he says not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal so now we're back to this call issue wash away your sins by calling on his name but as an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ in other words the call of faith from the heart not the war honor and he explicitly says not the removal of dirt from the body in other words it's not the actual functioning of the water that does the saving even though I just said baptism saves you what I mean is that this outward act signifies and appeal to God that's coming from the heart and and it's that faith that saves so when John the Baptist calls his baptism or the mark calls his baptism a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins it probably means a baptism signifying repentance which brings forgiveness because repentance is simply the the the way of describing the change of mind that gives rise to faith now here's one last important text they're raising effect this is where you begin X 2:38 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 so it looks like repent condition number one be baptized condition number two and forgiveness will be given to you and I've been arguing because I think so many texts teach it that no repentance and faith as one piece are what obtains forgiveness not the baptism so what you disagree with this text Piper who do you think you are and and I think that text should be read something like this and I remember seeing this years ago and then finding it other places suppose I say to you Tony you you want to go from Phoenix to LA on the train and it's about to leave and I say grab your hat and run or you'll miss the train now I just gave you two commands like Peter gave two commands repent and be baptized yep but only one of them is a cause of getting to the Train on time namely running run but I said grab your hat grabbing your hat is an accompanying act not a causative one that's good it may be very important that there may be all kinds of reasons why you should have a hat like why did you tell him to grab a hat well I've got my reasons you know for all kinds of reasons but grabbing the Hat does not help you in the least get on the train on time now that's the way I think we should here Peter when he says repent and be baptized every one of you and and make the Train of forgiveness you get to you get on the train of forgiveness you if you repent and are baptized and the repentance the change of mind that includes faith gets you to the Train and baptism is an important important for all kinds of reasons but it's not causative in the same way that repentance is so here's my bottom line answer to the question faith precedes baptism that's why I'm a Baptist faith precedes baptism and is operative in baptism so we are a justified at the very first act of genuine saving faith in Christ and then baptism follows and preferably would follow soon as an outward expression of that inward reality that's good yeah you don't want to forget your hat in Phoenix you'll sunburn in your head good well I'm glad there's a good reason for it indeed and we recorded this episode in the studio in advance of Pastor John leaving for his second stint in Europe in 2019 he is currently ministering at Holland France and Germany until early October a huge international year for him and remember he was in South America earlier in the year and in Europe once before already this year would you pray for his safety and for Noel and for the fruitfulness of their ministry I would appreciate it again there in Holland France in Germany this time around well how does John Piper want you to use this podcast in your life by God's grace we have a large listenership now there's a lot of you who listen in every time but each of us also have friends and spouses and pastors and parents in our lives who we should also be seeking out for advice so how does this podcast ask Pastor John fit within the constellation of voices that God has put in your life it's a really important question we've never addressed it head-on and we need to is up next on Wednesday I'm your host Tony ranky we'll see you then you

Channel: Desiring God

Views: 53,993

Rating: 4.7675676 out of 5

Keywords: Desiring God, John Piper, God, Jesus Christ, Christianity, Christian Hedonism, APJ, Ask Pastor John, Baptism, Salvation, Justification

Id: AbhZgh7gDYI

Length: 16min 11sec (971 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 22 2019