One of the simplest doctrines in the Bible is the doctrine or teaching about baptism. Yet, grown men have made it complex. Maybe we should say that Satan has confused the minds of men so that they will be lost. Since baptism is so important in relation to salvation, as we shall see in a moment, it should not surprise us that Satan has caused confusion over this subject. The Bible says that God is not the author of confusion; therefore, men and Satan are the authors of it. (1 Cor. 14:33.)

I do not hesitate to speak on baptism this morning. There are some who need the encouragement to obey the Gospel. Those who have already been immersed need to be encouraged to live by the implications of what they have done. The young need to learn about baptism so that in a few years they will have a good understanding of what God has counseled them to do.

"All the people that heard him and the publicans justified God being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him." (Luke 7:29-30.)

I do not know how many people since the first century have been immersed into the body of Christ. Surely, there would be multiplied thousands, yea millions. On the day of the beginning of the church, three thousand obeyed the Gospel. (Acts 2:41.) It is encouraging to know that many have responded to the Gospel in every nation around the world. Many different people from all walks of life obeyed the Gospel as recorded in Acts. There were Jews, Gentiles, Samaritans, an officer in the Roman army, a treasurer of Ethiopia, a jailor, a deputy on the isle of Paphos, men and women, whole households, a young man at Lystra named Timothy whose mother was Jewish and father was Greek, and a well-educated Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus, and some from Caesar’s own household. If you have not obeyed the Gospel, you should. You have the encourage-ment that comes from all those who have been immersed into Christ. Here are some compelling reasons why you should be baptized.

"And now why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16.)

"But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration (washing of rebirth---NIV) and renewing of the Holy Spirit which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior." (Titus 3:4-6.)

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers. . . and such were some of you, but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Cor. 6:11.)

"Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood." (Rev. 1:5.) "These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Rev. 7:14.)

". . . Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. That he might sanctify it and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Eph. 5:25-27.)

The Bible is literally filled with the symbolism of washing to indicate our cleansing from sin. Sinful man needs to be washed in the blood of God’s Son. There were many washings under the Old Testament. The Hebrew writer said, "Which stood only in meats and drinks and divers washings and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. . . for if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb. 9:10, 13-14.)

"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." (Heb. 10:22.) "Pure water" is not the kind of water, but what the waters of baptism do for us. They purify our souls.

It is a simple matter, but it relates to spiritual things as well. The Jews who were washed under the Old Testament were those who were unclean. That is why we need to be washed today. Spiritually, we are unclean. We have sinned.

"The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us, (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 3:21.) Peter wanted to make it clear that he was not talking about a physical bath for the body or something just ceremonial. This cleansing is for the soul. It is forgiveness that comes from God. The water and our immersion into it only physically represent the spiritual.

Sprinkling and washing. It is interesting that when something was sprinkled on the priests, on their garments or on the furniture in the tabernacle, it was blood that was sprinkled. But their bodies were washed or immersed in water.

"For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book and all the people saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood and without shedding of blood is no remission." (Heb. 9:19-22.)

"Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood from the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments and his sons and their garments." (Lev. 8:30.)

". . . having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Heb. 10:22.) The blood of Christ is sprinkled on our hearts, but our bodies are washed in pure water.

According to Jewish literature, there are three kinds of washings or ablutions: 1) washing the hands, 2) washing the hands and feet, and 3) immersion of the whole body in water. (The Jewish Encyclopedia, Isidore Singer, ed., 1901, 68.)

When a Gentile wanted to become a Jewish proselyte, he had to immerse his whole body in water. All of these divers washings under the Law stood for a type and shadow of the one washing of baptism under the new covenant. Every responsible person should be baptized because until they are washed in those waters, they are yet dirty and filthy with sin.

The symbolism is clear. In baptism, the old man is the man of sin. He is put to death and buried. He that is dead to sin is freed from sin. "Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness." (Rom. 6:18.) The Scriptures repeatedly use the language of the old man and the new man. The new man is raised from this death and burial to live a new life.

Every responsible person should obey the Gospel because it signals your desire to die to the world and live a new life. If I had to give one single answer as to why people are so slow to obey the Gospel, in view of all the blessings that come to those who do, it is that they understand that their baptism into Christ is a commitment to a new life. It means that they have decided to turn from sin and become dead to sin. Some are reluctant to die to the world.

We should note that this death to sin is not something accomplished easily or completely with this decision. We must die to sin daily. We must grow in Christ. Putting on the new man is a process of growth. But baptism marks the moment when a clear signal has been made that you are being crucified with Christ. You desire to die to the world.

"I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." (Gal. 2:20.)

"For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise." (Gal. 3:26-29.)

"Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. You are the children of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first, God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." (Acts 3:24-26.)

"Know you not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" (Rom. 6:3.) We are united with Jesus in the likeness of his death, burial and resurrection from the grave. We put on the righteous garment of Jesus Christ. Without this garment, we will be like the man at the wedding feast without the proper garment. We will be cast outside into the darkness, bound hand and feet.

In baptism, we are added to the spiritual body of Christ. In the likeness of a family, we are born into that family by being born of water and the Spirit. (John 3:3-5.) Think about it. Right now, you are a part of the family of God or you are yet outside that family. The birth into the body is a spiritual birth. It involves a renewed spirit or mind. (Eph. 4:23.) It includes a commitment to the new covenant that we have with God in Christ Jesus. It sums up all that God planned through the patriarchs and prophets of old. He planned a new kind of kingdom for mankind. We can enter that kingdom by God translating into it from the old world of sin.

"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." (Col. 1:13-14.)

If you have obeyed the Gospel, you have access to all the spiritual blessings in Christ. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (Eph. 1:3.) Outside of Christ, there are no blessings to be enjoyed. In sin, one is lost and separated from God. "And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." (Eph. 2:1.)

Contrary to popular religious teachings today, baptism does save us. "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him." (1 Peter 3:21-22.)

"He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; he that believes not shall be damned." (Mark 16:15-16.)

Baptism alone does not save us. But baptism along with faith, repentance and confession of faith in Christ does save. Water alone does not wash away sins, but water along with the blood of Christ washes away sin. We did not invent the act of baptism; God gave it as his command in Scripture. Man must obey the Gospel in order to be saved.