"Does
baptism wash away past unlawful marriages?" That is the subject assigned
to me for this special issue. I first heard of this idea many years ago,
but not much was said about it until the last few years. Some men have
always done what they wanted to do, regardless of what the Lord said.
Any practice that transgresses God's word and involves a lot of people
will somehow be "justified" by those who want to continue in it. A
complicated research program will begin amassing "evidence" to prove
that the Bible does not mean what it obviously teaches. Thus,
justification is found to do that which God's word does not allow.
The
Nature of Marriage
"Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled"
(Heb. 13:4).
In the beginning God instituted marriage and regulated it by his word.
He did not plan for marriage to be dissolved except by death. Marriage
is a physical, fleshly union; it is not a spiritual union. They are no
more twain but one flesh
(Matt. 19:6).
Death ends all marriages
(Rom. 7:3).
Baptism has nothing to do with our marriage, but it is essential to our
spiritual bond in Christ.
Adultery and fornication are sinful just as lying, stealing, murder and
idolatry are sinful. These sins are equally applicable to those in
Christ and those in the world. Jesus taught that divorce and remarriage
results in committing adultery. If a man puts away his wife for
fornication, she is guilty of sin (adultery). If he puts her away for
any other cause and marries another, he commits adultery; and he causes
her to commit adultery. Any man who marries that one who is put away,
commits adultery, and there is no exception clause
(Matt. 5:32; 19:9;
Mk. 10:11, 12; Lk. 16:18). Any twist or perversion of Scripture
that contradicts, modifies or invalidates these plain statements of
Jesus is false doctrine.
Now
some are teaching that baptism "washes" away all previous unlawful
marriages, and the one with whom he/she is married at the time of
baptism is the scriptural spouse for the rest of their lives. There is
no way that can be true.
What Is
Baptism?
The New
Testament teaches that baptism is a condition for the forgiveness of
sins. Peter and the other apostles told the multitude of people on
Pentecost to "repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins"
(Acts 2:38).
Ananias said to Saul, "And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord"
(Acts 22:16).
The only thing that baptism "washes" away is the past sins of the
penitent believer! Baptism does not provide for forgiveness of future
sins - sins not yet committed.
Baptism
does not change any human relationship on earth. It changes man's
relationship to God. We are baptized into Christ
(Gal. 3:27);
into the one body, which is the church
(1 Cor. 12:13; Eph.
1:22,23). Baptism saves us
(1 Pet. 3:21).
In baptism we are made free from sin, and become servants of
righteousness (Rom.
6:16,17).
All
deeds, words and thoughts that are sinful before baptism, are equally
sinful after baptism. If a man and woman should engage in sexual sin
before baptism, that same act is as sinful after baptism. One who
engages in prostitution cannot continue in that sinful conduct after
baptism. He/she cannot continue the practice of any sin
(Rom. 6:1-18).
In like manner, one who puts away his/her spouse for any cause other
than fornication, and marries another, commits adultery; and whosoever
marries the put away one commits adultery. Now if that is an adulterous
relationship before baptism, it is an adulterous relationship after
baptism.
Faith
Is Essential to Scriptural Baptism
The
gospel is the power of God unto salvation to the Jew and Greek
(Rom. 1:16).
The gospel is addressed to all nations alike, "For all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God"
(Rom. 3:23).
That means that all men are amenable to the law of Christ, which is the
gospel. Hearing the gospel produces faith, which is essential to be
baptized (Rom.
10:17).
Repentance Is Essential to Scriptural Baptism
Repentance is a command of God for all men, Jew and Gentile
alike (Acts 17:30).
One must repent before he can be baptized
(Acts 2:38; Lk.
24:47). All men must repent or perish
(2 Pet. 3:9).
Godly sorrow for sin leads to repentance
(2 Cor. 7: 10).
The knowledge of the goodness of God leads to repentance
(Rom. 2:4).
The judgment of God causes men to repent
(Acts 17:30,31; 2
Cor. 5:10).
Repentance is a function of the will that resolves to abandon all sin
and diligently pursue the will of God. It begins with a knowledge of sin
and the conviction that one is a sinner. It is a sincere regret for sin;
a resolution to stop sinning now - a reformation of life and a
restoration of all things possible to righteous conduct before God.
True
repentance does not ask what price is to be paid; there is no desire to
save face; no self-justification. The worth and value of past deeds and
present standing are worthless. His sins become loathsome and repulsive.
He is willing to do anything God requires of him, no matter how painful.
Only God's word will produce true repentance.
A man
and woman who are in an unlawful marriage must repent before they can be
baptized. What will repentance require of them before they can be
scripturally baptized? They must cease the sinning, which means to
dissolve the adulterous marriage. Their sin is adultery. John the
Baptist told Herod, who had married his brother Phillip's wife, "It is
not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife"
(Mk. 6:17, 18).
Some
argue that "adultery" in
Matthew 19:9
is the act of marrying and does not refer to sexual sins. That is not
so! Jesus said if a man "looks" on a woman to lust after her, he has
committed adultery already with her in his heart
(Matt. 5:28).
That is not marriage; it is the act of sexual sin in the heart with the
spouse of another.
If
baptism washes away unlawful marriages, and makes them right, what about
the man who is married to two wives at the same time, may he keep both
of his wives after he has been baptized? If not, why not? Which one
should he keep, since he had both when he was "baptized"? Does
repentance demand that he put away one wife? If unlawful marriages are
made right by baptism, why would not the homosexuals who "marry" each
other be made right by baptism so that they could continue to live
together? Would you baptize two homosexuals who intended to continue
living together? The further down this road one goes, the more
unbelievable it becomes. Baptism will wash away polygamy and homosexual
marriages. It is no wonder that the advocates of this unholy doctrine
claim that aliens are not amenable to the law of Christ. If the alien is
not amenable to the law of Christ, he is not a sinner. Where there is no
law, there is no transgression
(Rom. 4:15).
Sin is the transgression of the law
(1 Jn. 3:4).
If he is not under the law of Christ, he does not sin and does not need
baptism, and there is no need to talk about what his baptism will wash
away. Marriage is not a function of the church, and baptism does nothing
to marriage.
Guardian of Truth - January, 1990
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