Why We Believe Baptism Doesnt Save You (1 Corinthians 1:17-18)

I. Introduction. A. Orientation. Weve been looking at the Reformation Why the church needed one, Why Luther confronted the church. How the true way of salvation had been lost.

Last time, we were considering The keys of the kingdom of heaven.

A key, as we saw, opens a door. The keys of the kingdom of heaven Open the doors of that kingdom. Obviously, theyre very important!

But what exactly are these keys? We believe the only key is Jesus Christ. He alone is the way to God. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).

When Jesus said He was entrusting The keys of the kingdom to Peter,

2 What He meant was He was entrusting him With the ministry of the Gospel, That by preaching it He might open the kingdom of heaven To as many as would believe.

Jesus also meant That He was entrusting Peter And the other disciples, As we saw in Matthew 18:18 With the authority to judge The profession of those who say they believe To determine whether they should be admitted to the church Or excluded from it, Or to put someone out Who is in the church For living an ungodly life. This is using the keys With respect to the visible kingdom The local church.

Finally, the keys was also the authority The Lord was entrusting to the apostles To bind and to loose requirements

3 On believers in the New Covenant. In other words, It was the promise of inspiration That they would be moved by the Spirit To give to the church What she needed to serve the Lord Not only during their time But in the church in all ages.

B. Preview. Now do all churches believe this? No. Last week, we saw that the Church of Rome Believes the keys to the kingdom To be baptism and penance. Baptism to provide a clean slate To remove all the guilt and punishment Due to you up to that point in your life And penance to deal With the sins you commit after baptism.

Now lets not forget The distinction Rome makes Between punishment and guilt:

4 Rome believes that the punishment Due for the sins we commit here Are dealt with through indulgences and purgatory As weve already seen But the guilt of our sins Through baptism and penance Again, what they call the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

Tonight, lets consider baptism, And next week, Lord willing, Well consider penance.

Lets look at two things: First, what Rome believes regarding baptism; And second, what we believe. II. Sermon. A. First, what does Rome believe regarding baptism? Lets hear it in their own words From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: First, what do they believe baptism is? Baptism is birth into the new life in Christ. In accordance with the Lords will, it is necessary for salvation, as is the Church herself, which we enter by Baptism (1277). How is it to be performed? The essential rite of Baptism consists in immersing the candidate in water or pouring water on his head, while pronouncing the invocation of the Most Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (1278).

What does Baptism do for you? The fruit of Baptism, or baptismal grace, is a rich reality that includes forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins, birth into the new life by which man becomes an adoptive son of the Father, a member of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very fact the person baptized is incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ (1279). Since it forgives original and actual sins, It seems that it would be desirable if it could be repeated. Can a person be baptized more than once? Baptism imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual sign, the character, which consecrates the baptized person for Christian worship. Because of the character Baptism cannot be repeated (1280). Can you be saved without baptism? There are some exceptions: Those who die for the faith, those who are catechumens, and all those who, without knowing of the Church but acting under the inspiration of grace, seek God sincerely and strive to fulfill his will, can be saved even if they have not been baptized (1281). Since in most cases, it is necessary for salvation, What should you do if a priest isnt available to perform this rite? In case of necessity, any person can baptize provided that he have the intention of doing that which the Church does and provided that he pours water on the candidates head while saying: I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (1284).

To summarize, Rome believes: Baptism is necessary for salvation as necessary as the church herself. Baptism is the new birth. Through baptism, you enter into the church. Your sins are forgiven

6 Both Adams sin and your personal sins You are adopted by God, Become a member of Christs body, And so become a temple of the Holy Spirit.

It is performed only once, Generally by a priest, But may be done by anyone In cases of extreme necessity, As long as they use the Trinitarian formula.

So yes, in most cases they believe Baptism is necessary for salvation, With the exceptions being If you die while preparing to be baptized, Or if you die for the faith if youre a martyr Or if, by Gods grace, You are sincerely seeking God And striving to do His will, Even if you havent heard of the church. This last exception Seems to be aimed at those who live In those areas the church has not yet reached.

Let me just add another view

Since it is very similar: That of Martin Luther.

The Augsburg Confession The official statement of belief Of the Lutheran Churches At the Diet of Augsburg in 1530, Which continues to form the basis Of Lutheran faith today States, with regard to the teaching of the Lutheran church: Of Baptism they teach that it is necessary to salvation, and that through Baptism is offered the grace of God, and that children are to be baptized who, being offered to God through Baptism are received into Gods grace. They condemn the Anabaptists, who reject the baptism of children, and say that children are saved without Baptism (Art. IX). Luther, in his Shorter Catechism, Asks first, What is Baptism? A. Baptism is not just plain water, but it is water contained within Gods command and united with Gods Word. Which Word of God is this? A. The one which our Lord Christ spoke in the last chapter of Matthew: Go into all the world, teaching all heathen nations, and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit. What does Baptism give? What good is it? A. It gives the forgiveness of sins, redeems from death and the Devil, gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, just as Gods words and promises declare. What are these words and promises of God? A. Our Lord Christ spoke one of them in the last chapter of Mark: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; but whoever does not believe will be damned. How can water do such great things? A. Water doesnt make these things happen, of course. It is Gods Word, which is with and in the water. Because, without Gods Word, the water is plain water and not baptism. But with Gods Word it is a

8 Baptism, a grace-filled water of life, a bath of new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul said to Titus in the third chapter: Through this bath of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit, which He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that we, justified by the same grace are made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying.

Luther and Rome may disagree On exactly how baptism saves you But they both agree that baptism saves.

B. Now what do we believe regarding baptism? It is necessary for salvation? Does God work through baptism to save you? The answer is no. He works through the Gospel to save you. Salvation is by grace, through faith alone.

Perhaps it would help To look at the passages They use as the foundation of this belief.

First, the command by our Lord Jesus, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you (Matt. 28:19-20). They reason first, that if Jesus commanded That all His disciples be baptized It must be necessary to their salvation.

9 We would simply say in response: The Lord commands many things That we are to observe as His disciples After we are saved. We are not saved by these things; But because we are saved, We humbly submit to them.

Baptism is only as essential, and in the same way, As obedience to the rest of our Lords commands. We wouldnt say That were saved by keeping His commandments, But we keep them because we are saved.

The second passage is another account Of the Great Commission in Marks Gospel. And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned (16:15-16). Notice that Jesus appears to say That you must believe and be baptized to be saved. But does He?

Notice, He doesnt say if you arent baptized You wont be saved, But that you wont be saved

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If you dont believe! He who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

If you believe, you must be baptized In obedience to the Lord, as weve seen. But its not baptism that saves you Its believing the Gospel Jesus commanded be preached! Repent! Believe! And you will be saved!

Luther also appeals To Pauls letter to Titus: But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:4-7). Is Paul speaking here of water baptism? No. Hes speaking of the baptism of the Spirit That does regenerate and renew And make us the heirs of the kingdom. This is the same baptism he speaks of In 1 Corinthians 12:13, For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Here is a common error in understanding the Bible:

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Confusing symbols for the reality. Water baptism is a symbol of the baptism of the Spirit Of that baptism that place us in Christ And gives us all the blessings that are in Christ It isnt that baptism.

Luther made the same mistake With regard to the Lords Supper. When Jesus said, This is My Body. . . this is My blood, He didnt mean this literally. When He gave them The bread and wine to eat and drink, His body was still whole It wasnt yet broken And His blood was still in His veins It wasnt yet shed. They didnt eat His physical body And drink His physical blood at the Last Supper, But only those things that symbolized them. We do the same today.

What Jesus meant Was that He was going to die for them, And that through His death,

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He would become their source of spiritual life.

I should also mention That sometimes the symbol or sign Is referred to as the reality. We call this the sacramental union Between the sign and the reality.

A good example of this Would be the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. The tree itself couldnt give life Adam and Eve could not have lived forever By merely eating its fruit. It symbolized the life God promised them If they had passed their probation And not eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In the same way, Baptism symbolizes the new birth, But it is not the new birth.

Are there other reasons We dont believe baptism saves you? We could point to the thief on the cross Who was saved by trusting Jesus Christ

13 Without being baptized (Luke 23:42-43).

But lets consider our passage for a few moments. Baptism by particular celebrities Was apparently dividing the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 1:10-13) To the point where Paul wrote, I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (vv. 14-18). How could Paul say what he says here If baptism was essential to the new birth, The forgiveness of sins, And union with Jesus Christ?

How could Paul have been thankful That he didnt baptize any of the Corinthians, Except for Crispus, Gaius and the household of Stephanas? If baptism saves, Then he left the rest without hope Until someone baptized them.

If baptism was essential for salvation How could our Lord have sent him Not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel?

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If baptism was necessary for salvation, How could Paul say That the word of the cross alone Is the power of God for salvation And not baptism?

He couldnt say any of the things he says If baptism was necessary; He only could if it wasnt. The Lord doesnt save through baptism: He saves through the message of the cross! Remember what Paul writes to the Romans, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH (1:16-17).

Does this mean baptism isnt important? Or that its optional? Not at all! Its no more optional than obedience To any of our Lords commands.

If you are a believer If you have trusted Jesus Christ

15 If you have the Spirit of God You will obey: And so you will be baptized.

But thats far different from saying That you must believe and be baptized to be saved.

So what is the bottom line? If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, Not only will He absolve you Of all the punishment That would have been yours after death, He will also forgive all the guilt of your sins.

You dont need to find a priest And be baptized to be forgiven. You only need to turn from your sins And trust in Jesus Christ alone. If you do, you will be saved. If you are saved, you will submit to baptism. You will do this, because this is what your Lord Commands you to do for your good.

May our Lord help us all to see That forgiveness is in Jesus alone. Amen.

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