____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ November 15, 1998 ____________________________________________________ Bible Quiz: "Water Baptism" by Tom Edwards The following is part-one of a quiz that I have at my home page. All the answers are after the questions, with brief explanations. (Please be sure to read these.) Questions 10 through 16 will be in next week's bulletin. 1. Which of the following men made the statement in one of his epistles that ``baptism now saves you''? Was it a) Paul, b) Peter, c) James, or d) Jude? 2. Who in the book of Mark declares that ``He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved''? 3. What two conditions are specified in Acts 2:38 that one must do in order to have sins forgiven? 4. According to Romans 6:3,4, baptism is for which one of the following reasons: a) to show our sins have already been forgiven, b) to be able to walk in newness of life, or c) to become a member of a particular denomination? 5. In Galatians 3:26,27, Paul shows how one is put into Christ. What two conditions are necessary for this to happen, according to this passage? 6. In John 3:5, Jesus teaches that a man must be born again before he can enter the kingdom of heaven. What are the two things one must be born of in order to make this possible? 7. Paul's sins were forgiven after having met the Lord on the road to Damascus and prior to his being baptized. True or False? (For help on this, see Acts 22:16, which occurs after Paul's encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus.) 8. Paul speaks of baptism as how in Colossians 2:12? Does he refer to it as a) a sprinkling, b) a burial, or c) a pouring? 9. The ``WHEREIN also ye are risen with him'' (KJV) or, as the New American Standard Version renders it, ``IN WHICH you were also raised up with Him'' (Col. 2:12) is referring to which one of the following? a) baptism, b) faith, or c) the Spirit? ANSWERS -- Number 1 -- The correct answer is B. It was Peter who said that ``baptism now saves you'' in 1 Peter 3:21. Here is the verse in the New American Standard Version and the Revised Standard Version: ``And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ'' (NASB). ``Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ'' (RSV). ``Appeal'' has been defined as ``a call for aid, sup- port, mercy, etc.; an earnest request or entreaty; to appeal is to ask earnestly for help or support....'', which helps us to understand how that through the act of baptism, people are ``calling'' on the name of the Lord (see Acts 22:16). And also consider Acts 2:21, 36-38. In this first verse, Peter quoted Joel's prophecy that ''...everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved''; but accord- ing to the account, the way this was done was not by merely praying a ``sinner's prayer.'' Rather, it was accomplished by their faith in Jesus (v. 36), along with their repentance and water baptism (v. 38). They sought God's mercy and for- giveness by meeting His conditions. * * * * * The King James Version states in 1 Peter 3:21 that ''...baptism doth also now save us...'' and does so as ``the answer of a good conscience toward God....'' It's interesting to note that the Greek word rendered as ``answer'' in this verse is defined as ``a question, an asking; enquiry after, seeking by enquiry'' (A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament by E. W. Bullinger). So, clearly, baptism is not for those ``already saved''; but rather for penitent believers who want to appeal to God for salvation. (Baptism is part of the condition one must meet to benefit from the death of Christ.) -- Number 2 -- Answer: Jesus Yes, it was the Lord Himself who stated in Mark 16:16 that ``He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved....'' Surely, if this were the only verse in all the Bible that placed baptism in connection with salvation, that would suffice -- but it is not! There are various others that also remain consistent to this truth: people must be bap- tized in order to... * be saved (1 Peter 3:21) * receive the ``remission of sins'' (Acts 2:38) * ``wash away'' sins (Acts 22:16) * ``walk in newness of life'' (Rom. 6:4) ...just to name a few. Throughout the New Testament, water baptism is seen as part of the plan to have sins forgiven and become a Christian, which is all in harmony with what Jesus declared in Mark 16:16 that ``He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved....'' -- Number 3 -- Answer: ``REPENT'' and ``BE BAPTIZED'' Contrary to the thinking of many people today, Acts 2:38 shows that one must do more than merely repent to be forgiven -- one must also be baptized! In 1977 I became a Christian. Prior to that time, I had been in various religious denominations that taught salva- tion by ``faith only.'' I can remember reading this verse way back then and knowing that it did say I had to also be baptized; but, at the time, I would have to blot out from my mind that ``be baptized'' part because it wasn't in harmony with what the denominational preacher and the others there were teaching me. How wrong I had been. I heard a story once about a Christian who was trying to teach a woman the need for water baptism. It seemed that he was getting nowhere, so he asked the woman to merely read Acts 2:38; and he wouldn't say anything. After reading the verse, the woman looked up to the silent man and said, ``But that's your opinion.'' Still another person once said during the course of a Bible study, ``You can't get baptism out of Acts 2:38!'' ``That's right, ma'm,'' the fellow replied. ``It's there to stay!'' ``And Peter said to them, ``Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins....'' (NASB). Interestingly, one of the earlier editions of the New International Version renders Acts 2:38 as follows: ``Peter replied, `Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ SO THAT YOUR SINS MAY BE FORGIVEN....'' (emphasis mine). Could it be any clearer than that? -- Number 4 -- The correct answer is B. Baptism is ''...in order that...we too might walk in newness of life.'' What is this ``newness of life''? Isn't it obvious that it would be referring to the time when one becomes a Christian? Jesus had said that He had come in order that people might have life and have it more abundantly (Jn. 10:10). This is received when one is ``born again'' (Jn. 3:3-5), which enables the person to be a ``new creature'' in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). By far, it is much more than merely ``turning over a new leaf.'' Again, it is evident that baptism must be performed before one can receive this new life. -- Number 5 -- Answer: ``FAITH'' and ``BAPTISM'' Just as Jesus said in Mark 16:16 that ``He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,'' Paul is showing the same need for faith and baptism in Galatians 3:26,27. It's interesting to note all the wonderful things the Bible has to say about being ``in Christ.'' For example, ``There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus'' (Rom. 8:1); ``redemption'' is ``in Christ'' (Rom. 3:24); one is ``alive to God in Christ Jesus'' (Rom. 6:11); ``eternal life'' is ``in Christ'' (Rom. 6:23); and there are many other verses as well, along this line. And here in Galatians 3:26,27, one learns the answer as to how a person can get ``into'' Christ for all these blessings; and it is through faith and baptism. -- Number 6 -- Answer: ``WATER'' and the ``SPIRIT'' It was Jesus who told Nicodemus of the need for man to be ``born again'' -- to be ``born of water and the Spirit'' in order to enter the kingdom of God in John 3:3-5. The only way in which we ever find water in the New Testament being used in connection with salvation is in water baptism for the remission of sins. Interestingly, I heard a preacher once ask, ``How much water is in baptism?'' He then answered his own question by saying, ``Not one drop!'' This truly got the attention of the audience. He then went on to point out that the Greek word ``baptizo'' (from which ``baptize'' is a transliteration) simply means ``to dip or immerse''; but there is no indication in the word itself as to what the element is to be in which the immersing is to be performed. It is only from other verses in the Bible that we learn that baptism is to be in water, so that our past sins will be forgiven (cf, Acts 8:36-38; Acts 10:47,48). -- Number 7 -- Answer: False In order for Paul to be forgiven, he had to first be baptized in water, as we see in Acts 22:16. Therefore, Paul wasn't saved by merely ``faith only'' after having seen the Lord on the road to Damascus. Nor was he saved by his faith and repentance only, which is manifest in the way he conducted himself after having met the Lord: for three days, Paul fasted and prayed, while he waited in Damascus in obedience to the Lord's command -- for there, Paul would be told what he needed to do. The only thing that Ananias revealed to Paul that he had not already heard from the Lord was the need to ``arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins....'' (Acts 22:16). During his three days of fasting and praying, I imagine that Paul must have asked God numerous times to forgive him for the wrongs he had committed in his ignorance; but he wasn't forgiven by prayer. Rather, it required his faith, repentance, and baptism before his sins could be blotted out. For if his sins had been washed away by prayer, then there would have been no need for Ananias to command Paul to be baptized to ``wash away your sins'' (Acts 22:16). -- Number 8 -- Answer: b) a burial Paul speaks of baptism as being a burial in Colossians 2:12, just as he also does in Romans 6:3,4. Therefore, we don't even need to know the meaning of the original Greek word to understand that baptism is to be an ``immersion'' (a complete burial in water) -- and not a mere sprinkling or a pouring. However, the Greek word ``baptizo,'' which has been transliterated to ``baptize,'' does mean ``to dip, to plunge, to immerse.'' If sprinkling were intended -- instead of immersion -- then the Greek word ``rhantizo'' could have been used. Or if ``pour'' were intended, the Greek word ``ekcheo'' could have been used. But neither of these terms is used; rather the Greek word ``baptizo,'' and which best depicts a ``burial'' -- certainly more so than sprinkling or pouring would -- is what we find used in the New Testament for ``baptize.'' -- Number 9 -- Answer: a) baptism Though many people believe that it is merely some type of ``spiritual baptism'' -- apart from the water -- which saves, Paul shows that the baptism involved is one in which a person can be buried in and raised up from -- water baptism. And that one is raised up from this baptism in order to be with Christ. As Paul also shows in Romans 6:3,4, one is raised up from water baptism to ``walk in newness of life.'' ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES Greetings to each of you who are visiting with us today. We are glad for your presence and hope to be seeing you again. Several of our own have not been able to be with us recently due to sickness and work. Let us pray that they will be able to be back with us soon. Free Bible courses are available by request. Why not ask for one today? If you live in our area and need a ride to our services, please call. One of us will be glad to provide you with transportation. Bible film slides are also available for those in our region. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________