A CLEAR CONSCIENCE

Everyone can attest that a guilty conscience is a relentless tormentor. We can’t find any peace of heart or mind when our conscience is tormenting us for our guilt over how we have sinned against God or man. That sense of guilt can drive a person to despair. We would do almost anything to try to make up for what we did wrong so our conscience will stop tormenting us.

Every believer can attest to the joy of a clear conscience. A believer has committed many sins that could torment the conscience, yet a believer has a clear conscience because the sacrifice of Christ has blotted out all of the sin of His people so there is nothing left for the conscience to torment us about. A believer does not have to try to quiet the conscience by doing good works to try to make up for our sin. The sacrifice of Christ already did that. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14) That clear conscience speaks out in believer’s baptism when a believer publicly confesses that all of my salvation is found in the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 3:21)

THE BASICS ABOUT BAPTISM

1. WHAT IS BAPTISM? It is an ordinance of God (one of only two, the Lord’s supper being the other) given for a confession of faith and a symbol of salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Mark 16:16; Col. 2:12; Rom. 6:3).

2. WHO IS TO BE BAPTIZED? Not infants and not unbelievers. Believers only should be baptized; all those who believe with all their heart that “Jesus Christ is the Son of God” should not be hindered (Acts 8:26-38).

3. WHY SHOULD ALL BELIEVERS BE BAPTIZED? Primarily because Christ commands it! It is not optional but simply a matter of obedience to our Lord. Consequently, it is also encouraging to the new believer who is being baptized and edifying to the rest of the church (Matt. 7:21-23; Matt. 10:32-33; Rom. 10:9-10).

4. WHEN SHOULD BELIEVERS BE BAPTIZED? A very singular answer here – immediately! Upon bowing in faith to the Lordship of Christ (Acts 2:38-41; Acts 9:18; Acts 16:31).

5. HOW SHOULD BELIEVERS BE BAPTIZED? The word “baptize” is not a complicated word; it means “to dip or plunge into”, thus, immersion is the ONLY mode of baptism. Also, this was the method used by our Lord Himself and the Apostles.

Pastor Bruce Crabtree

What is faith? It is looking to, trusting, relying on, and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ as my wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (I Cor. 1:30). And what is the evidence that I have faith? I look to, trust, rely upon, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as my wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. The evidence of faith is faith! The evidence of an absence of faith is an absence of faith - I do not look to, trust, rely upon, or believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as my wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. This may sound simplistic, but it is so!