There Is a Model

People in Evangelical churches often talk about how someone “got saved” or how they themselves “got saved.” In like manner, they push for people to “get saved”—meaning they want people to walk to the front of a church in response to an altar call.

But there is no altar call in the Bible. There are only calls to repentance, faith in God, and baptism. So, the idea that someone “gets saved” by passing to the front of a church is unbiblical. The idea of an “altar call” or of praying the “prayer of faith” is not from the Bible.

If this is true, and it is, then what is the model salvation experience? Does a genuine model exist? Oh yes, there is an example! There is a model--one that is repeated time and time again. There is a model in your Bible which indisputably demonstrates what it looks like for someone to truly "get saved."

Anyone can study that model if they will but open to the Book of Acts in their Bible. A solid Christian will not seek a pattern for salvation experiences (a model) through subjective and emotionally-charged stories. They won't guide their church towards a pattern or practice based on what people feel, or what is commonly thought to be "getting saved." They'll go to the Bible.

My Mommy is Dead

Here's an emotionally-charged story a friend of mine uses to support the altar call and the “prayer of faith” as the means of "getting saved." He told me how his mother prayed to receive Jesus in her heart on her deathbed, and then passed away. After sharing this story with much pathos, he asked me pointedly “Are you telling me my beloved mother is not in Heaven just because she never got baptized?”

How do you think I responded to my friend's question? Mind you, he is a very passionate Evangelical and doesn't shy away from an argument. Well, since he was not in the mood for a conversation or a Bible study, I was careful. Since he didn’t have an open heart, I needed wisdom.

So, the first thing I did was show sympathy to my friend for the loss of his mother. Compassion first. I expressed my condolences to him for his deceased mother, and expressed concern for her soul. But I also recognized that my friend was attempting to sidetrack a fundamental doctrine--the non-negotiable doctrine of water baptism, and (out of love) I couldn’t let him get away with that.

Well, I could not allow my friend to undermine the role of baptism in salvation. So I stuck with fundamental truths. I insisted that baptism is necessary for salvation in all cases—but I presented God’s solution for those who repent, believe in Christ, and die without baptism—(read more about God's exception for those cases in posts #14 and #15).

Hint: It has to do with Jesus possessing the keys to Hades!

Get Them Into Learning Mode

Here's the point: Anyone who challenges a fundamental doctrine (and there are only seven) with an emotionally-charged question is not seeking the Truth. They are trying to distract you from it.

Recognize that they have no love of the Truth. Recognize that they’re not in “learning mode.” They are in self-justification mode.

They are trying to justify themselves. They are using emotions to manipulate the conversation so that they might validate a man-made religion, a theology, or what Jesus called "doctrines of men." It is never smart to challenge people like that.

It's smarter to invite them to commit to reading the Bible. Moving forward, if they allow you, you can teach them the truths of baptism in context. You’ll want to see if they will commit to uncovering the Biblical pattern for salvation experiences.

Let God speak to them through those experiences. Start with Jesus’ example in the Gospels. Jesus oversaw baptisms and was baptized himself. Hopefully those examples will be valuable to your friend. They were a little helpful for my friend, even though he stopped talking with me.

Then, if you've got a friend who is sticking with you, move on to the Book of Acts. Why Acts? Well, Acts is where the salvation experiences led by the Disciples take center stage. Your friend will discover that the Disciples faithfully followed Jesus’ example of evangelism if he takes time to read the Book of Acts.

Experiences Led by Jesus

For the experiences led by Jesus, it’s good to start with this little-known fact: Jesus led thousands of people to salvation through baptism. Now, this is a Bible truth very few people know.

Most people know that John the Baptist baptized thousands of people, so start from there. Try starting from John's thousands and refocus on Jesus' tens of thousands. Shift from the ministry of John the Baptist to the ministry of Jesus, just like the first apostles did.

Ask them if they know about John the Baptist’s ministry. Remind them that most of Jesus’ followers came out of John’s ministry. And remind them that Jesus said that no one else in the history of the World was greater than John. In other words, Jesus thought John the Baptist was literally “the best.”

Then take them to the Scripture passage where we learn that Jesus was a greater baptizer than John the Baptist. Here it is:

Jesus… was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John (John 4:1).

Jesus the Baptist

People could have easily called our Lord Jesus the Baptist during his Earthly ministry, but because he performed marvels that far exceeded water baptism, the name never stuck. They discovered that he was the Messiah, so the name that stuck was Jesus the Messiah. You'll know that name by the more famous Greek version: Jesus Christ.

Regardless of what people called him, our Lord Jesus spent a big chunk of his ministry baptizing. He did it through his disciples, but the Bible assigns Jesus the responsibility for the baptisms saying: ‘he was… baptizing.’ And it says it twice!

After these things Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judea, and there he was spending time with them and baptizing … ‘he [Jesus] is baptizing, and everyone is going to him’ (John 3:23, 26).

John Also Baptized

Notice how the passage continues. It doesn’t simply end with a statement about Jesus baptizing. He was baptizing, but it tells us that John the Baptist was also baptizing. Also? What does the also mean?

And John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there, and they were coming and were being baptized (John 3: 24; NASB).

Do you get the idea here? The Biblical expression also baptizing means that Jesus was baptizing, and John (who performed so many baptisms that his nickname became the Baptizer) was baptizing in addition to Jesus. Also means in addition to.

In other words, John the Baptist, in his role as a baptizer, complemented the baptizing ministry of Jesus. No one ever really looks at the relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist this way, but that’s what it was. John's baptizing complemented Jesus' baptizing.

Our Lord Jesus must get the credit for the primary and dominant baptismal ministry of his day. In spite of the fact that no one greater (Matthew 11:11) had ever lived until that time, John the Baptist had a lesser baptizing ministry. That's the relationship between the two men: minor vs. major, junior vs. senior, greater vs. greatest.

Jesus’ baptizing ministry eclipsed the baptizing ministry of John the Baptist. And this is something which 99% of preachers ignore. They refuse to teach that Jesus was the most famous and sought-after baptizer of his day. But he was.

Most Christians today are completely unaware that Jesus had a big reputation as a baptizer, but he did.

Don't forget what we read earlier:

Jesus… was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John (John 4:1).

Indeed, Jesus’ baptizing overshadowed that of John. Our Lord Jesus became the premier baptizer of his generation!

Jesus the Savior

The reason why we no longer think of our Lord as a baptizer is because he performed greater deeds such as miracles, exorcisms, healings, and resurrections. These outweigh his success as a baptizer. They certainly garnished more attention and demonstrated more power.

And so, Jesus’ role as Baptizer pales in comparison to his role as Messiah.

What is baptizing compared to dying for the sins of the World? What is baptizing compared to rising from the Dead? Not much. Indeed, Jesus’ death and resurrection injected a whole new meaning into baptism itself.

The very meaning of baptism is derived from these two events—so that, without them baptism would be devoid of power. With Christ’s death and resurrection, baptism becomes something meaningful: the doorway to the New Covenant. But without Christ’s death and resurrection, baptism is only a washing, a purification from sins.

Purification from Sins

Purification. That was what John the Baptist’s disciples focused on. It’s what they debated with others. Purification is what the disciples of John focused on, and they tied purification to baptism.

Very few people make this connection, but purification from sins was John the Baptist’s central message. It's what he preached. Listen closely to the Scriptures:

… a dispute occurred on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew concerning purification. And they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, he who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, about whom you testified—look, this one is baptizing…’ (John 3:25-26; LEB)

Those disciples of John, the ones who were disputing with a Jew about purification, immediately turned to their teacher, John the Baptist, and asked about Jesus’ baptizing ministry. They thought that maybe they had missed something. They thought that maybe they didn’t understand enough about purification—and their suspicion was correct!

Prior to Jesus’ death and resurrection, baptism was only about purification from sins. It was simply a baptism of repentance (Acts 19:4), as Paul called it. That was also called the baptism of John, and it was a washing from sins.

Baptism in the Name of Jesus

But ever since Jesus was resurrected from the Dead, the Church administers another more thorough kind of purification. We call it baptism in the name of Jesus (Acts 19:5).

To say in the name of Jesus is not some magical incantation. Baptism in the name of Jesus is not a baptism marked by words. It's not about verbiage. It's based on power. And why is it powerful? Because there is power in the name of Jesus!

Baptism has come to affect a distinct and new outcome. It's not only about forgiveness now. It's still about forgiveness, yes--but it's about the forgiveness Jesus obtained for us through his blood. And baptism has also become the means to receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus made all this possible--and that's why we baptize in his name.

Is that what you sought when you were baptized? Did you seek complete immersion in the Holy Spirit? Did you seek a new source of life inside you? It should have been the reason why you were baptized.

But if it wasn’t, then it very well may have been the fault of the people who baptized you. They should have asked you the question Paul asked believers when he met them. He asked “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you were baptized?”

Read this story and you'll see how an evangelist should treat the people he meets:

… he [Paul] found some disciples and asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ They answered, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’

So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’ ‘John’s baptism,’ they replied.

Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:1-5).

As we can see from the passage, John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. But baptism in the name of Jesus is different. It’s a baptism that gives eternal life!

Baptism in the name of Jesus is the true baptism. Baptism in the name of Jesus provides much more than purification. It provides the Holy Spirit.

Have you or have you not received that baptism? Be honest with yourself.

Jesus Sent Ananias to Saul

The resurrected Lord Jesus involved himself in Paul’s conversion by sending him Ananias. Who was Ananias? Well, Ananias was the Christian who evangelized Saul. You will understand the proper method of evangelism through Ananias who obeyed the one who sent him, Jesus. Paul retold the story of his salvation experience many times because it's so miraculous.

On one occasion, being questioned about his baptism experience in court, Paul recalled that Ananias did not only heal him of a serious eye disease; Ananias also told Paul:

Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his [Jesus’] name (Acts 22:16).

Do you get the association with being baptized and washing away your sins? They are one and the same. When you get baptized, you wash your sins away.

But that’s just one short testimony regarding Paul’s salvation. Here’s a longer one, a testimony in which we hear about the precise events surrounding Paul’s conversion. Note the very significant role baptism plays.

… and he [Paul who was still called Saul] has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight…

… and Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him, said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’

And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight… and he arose, and was baptized (Acts 9:12, 17-18; NASB).

Paul’s salvation experience is exemplary. Paul’s salvation experience was directed by Jesus himself. Didn’t Ananias say that the Lord Jesus had sent him to Paul? Yes, he did.

So this is the pattern Jesus uses for salvation:

• deep repentance

• faith in him

• baptism in water for washing away sins

• the baptism of the Holy Spirit

Paul’s Example

Remember that Paul is the founder of at least a dozen of the first churches in history. His intent was for the story of his baptism to be a model salvation experience. The order of his experience, according to Paul’s own testimony is:

1. repentance (Saul was deeply humbled as he fell down blind.)

2. faith in Jesus as Lord (Ananias explained to Saul that he had encountered Jesus.)

3. baptisms (Paul demonstrates three dimensions to it.)

a. the washing away of sins

b. invoking the name of the Lord (crying out for mercy)

c. the filling of the Spirit (Ananias told Paul about it prior to water baptism so that Paul would know what to expect.)

Paul’s salvation experience included all this! How can professing Christians look down on baptism if Jesus saved Paul this way?

Besides this giant testimony about the importance of baptism in salvation, anyone who believes in the New Testament believes in the writings of Paul. And anyone who believes in the writings of Paul should be very interested in Paul’s salvation testimony.

Well, here is what happened at Paul's conversion:

‘Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins’ (Acts 22:16), ‘… and he arose, and was baptized’ (Acts 9:12, 17-18).

You then, go and do likewise. Whether you're baptizing or being baptized, follow the example. The Bible is filled with exemplary salvation experiences. Let's look at some more next time!