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Faith and Baptism in Paul's Preaching
How does a person become a Christian? What does it take to make a persona Christian (a saved individual)? Over the years there has been an enormousamount of debate over this very question. It is a question that can only beresolved by seeing what the Holy Spirit inspired apostles preached, taught,and practiced as they went out into the world preaching the gospel. In thisarticle I want to take a look at the apostle Paul and what he taught andpracticed in making Christians in the city of Philippi as recorded in Acts 16:12-34. We have in that chapter two conversions made by Paul – that of Lydia(Acts 16:12-15) and that of the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:30-34). We beginwith that of Lydia. The story of Lydia's conversion is so short we can quote all scripture has tosay about it here."And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened herheart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. And when she and herhousehold had been baptized, she urged us, saying, 'If you have judged me tobe faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.' And she prevailed uponus." (Acts 16:14-15 NAS)We are not told exactly what Paul said in his sermon but we know hepreached at least the following: (1) Man as a sinner in need of salvation (2) Jesus as Lord and Savior (3) Faith in Jesus (4) Repentance (5) Baptism.We can glean a lot about Paul's preaching from Lydia's statement to Paul andSilas, "if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my houseand stay," (Acts 16"15 NAS) and then making logical deductions from theirresponse to her invitation which was to accept it. The things then that Lydiadid were the things that made her faithful in Paul and Silas' eyes.Certainly, they would not have judged her "faithful to the Lord" without faithin the Lord which required an expression of the same (confession of Jesus –Rom. 10:9) in order for them to know of her faith. Baptism was both anexpression of a penitent heart (indicating repentance) and a response toPaul's preaching (to a command given in that preaching). If he didn't preachbaptism how did she know about it? If he preached it then it is a part of gospel obedience or else he preached something other than just the gospel. The text says, "the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken byPaul" (Acts 16:14 NAS) and thus her baptism was a response to the thingsspoken by Paul.Lydia's actions indicated to Paul and Silas that she had been "faithful to theLord." I have a question to ask. What if Lydia had refused baptism? Manysay it is not essential to salvation and is not a part of gospel obedience.Would she then have been considered to have been "faithful to the Lord" hadshe done that? Paul preached it, she refuses it, in which case it could not besaid that "the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul."
 
Is she saved in such a state? Those who exclude baptism as a part of thegospel ought to think on this.A little later in the same city Paul and Silas find themselves in prison when anearthquake occurs freeing them and all the other prisoners if they so chooseto flee. (Acts 16:26) The Philippian jailer, trembling with fear, comes in andfalls down before Paul and Silas (Acts 16:29), brings them out, and asks of them the question, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30 NAS) Theentire conversion account follows:"And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you andyour household.' And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with allwho were in his house. And he took them that very hour of the night andwashed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all hishousehold. And he brought them into his house and set food before them,and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household." (Acts16:31-34 NAS)Did Paul preach faith in Jesus? We know he did. Did he preach baptism as apart of faith in Jesus? We know he did. Again, if Paul did not preach baptismwhere did the Philippian jailer get the idea to be baptized and why do it at"that very hour of the night?" It was around midnight when the earthquakehit (Acts 16:25), it has to be getting late, the jailer has duties to attend to withthe other prisoners and a jail that needs cleaning up, and this cannot be themost convenient time to be baptized if baptism does not matter and is notpart of the gospel.It is said of the Philippian jailer that he believed in God (Acts 16:34) after, notbefore, he was baptized. Baptism is obedience to the command of God but itis more. It is also a test of faith. Do you believe in Jesus who said, "He whohas believed and has been baptized shall be saved?" (Mark 16:16 NAS) Tobelieve in Jesus is to take him at his word.Paul received, "grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faithamong all the Gentiles, for his name's sake." (Rom. 1:5 NAS) The gospel isnot just facts to believe but also acts to obey (repentance, confession of Jesus,and baptism). The gospel must be "obeyed" if one is to avoid the vengeanceof Jesus at his second coming (read 2 Thess. 1:8 NKJV). Both Lydia and thePhilippian jailer exercised the obedience of faith in being baptized. Those who believe faith excludes baptism, who believe baptism is no part of faith, who believe Paul taught a justification by faith that excluded baptism inRomans ought to look closely at Paul's actual practice. Jesus taught, "He whohas believed and has been baptized shall be saved." (Mark 16:16 NAS) Doyou think Paul might have taught that as well? Do you think believe in Jesusand you shall be saved as Paul and Silas told the jailer might include believingwhat Jesus says? Those so concerned with Paul's teaching in Romans erroneouslymisconstruing it to exclude baptism as essential to salvation ought to look
 
closely at Acts 16 and look over Paul's gospel preaching in Philippi. When thatis done it would be good to go back and reread Rom. 6:1-8 and considercarefully what Paul says there about baptism. It would be good to rememberalso that Paul took 12 men in Ephesus and had them baptized (Acts 19:1-7).Why?Of Paul's preaching at Corinth it said, "many of the Corinthians when theyheard were believing and being baptized." (Acts 18:8 NAS) Paul did not domuch of the actual baptizing at Corinth personally but his preaching led hisassociates and others to do it. His job was to preach but as has clearly beenseen at Philippi the preaching he did included baptism as a part of the gospel.Paul's gospel included faith and baptism as a part of gospel obedience. Donot be lead astray by those who teach otherwise for it is the obedience of faiththat saves. Faith without obedience is dead.
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