[Biblemat] A) MORALIZING -- THE FLOOD AND BAPTISM

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Wednesday
morning to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.
Here are a couple of short articles from my files:

MORALIZING -- THE FLOOD AND BAPTISM

     Gregory A. Boyd is pastor of the Woodland Hills Church,
a mega-church in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Unlike other "evangel-
ical" preachers, Boyd preaches that the church should stay
out of politics and give up moralizing on sexual issues.  Boyd
is correct in saying that Christianity is advanced by winning
hearts, not elections or military conflicts.  But he errs greatly
if he thinks one can preach Jesus while ignoring what the Sav-
ior said about right and wrong.

     Was not Jesus "moralizing" about sexual issues when He
said, "But I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman
to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his
heart" (Matt. 5:28)?  Or when He added, "Everyone who divor-
ces his wife, except for the cause of fornication, makes her
commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery" (vs. 
32)?  Or when He observed, "For out
of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornicat-
ions, thefts, false witness, slanders.  These are the things 
which defile the man..." (Matt. 15:18,19)?

     Boyd says homosexuality is not God's "ideal."  That's for
sure!  It is as far from ideal as one can get!  It is sin (Rom. 1:
26-32), right along with lust, adultery, and fornication, about
which Jesus "moralized."

     Jesus came to save us from sin.  One of His requirements
of salvation is that we repent, that we put sin away (Lk. 24:47)
How can we do that if we ignore what the Savior said about
what is sin?   -------- Frank Himmel via Gospel Power, Vol. 15,
No. 12, Mar. 23, 2008.
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THE FLOOD AND BAPTISM

     Many of the teachings of the New Testament were prefigur-
ed in the Old Testament.  The Old Testament story is the type
and the New Testament lesson is the antitype, or that which
is prefigured.  One of these types is the flood.  After discuss-
ing Noah's salvation from a world of wickedness by the flood,
Peter said, "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 resurr-
ection of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 3:21).  Baptism is the antitype
of the flood.  The Revised Standard Version of the Bible reads, "Baptism 
which corresponds to this, now saves you,
not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to 
God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."  

     Many think that this passage says baptism is a figure of
"our salvation."  This passage does not so state and neither
does any other Scripture teach this doctrine.  It says that bap-
tism "corresponds to" or is a "like figure" of Noah's salvation
in the flood.

     Notice three things in the passage.  (1) Baptism is not a
value because of washing dirt from the body.  (2) It is an 
appeal to God for a good or clear conscience.  Jesus said, "He that believeth 
and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
disbelieveth shall be condemned" (Mk. 16:16).  One who be-
lieves and obeys the commands of Christ will have a good conscience.  (3) Men 
teach that baptism does NOT now save,
but Peter taught that baptism does "NOW save."  Baptism is
a burial in water (Rom. 6:3-5; Acts 8:36-38), and is for the 
remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  Following baptism, we
must "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4).  ------- Frank J. Jam-
erson, via Gospel Power, Vol. 15, No. 13, Mar. 30, 2008.   </HTML>
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