What Baptism Cannot Do

Ron Cosby
Within Holy Writ, God has said many things about water baptism. The Bible teaches that the penitent sinner who believes in Jesus is baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). Sinners are baptized into His death (Rom. 6:4). Peter said, "baptism doth also now save us" (1 Pet. 3:21). We must not entertain the idea that water baptism is a magic formula for all of life's ills. Though God has declared spiritual enrichment through obedience, there are still some things baptism will not do.

Baptism cannot change the heart. The good news of salvation in Christ which reveals God's goodness changes the heart, "...not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" (Rom. 2:4). God has commanded all men to repent; that is, change their hearts (Acts 17:30).

Baptism cannot change your life. True, at the point of baptism, one's spiritual life is changed; however, his physical life will be the same. The one baptized will still have the same debts, the same job, the same paycheck, the same family, and the same physical health. Because of a new lifestyle, one's social and political life may change.

Baptism cannot remove temptations. The Lord Himself did not escape the solicitation to sin, though He was without sin (Heb. 4:15). Each one is tempted when "drawn away by his own lust, and enticed" (Jas. 1:13-14 ASV). We do have God's promise that the makeup of all temptations will be human in nature; none will be supernatural (1 Cor. 10:13).

Baptism cannot give life to the living; that is, the saved. Sinners, not the saved, are baptized to reach salvation. Sinners are baptized unto forgiveness or remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Sinners are baptized once, and the saved are never baptized. In each example of conversion recorded for us in the Bible, three basic truths are repeated:
  1. They heard the gospel.

  2. They believed.

  3. They obeyed the message, being baptized into Christ.
Your physical life may improve as a Christian. If it does, it will not be because you became a Christian but because you are following the principles set forth by the Creator.

Since the Bible teaches that baptism places one in Christ where salvation is (2 Tim. 2:10), and it places one into Christ's death where his saving blood was shed (John 19:33, 34), and it sets free from sin (Rom. 6:17, 18), "why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16).



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