Is the Sabbath a universal requirement?

SABBATH: IS THE SABBATH A UNIVERSAL REQUIREMENT?

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2011

Linda and I came from a Baptist church that worshipped on Sunday, and we did not decide to keep the seventh day until we went away to college a few years after we were married. A Jewish friend had suggested that we consider the Sabbath, so we examined what the Bible taught about this and other aspects of God's law. For us, it was an exciting time of discovery. I was enthusiastic about what we learned and wanted to share this new information with other Christians but soon realized that they were not nearly as excited. Some people were unable to consider such a radical notion as the Sabbath; others were struggling with more fundamental issues; still others thought I was an extremist. Being in school during this period of change helped, as we could apply the tools of study we were acquiring to our research. Eventually, we discovered Seventh Day Baptists, and we were able to observe the Sabbath more easily.ⁱ Time and reflection also tempered my enthusiasm and allowed me to take a more nuanced approach, one that answered three questions that arise when examining the common Seventh Day Baptist claim that the Sabbath is a universal requirement, questions Seventh Day Baptists seem often unwilling or unable adequately to address.ⁱⁱ

Examining the Claim that the Sabbath is a Universal Requirement

• The historical question:

• How is the Sabbath, which God gave specifically to Israel, mandatory for all Christians?

• The common Seventh Day Baptist position, that God gave the Sabbath to everyone, simply does not stand under close scrutiny, certainly not for the reasons Seventh Day Baptists usually give.

• The theological question:

• Why single out the Sabbath when it belongs to a much larger corpus of God's law?

• The traditional Seventh Day Baptist view, that the Sabbath is part of the Decalogue, which God meant for all people and which has greater authority than His other commands, is a distinction that has no justification.ⁱⁱⁱ

• The practical (often personal) question:

• Are Christians who do not regard the Sabbath as mandatory— the vast majority of the Church—doomed for their disobedience?

• Here is where the issue comes closest to home, for unlike Seventh-day Adventists, who view Sunday worship as the mark of the beast and a sign of reprobation, Seventh Day Baptists recognize the gravity of disobeying God but are not ready to condemn to perdition those they actually know—their friends and family—who hold a different opinion on this matter.

The common Seventh Day Baptist position on the Sabbath does not address these problems, not in any consistent or rigorous way. It fails to consider all relevant passages, and it ignores important constraints of context. If this is what you believe, then you should be aware of the difficulties with the position and be able to support it, both carefully and comprehensively. While the result of my analysis brings me to the same point in the end, which is to keep the Sabbath, I arrive there on a different road and for different reasons.

Why do Seventh Day Baptists Keep the Sabbath?

SABBATH: WHY DO SEVENTH DAY BAPTISTS KEEP THE SABBATH?

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2005
(An earlier version appeared on this blog here)

How blessed is the man...who keeps from profaning the Sabbath.

(Isa 56:2)

Seventh-Day Baptists observe a day different from that of most other Christians. Instead of gathering on the first day of the week, Seventh Day Baptists meet together on the seventh day of the week, the biblical Sabbath. Why would they choose to separate themselves in this way? What scriptural reasons are there for worshipping and resting on the seventh day rather than on the first day? Seventh DayBaptists keep the Sabbath because...¹

1. They note God's example, for He observed it at creation.²

By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. (Gen 2:2)

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth...and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. (Exod 20:11)

2. They recall God's redemption, for He established it after Egypt.³

See, the Lord has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. (Exod 16:29)

You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day. (Deut 5:15)

3. They obey God's precept, for He commanded it on Sinai.⁴

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Exod 20:8)

Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. (Deut 5:12)

The Law and the Sabbath (Matt 12:1-21)

SABBATH: THE LAW AND THE SABBATH (Matt 12:1-21) 

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Dr. Paul Manuel—Sabbath Emphasis Day—2009

When people are committed to something, they will usually put forth their best effort, even when the task is difficult or dangerous.

One night a fire broke out in a chemical plant outside a small town. Before long, the whole building erupted into flames, and an alarm went out to neighboring communities, with several fire departments responding. After fighting the blaze for over an hour, the president of the chemical company approached the fire chief and said, "Our formulas are in the vault in the center of the plant. They must be saved! I will give $50,000 to the engine company that brings them out undamaged!" As soon as the chief heard this, he ordered his men to strengthen their efforts. After two more hours of fighting the fire, which continued to rage out of control, the president of the company doubled his offer: $100,000 to the crew that could bring out the company's files.

From the distance came the sound of a lone siren as another fire truck came into view. It was a volunteer company composed entirely of men over 65. To everyone's amazement, the engine raced through the chemical plant gates into the middle of the inferno. The other firemen watched as the old timers hopped off their rig and began to battle the fire with an effort they had never seen before. After some time of intense fighting, the company of senior firefighters had extinguished the blaze and saved the formulas. Ecstatic, the plant president announced that he would double the reward again to $200,000. After expressing his gratitude to each of the elderly volunteers, the president asked the captain of the group what they would do with the reward money. "The first thing we're going to do," the captain answered..."is fix the brakes on that truck!"

When people are committed to something, as these elderly fire fighters were committed to battling the blaze, it may not be for a reason you would expect or, as some Pharisees were committed to the Sabbath, it may not be for a reason you would commend. That is the case in Matt 12, where Jesus challenges them to reconsider their interpretation of The Law and the Sabbath.

During the Late Second Temple Period, the two great rabbinic schools of Hillel and Shammai debated a number of topics, some of which appear in the gospels. Pharisees of both schools would come to Jesus, wanting to know where he stood on such issues, especially when the schools differed. Although there is some speculation that Jesus was a student of Hillel (e.g., Falk 1985:115), he took an independent position.¹ On some matters, he sided with the liberal view of Hillel (e.g., dedicated gifts); on other matters, he sided with conservative view of Shammai (e.g., vows, divorce). One of these debated issues was the manner in which a person should observe the Sabbath.

Time to reboot (Exod 23:12

SABBATH: TIME to REBOOT (Exod 23:12) 

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Dr. Paul Manuel—Sabbath Emphasis Day—2005

Ministers look for ways to encourage their congregants to be more involved in the things of God and His church. Sometimes that effort is more successful than other times.

A minister was preoccupied with how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building. He very much wanted things to go smoothly and was a bit dismayed to learn that the regular organist was sick and that the deacons had to hunt for a substitute at the last minute. The minister barely had time before the service to let the substitute know what hymns the congregation would be singing, hurriedly adding, "You'll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances." During the service, the minister paused and said, "Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected, and we need $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up." At that moment, the substitute organist played "The Star Spangled Banner." ...And that is how the substitute organist became the regular organist!

Some people just need the right incentive. That may be what God is doing as He exhorts His people to heed His commands, especially His command to keep the Sabbath.

Although Genesis records God's observing the Sabbath at creation, that first biblical book says no more about the seventh day.¹ There is no indication that Adam and Eve, or Noah, or Abraham even knew about the Sabbath, let alone kept it themselves. It is not until the next book and Israel's exodus from Egypt that the Sabbath appears again, this time, with a prominence in God's plan for His people that it did not have before.² What is the significance of the Sabbath, and how does it change life for those God has recently delivered?

Of the various passages we might consider, there is a single verse that offers some insight for us into the precept and purpose of the Sabbath. Please turn to...

Exod 23:12 "Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.

Earlier in Exodus, God established...

A time of consecration (Isa 56:2-8; 58:13-14)

SABBATH: A TIME OF CONSECRATION (Isa 56:2-8; 58:13-14) 

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Dr. Paul Manuel—Sabbath Emphasis Day—2003

As we move along life's path, we depend upon God for such things as guidance and protection. When things do not turn out as we expect, we may have to revise our understanding of His involvement.

One Sabbath morning a little girl in her best dress was running so she wouldn't be late for church. As she ran she kept praying, "Dear God, please don't let me be late to church. Please don't let me be late to church...." As she was running, she tripped and fell. When she got back up, she began praying again, "God, please don't let me be late to church...but don't shove me either!"

Does God ever shove us? Does He help us along just so far and then push us out of the way or just leave us to fend for ourselves? That is a question some gentile believers in Babylon seem to be asking, as they hear Isaiah's prophetic message.

When the Southern Kingdom of Judah fell to invading Babylonian forces (587 B.C.), the people left the Promised Land for exile in a foreign land. How could they keep from suffering the same fate as their brethren in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, whom the Assyrians had deported earlier (722 B.C.) and who had apparently assimilated into the gentile milieu? How could the former residents of Judah maintain their identity as God's people? The answer lay in their covenant with God, a commitment they demonstrated by their obedience to His commands. That is what made them different from other people, and that is what marked them as God's people. Some instructions the Lord gave at Sinai had parallels in other Ancient Near East law codes (e.g., prohibitions against murder and theft). Other instructions were unique to His people (e.g., dietary regulations). One such command was particularly distinctive because it had a very apparent and recurrent display—observing the Sabbath.

The seventh day (Lev 23:3)

SABBATH: THE SEVENTH DAY (Lev 23:3) 

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Dr. Paul Manuel—Sabbath Emphasis Day—2002

What defines you as a Christian? How do other people know who you are? You can tell them, of course, but the most obvious indicator is how you act, especially under pressure.

A minister was on a plane, flying from Chicago to California, when it ran into severe turbulence. As it got worse, the passengers became more and more alarmed, and even the flight attendants began to look concerned. Finally, an attendant noticed that one of the names on the passenger list had "REV." in front of it. She approached him and said, "Sir, this is really frightening. Do you suppose you could...I don't know...do something religious?" "Of course," the minister replied.... So he took up a collection.

There are many ways you can identify yourself as religious. One way, better than taking an offering, is your treatment of God's precepts, including The Seventh Day.

After the six days of creation, Genesis records that God rested from His labor on the seventh day, establishing a precedent for something He would recall many years later. That initial account gives few details, simply that...

Gen 2:3 ...God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

What implications God's decision might have had for others is unclear—perhaps none. There is no command here; neither is there evidence that anyone in Genesis followed His example. In fact, the issue of the Sabbath does not come up again until the book of Exodus when God commands Israel to observe it. From that point, the Sabbath receives extensive treatment, along with the rest of the Pentateuch as it offers instruction for God's people.¹ Some passages about the seventh day are fairly long, yet even the shortest can offer important information.

Lev 23:3 There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.

Peace

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN BY THE WORD "PEACE"?

Dr. Paul Manuel—2001
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Because of the length of this study most of it is available only in this pdf.

Contents

I.		Semantic Range of "Peace" in the Bible	2
	A.	The Hebrew verb
	B.	The Hebrew noun
	C.	The Greek verb
	D.	The Greek noun
II.		Common Uses of "Peace" in the Bible
	A.	Relational Peace
	1.	Interpersonal: harmony between individuals	8
	2.	International: freedom from war	13
	B.	Personal Peace
	1.	Physical: welfare, health, prosperity	22
	2.	Mental: tranquility, confidence, contentment	27
		Appendix: of "Other Verses"	31
		Bibliography	47
		Endnotes	48

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, the notion of peace has come under considerable scrutiny. What is it, and what price are we willing to pay for it? How do we achieve it? ...What comes to mind when you think of "peace"? The Oxford American Dictionary gives five uses of the word in American English (Ehrlich 1980:491):

1. A state of freedom from war, cessation of war
2. A treaty ending a war
3. Freedom from civil disorder
4. Quiet, calm, freedom from anxiety
5. A state of harmony between people, absence of strife

In almost all cases, we use "peace" to mean the absence of something bad: war, disorder, anxiety, strife.

For example, on the international level, peace is the absence of war between otherwise hostile countries, and we label relationships accordingly. Sometimes, peace is not the right term, such as in characterizing our relationship with England. In that case, we say that Great Britain is "a friend" of the US rather than that Great Britain is "at peace" with the US, because the phrase "at peace" does not convey the close ties our country enjoys with England. On the other hand, "at peace" would be an accurate description of our relationship to the Soviet Union, at least before perestroika.

The Greek word for peace is eirene (irenic [adj.] "promoting peace", Irene [PN]). It means much the same as our English word: the absence of conflict. In biblical literature, however, the Greek word comes under the influence of its Hebrew counterpart shalom and the meaning—at least in the LXX and New Testament documents—takes on the significance of the word in the Hebrew Old Testament (Carr 1980 2:931; Beck 1976 2:780; Foerster 1964a 2:406). We will begin with a general survey and ask the question: How does the biblical definition of peace compare with the modern definition?

There is both a verb form and a noun form of this word in Hebrew and Greek. We will focus on the noun, but to show you the similarities I will list the major uses of the verb.¹ ....

For the Study (46 pages) and its Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.

Standing up to peer pressure

SERMONS FROM GENESIS: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF PEER PRESSURE (Gen 6:5-6, 8-9) 

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Dr. Paul Manuel—Scout Sabbath—2007

Because we have several additional young people here this morning, I thought it would be a good opportunity for the rest of you to impress them with your biblical knowledge, so that they could see what you have learned in your many years of study. To that end, I am going to give the adults here a brief quiz, just nine questions. You can jot the answers on the back of the sermon outline.

Q: What was Noah's occupation? ...Was he a farmer, a bricklayer, or something else?
A: He was an arkitecht.

Q. Why was Noah the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Q: What was the name of Noah's wife? (This is really trivia.)
A: Joan of Ark

Q: While Noah was on the ark, why did he not spend time fishing?
A: He only had two worms.

Q: Why did those two worms not get on the ark in an apple?
A: Because everyone had to go on in pairs (pears)

Q: Where did Noah keep the bees?
A: In an ark-hive

Q: How did Noah keep track of the animals at night?
A: He used floodlights.

Q: What is the one tool Noah wished he had during the construction?
A: An ark-welder.

Q: What was Noah's theme song?
A: "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"

However difficult you may have found the questions of that quiz, it was nothing to what Noah faced, even before the flood, as he encountered the Problems and Prospects of Peer Pressure.

After God created the world, people did what most people do, and the Bible records some of what that entailed. They had jobs, got married, and raised families, but life was not always smooth.¹

• Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden for their disobedience.
• Cain, angry that God rejected his offering but accepted his brother's offering, murdered his brother Abel.
• Lamach, one of Cain's descendants, was an even more violent man and boasted about having killed many people.

To be sure, there were some bright spots in man's early history.²

• Seth and his son Enosh seem to have started a trend as "men began to call on the name of the LORD" (Gen 4:26b).
• Their descendant Enoch is recorded to have had an especially close relationship to God for "300 years" (Gen 5:22a).

The general direction of society, though, is downward, away from God, as people grow more completely sinful. After several generations, man's wickedness hits bottom. Please turn to Gen 6, where we read that by then...

Trust and obey

SERMONS FROM GENESIS:THE SECRET OF SUCCESS (Gen 24) 

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2006

To be successful, you must be properly motivated, willing to give whatever challenge you face your best effort.

A mother was telling a friend about her six-year-old son, who was playing in his first ball game. The boy went up to bat, and on his second swing he connected with a two-base hit. Whether there was a lack in his coaching or a lapse in his concentration, the boy took off for the pitcher's mound and tackled the pitcher. Then he turned around with a big grin and threw a "thumbs up" sign at his surprised father in the stands. The mother's friend asked how the boy's father responded. "Why, he stood up and clapped, of course."

To be successful, you must be willing to give your best to whatever challenge you face. It also helps to receive positive reinforcement along the way, assurance that someone recognizes your efforts.

While Abraham is living in Canaan,¹ he decides to arrange a marriage for his son Isaac, he sends a servant to the other branch of his family in order to find a suitable mate. It is a venture fraught with uncertainty but one that demonstrates The Secret of Success.² Please turn to Gen 24, where, in the opening verses...

I. The servant wonders about success.

Gen 24:1 Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac."

For whatever reason, Isaac, who is forty years old,³ is still a bachelor, and it falls to this trusted servant to find a wife for his master's son.⁴ The task will not be easy. Abraham is adamant about Isaac's not marrying a Canaanite woman, insisting upon finding a wife from among his brother's clan, perhaps because the family ties will be stronger or because he does not want to establish any ties to a people God will eventually destroy.⁵

Origins

THE QUESTION OF ORIGINS: How Do the Various Models Compare or Who's Been Monkeying with the Family Tree?

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2000

Until the twentieth century, most of Christianity, indeed, most of western civilization attributed the world in which we live to the creative act of God. The popularization of Darwin's theory of evolution and its adoption by scientific and academic communities radically changed that perception. The prevailing opinion in society today is that all higher life forms developed from lower life forms without any involvement from God. This fundamental shift in our collective view of how it all began presents a dilemma for Christians.

• They want to believe the biblical account of creation but do not know how to square what scripture says with what science teaches.
• They want to communicate their faith but do not know how to answer the objection that, right from the beginning, science disproves the Bible.

How should we answer The Question of Origins, and does science contradict the Bible on this issue? We will examine four models, each of which appears at a different place on a continuum of Options for the Question of Origins, views that treat the biblical account of Genesis in various ways. Let us begin by reading that account (Gen 1:1-2:3).

Options for the Question of Origins

Fiat Creationism	Progressive Creationism	Theistic Evolution	Secular Evolution
Gen 1 is actual.	Gen 1 is abridged.	Gen 1 is mythical.	Gen 1 is false.

At one end of the continuum, is the biblical model familiar to most people...

I. Fiat (young earth) creationism¹

A. Presuppositions

1. System: We live in an open universe that includes natural and supernatural forces.
2. God: The supreme being is author and sustainer of all things.
3. Bible: The scripture is a fully reliable source of information about the origins of life.
4. Origins: The biblical account of the beginning is actual (in real time).²

B. Premises

1. Cause: God created everything in six literal and consecutive days.
2. Process: Each species is distinct and separate (reproducing "after its own kind").
3. Fall: Adam's sin introduced physical death for all.
4. Flood: The deluge was global and accounts for most of the fossil record.

C. Problems

1. Astronomical: It fails to explain why the light from distant stars (e.g., Andromeda galaxy) required millions of years to reach earth (Newman in Moreland 1999:108).
2. Geological: It fails to explain why the fossil record shows different types of sedimentary layers (e.g., from shells, from soil, from evaporation) deposited under different conditions (Bradley in Moreland 1999:77) and during different periods (Newman in ibid., P. 111).³
3. Methodological: It justifies the universe's extreme antiquity by asserting that it merely has the appearance of age.

The way Fiat Creationists deal with the extreme antiquity of the universe, which abundant scientific evidence seems to support, is by asserting that God created the universe with the appearance of age. Adam, for example, would have had a naval despite the fact that he was not born (and, therefore, had no umbilical cord). Unfortunately, while this "solution" may resolve one problem, it raises more difficult ones, not the least of which is why God would use such a deceptive or, at least, misleading method (see Moreland 1999:86-87).⁴

At the opposite end of the continuum, is the secular model familiar to most people and its religious counterpart. Because these appeal almost exclusively to the findings of science, it will be helpful to review the task of science before we look at those models,. Despite the aura of authority the scientific community projects, the scientific process is not open-ended. There are limits to what we can realistically expect when attempting to answer the question: What can science discover?

Who were "the sons of God" in Genesis?

SERMONS FROM GENESIS: ANGELIC HANKY-PANKY (Gen 6:1-4) 

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2000

We know so little about the period before the flood that some references are more puzzling than illuminating. For example, there is the obscure mention of intermarriage in...

Gen 6:1 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

Who are these two parties ("sons of God" and "daughters of men"), and who are the Nephilim? Commentators have generally adopted one of two positions in answering the question...

I. What is the nature of the union?

A. It is inter-species.

1. "Sons of God" are angelic beings.

a. That is their designation.¹

• Job 1:6 [= Job 2:1] One day the angels [lit. sons of God] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.

b. That is their transgression.²

• 2 Pet 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;

• Jude 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

2. "Daughters of men" are human beings.

• Ps 11:4 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.

• Eccl. 3:10 I have seen the burden God has laid on [the sons of] men.

B. It is intra-species.³

Baptism

BAPTISM STUDY: ABLUTION IN BIBICAL AND EXTRA-BIBLICAL SOURCES

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Dr. Paul Manuel—1989

Second Temple Jerusalem Mikvah (Ritual Immersion Pool)

Because of the size of this study (72 pages) I include below the break only the Table of Contents and the Introduction. The entire study is available here as a pdf.

Belief and baptism

A BAPTISMAL DEVOTIONAL: Belief and Baptism (Mark 16:15-16) 

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2012

We are here to witness the baptism of someone who experienced a variation of this event much earlier in his life, when he was very young. In the New Testament, however, there are no instances of infant baptism. That is because baptism accompanies decisions a child cannot make and his parents cannot make for him, such as confession of sin and repentance from sin.¹ Another personal decision baptism accompanies is belief, which raises two questions.

• First, what must a person believe?

• Is there a prescribed subject for this faith, or can he believe anything he wishes?

• Second, when must a person believe it?

• Is there a proper sequence to these steps, or can he do them in any order he wishes?

Jesus answers both questions with the final instructions he gives the disciples before his ascension.²

Mark 16:15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."

Jesus says here that it matters what a person believes, that it is not enough to believe in...

• Magic or miracles,
• Aliens or angels,
• Flying pigs or fairy tales,
• Santa Claus or even yourself.

For baptism to mean what God intended, a person must believe the gospel, "the good news" about Jesus—that his sacrifice redeemed you from paying the penalty your sin required. That is the message his disciples carry "to all creation," because it matters what a person believes.

Jesus also says here that it matters when a person believes the gospel, that his belief must precede his baptism, and he cannot reverse the order without potentially ruining the outcome. According to this passage, life ends in one of two ways: salvation or condemnation. According to Jesus, "whoever believes and is baptized will be saved." Does that mean a person cannot be saved unless he is baptized? ...No. At Calvary, Jesus promised salvation to a condemned man who expressed faith in Jesus yet could not be baptized.³ Jesus includes baptism in these final instructions to indicate what is expected of disciples not what is essential for them. This distinction become clear when Jesus says, "whoever does not believe will be condemned." Baptism without belief accomplishes nothing. What matters is when a person believes the gospel, because belief must precede baptism, and belief is the requisite to salvation.

As you witness this baptism, it presents a duel opportunity, a chance to rejoice with the candidate in this expression of faith and to review with him the essentials of faith. Belief is the beginning of knowing God. As you become more aware of His will for your life, you realize the need to revise your thinking, your speaking, your doing, in countless ways. When that task seems overwhelming, and you wonder at the complexity of what is expected for your sanctification, adopting the character of God, remember the simplicity of what is essential for your salvation: only having faith in God because of His gracious provision through Jesus of pardon for sin.

For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.

On baptism and rebaptism

A BAPTISMAL DEVOTIONAL: On Baptism and Rebaptism

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2006

In Judaism, where the practice of baptism originated, it was (and still is) a form of ritual purification, cleansing the participant from the external defilement of life in a fallen world. Gentile converts to Judaism underwent immersion to remove the impurity of an idolatrous past. It was a ceremonial act that followed repentance and faith. Hence, baptism was for those capable of making a commitment to God. The early church, beginning as a reform movement within Judaism, employed baptism similarly, immersing those who repented and expressed their faith in Jesus as the messiah. There, too, baptism served both as a form of ritual purification and as a public testimony of a person's commitment to the Lord.

After the first century, as gentiles began to outnumber Jews in the early church, the practice of baptism began to change. Some Christians regarded it as a counterpart to the Jewish practice of circumcision or as a necessary requisite for salvation. These attitudes led to the practice of infant baptism (paedobaptism), which, in turn, led to alternative modes of application: pouring (affusion) and sprinkling (aspersion), instead of immersion (submersion).¹

The problem with such views is that they run counter to the teaching of scripture and to the tradition in Judaism, whence baptism derives. They also complicate matters for those who were baptized as infants and come to faith as adults. Does their earlier experience count, or should they repeat the procedure?²

Baptism is not necessary for salvation, otherwise the thief on the cross could not have gone to "be with [Jesus] in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). Rather, baptism demonstrates outwardly the transformation God has already accomplished inwardly. The ceremonially cleansing effect of baptism also means it was not necessarily a one-time event. While every Christian should be baptized after he believes and repents, there are other occasions in life when it might be suitable to purify oneself anew as an act of consecration to God.³

For some of the candidates today, baptism signifies a renewed dedication to Him, and that is certainly a good reason. Understanding this background helps us to answer the question: Should a person who was baptized as an infant repeat the procedure as an adult? Given that baptism presupposes a commitment to God, which an infant cannot make, the answer is "Yes." Without such a commitment from the candidate, baptism has no meaning, at least, none the Bible recognizes. Therefore, it is appropriate for an individual to express his devotion in this way, whatever his experience as a child.⁴

While all Baptists hold to believer's baptism (credobaptism) by immersion, there are some differences among them on this subject. Judaism and the early church practiced single immersion, but some later groups of Christians used trine immersion, appealing to Jesus' command before his ascension.⁵

Matt 28:19 ...make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Most Seventh Day Baptists use single immersion, but the tradition of the German Seventh Day Baptist church has been trine immersion, and the candidates have decided to follow that practice today. Because Jesus commanded baptism, it is a requirement for church membership, but it is not—I repeat—not a requirement for salvation. That God accomplishes "by grace...through faith" (Eph 2:8).

The necessity of purity

A BAPTISMAL DEVOTION: The Necessity of Purity 

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2002

We are here to witness the baptism of these candidates. Each one came from a different religious tradition but, through God's providence, they have all come to the same decision. They have all realized The Necessity of Purity. Because it is important that they understand the significance of what they will do today, I asked each of them two questions. First...

• Is baptism necessary for salvation?

The answer, of course, is no. Baptism is not required for salvation. If it were, then Jesus' promise would have been for naught when he said to the repentant thief on the cross next to him...

Luke 23:43b I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.

According to Jesus, baptism is not necessary for salvation.

The second question I asked them was more difficult. Accepting that baptism is not necessary for salvation...

• Is baptism necessary at all?

If baptism is not a requirement for salvation, and if salvation is the goal we seek to attain, then why should we bother? Why go to this trouble—finding a body of water, assembling the church, making a public spectacle—if baptism is just a quaint custom? While there are several possible answers to this question, perhaps the simplest is that baptism is necessary because Jesus commanded it. In his final instructions before his ascension to heaven, Jesus said...

Matt 28:19 ...go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

According to Jesus, baptism is necessary.

As I said, obedience to Jesus' command is not the only reason for baptism. In fact, when I asked them why they wanted to be baptized, they gave another reason, that baptism signifies a cleansing from one's old life apart from God and a fresh start to one's new life with God.

When we come to the Lord, we break from our sinful past and pledge ourselves to live righteously before Him. Baptism is the ceremonial purification marking that decision, the symbolic removal of what once defiled us and made us unfit for God's service. Ananias, a Jewish believer from Damascus, understood the importance of this act and, after Paul's conversion, said to him...

Acts 22:16b ...be baptized and wash your sins away....

Baptism washes away the impurities of the past.

The candidates do not have to list for you the specific sins they are washing away this day. That is not why you are here. Your role is to witness the event, to rejoice in their decision, and to support them. It is also to register your expectation that you will see their commitment to God bear fruit.

There should be one other consequence of your being here: It should remind you of your baptism, of how you broke from your sinful past and pledged to live righteously before the Lord. How have you been doing lately?

As these individuals make their commitment to God this day, I encourage you to renew your commitment. If you have not lived up to the expectation you raised at your baptism, resolve with them to be different. The Necessity of Purity should be an abiding concern for all believers. Thankfully, cleansing is a renewable resource, for...

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.