catholicsphere

I came across this posting on a Protestant discussion forum which I thought was pretty interesting…

I have a sermon I have preached many times; it is called “What Happens in Baptism?” In it I look at many different NT passages (I can’t say I address all of them) on baptism and show how they are all connected to salvation in a different way. Here’s the skeleton outline.

1. We are buried with Christ (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12).
2. We are raised with Christ (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12).
3. We are born again (John 3:3-5).
4. We become new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 3:27).
5. Sins are removed (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16).
6. We contact Jesus’ blood (Rom. 6:3 and John 19:32-34; Heb. 9:13-14 and Heb. 10:22).

Though I don’t have it in the original outline of that sermon (you have to quit somewhere Very Happy ), you could add another:

7. We are saved (Mark 16:16; 1 Pet. 3:21). (I make this point in other ways, and in connection with all the above points in the body of the sermon)

When you look at what all of these passages say about baptism, how can you not see that it is inseparably tied to salvation?

I think this also addresses the concept of being baptized “for a right reason,” as some called it several years ago. How can you be baptized for “a right reason” and not understand that you’re being baptized in order to be saved? What reasons does the NT give for being baptized? Every one you examine is in one way or another addressing salvation (this was really the motivation for this sermon to begin with).

I’ve got, in my “Pages” sidebar section, a link to my short commentary “Baptism: A ‘Work’?? A ‘Command of Men’??” which addresses the challenge by some Protestants who object to Baptism saying “we are not saved by works”, and that we are not to follow “the commands of men”.

I have also had discussions on whether “baptism now saves you” (the passage from 1 Peter 3), which specifically addresses the kinds of objections that the above response quoted here does.

If you have any questions on responding to these challenges, feel free to post them in the Comments and I’ll respond.

[tags]apologetics, salvation, baptism, faith, catholic, catholicism, protestant, christian, scripture[/tags]