BAPTISM, A WORK OF GOD
Clinton Hardin
I believe that many members of the Church of Christ on both edges of the liberal
and conservative spectrum have missed an important truth about baptism. The lack of
understanding of this truth by some, coupled with the lack of emphasis of this point by
others, has led to confusion and even needless division among brethren. What is this vital
truth about baptism? Baptism is a work of God!
Baptism Is A Work of God
The apostle Paul said “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in
one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all,
who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6 NKJV).
What is the ‘one baptism’? It is not John’s baptism, because scripture reveals that
John’s baptism is no longer a valid one. The disciples who had been baptized into John’s
baptism were baptized again in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:1-5).
Baptism is not an immersion in water without reason or purpose. The water is not divine,
nor does it have any special power. Baptism is not a work of merit by man. In the Bible,
baptism is never called a work of man for the purpose of earning salvation. Why? Because
Baptism is a work of God: “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision
made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of
Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith
in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Colossians 2:11-12).
The ‘one baptism’ is where we, the sinner (mankind), submit to the Great Physician, Jesus
Christ, to be operated on to have our sins removed. This is in answer to His call: “When
Jesus heard it, He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but
those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance’”
(Mark 2:17). Christ is the physician who is able to perform the circumcision, made
without hands, that cuts our sins away. Can man perform surgery on himself and remove
his own sins? Absolutely not! Only God can regenerate us. Regeneration is God’s work,
not man’s: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His
mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit”
(Titus 3:5).
Who washes us? The Bible declares that Christ washes us: “Husbands, love your
wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify
and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to
Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she
should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).
The conclusion is that the ‘one baptism’ in Ephesians 4:5 is not a work of man,
but is a work of God. This helps us realize that the ‘one baptism’ is under the umbrella of
God’s grace. Can a person be saved by baptism (I Peter 3:21) and still be saved by grace
(Ephesians 2:8-9)? Yes, by all means! Why? Baptism is not a work of man, but is a
work of God: “Buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him
through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12).
Therefore, baptism is a part of God’s grace. In baptism, as God washes away our
sins by the blood of Christ (Acts 22:16, Ephesians 1:7, Revelation 1:5), He makes us a
new creature (John 3:3-5, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:4,). This is God’s grace acting
on us at that very moment.
Baptism Is Under The Umbrella of Grace
The religious world of today, for the most part, has moved baptism out from
under the umbrella of grace and made it a work of man instead of a work of God.
Some statements made by the religious world in general are these:
1. “Salvation is grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, effected by the word of the Holy
Spirit in regenerating the depraved human heart.”
2. “Baptism is not essential to salvation but is essential to obedience.”
3. “Baptism cannot save a sinner. Instead, it pictures the change that has already taken
place in the soul of a person who has accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior.”
4. “Romans 6:3 does not refer to water baptism, for no one can be baptized into Christ-or
become one with Him-by a physical ceremony.”
Baptism Is A Matter of Faith
The previous quotes reveal that many people who believe in Christ have taken
Him out of the one baptism. They have made baptism a work of man, because they
are saying God is not active in removing one’s sins in baptism.
The question now becomes: “Does the Bible teach that the ‘one baptism’ is essential
for salvation?” Yes, the Bible teaches us that when we, the sinner, submit to God with a
commitment to Him, He changes our relationship with Him. We know that we are
sinners (Romans 3:23) and that sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). God is all
righteousness, and cannot abide in us until our sins are taken away. We cannot remove
our sins. The good news is God sent His Son to die on the cross, so that we might be
reconciled to Him (Romans 5:8-11).
When, by faith, do we, the sinner, access the grace of God (the free gift-Romans
5:15,18 and Romans 5:2)? Will it not be when God changes our relationship with
Himself?
The scriptures teach us that God changes our relationship with Him when he removes
our sins. He takes our sins away in baptism. We are buried and raised with Christ in
baptism as the “circumcision made without hands” is performed on us to remove our sins
by the working of God (Colossians 2:12-13). We are made alive with Christ because all
our sins have been forgiven by God.
1. When do we become sons of God? Galatians 3:26-27.
2. When were Paul’s sins washed away? Acts 22:16.
3. When do we have forgiveness of sins? Acts 2:38.
4. When does God take our sins away? Colossians 2:11-12.
5. When are we in Christ? Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 3:26-27.
6. When do we become a new creature? Romans 6:3-11, John 3:3-5,
2 Corinthians 5:17.
7. When are we placed by God in the church, the saved, the body of Christ?
Acts 2:41-47 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-13.
8. When does the saving power of the blood of Christ take effect? Romans 6:3,
Revelation 1:5, and Ephesians 1:7.
9. When are we baptized into His death? Romans 6:3.
When are we buried with Christ? Romans 6:4-5.
When are we dead with Christ? Romans 6:6-8.
When are we raised with Christ? Romans 6:4-5.
When are we alive in Christ? Romans 6:8-11.
When did we obey the form of doctrine making us free from all sin?
Romans 6:16-17.
Why did Peter make the statement that “baptism saves us” (1 Peter 3:21)? Would it
not be the same reason why Christ commanded baptism in Mark 16:16 and Matthew
28:20? The scripture teaches us that God has chosen baptism to be the time when He will
perform the operation that takes our sin away: “the circumcision made without hands”
(Colossians 2:11-13). A believing, repentant, alien sinner must trust God’s ‘operation’ to
remove sin in baptism or else there is no ‘access by faith into this grace’ (Romans 5:2).
The serious student, when studying the ‘one baptism,’ will conclude the following:
1. Baptism is under the umbrella of God’s grace. God is at work, not man (Colossians
2:11-12; Titus 3:5).
2. At baptism, the sinner, in commiting his life to God, submits to the sin-removing
power of God (Acts 2:38-41; Romans 6:16-18).
3. At baptism, God changes His relationship with the sinner (Galatians 3:26-27).
