Contradiction or Confirmation (10)

"Baptism in the Epistles of Paul"

1 Corinthians 1:12-17 ”Now this I say, that every one of you saith I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”

The Corinthians Church was having divisions & factions because various people in the church were associating themselves with certain men. It seems that they were breaking themselves in to groups according to the man responsible for bringing the gospel to them. Some were ‘of Paul’; some were ‘of Appolos’ and so forth. 

Paul, in his efforts to correct the problem, asks three (3) rhetorical questions. A Rhetorical question is one that answers itself or a question where the listener knows the answer. This is evident, as Paul does not attempt to answer any of these questions he asks. The Corinthians knew the answers. Is Christ divided? The answer is quite apparent...No. There is only one Lord, not two or more. He is one. All believers are partakes of Him, and all believers are of Him. Was Paul crucified for you? The answer is again...No. It was Jesus Christ of Nazareth that went to Calvary, and there laid down His life so that we might live eternally. Paul is simply the messenger of the message of Jesus Christ. We aren’t to associate with men, but with the one who died for us. It is in Him we live, move and have our being. Were ye baptized in the name of Paul? Once again the answer is a sound no! When examining the previous questions, we see that Paul was always drawing them to Jesus Christ, and how their faith was to revolve around Him. This purpose of this third question is the same, to draw us back to Jesus Christ. The Corinthians were not baptized in the name of Paul, or of Apollos, or of Peter. They were buried with Jesus Christ; they were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. 

To be baptized “in/into (eis - Greek) the name” means to be baptized into the faith or confession of that person and to be identified with his character and purpose. The goal of every Christian is to emanate the life of Jesus Christ. Through baptism, we are identified with Jesus Christ and seek to have Christ formed in us. It is a fitting conclusion to Paul’s attempt to rid the Corinthians church of division to draw their attention back to the one who died for them, and the one they are to be identified with. Instead of trying to be of Paul, or Peter, he wanted them all to recognize that they were all of Jesus Christ. This conclusion is finalized through the fact that they were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, not any other name. Through salvation we are all identified with one, that is, Jesus Christ; baptism is a cornerstone for that identification.

Some have interpreted Paul’s statements in these verses to attempt to remove baptism from the plan of salvation. They say that because Paul did not baptize, it couldn’t have been important for him. If this were the case, Paul would have been in violation of the Commission given to him by Jesus Christ to teach, baptize and make disciples in all nations. Paul knew that the Lord had plainly stated that believers who are baptized should be saved. This assumption by some is refuted by the following facts:

{1} Paul’s question, “Were ye baptized in the name of Paul”? carries with it the understanding that the Corinthians church had been baptized, but in the name of Jesus Christ.

{2} The previous verses in this section have displayed clearly Paul’s teaching concerning the vitality of baptism in man’s salvation.

{3} Paul was not making a doctrinal statement concerning the necessity of baptism; he was, rather, declaring that he was the apostle called to the Gentiles and that God had provided men to travel with him to baptize believers. Paul was a man of small stature who had been through much punishment because of his preaching of the gospel. He was likely not strong physically, but rather he was strong spiritually. Most saints in the church would also declare that they have never baptized anyone, but that does not mean they don’t believe in baptism. There are other men in the body of Christ who baptize people.

{4} Paul had baptized certain people at Corinth, so he must have known of its’ importance.

Paul’s place was that of a preacher. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”, Romans10: 17. It is by the man of God declaring the word of God that men have something tangible to base their faith on. Upon nurturing that faith to understand the portion of the word of God declared to them, they then could proceed with the action associated with that faith, for faith without works is dead. Paul preached to them the gospel, and then the hearers had faith to believe the gospel. As a result of that belief they could act, and as a result were baptized. The same principle applies to all matters pertaining to the word of God. You can’t have faith for something that you have never heard, and you can’t act if there is no faith. Ultimately, all spiritual matters come down to the declaration of a clear and precise word from God. Refer to Roman 10:13-17 for scriptural reflection of this subject.

Colossians 1:13,14 ”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”.

Although this verse does not directly refer to baptism, it portrays some biblical concepts already associated in scripture to baptism. It deals with the leaving of the old life and the entrance into the kingdom of God. Paul in his letter to Colossae (2:11-14) associates these actions of grace to baptism. In verse 14 we are also drawn to the conclusion that redemption and the remission/forgiveness of sins are associated with the blood of Jesus Christ. Acts 2:38 associates the remission of sins with baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. A more detailed analysis of New Testament scripture would conclude that the name of Jesus Christ actually invokes the power found in the blood of Jesus Christ; the two are inseparable, as illustrated in the above verse.

1 Corinthians 6:11 “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God”.

The cleansing referred to in these verses is from the defiling sins of the flesh found in verse 9 and 10 of the same chapter. However, those sins are no longer associated with the believers at Corinth, or for any believer. This is because believers are washed, sanctified and justified. Ananias was one who showed us the cleansing effect of baptism when he told Paul to wash away his sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Paul applies the same principle to this statement. The implication is not direct, but it is nonetheless present. The washing is in the name of the Lord Jesus (as was seen in Paul’s baptism). The washing here is the washing away of these sins of the flesh, or it is the remission (removing) of these sins. Scripture was already testified that this is done through baptism in the name of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:13 “For by one spirit we are all baptized into one body”.

There is only one Lord, one Faith, and one Baptism. That baptism has two parts; that of the water and that of the Spirit (refer to John 3:5). Baptism of Spirit without water does not constitute new birth; neither does baptism in water without Spirit. Our examples of salvation in the book of Acts show that either immediately before or after men were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ they received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gave them the utterance. The two are inseparable, although distinct works of God. It is man who has separated these two acts; God wants them to be one; one baptism. 

Our baptism is a burial. When baptized, you are not kept under the water until you receive the Holy Ghost, you are brought out of the watery grave so that you can walk in the newness of life. That newness of life is the resurrection power of God, the Holy Ghost. Anything less than this is less than God’s standard. If a man receives the Holy Ghost and is not yet baptized, it is a sign to him that he must now be baptized in the name of Jesus, without tarrying.

By water baptism we are buried with Christ and put into Christ; by Spirit baptism we are placed within the spiritual Body of Christ, the church. Both are works of grace that require faith. Both are essential in joining us, as believers, to Jesus Christ and fellow believers. (See also Galatians 3:27-29).

1 Corinthians 10:2-4 “And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea... and that Rock was Christ”.

The Israelites were not baptized into Moses, as we are into Christ. Nor did Moses die for their sins, as Christ did for us. Rather, Moses was a representative or type of Christ; he was an instrument for carrying out the plan of God. To be united with Moses, to follow Moses, to be associated with Moses and to be identified with Moses was the condition for successful participation in the plan of redemption from Egypt. Lack of this identification met a lack of identification with God’s plan. They associated themselves with Moses when he went through the Red Sea, and followed the cloud. Likewise we associate ourselves with Jesus Christ by passing through the waters of baptism with Him (to associate ourselves with His plan and purpose, the gospel). We also pass through the Spirit into His body to associate ourselves to Jesus Christ in the power of His resurrection. (Romans 6:4-6; Romans 8:11)

Note the similarities to the purpose of the Red Sea and the purpose of our baptism. The ones who were associated with Moses actually passed through the Sea; thus the Sea became a means of deliverance and salvation to them. For the Egyptians, the Sea was not a means of deliverance but a means of destruction. Our baptism is both a means of salvation and of destruction. As a believer, it saves us, but the sin that follows us into that water meets with destruction in the same water. This is also illustrated in the discussion of 1 Peter 20,21.

Hebrews 6:1-2 “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgement”.

We briefly mention this scripture because it gives us two main points to consider in our discussion of baptism. The first is that the doctrine of baptisms (water and Spirit) is considered to be foundational in our relationship and walk with God. Without a proper foundation, the entire house will surely fall. Those that choose to ignore baptism and state that it is not important are putting themselves in the place of passing by one of the foundations, one of the principles of the doctrine of Christ. Without a proper understanding of baptism, how can one expect to understand even deeper and more important teachings of the scripture? Milk comes before meat, as shown in Hebrews 5.

The second important fact revealed in this scripture is that baptism is associated only with Christ, not with ‘the Father’ or the ‘Holy Ghost’. (the doctrine of Christ!)The New Testament associates salvation with the work of Jesus Christ; His death, burial, and resurrection. The fullness of the godhead is found in Jesus Christ, so when we associate ourselves with Jesus, through baptism or any other means, we are associating ourselves with the fullness of God.

Ephesians 4:5 “One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism”.

There are no plurals when it comes to the Lord, the faith and the baptism. There is only one Lord, and His name is Jesus Christ. There is only one faith, and that is in Jesus Christ. There is only one baptism and that is in the name of Jesus Christ. By inspiration, Paul linked these three terms in progression as they are linked throughout the entire New Testament. When shown the One Lord, we have a seed that can bring the One Faith. With that faith, we can believe and be baptized according to the One Baptism. Faith and baptism are inseparable, faith and Christ are inseparable, and Christ and baptism are inseparable. (Refer also to 1 Corinthians 12:13). 

Sad to say there are those who agree that the early church baptized using the words, ‘in the name of Jesus Christ’, yet they also accept baptism using the words, ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost’. This is a very dangerous position and attitude to take, for it is in direct contradiction to this scripture. The scripture says that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Taking such a position when it comes to the Word of God will open oneself up to the spirit of deception. This is because there is not a firm acceptance of the oneness of the Word of God. This also springs forth from a lack of love for the Word of God, which opens oneself up to deception from God, Himself.