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Yes, baptism is a work, but not ours. It is God's work in us to convert us. IT is the entrance rite into membership in the Kingdom of God, just as circumcision was the entrance rite in the Old Testament. Consider these texts.
Titus 3:3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 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, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Washing, regeneration, renewal by the Holy Spirit. That is all clearly baptism language, for in fact God promises the giving of the Holy Spirit in Baptism, which is absolutely necessary, because the Bible teaches clearly that Christians can only believe by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1 Corinthians 12:2.... and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
Remember that God gives the Holy Spirit in and through Baptism.
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This helps us understand why Jesus said, You must be born again, not an earthly physical birth but a spiritual birth, that gives birth to faith.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born [a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
And a final text to show that Jesus clearly taught that conversion and faith are not a work of men is this clear statement.
John1: 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the [e]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
We can never do enough. We are all sinners. However, this does not mean we shouldn’t do our level best to obey the commands of Jesus. Baptism corresponds to the deliverance of Noah and his family from the flood waters. It is an appeal for a good conscience. Our deliverance is made possible by the resurrection of Jesus, by His righteousness and deeds. It is not our work that saves. It is God’s work.
So if it's God that saves, why is us DOING something required for him to do it?
I have heard many say that baptism is a “work.” How is something Jesus commanded a work? How can it be considered “works based salvation?” Can someone give Scriptural support for this teaching? Thanks in advance.
when Paul says 'work' he means The Law. Consciousness that requires direction of the Law- requires working attention working effort against human selfish natures, work is not required if Law is already a part of consciousness, it is not work it is NATURAL state of being, that is the God's purpose.
Jesus repeatedly indicates it's through belief in Him, as a mental and spiritual inward act. There's nothing outward involved or required.
The mental and spiritual inward act is being in the states of mind associated with the Holy Spirit of agape love as revealed by Jesus and accepting its guidance. When we act out of the states of mind associated with the Holy Spirit, we cannot do anything wrong.
Yes, baptism is a work, but not ours. It is God's work in us to convert us. IT is the entrance rite into membership in the Kingdom of God, just as circumcision was the entrance rite in the Old Testament. Consider these texts.
Titus 3:3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 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, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Washing, regeneration, renewal by the Holy Spirit. That is all clearly baptism language, for in fact God promises the giving of the Holy Spirit in Baptism, which is absolutely necessary, because the Bible teaches clearly that Christians can only believe by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1 Corinthians 12:2.... and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
Remember that God gives the Holy Spirit in and through Baptism.
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This helps us understand why Jesus said, You must be born again, not an earthly physical birth but a spiritual birth, that gives birth to faith.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born [a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
And a final text to show that Jesus clearly taught that conversion and faith are not a work of men is this clear statement.
John1: 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the [e]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
for those who have ears, let them hear.
Excellent post. Thank you for sharing. I pray those who have ears will hear! If a person has an open heart and desires to seek the truth, God will provide!
So if it's God that saves, why is us DOING something required for him to do it?
Does God save everyone? No, of course not! We are saved by Grace through faith. Grace is God’s part. Faith is ours. Yes, faith is a gift from God, and He provides the means for faith through His word to anyone who chooses. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17).
Does God save everyone? No, of course not! We are saved by Grace through faith. Grace is God’s part. Faith is ours. Yes, faith is a gift from God, and He provides the means for faith through His word to anyone who chooses. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17).
You're confusing me. Do you believe in faith alone? Or faith + baptism?
when Paul says 'work' he means The Law. Consciousness that requires direction of the Law- requires working attention working effort against human selfish natures, work is not required if Law is already a part of consciousness, it is not work it is NATURAL state of being, that is the God's purpose.
Well said! I 100% agree with your point. When Paul says “work” he is referring to works of the law. Many people don’t get that. Thanks for posting!
Thank you for your response. No offense meant here BF, but I think you may be misunderstanding what “work” Paul refers to in his writings. He speaks of works of the law. If we were to believe that our responses to faith are not necessary for salvation, then we would need to not only toss baptism out but repentance and confessing Jesus is the Son of God as well, since these are also things we do. We would need to throw love out too since that sometimes takes effort on our part.
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