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Danville Enlightener VOL. VIII, No. 36
Passive or ActiveThe conventional wisdom among most Protestant denominations relevant to baptism is expressed in the following quotation taken from “Baptist Distinctives” website. “The New Testament records that baptism always followed conversion, never preceded it, and was not necessary for salvation . . .” To bolster this position Eph 2:8-9 are often referenced as proof. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” The reasoning goes something like this. “Baptism is a work and since one is not saved by works, baptism could not possibly be essential for salvation.” Occasionally we confuse a proper understanding of Bible baptism by “conceding” that baptism is a work. This concession is often made because baptism involves action. Also, because Col 2:12 that says we are “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” However, this verse discusses the working of God and not the working of a believer. I am convinced we can do better when it comes to helping people understand the essentiality of baptism. The question was asked by the Philippian jailer “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). The very question presupposes human action on the part of a sinner in order to be saved. The answer given by Paul confirms this assumption, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.” In
considering
the New
Testament
it
becomes
evident
that
there
are five
primary
essentials
(steps)
leading
to
one’s
salvation.
These
are, hearing
the
gospel
(Rom
10:17;
Acts
4:4;
Acts
10:44)
– believing
in Jesus
(Jn
8:24;
Rom
10:9-10;
Mk
16:16)
– repenting
of
sins
(Lk
13:3;
Acts
2:38:
Acts
17:30)
– confessing
one’s
faith in
Jesus (Rom 10:9-10; Matt 10:32-33; Acts 8:36-38) – and water baptism (Acts 2:38; Acts 8:36-38; Acts 22:16). Before proceeding let us consider the two words in the title of this article: Passive and Active. The word passive is defined as “(1): acted upon by an external agency.” And the word active is defined as “1: characterized by action rather than by contemplation or speculation” Let me see if I can demonstrate this. Passive is when someone does something for or to me, and active is when I do something to or for myself. For example, at dinner if someone brings me a glass of water, I was passive; if, however, I retrieve the glass of water that was active. Now, let’s apply this to the study of baptism. Returning to the five essentials leading to salvation, the first four (hearing, believing, repenting, confessing) are things we do. That is, these four things are active, thus making them things we must DO. These cannot be done to us. That is, we cannot have someone to “believe us,” “hear us,” “repent us,” or confess us.” That is because these are things we must do personally. We must personally hear, believe, etc. In truth these are works (things we must do). As a matter of fact we can read of this dialogue. “Then they said to Him, what shall we do, that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent,” (Jn 6:28-29). Clearly Jesus called belief a work. Baptism on the other hand is the only one of these five essentials that is passive. That is, baptism is not something we do. Instead we submit to baptism; baptism is done to us. We actively believe, but with baptism, it is something we passively submit to. Therefore, we must have someone baptize us. This is precisely what we read in Acts 8:38. Here the Ethiopian passively submits to being baptized. “So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.” Note carefully that Philip baptized the eunuch. The Ethiopian actively heard, believed, repented and confessed. But he passively submitted to baptism. Baptism cannot be a work we do in order to earn salvation because it is something that is done to us under the authority of Christ (Acts 2:38). Must we be baptized in water to be saved? Yes (Mk 16:16; Acts 2:38)! But remember we submit to baptism—it is passive. Baptism is an act/deed that is preformed on us. This is why Ananias encouraged Paul to submit to baptism. “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord,” (Acts 22:16) -- jrb Our Meeting Last week was a busy week for the Danville church of Christ. Friday night closed out our gospel meeting with Ken Sils from Ridgeway, Virginia doing the preaching. Brother Sils came well prepared. He truthfully, forcefully and passionately presented the Word of God. His love and respect for truth and for the Lord who revealed that truth are evident. It was a tremendous blessing to have Ken and his wife Sandra in our home last week. And those who provided the Sils with a meal know what a wonderful couple they are. I want to make some observations about the activities here last week. I honor all the song leaders for the excellent manner in which they directed our singing. Also, I think most of this congregation attended all the services, which says a lot about the priorities of this church. Also, many invited guests to attend and some did come. Thank you for your efforts and for your willingness to reach out to those needing to hear the precious gospel of salvation. A personal note is also in order. Sue and I thank those of you who were kind and generous in your hospitality to us. We thank you for the good meals and good times we enjoyed this week. "As I See It" “I hate him” said King Ahab (1 Ki 22:8). What is up with that? Was there good reason for Ahab to feel this way about a prophet of God named Micaiah? I often think of this verse when I listen to the comments of people. Frequently those whose minds are closed or whose hearts are hardened say something similar. “I don’t care for this person,” or “I don’t like his preaching,” or perhaps it is as harsh as Ahab’s “I hate him;” and for the same reason. What was Ahab’s issue with Micaiah? Was it because Ahab discovered that Micaiah had some personal vendetta against the King and his family? Did this prophet have some ax to grind? Was Micaiah simply out to get Ahab? The answer to each question is NO! Ahab did not like the message that Micaiah preached even though that communication came directly from God. After being told to “tone it down a bit,” “Micaiah said, as surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what the LORD tells me,” (1 Ki 22:14). You see, Ahab was a wicked man; he was morally and spiritually a weakling and the words of Micaiah rebuked Ahab’s sin and immoral life. Instead of turning Ahab from his sin, the word of God turned Ahab against the messenger. Ahab might have hated Micaiah but that rage did not change God’s word one bit. Told by Micaiah that he would die in battle, Ahab died. Even trying to disguise himself did not change the word of God (1 Ki 22:29-40). Instead of hating, Ahab should have been heeding. “You are not to forsake church services” (Heb 10:25) an absentee member is told. Instead of taking the admonishment to heart he is likely to respond “I hate him.” “You must not become sexually active, you must remain a virgin until marriage” (1 Cor 6:18) a teenager is told. Instead of considering the truthfulness of the warning, the response might be like that of Ahab, “I can’t stand him, he seems so old-fashioned.” “You should not use words like that” (Eph 4:29) a man is told. Because he likes his dirty jokes and crude language he murmurs “I hate being around her, she makes me so uncomfortable.” AS I SEE IT, the man Ahab hated and all like Ahab hate is not the messenger but the Master. |