Baptism: A Response of Faith

April 28, 2026

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB95).

We are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. We must never forget this precious fact. There was nothing we could have done to earn our way to God. No amount of good works could have saved us. Our salvation is entirely through God’s grace—His undeserved, unmerited favor.  That grace is accessed through a true faith in Jesus Christ that expresses itself in trusting obedience and allegiance to Him.

What about baptism? Is it connected in any way to our salvation?  Many in the religious world answer with an emphatic, “No!” But the scriptures clearly and consistently link baptism to our salvation. These scriptures must be taken very seriously.  For example, we read:

“Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). There is no salvation without forgiveness of sins. There is no salvation without the Spirit’s indwelling (Romans 8:9).

“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 into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). Baptism is “into Christ.” There is no salvation without being in Him, where every spiritual blessing is found.  There is no salvation without sharing in Christ’s death and resurrection.  These marvelous things happen in baptism.

“Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21).  The apostle Peter leaves us with no doubt. Baptism is directly tied to salvation.

There are many more scriptures that teach us of the important connection of baptism to salvation. To name a few: Mark 16:15-16; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:1-11; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:11-12. See also all the conversion examples in the book of Acts.

Therefore, if we are saved through faith in Jesus, and yet we see clearly that baptism is necessary for salvation, we must conclude that baptism is a part of faith. It is faith responding to God’s promise of salvation in Christ. It is not a work that we do to earn salvation. No, in baptism, God is doing the work of saving the penitent believer (Colossians 2:12). Faith is how we are saved and baptism is when we are saved through our faith in Christ.  

Have you been baptized into Jesus? If you believe in Him and wish to live for Him, why do you delay? “Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16) 

—Scott Colvin

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Posted by Scott Colvin

I Say, Not the Lord?

April 7, 2026

In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul makes a statement that has puzzled many sincere students of the Bible.  In discussing marriage, Paul writes, “But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife” (1 Corinthians 7:10 NASB95). In the next sentence, Paul writes, “But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her” (1 Corinthians 7:12).

What did Paul mean when he said, “I say, not the Lord”? Was he giving his uninspired opinion?  Was he contradicting what the Lord had taught?  Neither of these is the case. Let’s take a closer look.

Paul first addresses two believers who are married and prefaces his teaching by saying, “not I, but the Lord.” The instructions he gives to two married believers are the same as what Jesus taught in His public ministry. For example, in Matthew 19, Jesus taught that, “whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery” (Matthew 19:9). But who was Jesus addressing?  He was speaking to a Jewish audience. He was addressing the case of a Jewish husband and wife who were both in a covenant relationship with God.  Jesus never addressed the case of a believer married to an unbeliever because He was addressing the Jewish nation under the Old Covenant.

But Paul is addressing a different group—the church at Corinth.  Corinth was a Greek city where it was not uncommon to find a believer married to an unbeliever. When Paul addresses this case, He adds the qualifier, “I say, not the Lord.” What does he mean? Paul is saying that by inspiration, he is now giving additional teaching from the Lord for the situation where a believer is married to an unbeliever.  His instruction is not uninspired opinion, nor does it contradict the Lord’s teaching. It is simply something that Jesus did not address in His public ministry.

What is the content of this additional teaching? If the unbeliever wants to stay in the marriage, the believer must not divorce them.  But in the case where the unbeliever leaves the marriage, the brother or sister is not under bondage. And what does that mean? This is something we will discuss in the sermon this week.   

—Scott Colvin

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Posted by Scott Colvin