One of the big stumbling blocks to salvation is that the Devil has convinced many people that baptism must come after salvation because salvation is by faith only and baptism is a work. The result is that many people are not even prepared to entertain the essential nature of baptism because of this preconception. It is not that people are unintelligent or just plain silly, or anything remotely like that, but rather it is purely a function of the mindset that has been taught them. They have been conditioned to believe that if they were to believe baptism was essential to the salvation process, they would have given up on faith and grace and would be trying to save themselves by works.
But this raises another question: many who won’t be baptised in order to be saved because they believe it is a work of merit, are baptised after they believe they are saved: so, do they still believe in a meritorious work? Is there such a thing as a meritorious work in Christianity? There is a work of faith (1 Thess. 1:3), but we stand by grace (Rom. 5:2) and we walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7). We were saved by the gospel (those of us who have obeyed it) and we continue to stand by the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1,2). Do everything commanded and we are still unprofitable servants. There is no meritorious work in Christ. We never outgrow the need for grace and mercy. The process that saved us is what continues to keep us saved.
Salvation is not by faith alone: Jas. 2:24 is the only place where the expression faith only is found and it says we are NOT saved by faith only!
We are saved by many things (grace, mercy, blood, obedience etc.) and ,thus, not by faith only. Saving faith must be a living faith, and a living faith is a working faith (cf. Jas. 2).
To say that one is saved by faith only and not by works is to fail to understand that belief is a work (John 6:29). So obviously, when scripture says we are not saved by works, it has a certain kind of works in mind: that is, what we would call meritorious works – works that are thought to earn salvation.
As an aside, who would think upon witnessing a baptism that the baptised worked? That would be like saying that the person carried on a stretcher did the work when it is the stretcher-bearers that do the work! Who is the one who has to be careful of their back? Who has to make sure they lower the person against the current of the stream, not with it? Baptism is an act of submission. Note the use of the passive in the text. (Passive in Greek is used of action received, not action performed.)
Matt.3:6 – imperfect passive
Matt. 3:11 – active
Matt. 28:19 – pres part act
Mark 16:16 – aor1, part, pass
Acts 2:38 – aor1, imper,pass
Acts 2:”41 – aor1, ind, pass
Acts 8:36 – aor1, infin, pass
Acts 8:38 – aor1 ind, act
Acts 9:18 – aor1, pass
Acts 22:16 – aor1, imper, mid
Rom. 6:3 – aor1, ind, pass
Gal. 3:27 – aor1, ind, pass
So, to summarise, those doing the baptising are in the active (eg. Acts 8:38), whilst those being baptised are put in the passive (or middle).
Even as belief is a work of God, so is baptism (Col. 2:11,12). No man can perform surgery upon himself to cut away his sins. But Christ can perform this circumcision made without hands. This saving work of Christ is done by Him in baptism. That submitting to baptism is not a “work of righteousness” that earns salvation is easily seen in Titus 3:5. Note that this “washing of regeneration” is not a work of righteousness (personal achievement). Can a man regenerate himself? Obviously not: only God can do that. Note it says that it is because of His Mercy, by or through (dia – a preposition with a genitive which speaks of immediate agency, causation, instrumentality – cf. John 1:3). By or through what? A washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. This is the agency by which God accomplishes salvation. Baptism is not a symbol of salvation already received, but the means by which salvation is received. Is Christ separated from baptism? By no means – cf. Rom. 6:3,4. This does what no works of righteousness could do. So it is important that we find out what this washing of regeneration and renewing of the Hold Spirit is. Once we have found out what it is, we cannot then turn around and call it a human, meritorious, grace-denying work!
What is the washing of regeneration? Scholars are almost unanimous in proclaiming that this is baptism. Thayer in his lexicon under the Greek word for “washing” as seen in this verse says, used in the New Testament and in ecclesiastical writing of baptism. Bauer, Arndt, and Gringrich say bath, washing of baptism. Marvin Vincent in his Word Studies In The New Testament says, the phrase laver of regeneration distinctly refers to baptism, in connection with which and through which as a medium regeneration is conceived as taking place. Comp. Rom. vi.3-5. It is true that nothing is said of faith: but Baptism implies faith on the part of its recipient. It has no regenerating effect apart from faith…..in many ways Titus 3:5 reminds us of Acts 22:16. Both verses show to us how essential baptism is in the plan of God. In Acts 22:16, it teaches baptism washes away sins. In Titus 3:5 we have baptism pictured as a “washing of regeneration”. It is at the point of baptism that God has chosen, according to His mercy, to grant unto us the forgiveness of our past sins……
Matthew Henry writes in his commentary,……baptism, called therefore the washing of regeneration. Wesley and Clarke write, the laver of regeneration, that is, baptism….. The Pulpit Commentary has…..it very fitly describes the new birth in holy baptism….and the laver of baptism is called the “laver of regeneration” because it is the ordained means by or through which regeneration is obtained.
What is regeneration? This is paliggevesia, from palin – “again, back again”, and genesis – “creation, beginning”. So it is a washing that recreates. What could this be?
Note 2 Cor. 5:17 tells us that we are new creature in Christ. How do we get into Christ? – baptism (cf. Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3-6). This also relates to John 3:5,7 and the new birth, which is a birth of water and the Spirit. This also relates to Eph. 5:25-27 with its reference to washing of water by the word this sanctifies and cleanses the bride of Christ.
So, note the comparison:
Titus 3:5 John 3:5-7 Eph. 5:25-27
washing of regeneration born of water washing of water
renewing of the Holy Spirit and of the Spirit by the word
(Note: the Hold Spirit doesn’t need renewing – man does)
This it is apparent that there is a washing that is unique. We all wash many times during our life, but can we say that any nor all of these washings save us? I think it is apparent that the answer must be “No”. Could we conceive of a system whereby if one jumped into a creek or the sea or even a bathtub they were automatically saved? There would be universal salvation and without faith on most accounts. No, but there is a washing that is connected with the Holy Spirit. It is He who has communicated through His word that there is a special washing that regenerates or saves, and it is He who has communicated through His word its design and prerequisites. Unless we conform to what the Spirit has said about this washing, we cannot in any sense be said to be obedient to God’s will (cf. Matt.7:21).
Again, we must say that the washing is in water (John 3:5, 23; Acts 8, 10 etc.):- we are not washed in regeneration, and neither are we washed in the Holy Spirit, that being something promised to the apostles (Jn. 14,15,16) and demonstrated before Peter and his Jewish brethren on the household of Cornelius (Acts 10,11).
Baptism into Christ is the washing that regenerates because it is at the point at which sins are washed away – Acts 22:16. This is what Jesus told His disciples to preach in the accounts of the Great Commission (Mark 16:15,16). Note that belief and baptism both precede salvation.