Baptism and Salvation: Faith's Role Explored

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Protestants believe that God's Saving Grace comes to the soul decisively by faith alone in other words, the only Act of the Soul in the instant of New Birth or in the moment of passing from spiritual death to New Life in the moment of being counted righteous by God being decisively adopted into his eternal family, the only Act of the Soul in that instant which is decisive from The Human Side is faith. [00:01:47]

All other acts of obedience, all other acts of symbolism of what happened spiritually all other acts of expression or demonstration or confirmation of that new birth or justification or adoption all those other acts are the results of faith, made possible by faith they are not part of faith and so they are not the human instrument by which we are born again or Justified or adopted. [00:02:52]

Now Roman Catholics don't see it that way rather Roman Catholicism says that God's Saving Grace comes to the soul essentially through the physical acts of Sacrament administered appropriately by a human priest or his authorized substitute, the two clearest examples of how this works are baptismal regeneration that is Born Again by means of the act of baptism and transubstantiation in the Eucharist that is the Bread and Wine actually become get transubstantiated into physically physical body and blood of Christ. [00:03:08]

Protestant evangelicals would protest that's where we get the name we protest no we say no baptism does not free from sin it does not cause one to be reborn it does not unite to Christ in a saving way, all of that happens through faith alone in the first instant of saving Faith, after which all acts of obedience confirm faith and confirm New Birth and confirm forgiveness of sins and confirm membership in Christ. [00:05:13]

Galatians 2 16 he says and I'll read it we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ so we also have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law because by works of the law no one will be justified. [00:06:04]

The issue was if the First Act of true saving faith is the point at which justification happens, then you simply can't add anything to Faith to make it happen you can't add circumcision and by implication you can't add baptism the decisive Act of justification and adoption and New Birth are performed by God through that First Act of saving Faith therefore no other acts can make those Divine acts happen they've already happened at that First Act of saving faith. [00:07:12]

So here baptism is described as an act signifying the new birth of burying the old self rising from the water with the new self, what keeps us from misunderstanding that act as a physical cause of New Birth is the phrase through faith you were raised with Christ through faith in other words Paul is jealous not to picture the physical act of baptism as the decisive cause of this new birth. [00:08:56]

Peter clarifies and qualifies the lest we think it's the actual physical enactment of passing through the water that saves he says salvation happens not a big not as a removal of dirt from the body but and then he gives baptism a particular slant as an appeal to God for a good conscience this appeal is an act of the heart, looking away from itself and from all human instruments and and calling on God appealing to God for Grace to save. [00:10:38]

This appeal is the heart's Cry of faith that Peter says is the instrument that receives the saving grace of God, the physical act of baptism is the parable it's the drama it's the emblem but the reality of New Birth is not physical and it's not received by physical Acts, it's received by faith and faith alone. [00:11:17]

Then baptism follows as a beautiful obedient enactment of the effects of Faith yes a beautiful obedient enactment think of Ester John and speaking of First Peter 3 21 this text has popped up over the years and in two other interesting places in the podcast uh one was on believer baptism and the mentally disabled and that was epj305 and then uh should we baptize the Dead. [00:11:48]

Baptism which corresponds to this now saves you not as a removal so he qualifies he as soon as he says saves you he qualifies this way not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God baptism as an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ in other words, the Waters of baptism are like the Waters of Noah's flood. [00:09:58]

The Waters of baptism are like the Waters of Noah's flood, we are saved from that judgment how Peter clarifies and qualifies the lest we think it's the actual physical enactment of passing through the water that saves he says salvation happens not a big not as a removal of dirt from the body but and then he gives baptism a particular slant as an appeal to God for a good conscience. [00:10:32]

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