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"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.
H.
E. Phillips
Guardian of Truth - January 1990
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