Baptism: Part 2 - How Are We Born Again?

This is the second part of the series on Baptism. If you're just tuning in, the series begins with Baptism: Part 1 - Does it Save Us?

How Are We Born Again?
Some suggest we are born again, given a new nature, made a new creation, when we first start believing. When the jailer asked the Apostle Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30), Saint Paul instructs, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved”. Most minimalists stop reading and conclude that simply ‘believing’ is all that is required. Therefore, Baptism is ‘optional’, right?

However, if we keep reading the passage in it’s entirety, we see how this conclusion is ignorant of the context:

“Men, what must I do to be saved? And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds and he was baptized at once, with all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them and he rejoiced with all his household that he had believed in God.” (Acts 16:30-34).

It’s when we read the entire passage that we see how “believing” and “baptizing” are bonded together. They preached the gospel and then immediately took him that same hour to be baptized. What is important to note is that the rejoicing occurred only after their family was baptized. If the family was ‘saved’ prior (and the Baptism was really just a public declaration of faith), what was the urgency to baptize, especially since verse 25 informs us that it was the middle of the night! The entire house celebrated with prepared food, only after the Baptism was complete. If this was merely a ‘public declaration’, who would have been around to witness it, in the middle of the night?

Even the Apostle Paul expressed urgency to get baptized when he had experienced conversion, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). St. Paul recognized that it was through the Sacrament of Baptism that our sins are truly washed away.

Many modern-day Bible-alone Christians, suggest that, all that is required in order to be saved is to, “accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour” and recite the sinner’s prayer. Many believe that Baptism is simply just a public declaration of faith already obtained. The unfortunate reality is that no where in Scripture is this recent doctrinal evolution outlined.

We are instructed to “believe and be baptized” and to “call on the name of the Lord” for the forgiveness of our sins, among other things. There is no sinner’s prayer in the Bible, and no example of someone being ‘saved’ by simply reciting such a prayer. Furthermore, the idea that Baptism is only symbolic and simply a public declaration is contrary to the evidence we see from Scripture in Part 1 of baptismal regeneration. A quick glance through the New Testament reveals a number of things we must do (moved and enabled by grace) in order to be saved (and this is by no means a comprehensive list). We are saved by:

- Becoming like a child (Matthew18:3).
- Forgiving others (Matthew 6:15).
- Calling upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13).
- Confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9).
- Being baptized (Acts 2:38-29, Mark 16:16).
- Repenting (Luke 13:3).
- Believing (John 3:16, Acts 16:31).
- Eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood (John 6:53).
- Working out our salvation in fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).
- Patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality (Romans 2:6).
- Steadfastness (James 1:4).
- Enduring (Matthew 24:13).
- Being born again of water and spirit (John 3:3-7).
- Asking and knocking  (Matthew 7:7).
- Righteousness (1 Corinthians 6:9).
- Keeping Jesus' commands (John 14:21).
- Grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The minimalist’s tendency is to reduce salvation down to a single thing, typically just “believing” in Jesus. We need to consider what the word "believe" means, which is a verb, an acton word, something we do. James 2:19 tells us a mere assent of believing isn’t enough, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”. How can we take away any one of these requirements of salvation? How can we proclaim that even one of these alone is enough to save, when clearly Christ commanded more than a mere assent of faith.

The false dichotomy created by minimalists suggests that we are either saved by water baptism OR by believing. They tend to pit Jesus' commands against Jesus alone saying, "It's either Jesus + baptism, or Jesus + commands, or just Jesus alone". However, it’s not either/or, it’s all of the above. For example, if Christ tells us that we cannot be saved unless we forgive others, how can we claim it’s by faith alone? How does one get to Heaven if they have faith (alone), but deliberately hasn’t forgiven another, knowing Jesus commands this in order to be saved? We need Jesus, faith, grace, repentance, forgiveness, etc. all of the above.

Jesus addresses being born again, becoming a new creation specifically. How is it that we are born again? Jesus tells us simply:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again [regenerated], he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

Nicodemus was confused by this and asked, “How can a man be born again when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4).
Jesus clarifies:

“Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

What is the only way Scripture tells us we are born of the Spirit? Through water Baptism. Jesus gave the example for us, He went into the water, the Heaven’s opened up, the Holy Spirit manifested Himself in the form of a dove and remained on Him. We see the sign of Baptism being the water and the effect being the Spirit. Jesus reaffirms this in John 3:5, we must be born of “water and spirit”. When we look back at Genesis, we see the parallel between Baptism and creation.

“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light…” (Genesis 1:2-3).

We see that the earth was dark and empty, similar to our state of sin prior to being made new. Then the Holy Spirit hovered over the water and God made a new creation. This is what happens in Baptism. God uses water and the Spirit to make a new creation in us. There are numerous other examples of the pairing of water and the Spirit together, such as when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. God gave a great cloud (also hovering over the water) to lead His people out of slavery and saves them by going through the water (Exodus 14).We see a clever divine continuity throughout the Scriptures of "water and Spirit".

The first Christians understood the correlation between water Baptism and being born again. Every church father who wrote on John 3:3-7 equated being 'born again' with water Baptism. Among the numerous church fathers who wrote on this subject is Justin Martyr in the second Century:

"As many as are persuaded and believe that what we [Christians] teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly . . . are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, ‘Except you be born again, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven’ [John 3:3]" (First Apology 61 [A.D. 151]).

Still, some modern Bible-alone Christians might argue that we are not born again through Baptism. We should pay close attention to John's Gospel, written much later than any of the other Gospel accounts, having the testimonies carefully chosen and placed. Right before Jesus stated that we must be born again, He Himself was baptized. Immediately after that, Jesus and His disciples went throughout the land baptizing! (John 3:22). This is no coincidence. Jesus’ last instruction to His Apostles was to, “make disciples of all nations”. How were they to do this? By, “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded” (Matthew 28:19). We become a follower of Christ by believing and being baptized. This is where our journey begins.

"He that believes and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16).

The Apostle Paul reaffirms this in his early epistles. He tells the first Christians how we are made part of the body of Christ, through baptism:

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).

Saint Paul goes on to tell the Galatians,

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

The only two times the phrase “born again” is mentioned in Scripture, it’s in the context of water Baptism. The simple fact is, that there is no Scriptural evidence that we are born again, made a new creation, by simply ‘believing’ alone. Scripture reveals to us that we are born again, regenerated, forgiven, cleansed of sin, made a new creation, and become part of the body of Christ through Baptism.

Up next, Baptism: Part 2 - Full Immersion Only?