Get Up and Be Baptized
By
Shelby G. Floyd
It
has been stated that George Washington, the father of our country was baptized—immersed. The photo above hangs in Gano
Chapel of William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. It pictures George
Washington being immersed by the preacher John Gano
(1736-1804).
Three Aspects of Baptism
There
are only three aspects of baptism: (1) The subject of baptism; (2) The action
of baptism; and (3) The purpose of baptism. When Paul gave an account of his
own baptism, he related that the preacher Ananias commanded him,
“And now what are you waiting for?
Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” (Acts 22.16).
If Paul was saved before
his baptism, then he was saved while still in his sins. But Jesus said baptism
was to be saved from sin. (Mk. 16:15-16).
Belief plus Baptism Equals Salvation
Paul was not saved before his baptism.
Paul was a strict, zealous persecutor of the church and he thought he was doing
the right thing. But he was lost without Christ.
But when he did what Christ commanded him
to do by the preaching of the gospel, he was saved like everyone else then
and like all are today. Baptism is a likeness to the death, burial and
resurrection of Christ. This chart illustrates that in water baptism for the
remission of sins, the sinner dies to a life of sin, buries the dead sinner and
is resurrected a forgiven child of God to live a new life:
Romans 6:3-4
Or do you not
know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into
His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through
baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory
of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
NKJV
Copyright © 2007