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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith−and this
not from yourselves, it is the gift of God−not by works, so that
no one can boast. −Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
In this scripture there is not a drop of water mentioned.
Salvation is a gift from God, established by the death and
resurrection of Jesus. Period.
The Mechanical Formula Question
During a recent lunch outing at the mall, I walked by an older
man who was standing next to a digital self-weighing scale.
(Why they have these at the mall, I don’t know. The news is
depressing enough when you lock yourself in your own
bathroom. Why announce your weight in a public arena?)
As I walked by this man, I saw him pull back, haul off and punch
the scale. He was mad at the machine because he had paid his
twenty-five cents, and it didn’t work. He wasn’t getting the
automatic results he’d expected. That’s because the scale is a
mechanical deal. You put your quarter in. You’re supposed to
get a digital readout of your weight. Put something in, get
something out. That’s the deal.
Some view baptism as a mechanical deal, a formula for
salvation. If you have been counting on the fact that you were
baptized as a ticket into heaven−regardless of the condition
of your heart, regardless what you think about God, regardless
how you live your life, regardless what you believe−you have
misunderstood baptism.
If you think baptism binds and restricts God, forcing him to
“save” you, you have misunderstood. Just because some
religious leader baptized you, sprinkled you, poured water on
you, or dunked you does not mean you are a Christ-follower.
That mind set does not hold Biblical water.
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will
be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made
right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you
are saved.” −Romans 10:9-10 (NLT)
Baptism is an outward act, an expression of trust, a declaration
that you are personally trusting Christ, and Christ alone, for the
forgiveness of sins. You make a decision to trust when you enter
the waters of baptism.
The Inside-Outside Question
Baptism doesn’t make you a believer. It shows that you already
believe. It’s an outward symbol of an inward commitment.
My wife and I have been married for some time. If I give my
wedding ring to another man and he puts it on his finger, would
that mean he was married to my wife? No. What if this man
started acting like he was married to my wife simply because
he has the ring on? She would quickly let him know he was
confused, telling him, “A ring does not a husband make.”
That’s how ludicrous it is to say that you are Christian just
because you’ve been baptized. The wedding ring is an outward
symbol of an inward commitment. Yet, if I had to take my
wedding ring off, I am still married. You become a Christian, the
Bible says, by grace through faith. It is an outward symbol of an
inward commitment. I go public: “Here’s what God has already
done for me. I am committed to following him.”
Putting on a ring doesn’t make me someone’s spouse and
getting baptized won’t make me a follower of Jesus Christ−
a “Christian.”
The Attorney Question
Attorneys know how to ask questions. They can help witnesses
tell complete stories through a series of questions. They can also
trap you with questions, arguing this side and that side. They
know how to lead and win an argument based on technicalities
within their questioning.
Sometimes people say, “Technically speaking, I mean, do
you really have to be baptized to be a Christ-follower,
technically speaking?”
When people ask this question, I always wonder about their
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