Baptism has always been by most denominations an optional extra. They believe you can get baptized if you want to. Some believe it is a sin not to be baptized, but still that you do not have to do it and can still get by with salvation. Because of this a lot of Churches only baptize once a year, or only every so often. I've always wondered, if baptism is not so important, then why is it even in the bible, and why is it stressed so much in the bible? In my last blog I explained that baptism saves us, but exactly how does baptism save us? Baptism saves us by washing away our sins.
The Bible is the infallible Word of God, it is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness (2Timothy 3:16). So like everything else that we question about our faith, we have to go to the bible for answers. We will have to change our thinking according to the bible, rather than change the bible according to our thinking. "Let God be true, and every man a liar" (Romans 3:4).
Let me start by saying that water is not magical and cannot wash away our sins alone. I do not know why but for some reason God chose to wash away our sins at the point we are baptized. Water alone has no quality that can wash away our sins. Baptism can only wash away our sins because God has made it that way. When we comply with his command to be baptized, and trust in Him to wash away our sins, only then is baptism effective.
The Old Testament has many types and shadows of what was to come in the New Testament (Hebrews 10:1) Let me explain what a type or shadow is. Lets say you see the shadow of some one walking toward you from the other side of a building. You can make out certain features. You might see that the person is a boy or a girl, you can kinda see the shape of the person, but you cannot see them clearly until they actually come around the corner into clear view. That is what a shadow is in the Old Testament. You can make out certain details of what is to come, but it is not an exact representation of what is to come. That being Said, lets turn to the Old Testament and see what shadows are in the Old Testament concerning baptism.
The Old Testament has man shadows concerning baptism. Rituals of washing for cleansing and purification were shadows of baptism. (Leviticus 14:8; 15:5, 10, 13, 16, 17, 21; 17:15-16; 22:6) Unclean people had to be sprinkled with the water of separation (Which was for purification of sin, [Numbers 19:9] signifying baptisms part in cleansing sin) and would not be clean until they did so (Numbers 19:9-20).
Another figure of baptism in the Old Testament is the washing of Naaman, the captian of the host of the king of Syria in the water the Jordan river for cleansing of leprosy(a figure of sin) (2Kings 5:9-14) Only when he complied with the prophet Elisha and washed himself in the waters of Jordan was he cleansed from his leprosy.
Lets turn to the most famous shadows of baptism. The account of Noah's ark is one of the most famous shadows of baptism (1Peter 3:20-21) "Who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ" How did Peter say baptism saved us? "not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God" He was saying baptism does not save you by making you clean on the outside, but baptism saves you by cleaning you on the inside (spiritually), for that is the only way we can have a good conscience before God, and that it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that makes it affective in doing so. The blood is applied when we are baptized. A verse about baptism indicates that the "conscience" Peter was talking about was a conscience of sins, and that the blood is applied when we are baptized is (Hebrews 10:22) "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." The same water that saved those on the ark from the sinful world by lifting the ark above the water, also destroyed the rest of the sinful world (who was shadow of sin), and that is what baptism does with us. The same baptism that saves us also destroys sin.
Israels crossing of the Red Sea is probably the most famous shadow of baptism (1Corinthians 10:1-2). The same water that Israel crossed to save them, also washed away the Pharaoh and his army (which were a shadow of sin). Baptism does the same thing to us as it did for Israel. Just like it saved Israel, it saves us. Just like it washed away Pharaohs army (Exodus 14:26), it washes away our sins. If Israel would not have passed through the sea as God commanded (Exodus 14:15-16) Then the Pharaohs army which represented sin would have destroyed them, and so it is the same for us: If we do not comply to the Lords commandment to be baptized (Matthew 19:28) we will be destroyed by sin.
What does the New Testament say about baptism? John the baptist preached the "baptism of repentance for the remission of sins" (Mark 1:4) signifying what Christian baptism would do. Peter at the first church sermon ever, preached baptism for remission of sins (Acts 2:38) "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins..." Ananias told Paul that he was to be baptized in order to wash away his sins (Acts 22:16) "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."
Paul taught that baptism was us being buried into Christs death (Romans 6:3) or that it is the finalization of our own death with Christ, just like a burial is the finalization of any ones death. He preached that by being baptized we the old man (or past life of sin) would be dead with Christ so that the body of sin might be destroyed (Romans 6:6) "For he that is dead is freed from sin." (Romans 6:7). Paul teaches it similarly in (Colossians 2:12-13) "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened (made alive) together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses." Apparently Paul preached that baptism was for the the removal of sin.
From the Old Testament to the New Testament, it is clear that we are commanded to be baptized, and that at the point of baptism God washes away our sins. Therefore we have no excuse in the whole wide world not to be baptized for the remission of sins. If you still have doubt then ask yourself this, as David Bernard puts it, "If Jesus who had no sin, submitted to baptism, how much more should we?"
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