Poor Interpreters

Most Evangelical pastors today use Paul’s statement ‘Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel’ to prove that baptism is not necessary for salvation. Guess what? That’s not what it means.

But let’s read Paul's statement in context and you decide on your own. Make up your own mind whether a) Paul teaches that baptism is not necessary for salvation, or whether b) he was saying something else.

For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ.’ Has Christ been divided?

Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, that no man should say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel… (1 Corinthians 1:11-17; NASB)

As we mentioned, the typical interpretation of this passage among Evangelicals goes something like this: “Paul’s mission was not to baptize people, but to preach the Gospel—proving that baptism is not necessary for salvation.” Evangelicals search far and wide to find Scriptures that contradict the foundation of the doctrine of baptisms (Hebrews 6:2), and they think they’ve found one here in 1 Corinthians 1, but they haven’t!

Their exegesis is wrong. This interpretation is false. To say that this passage teaches that baptism does not save is a lie, and we can rip their interpretation apart from many different angles.

Let’s start with this general principle: We need to be careful when exegeting Paul’s writings. Peter thought so. He said that we must be careful when interpreting Paul’s letters.

Careless

The false teachers who go out of their way to find passages to prove that baptism doesn’t save need to consider what Peter said about Paul’s writings. We’re told by the Apostle Peter, the Rock upon whom Jesus built his Church, how carefully we need to treat the writings of Paul:

… our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He [Paul] writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters.

His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:15-16).

So, according to Peter, ignorant and unstable people distort Paul’s writings. Among them are those who will take ‘Christ did not send me to baptize’ and interpret it to mean that baptism does not save.

Paul’s epistles have many topics which are hard to understand. Paul was a deep thinker, and superficial thinkers abound in churches today. They can’t handle Paul’s letters.

Paul’s Belief in Baptism

How is it possible for pastors to misconstrue Paul’s statement ‘Christ did not send me to baptize’ (1 Corinthians 1:7) to mean that Paul did not believe in the importance of baptism? What do these pastors do with the rest of Paul’s writings? Will they ignore them?

Paul put huge importance on baptism in his writings. For example, he affirmed that we are ‘buried with Christ in baptism’ (Colossians 2:12); that in baptism we have ‘clothed ourselves with Christ’ (Galatians 3:27); and that we were ‘baptized into the Lord’s death’ (Romans 6:3).

Paul was a major proponent of baptism! Paul gave baptism high importance in his letters, reflecting how he must have spoken and preached. Although we don’t have a recording of Paul’s sermons, we can safely assume that when he ministered verbally, he gave baptism the same importance he gave it in his epistles.

Action Plan

You can see Paul’s belief in baptism in the way he acted too. Look at how he evangelized.? Examples abound in the Book of Acts. He wrote, spoke, and acted consistently. And if you want to get a bird’s eye view of how Paul evangelized, read Acts. You can start with his ministry in Ephesus, since he evangelized twelve men there.

Paul… came to Ephesus, and found some disciples… he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ And they said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ Paul said, ‘John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in him who was coming after him—that is, in Jesus.’

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying (Acts 19:1, 3-6; NASB).

Paul met some believers, queried them on the status of their baptisms, found that they were lacking because they had not yet been baptized in the name of Jesus, and convinced the men of their need to get baptized rightly. Paul would not let those men live in the delusion that the baptism of John the Baptist was enough. Paul insisted that they do the needful.

Two Conversions in Philippi

But that’s just our first example. Now, let’s look at how Paul evangelized a couple of people from the city of Philippi. First, he evangelized the Philippian jailer.

And they [Paul and Silas] spoke the Word of God to him [the Philippian jailer] together with all who were in his house. And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household (Acts 16:32-33; NASB).

Do you see how the immediate follow-up to belief in the Gospel must be baptism? Immediately after the people of the jailer’s house heard the Gospel, even though it was late at night, they did not wait. They did not schedule a 5-week course for new believers.

They got baptized. Why? Because it’s the only God-ordained way to sincerely respond to the Gospel. The prayer of faith is not an option. Participating in worship is not an option. Joining the worship team, choir, or becoming an usher is not an option. Only baptism is the appropriate response to the Gospel.

Now let’s observe how Paul evangelized Lydia—a woman also from the city of Philippi. Her experience was simple: she heard the Gospel, believed, got baptized, and only after her baptism did Lydia enter into fellowship.

You get the picture. The correct response to the Gospel, the one that’s inspired by the Holy Spirit, is baptism. Lydia models that for us. Lydia responded to the message by submitting to baptism.

The Lord opened her [Lydia’s] heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home (Acts 16:14-15; NASB).

Initiation Into the New Covenant

Paul taught that baptism was the initiatory rite for the New Covenant. He believed that it was the equivalent of being circumcised—so he called it ‘the circumcision of Christ’ (Colossians 2:11). He taught that there was a decree of judgment against each one of us, he calls it a ‘certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us’ (Colossians 2:14; NASB). That decree was based upon the sins we had committed in our previous life.

But only when we were ‘buried with Jesus in baptism’ (Colossians 2:12) was that decree nailed to the Cross! That’s why it says that in baptism God ‘canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us’ and he ‘nailed it to the Cross’ (Colossians 2:14).

Paul said in no unclear terms that God saved us through baptism. He even had a special term for baptism: the washing of regeneration.

He saved us… by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).

It should be no surprise to us that Paul calls baptism a washing, because his own baptism experience included four orders from Ananias, two of which can be coupled together: ‘be baptized and wash away your sins.’

Get up, be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name (Acts 22:16; LEB).

From the very start of his Christian walk, Paul learned that baptism was the washing away of sins. He learned that lesson well, and he repeated it. He reinforced it.

Sound Interpretation

Now, to demonstrate how mistaken people are in their interpretation of the passage at hand, we’ll show you that Paul actually equates baptism with Christ’s death! When he says ‘Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?’ (1 Corinthians 1:13) he is saying that being baptized in someone’s name is claiming their death for you.

So, being baptized in Jesus’ name is claiming Jesus’ death for you. That’s the Holy Spirit-inspired interpretation of baptism. It’s at the heart of the passage. The Apostle Paul is affirming the significance of baptism, not contradicting it.

Paul leads believers to think: “If Paul was not crucified for me, and I wasn’t baptized in the name of Paul, then my devotion is not to Paul. But since Jesus was crucified for me, and I was baptized in the name of Jesus, then my salvation comes through Jesus. Therefore I’m devoted to him.”

Claiming Christ’s Death

Again, being baptized in Jesus’ name is claiming Jesus’ death for you. That’s the presupposition of this passage. It’s the basis of Paul’s argument. And it was Paul’s custom to equate baptism with Christ’s death in the rest of his writings. Here are two examples:

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism (Romans 6:3-4; NASB).

… all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Galatians 3:27; NASB).

Notice the similarity of all three passages. In each one, Paul demonstrates that Jesus’ crucifixion counts for someone once they’re baptized. That’s what Paul means when he says ‘Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?’

The corollary of this statement is that if we’re baptized in the name of Jesus, Jesus was crucified for us! It’s the same correlation in the other two passages. For example: ‘… all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death. Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism.’

Paul’s Purpose

What is Paul’s objective with the Corinthians in his first epistle to them? In chapter 1 Paul attempts to stop their quarrels by turning their focus on Jesus as Savior. He humbly tries to turn their eyes away from himself and the other apostles to steer them towards Jesus. Paul’s focus is not the doctrine of baptism—but not because it’s unimportant. It’s because baptism is too basic.

Baptism is basic for someone with foundations. Paul presumes that the Corinthians already understand baptism. He only addresses baptism to produce unity and heal the Corinthians of their division.

But if unity is Paul’s goal, and we have One Lord—the Messiah Jesus Christ—then why would Paul condemn those who say ‘I of Christ’ right along with those who say “I belong to the ministry of Paul, Peter, or Apollos”? Aren’t all Christians supposed to declare their devotion to Jesus? Isn’t saying ‘I belong to Christ’ the solution to division and the right attitude?

Paul’s answer is no, it’s not. Saying ‘I of Christ’ is not the right attitude. Let’s see why.

They Belonged to a Ministry

There were at least 82 men sent out by Jesus, call them apostles. He sent them out to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom. There were 70 missionaries plus the 12 original Apostles. Did any of those 82 fall into the temptation of feeling proud about belonging to Jesus’ earthly ministry? Undoubtably so. There were certainly some who boasted about it.

Indeed, in Corinth Paul was running into such people. He also met with people who served in Peter and Apollo’s ministry. The folks from Peter’s ministry who said I of Cephas had the wrong attitude just as the men from Jesus’ earthly ministry who said I of Christ were wrong—it was all in the way they said it.

The ones who said I of Christ said it not in the sense that they were devoted primarily to Jesus, but as an expression of competition with those who identified with the ministries of Peter, Apollos, and Paul. They said it bragging that they knew Jesus when he was in the flesh—and that’s not the way to know Jesus!

… from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him thus no longer (2 Corinthians 5:16; NKJV).

Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29).

Jesus’ Strategic Choice

Our Lord, understanding that there is a strong temptation for people to affiliate themselves with anointed teachers like himself, did not baptize people during his earthly ministry.

Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John, although Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were (John 4:1-2; NASB).

By not baptizing people in water, Jesus demonstrated two things:

1. That he did not want people to trust exclusively in him, but in the One who sent him.

A certain ruler asked him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good—except God alone’ (Luke 18:18-19).

Jesus cried out and said, “The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the One who sent me, and the one who sees me sees the One who sent me…  For I have not spoken from myself, but the Father Himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak (John 12:44-45, 49; LEB).

2. That he was patiently waiting for a bigger ministry to begin—his ministry of baptizing people with the Holy Spirit.

This great ministry, the only one of its kind in history, would only begin after Christ’s ascension to Heaven, at Pentecost. Notice in the following verses how Jesus prepped his followers for this magnificent ministry: the coming of the Holy Spirit in power.

… wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me [Jesus] speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5).

… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses… to the ends of the Earth (Acts 1:8).

Jesus: A Success Story

Few Christians today are aware that Jesus watched over more water baptisms than John the Baptist. But yes, through his apostles, Jesus baptized more people than John the Baptist. And Jesus did this during the same years John was baptizing, and in the same river! These two men had competing ministries.

If you recall, John decreased and Jesus increased. Numbers of baptisms make a man’s ministry increase.

He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:29; NKJV).

John became famous for baptizing people, but Jesus became more famous. Jesus was more successful at baptizing people than John as much as a groom is more successful at marriage than a friend of the groom.

Why disregard the fact that Jesus was the most successful baptizer of his day? Churches disregard it. But why? The only explanation is that they wish to diminish the importance of baptism itself. In fact, that’s something modern pastors are quite good at—making baptism look peevish and small. But you—don’t be like them! Don’t look down on baptism.

You can’t ignore the fact that Jesus had a successful ministry of baptisms. He did, and that’s worth emulating. It’s worth imitating! May each of us also have a fruitful ministry of baptisms. Paul did.

Sent to Baptize?

Paul wasn’t sent specifically for the purpose of baptism. He was sent to preach the Gospel. Amen. Good for him. Jesus wasn’t sent just to baptize people in water either. For one thing, it’s not sufficient to only be baptized in water. We must be born of water and the Spirit.

Jesus was sent to be the Messiah. That’s a greater honor much greater than a ministry of baptism, but it didn’t stop Jesus from leading a ministry of baptisms.

We know that the One who was sent for the purpose of baptizing is the Holy Spirit. He gets that privileged role in history. We wouldn’t want to do anything to hinder, diminish, or steal glory from the Holy Spirit’s ministry, that life-giving ministry of baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Neither did Paul wish to detract from it. In fact, John also considered himself unworthy in comparison to the ministry of baptizing in the Spirit, a ministry Jesus would only gain after Jesus ascended to Heaven.

I [John the Baptist] baptized you with water, but he [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8; LEB).