Is Baptism a Means of Salvation?

This is core Christianity, where answering your questions about the Christian life Monday through Friday. Your hosts are author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton and Pastor atrial Sanchez call right now with your question. At 1833.

The core that's 1-833-843-2673 and now here's atrial Sanchez hi and welcome back to the core.

We answer your questions about the faith. I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez point is always by theology professor Dr. Michael Horton and recited by today's program with a lot of people right now are concerned about the coronavirus.

There's year. She seems to be spreading so quickly and we as believers have this great hope in the gospel.

They should ground us and I was thinking about this quote from CS Lewis the other day to sort of reminded me of the hope that we have it, he's thinking about the atomic bomb, but you can replace atomic bomb with coronavirus just genders around World War II, the Andrea's is in one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. How are we to live in an atomic age. I am tempted to reply why is you would've lived in the 16th century, when the plague visited London almost every year or as you would've lived in a Viking age when raters from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night, or indeed as you are already living in an age of cancer and age of syphilis and age of paralysis and age of air raids and age of railway accidents and age of motor accidents.

In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation.

Believe me, dear Sir or Mdm., you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented in quite a high percentage of us are going to die in unpleasant ways. We had indeed one very great advantage over our ancestors. Anesthetics we have that still it is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to the world which already bristled with such chances in which death itself was not a chance at all but a certainty. This is the first point to be made in the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together if we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb. Let that bomb when it comes to find us doing sensible and human things, praying, working, teaching reading, listening to music, bathing the children playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and game of darts not huddled together like frightened sheep thinking about bombs they may break our bodies microbe can do that but they need not dominate our minds. Isn't that marvelous, so marvelous and so applicable to our current context of a good reminder for us that Christ is the king. Our hope is in him we don't need to run around like chickens with our heads cut off with her other lords and masters. That's right universe x-ray hope that encourages you.

Let's go to our first question now Grace asked us on Facebook. Why do you guys encourage people to remember their baptism as a response to doubting their salvation. If we are not saved by baptism but through faith in Christ. Thank you, Grace. Okay, so there are a range of views on this. As you know, some Christians will say, for example, my Lutheran friends that will say that children are bad are regenerated in baptism.

Now if they don't have faith they'll still be will be lost but they were regenerated and that is that there truly born again truly born again. Now I don't believe that I believe that we are only born again when the spirit of God changes our heart, he takes out the heart of flesh and gives us a heart to know him and he regenerates us. We are spiritually dead, and he makes us spiritually alive.

Everyone who is regenerated is a new creature in Christ. They can't die again. They can't go back to a condition from which they have been saved.

I just don't believe the Scriptures teach that you can be born again and then not born again you either are, and remain so. Or or not he who began a good work in you will complete it to the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 16 so then what is baptism. Water baptism while baptism is to the new covenant what circumcision was in the old covenant. There were many people who were circumcised in Israel in the flesh, but were not circumcised, truly in their heart and that's what the Old Testament says even before we get to the New Testament the prophet's lament that his role circumcised in the flesh, but not in the heart and the apostle Paul says the same thing.

It's not those who were circumcised outwardly but inwardly were saved.

The same is true baptism in Colossians 2 Paul says that baptism has replaced circumcision will if that's the case this exactly the same. There people who were baptized court regenerated so baptism can't itself regenerate, but it is the sign and seal.

Just as Paul called circumcision that the sign in Romans for the sign and seal of the faith by which Abraham was justified. So baptism is the sign and seal of God's promise to deliver us from sin and death.

It is a promise.

It is a visible seal God's visible signature on his autograph. As you will is signature that he will give new life impart new life that he will justify and sanctify that he will preserve those who were baptized in faith. It's God's promise absolutely. But when we say therefore remember your baptism. What were saying is remember Christ, remember God's promise in Jesus Christ, so it's not as if baptism is a work we perform. It's a work God performs God is the actor in baptism, God is the one who is baptizing us were not baptizing ourselves really the minister isn't even baptizing us ultimately is Christ who is baptizing us is the Spirit who is baptizing us into Christ, and so is his work, it's his operation.

It's his promise is not our promise, I will surrender all, it's God's promise. I have surrendered all for you and so because of that, because it's not my work.

It's God's promise. I look to my baptism and say I've got his autograph right here. I may not have.

Remember, I may not remember it. I may have been baptized as a child and I don't even remember that's not what remembering your baptism means.

Remember in the Genesis 9 when you have no and the after the flood, God makes a covenant with no one. He tells them I'm never gonna do this again, never to bring a flood. What he does is he takes a natural sign that he has been there since creation and he commandeers it for the purpose of making a treaty a covenant and he says I make a covenant with you and all human beings.

In fact, with all of nature that I will never again send a flood upon the earth, and when ever I see the rainbow set in the clouds, I will remember this oath that I made. Baptism is like that.

This is really just kind of bowls us over, but think of it every time. Remember your baptism, God is remembering it to just like every time the rainbow appears God is remembering and where remembering God's remembering to be faithful to his promise and isn't that so reassuring Grace. Let me share kind of a silly story that they help me to understand this whole concept because I came from a Christian tradition work. We never talk like that you remember your baptism but it really has become something that now I I've come to cherish before I was dating my wife and I was pursuing my wife, hoping that she would date me. I was always wanting her to she like me to. She really liked me. Sometimes she would do things that made me think she liked me.

Other times it is that she's ignoring my calls and and whatnot but there came a point where she sent me a series of text messages and I could just tell from the way she was talking in those text messages. I think she likes me. I think she's into me while I saved those text messages because after that, you know when when we would be communicating. I feel like a man to know does she like me if she hasn't returned my call and you know in three minutes. You know, if you didn't text me back and it does she really like.

I would look back at those text messages. If this is the objective proof and I have it right here in writing. She does like me well.

He signs like baptism, even the Lord's supper their signs of God's good will toward you his love for you.

It's objective so that when you're wondering, she's this for me. Yeah, you not only here at BIC… Lammas does he love me I got is saying yeah here it is. The object of proof just as surely as you take the bread and wine in her hands so Shirley, are you assured that Christ gave his body and blood for you.

This is my body broken for you. Jesus said this is my blood shed for you. Take and eat this particular every day.

Act of bathing will be his sign and seal a pledge of a good conscience. In other words God's way of assuring our conscience that we are right with him because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, amen. We received an email were Daniel asked us guys is Hebrews 1214 talking about imputed righteousness or something else.

Thanks Dale they for that question, let me read Hebrews 12 to begin in verse 12, and then begin to your question. Therefore, the author, the Hebrew says lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord in your question is, is that holiness, there's that referring to the doctrine of imputed righteousness will what is imputation addict important for us to answer that question for so that we can get to your question an invitation it's really a part of the doctrine of justification and a lot of times you hear people define justification today as it's just as if I've never sinned. Well, that's only half of justification. Justification does include the forgiveness of our sins. The fact that God hardens everything we've ever done. But there's also something else that God gives us in justification.

That's the righteousness of Jesus and that we mean by imputation. It comes from the Greek word look gives a Misys banking term God credits to us the righteousness of his son Jesus need to read about this in places like Romans chapter 4 and five. In Romans chapter 5, Paul talks about the gift of righteousness that we receive that. Why is that so important well if we were just forgiving of all of our sins we actually still would not be just in God's sight because the law of God doesn't just call us not to do bad things X he calls us to do good things to have.

We might call a positive righteousness Jesus and love God and love your neighbor well just by ignoring my neighbors and not sitting against them doesn't mean I'm actually loving that doesn't say just don't hate your neighbor exactly have your name some of us think were doing a pretty good job in obeying God's law is not of this hate our neighbor seen it. We never talked and we never extend the love of Christ to them will know the law of God calls us to do certain things to obey certain commands and we don't we fall short of it. And that's why we need the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ and we receive that righteousness by imputation is given to us by faith, and so is that what Hebrews chapter 12 verse 14 is talking about. I don't think that's specifically what's in the mind of the author of Hebrews there in verse 14 were to strive for holiness without which no one will supersede the Lord because invitation isn't something we strive for.

It's a gift that God gives to us by faith in me.

Just at the present hear my sons righteousness for you by faith. I think the author the Hebrews here is talking about that sort of practical rights and we've talked about this a little bit already in the program. The responsibility that we have as Christians. As the justified to pursue God and yet even that is a gift that the Lord gives us you think about Philippians chapter 2 were Paul says, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

It is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure is so I think this is more the sort of practical walking with the Lord that that holiness that itself is a work of God in us now. Absolutely those whom he justifies. He sanctifies our sanctification isn't perfect. Our justification is because the righteousness of Christ, not our own, but the working out of that in daily life is always imperfect but is happening and if you're not being sanctified. That means you're not really a child of God, because every child he adopts. He justifies and begins to conform to the image of his son. I totally agree with you a drought sometime on justification here. It's talking about the fact that you can't say I'm justified, but I'm not pursuing holiness in my everyday life. Everyone who is justified is also being sanctified is also therefore putting forth the fruit of good works.

A manual cynical Christianity and work digging through the Scriptures together answering your questions about the faith question, give us a call at 1-833-843-2673 would love to hear from you again. The numbers 1833 the core or you can also email us at questions at core, Christianity.com and met we have a great opportunity for our listeners today think they drill out today would like to invite everyone to consider coming alongside us and showing your support for the show by joining the inner core before I tell you how to join. Let me just take a minute to thank everybody who is already a member of the inner core unit really don't know how grateful we are for your generous gifts. New listeners discover the core Christianity program every day and your support helps us keep reaching people all around the world with your monthly gift of $25 or more. You can be part of the team, making it possible for us to answer these questions and share these wonderful courtrooms of the Christian faith. So head over to court, Christianity.com/inner core. To learn more or give us a call at 833. The core thanks Mike and that number is 1-833-843-2673 let's go to our next question hello Dr. Horton from Harrisburg. I request about what you said in Matthew five 4401 for us to love our enemies out of this mean that you want to.

How do we feel that the age of terrorism and how do we love people who hate us. Thank you Scott Matthew five Jesus is saying you heard it said under the old covenant, cleanse the land of all the files you take up the sword drive out all of my enemies in your enemies, because Israel was a nation, the church in the Old Testament was also a nation, but the church now is not identified with any nation on earth. It is a spiritual kingdom made of a people from every race and tribe. In kindred, and tongue, and people Revelation 59 so Jesus says you're going to have persecution now.

He's not talking about defending your wife and family. If you know some a brace and the only race in your house you could still be a soldier like Cornelius.

Cornelius became a believer, a Christian and Peter never told him. Now you have to leave the Roman army, but you cannot defend the gospel by taking up arms you have to endure persecution. How do we love our enemies and from the broader broader question how we love people who don't treat us well. More generally, one of the things with this Mike is it so easy for us to justify not been there something deep down inside of us and semi-wrongs us him.

We feel justified in lashing out, lashing out, giving them the cold shoulder cutting them off they deserved they deserved. In it I will have time to fight even in the church know we'll call us on that bill say well yeah that person you look at what they've done to you. This is something it's so difficult for us this command that Jesus gives to us to love our enemies.

I think of as not talking here for Martin Luther King sermon on loving enemies, and I just it up Marita, the Alger it's it's really helpful in the fifth chapter of the Gospels recorded in Matthew we read these very interesting words following the lips of our Lord and Master, you heard it said love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them despitefully use you, that you may be the children of your father who is in heaven. Certainly, these are great words.

Words lifted to cosmic proportions and over the centuries many persons have argued that this is an extremely difficult command.

Now let me hasten to say that Jesus was very serious when he gave this command he wasn't playing. I think the first thing is this in order to love your enemies, you must begin by analyzing yourself some people aren't gonna like the way you walk. Some people aren't going to like the way you talk.

Some people aren't going to like you because your skin is a little brighter than theirs and others are not like you because your skin is a little darker than theirs, but after looking at these things and admitting these things, we must face the fact that an individual might dislike us because of something we've done, but it was that something that aroused the hate response within the individual.

There might be something within you that arouses the tragic hate response in the other individual and this is what Jesus means when he says how is it that you can see the mote in your brother's eye and not see the beam in your own and when you come to the point you look in the face of every man and see deep down within him the image of God, you begin to love him anyway no matter what he does to acknowledge God's image there. There's an element of goodness that he can never slough off and it comes from God. In the final analysis love is not this sentimental something we talk about.

It's not merely an emotional something.

Love is creative understanding goodwill for all men. When you rise to the level of love, of its great beauty and power you seek only to defeat evil systems. Individuals who happen to be caught up in that system you love but you seek to defeat the evil Dr. King then goes on to distinguish the different words for love in the Greek New Testament, but then agape. He says it is a love that seeks nothing in return. It's what theologians would call the love of God working in the lives of men you begin to love people, not because they're likable, but because God loves them. You look at everyone you love them big because you know God loves them and he might be the worst person you've ever seen. I think this is what Jesus means in this very passage when he says love your enemy is significant.

He doesn't say like your enemy like is a sentimental something Jesus teaches that hate for hate only intensifies the existence of hate.

If I hit you and you hit me, and so want you say it just goes on ad infinitum. The strong person is the one who can cut off the chain of hate the chain of evil. And that's the tragedy of hate that it doesn't cut it off. It only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe. There's another reason why you should love your enemies and it's because hate distorts the personality of the hater for the person who hates the good becomes bad and the bad becomes good.

It will only eat you up its pathological but long before modern psychology came around Jesus called us to love.

What good is it if you only love your friends do not even the Gentiles do that. So Jesus is love, because hate destroys the hater as well as the hated enemy goes on. Finally, to say one day as Napoleon came forward said that at a very early age. He all but conquered the world. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I have built great empires.

But upon what did they depend.

They depended upon force, but long ago Jesus started an empire that depended on love and even to this day, millions will die for. See, I can see Jesus walking around the hills and valleys of Palestine and I can see them looking out of the Roman Empire, with all their fascinating and intricate military machinery. But in the midst of that. I can hear him saying I will not use this method. Neither will I hate the Roman Empire and all around the world this morning. We can hear the glad echo of heaven ring Jesus shall reign where'er the sun does his successive journeys run his kingdom spreads from shore to shore till moon shall Wayne and wax no more. We could hear another chorus singing all hail the power of Jesus name we can hear another chorus singing hallelujah hallelujah he's King of Kings and Lord of lords. Hallelujah, hallelujah, we could hear another choir singing in Christ there is no East or West in him no North or South but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide world.

This is the only way there is a little tree planted on a little hill of Calvary, and on that tree hangs most beautiful, most influential character whoever came into the world, but never feel that tree is a meaningless drama that took place on the stages of history.

Ono, the telescope through which we look out into the longest of eternity and see the love of God breaking forth into time is an eternal reminder to a power drunk generation that love is the only way. So this morning as I look in your eyes and the eyes of all my brothers in Alabama and all over America and over the world. I say to you I love you. I would rather die than hate you and I'm foolish enough to believe that through the power of this love of Jesus Christ. Somewhere men of the most recalcitrant bent will be transformed. Then we will have from on high. The power to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us to even decide to be good to those people who hate us and we even prayed for those persons who despitefully use this of God, let us join together in a great fellowship of love and bow down at the feet of Jesus. Give us the strong determination in the name and spirit of this Christ. We pray, thanks for listening to court Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer.

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