Baptism Without Faith is No Baptism At All

I have heard many stories from people who talk about how they have been baptized two or three times, once or twice early in their life, and then another time later when they believe they were really converted and saved.

No they haven’t.

They may have gotten wet in a baptismal pool prior to their true conversion, but they were not baptized prior to having faith. Baptism without faith is not baptism.

It’s like a man getting married without a woman at the ceremony. He may be there at the church, with a minister, with witnesses, but if he’s standing up there all by himself, there is no actual wedding. It is much the same with someone who gets ‘baptized’ apart from faith. He may be standing there, in the water, with a minister, in front of witnesses, full of sincerity. But, without faith, tho he may go under the water and come back up, he has not been baptized.

It is impossible to be baptized INTO the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit apart from faith (Matt. 28:19)

It is impossible to be baptized into and clothed with Christ apart from faith (Gal. 3:27)

But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

Without faith, there is no oneness in Christ Jesus.

Without faith, you do not belong to Christ, and you are not one of Abraham’s descendants.

Without faith, you are not an heir according to promise.

So, the next time you tell your story of how you were baptized when you were five after some mass appeal at the end of a VBS program, and then you were baptized again when you were eleven following the raising of your hand while every head was bowed and every eye was closed, and then you were baptized yet again at the age of seventeen after God removed your heart of stone and gave you a heart of flesh, tell it accurately by letting your hearers know and understand that you were baptized ONE TIME, and that one time being AFTER you were given the gift of faith.

Any other event involving water but not involving faith was nothing more than a shell of a ritual.

Cinderella Story

Written In Lines of Blood

from today’s Grace Gem -

He is the beloved Son of God, the first and the everlasting favorite of heaven, the highest object of his Father’s delight; He is the great peace-maker between God and sinners, the chief messenger of divine love to men. If He had not undertaken to make peace by His atoning sacrifice, we would have continued the children of wrath forever! He came to deliver us from our state of enmity and rebellion, to save us from sin and its dreadful consequences, from the curse of God’s righteous law, and from everlasting destruction. His heart was pierced for the sake of sinful men. The messages of His love–He has written to us in lines of blood. This is that divine Savior who, though disregarded by many, is precious to those that believe. “Yes, He is very precious to you who believe!” 1 Peter 2:7

Love to the divine Redeemer is the distinguishing characteristic of a real Christian, and most indispensably requirement in order to our serving God acceptably in this world, and to our dwelling with Him in the next world. “If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed!” 1 Corinthians 16:22

-John Fawcett

Are Covenant Children Physical or Spiritual

Jason over at Fide-O is recommending a book by Alan Conner titled, Covenant Children Today – Physical or Spiritual. I look forward to reading Alan’s position. In his endorsement, Jason says the following:

The book ends with an encouragement for our paedobaptist brethren to reconsider their position based on two passages of Scripture: Romans 6:3-4 and Galatians 3:27. Considering these two passages, Alan Conner asks several questions that need to be answered:

• How are the “all who are baptized into Christ” described?
• Which baptism is in view, physical baptism with water, or spiritual baptism by the Holy Spirit?
• Who is included in the “all?”
• If a paedobaptist claims that these two passages imply that baptized infants are included in the “all,” then do they not have to honestly admit that they are united with Christ, clothed with Christ, regenerated with newness of life, and savingly in Christ?
• Do they not also have to admit that their baptism helps to confer these blessings upon them in some way since they cannot believe on their own (which is what the Roman Catholics believe)?

Jason also puts forth a hypothetical:

Finally let me ask all to consider this hypothetical question:

1. Lets suppose that there were two guys who grew up in godly homes: one in a godly Presbyterian home and the other in a godly Reformed Baptist home.
2. The Presbyterian was baptized as an infant and later in life at the age of ten was regenerated. But the Baptist was not baptized until he was regenerated which was also at the age of ten.
3. Did either guys have a spiritual advantage due to their mode of baptism?

Click HERE to read the rest of his thoughts on this question.

The Back Door Into Hell

What will be this wretch’s shame at the last great day when, before assembled multitudes, the apostate shall be unmasked?…No greater eagerness will ever be seen among Satanic tormentors, than in that day when devils drag the hypocrite’s soul down to perdition. Bunyan pictures this with massive but awful grandeur of poetry when he speaks of the back-way to hell. Seven devils bound the wretch with nine cords, and dragged him from the road to heaven, in which he had professed to walk, and thrust him through the back-door into hell. Mind that back-way to hell, professors! “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.” Look well to your state; see whether you be in Christ or not. It is the easiest thing in the world to give a lenient verdict when oneself is to be tried; but O, be just and true here. Be just to all, but be rigorous to yourself. Remember if it be not a rock on which you build, when the house shall fall, great will be the fall of it. O may the Lord give you sincerity, constancy, and firmness; and in no day, however evil, may you be led to turn aside.

-Spurgeon, Mediation for this Morning

Really, Are You One of His Sheep

Christ calls His people, “My sheep.”

The word “sheep,” no doubt, points to something
in the character and ways of true Christians. It
would be easy to show that weakness, helplessness,
harmlessness, usefulness–are all points of resemblance
between the sheep and the believer. But the leading
idea in our Lord’s mind was the entire dependence
of the sheep upon its Shepherd. – J.C. Ryle

Are you really entirely dependent upon Christ? Don’t search for the textbook answer you know people around you want to hear. This is just between you and Him. Where is your hope, really? Where is your heart, really? Where do your thoughts go during the day when everything is going perfect? Do they run to Christ like they do when everything is falling apart? Where are your affections, really?  What occupies the majority of your thoughts? Your family? Your career? Your hobbies?

Answer honestly now. Can you really be described as having entire dependence upon the Shepherd?

How is This Physically Possible

I believe in a future physical return (or advent) of Christ.

I believe, as Paul declares, that the Lord Himself will physically descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

I believe that, at the physical return of Christ, all of creation will be resurrected together, the righteous (who will go into everlasting life) and the wicked (who will go into everlasting torment), along with the whole of creation (which will be set free from its bondage to sin).

Here’s today’s question(s) for pondering:

When Jesus returns physcially, HOW will He do it all over the earth at the same time? How will He be seen by those in China at the same time He is seen by those in America? If He is still a physical being with a now-glorified body, and He will return to earth one day in His physical body, then how will He be able to return to the whole earth at the same time? Dispensationalists (and perhaps many others) believe He will return to the Mount of Olives. If that is true, then how will I see Him way over here in Georgia?

Also, how will all the nations be able to be gathered before Him at the same time when He sits on His glorious throne, for Him to separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats? Is this an event that will actually happen, physically, or is it metaphorical?

Just some logistical things to think about, but ones I think which are important to our doctrine of Christ physically returning to earth again.

Let me know what you think.

Does Your Church Take Away from God’s Word

You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you. – Deut. 4:2

Many of us are familiar with the seriousness of not adding to God’s word. When I think of that, Paul’s exhortation not to go beyond what is written comes to mind. But, how much do we think about and make sure we are also not taking away from the word of God?

As my friend, Jeff Redding, preached yesterday, ignoring God’s word is the same as taking away from God’s word. Does your church teach the whole counsel of God from the pulpit? Or, are there certain ‘hard’ things in Scripture that never get addressed? Are there some certain unmentionable subjects that are ‘off limits’ and, though they are very prominent in the Bible, seem to be ignored by the preacher at your church? Allow me to put forth a premise that Jeff said in his sermon yesterday:

Not preaching the whole counsel of God equals being guilty of the blood of the hearers.

Isn’t ignoring specific parts of Scripture along with specific hard truths contained in God’s word basically the same as ripping those portions out of your Bible and throwing them away? I mean, they might as well not even be there if you never go to them.

Did All These Things Take Place?

For many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray.

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,

and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.

And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.

And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.

For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.

Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

I submit to you that they ALL took place in A.D. 70.

Truth Not Talk – Who Said It

Whoever gets this one right deserves a huge sheep shout out…

For I did not, like the multitude, take pleasure in those who spoke much, but [rather] in those who taught the truth; nor in those who related strange commandments, but [rather]  in those who rehearsed the commandments given by the Lord to faith, and proceeding from truth itself.