A Study in Baptismal Regeneration: Part 1, Faith Alone

In the intro to this series, I explained that I would be going through a series at another blog which intends, in part, to refute the claim that Cornelius and his household were saved before being baptized in water (Acts 10). In this part 1 of my series we're going to look at part of the second entry in that series, focusing on whether or not salvation is through faith alone.

WATER VS. SPIRIT

In the second entry in this study (I have no disagreement with the first), entitled "Water vs. Spirit," the blogger begins:

Baptism passages such as Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Colossians 2:9-15, and 1 Peter 3:21 refer to water baptism and not Spirit baptism. Some will claim these passages refer to Spirit baptism, in an attempt to avoid the plain teaching of Scripture that water baptism is for salvation.

Those who deny the Biblical teaching on water baptism are usually motivated by the man-made doctrine of "faith alone." This doctrine is based upon interpreting Ephesians 2:8-9 out of context. As explained in a previous study, the context of Ephesians 2:8-9 is abundantly clear. Paul is teaching that salvation is apart from works of the Law of Moses, and apart from circumcision in particular. Paul is not teaching salvation is apart from any obedience on our part.

Now, the blogger's statement in the opening paragraph above is partly true. Indeed there are some who, like I have done at times, argue that those passages refer to baptism in the Holy Spirit (though there are other Christians who do not believe baptism is a prerequisite for salvation who do not understand the passages in this way; that may come into play later in my series). However, it is quite simply a mischaracterization to say they are doing so "in an attempt to avoid the plain teaching of Scripture that water baptism is for salvation." Like the blogger does, and like all Christians are called to do, such Christians are attempting to interpret Scripture in light of Scripture. The "plain" reading of any particular verse is not what matters. What matters is the interpretation of any particular verse which comports with what the rest of Scripture teaches.

It is additionally a mischaracterization to imply that the doctrine of sola fide ("faith alone") is based solely, or even primarily, upon Ephesians 2:8-9. While that is not explicitly stated here, many readers will, I think, infer it, and an article written honestly would take care to point out that the doctrine, whether true or false, is based on more passages than this.

GOOD NEWS?!?!

What's more important, however, is the defense of the heresy that our works contribute to our salvation expressed in the second paragraph. We'll look at the passage, and a related one, in a moment, but I want to first express how much it breaks my heart that professing Christians actually believe that salvation is the result of works of obedience. Many who hold to this view of baptism also believe (I'm not sure if this is the case with this particular blogger) that their salvation is contingent upon their continued, consistent obedience. In other words, in order to be saved, they must remain obedient. How sad, what a heavy burden, and what a far cry from the light burden Jesus offers.

I simply can't fathom how anybody could think this is good news: "You are a sinner, guilty of violating a Law of commandments, but you can be forgiven and saved from judgement by following another Law of commandments faithfully." Fortunately, I don't have to fathom it. The Bible expressly teaches otherwise. We'll see why in a moment, but first, is this really forgiveness? Of course not. Matt Slick over at http://www.carm.org/ has given a useful analogy while I'll paraphrase here.

Imagine you are at your friend's house and you either accidentally or intentionally knock over their lamp, breaking it, a lamp originally costing your friend ten dollars. You plead with your friend asking him to forgive you, expressing how sorry you are that you broke the lamp. Now, imagine your friend says to you, "That's ok, friend. I forgive you. I'll declare your ten dollar debt paid in full, so long as you wash my car." Is that forgiveness? Really? No, it's compensation, it's paying a debt.

I plan to publish an episode of my podcast in the near future in which I'll tackle the issue of justification by faith alone in more depth. In the meantime, let's look more closely at this and a related passage.

THAT NO ONE MAY BOAST

Ephesians 2:8-9 reads as follows:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (NASB)

The blogger focuses on the phrase, "not as a result of works," writing, "Paul is teaching that salvation is apart from works of the Law of Moses, and apart from circumcision in particular. Paul is not teaching salvation is apart from any obedience on our part." However, Paul gives a reason why salvation is not the result of works: "that no one may boast." Before we take a closer look at that, just contemplate that for a moment.

If salvation is apart from the Mosaic Law in order that we cannot boast, how does a salvation resulting from other works of obedience avoid that problem? If one could boast that one has kept the commandments of the Mosaic Law, one could similarly boast in one's obedience to whatever other commands from which salvation does result. So even if in context Paul has in mind only works of the Mosaic Law, his words preclude us from thinking that salvation is the result of any acts of obedience.

That having been said, an examination of how the word "boast" is used elsewhere in the New Testament would seem to support the contention that the kind of boasting Paul refers to in Ephesians is boasting specifically in one's inclusion in, and obedience to, the Mosaic Covenent. The blogger might argue from silence, then, saying that salvation resulting from works of obedience to other commands would not allow for boasting. However, when doing this word study one stumbles upon a very, very important passage.

HE HAS SOMETHING TO BOAST ABOUT

The word rendered "boast" in Ephesians 2:9 is καυχάομαι (kauchaomai), and is a verb. The corresponding noun is the word καύχημα (kauchema), meaning either a thing about which one can boast, or an act of boasting (much like the word "jog" can either mean "to jog" or "a jog"). It's used in Romans 4:2 which reads, "if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast [καύχημα] about, but not before God." A close look at this passage reveals the likelihood that the word "boast" is still being used in connection to the Mosaic Law. After all, Paul rhetorically asks in verse 9, "Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also?" There are, however, a few more critical points to draw from this passage.

To begin with, in verse 4 Paul writes, "Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due." This is one fundamental problem with the blogger's contention that salvation results from works of obedience to other commands. Paul's point is that obedience to a particular set of commands, in this case those comprising the Mosaic Law, earns something. Remember Matt Slick's illustration above about knocking a friend's lamp over? If your friend offers to forgive you on the condition that you wash his car, you are earning his forgiveness. His forgiveness would not be a favor, but what is due.

You see, it is absolutely true that in context, the works apart from which Paul says we are saved are the works of the Mosaic Covenant. However, Paul's argument transcends the Law, and applies to all works of obedience. This is why he goes on in verse 5 to say, "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness." Paul is contrasting one who is righteous by virtue of his deeds with one who is considered or declared righteous by virtue of his faith.

CREDITED AS RIGHTEOUSNESS

Let's take a closer look at what Paul says of Abraham in Romans chapter 4. In verse 3, Paul quotes Genesis 15:6. That chapter begins with Abraham (at this point still called Abram) receiving a vision from God in which Abraham is promised great reward. In verse 4 the Lord promises Abraham an heir, and in verse 5 He promises that Abraham's descendants will be as numerous as the stars in heaven. In verse 6 we read, "Then [Abraham] believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness."

Abraham's simple belief that God would do what He said He would do is what Paul says justified him, and in Romans 4:5 he says that this demonstrates that "to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness." He goes in verse 6 to quote Psalm 32:1-2, saying that there David likewise speaks of God crediting righteousness apart from works: "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity."

You see, this is what it means to be saved. It means to be 1) forgiven of our sins, 2) counted as being righteous, 3) on account of our faith, 4) apart from works. Look what Paul goes on to say in verse 10: "How then was [righteousness] credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised." The point is, we are counted as being righteous before we're obedient!

FOR OUR SAKE ALSO

Now, at this point the proponent of baptismal regeneration might still attempt to argue that this righteousness apart from works applies specifically to works of obedience to the Mosaic commands. After all, Paul goes on to say that this was so that this blessing would be not only to circumcised Jews but to uncircumcised Gentiles as well. However, once again, Paul's argument transcends the Law. He says in verse 11, "he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised." In other words, he was counted as being righteous, on the basis of his faith alone, before any acts of obedience, which followed after the saving faith.

Paul expands on this beginning in verse 19 writing,

Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

That's the third time Paul has quoted Genesis 15:6 in this passage! His point cannot be clearer: Abraham was forgiven of his sinfulness and counted as being righteous on the basis of his faith before any works of obedience. And look how the chapter ends:

Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

You see, just as Abraham was justified by God--that is, forgiven of his sins and counted as being righteous--on the basis of his faith before any works of obedience, so, too, will we be. We, like Abraham, are justified by God--that is, forgiven of our sins and counted as being righteous--on the basis of our faith before any works of obedience. That is how we are saved.

COMING UP IN PART 2...

In part 2 of this series we'll look at James 2, the passage arguably most frequently pointed to in objecting to what is clearly taught by Paul in Romans 4. Then we'll take a look at the next paragraph in part 2 of the other blogger's series, in which it is argued that faith itself is a work, and therefore that we are not saved apart from any works. That's right, folks: by the end of part 2 of my series, we'll have made it through a total of 3 paragraphs in the other series! Stay tuned...