Baptism and Sin

The universally held notion that we can be “saved by grace” even with sin remaining in our lives is so contrary to everything in the Bible that it defies comprehension as to why it is so accepted. The apostle Paul summed up the insanity of this mindset in one powerful statement of truth, saying, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Rom. 6:1,2) The apostle goes on to explain that if we are baptized into Christ, we are buried in death with Christ and given “newness of life” by means of the same power [glory] that raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 6:3,4). The same apostle made the exact same statement in Col. 2:12 in just barely different words, saying that we are buried and risen with Christ by means of the operation [power] of God that raised Jesus from the dead. He also said in Gal. 3:27 that we “put on Christ” when we’re baptized into him. The only way we can put on Christ through baptism is if we are baptized with the holy Ghost, for we are told, “the Lord is that SPIRIT” (II Cor. 3:17). And I Cor. 12:13 makes it crystal clear that it is the Spirit baptism that puts anyone into Christ, which according to the scriptures is the new birth experience, meaning to be ‘in Christ’ (II Cor. 5:17). It’s evident in the Bible that receiving the holy Ghost is the new birth, and it is just as evident that receiving the Spirit is the exact same thing as being baptized with the Spirit with the accompanying sign of speaking in tongues (Jn. 3:3,5; I Cor. 6:11; Acts 19:1-6).

To apply the idea of water baptism to the aforementioned scriptures is to make the Gospel of Christ figurative and symbolic, rather than fulfilling and powerful. And sadly the entire body of Christ does apply the mindset of water baptism to these scriptures, and thus we have the universal school of thought that we’re all just “sinners saved by grace.” If water baptism is what is being referenced in these passages, then of course we’re all sinners, because it’s certain that earthly water cannot go to the heart of man and literally wash sin out of his spirit. If we’re talking water baptism, then it has to be figurative, and we have to remain in sin. In that case what did Jesus accomplish for us? Not much, in fact no more than the old covenant did for those under it (Gal. 3:21; Heb.10:4). So it is evident that it’s being baptized by the power of God’s Spirit that literally buries our “old man” [sinful nature] and raises our inner man up as a “new creature” in him, empowering us to literally “deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world;” which is what the Bible says the true grace of God teaches us to do (Titus 2:11,12). Not to mention that the forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist, stated clearly that making the way to baptize with the holy Ghost is exactly why Jesus came to this world (Mk. 1:6-8). Makes sense, at least in scriptural terms, doesn’t it? Indeed friend, the baptism that these scriptures are speaking of is the one mentioned in Eph. 4:5, and it is the baptism that Jesus had to die and raise again in order to give us (I Pet. 3;21). Amen.