The
Water and the Word
By
Eric William King
The Word of God truly saves us. Once a person begins to
truly understand his or her spiritual condition, that they are sinners and need
redemption then, and only then can they open up to receive regeneration. So how does this happen?
God uses His word and
the Holy Spirit to bring about true salvation. These are the two
means which God uses to call a person and regenerate (make born anew). The
Bible states that true faith comes by
hearing the word of God, by hearing and receiving the gospel of Jesus
Christ (Romans 10:17). A person must hear the Word of God.
After the Holy Spirit brings true conviction of sin in
the person the person repents, asks for forgiveness of all his or her sins and
understands the need of true change. All humans are comprised of body, soul, and spirit. The person receiving the gospel allows the Holy Spirit to
enter their pneuma
(spirit). Thus the regeneration process truly begins. Next the person should
be water baptized sealing their faith for themselves and before the Christian
congregation.
To simply be baptized
with water does not save anybody. To be truly baptized with
THE WORD is to fulfill the promise. Water in and of itself is just water but
water with the Word of God is a supernatural act of confirming and sealing your
faith. It is the act which makes you a true member of the Body of Christ which
is the Christian Church.
The salvation process actually begins before water
baptism in adults. Once a person truly accepts Jesus Christ as personal Lord
and Savior, that person is being saved. Water baptism follows and the completed
act of obedience takes place but water baptism without the Word of God means
nothing in a person’s life.
In the Old Testament circumcision was the outward
confirmation of being “sealed” amongst God’s true people. Abraham was given the
promises and blessings of God BEFORE he was circumcised and afterward he was circumcised to seal his
calling (Romans 4:10-11). In the Christian conversion process the Word of God
works first in redemption and then water baptism follows along with the spoken
word.
Water Baptism a
Supernatural Act
We must not underestimate the power of the spoken Word of
God with water in baptism. Jesus Christ (our example) was water baptized and
after coming up out of the water on to dry land the Holy Spirit came down upon Him like a
dove. This shows that water baptism with the Word can bring about
simultaneously the outpour and seal of the Holy Spirit.
When parents bring forth their child as an infant before
the altar of God to be water baptized this is what they are praying for in the
child’s life. Bible students who truly accept the sovereignty of God and
understand baptism to be a supernatural act can begin to understand infant
baptism much more than the Christian who is not familiar with the sovereignty
of God.
The Christian parents bring their child to the altar of
God in baptism obeying the word of Jesus who says; “Let
the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom
of God belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14) St Peter
confirmed this when he stated; “Repent and be baptized…The promise is for you and your
children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord
our God will call.” (Acts 2:38,39)
Can a little baby repent and believe? We notice that this
promise regarding baptism is for “all WHOM THE LORD WILL CALL.” Yes. The Lord
can call a child unto true salvation through baptism. With God all things are
possible. In the Old Testament children were circumcised to mark them as
children of God. In this Church Age
parents are to “baptize” and then “make disciples [teach]” their children the
gospel of Jesus Christ.
So for the child in baptism the church is praying for the
simultaneous act of the water with the Word to bring the transformation. This has indeed occurred and is testified to in
some of the greatest Christian lives.
Saved by Grace through
Faith
Though we are commanded to water baptize not all
Christians have had the opportunity - due to specific circumstances - to
receive water baptism such as the thief on the cross. So though we are
commanded to water baptize the water in and of itself does not save, again the Word of God
and the Holy Spirit are the ultimate means through which anybody is truly saved.
We serve a merciful and loving God. The Bible says that
there is no work that we can do that will save us. We are simply asked to
believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. This being said, we are still
commanded to water baptize when and where we can, it is a true act of obedience
to our Lord.
Doing good deeds cannot save a person. All good works
that an unsaved person does are tainted with sin…unrepented of sin. All humans
are born with the disease of sin, it is inherent in us. The only remedy is
Jesus Christ. You must accept Jesus Christ into your life and become “born
again”, only this can truly save you and you cannot accept Jesus Christ on your
own strength. You need the Holy Spirit.
Understanding true
salvation we look at what Christ says; “apart from me you can do nothing.”
(John 15:5) so truly the Holy Spirit denies free will its powers and ascribes
everything to God’s grace, in order that no one can boast before God.
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
It is my hope that you have heard the gospel of Jesus
Christ today and have heard His call. I end with an important statement made by
St Martin Luther;
“I
believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ,
my Lord, or come to Him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel,
enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the True Faith. In the
same way he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian
church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.”
Eric W. King (Founder of “The Shepherds Way” &“Nugget of Truth”) – April 10th 2020
Also read Eric's article: "Christian Baptism"
Also read Eric's article: "Christian Baptism"
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Matthew 21:15-17
ReplyDelete15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“‘From the lips of children and infants
you, Lord, have called forth your praise’[g]?”
17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.