I understand the fact that all sins are deadly sins and that we will be judged accordingly.  I know that as Christians, we must repent.  My question is: what about the sins that were committed before baptism?  I understand that baptism washes away sins, but ANY and ALL sins??  What about murder and/or abortion?  Thanks for this website; I know this will help with questions in the future.

Sincerely,
What About The REALLY Bad Stuff?

Dear What About The REALLY Bad Stuff,

Baptism washes away all sins because baptism buries the old you.  Baptism is a burial with Christ (Rom 6:3-4).  The old sinful you is gone when you come out of the water.  Jesus’ death on the cross paid the price for all our sins (1 Jn 1:7).  There is no sin that is beyond the power of Christ’s blood to remove.

     My preacher seems to think the Bible was written on a 5^th grade level, and it’s all understandable, and no question requires more than the Bible itself to explain it.  I would like to think that is true, but I really don't believe it is.  What did you think?

Sincerely,
It’s Complicated

Dear It’s Complicated,

Most accurate Bible translations are written using language that is at a tenth to twelfth grade reading level – simple enough to understand, but still requiring some work.  The Bible isn’t just for the intellectual and elitely smart; Paul even said that most of the wise of the world aren’t interested in the Bible because it is too simple for their tastes (1 Cor 1:20).
The Bible does take work to understand (even Peter said that some of the things Paul wrote are difficult – 2 Pet 3:15-16), but on the other hand, if we put the work in, the Bible is all we need.  The sum of God’s Word will always give you the truth (Ps 119:160).  If we study it fervently and with care, we will be able to rightly divide the Word (2 Tim 2:15).

I was looking into your archives, and I noticed something about Jews keeping the Sabbath holy, not christians.  Can you explain that according to Scripture, since we are spiritual Israel?

Sincerely,
On Sabbatical

Dear On Sabbatical,

Christianity is the spiritual Israel (Gal 6:15-16).  Christianity has replaced Judaism and the Old Testament law.  Physical Israel was merely a shadow of that which was to come (Heb 10:1).  The law to obey the Sabbath was a part of the Old Testament law (Ex 20:8).  The Old Testament law has been replaced by a better covenant (Heb 8:4-7).  God tells us that when Christ died for our sins, He nailed the Old Law to the cross (Col 2:14).  Under the new law (the New Testament), we are told to no longer regard the Sabbath as holy (Col 2:16-17).  The things written in the Old Testament are a great example to christians (1 Cor 10:11), but they are no longer binding.  The Old Testament was a tutor to lead mankind to Christ, but now that Christ is here, we are no longer under that tutor (Gal 3:24-25).

[This question is a follow-up to “Crucifying The Old Man Pt. 2”]

I guess I didn't ask my question very well about the "died to sin" post.  So I will try to reiterate.

My preacher does believe that baptism is necessary for salvation.  He is a long-time preacher in the church of Christ.  He just doesn't believe that the "died to sin" in Romans 6 or the crucifixion we undergo is at baptism; he says our death is at repentance.  He draws a chart on the board and shows how repentance is our death; baptism is our burial.  He says you can't bury a living man, so you must kill him, and that is at repentance.  My understanding is that repentance is a change of direction, but not the crucifixion we participate in with Christ and when we die to sin by Him paying the price for our sins.  Where in the Bible is repentance represented as killing off the old man of sin?  Paul was penitent for three days prior to baptism.  Was he a "dead man" walking in need of a burial?  Or did he still need to "die with Christ"?  I'm concerned that if we say repentance is the death with Christ then we have minimized baptism to merely an act.

My preacher thinks I'm "quibbling" over this point, and he focuses on the fact that people didn't wait to be baptized; they "killed the old man", then buried him. But I have read much disagreement and feel there is something missing with what is being taught, so I could use some more help. Thanks for addressing my questions!

Sincerely,
To The Water!

Dear To The Water,

The problem we see with teaching that repentance is the point of death is that Rom 6:3 specifically says that we are baptized into Jesus’ death.  We have a hard time getting around the plain wording of the text.  The idea that repentance is when you die doesn’t have any sort of straightforward text to back it up.
Though it is good that this preacher still makes it clear that baptism is necessary for salvation (after all, using his logic, we would still need to be resurrected with Christ, which is what happens when we come out of the water – Rom 6:4), we believe he is complicating a subject that is actually quite simple.  There is no doubt that we need to repent as a precursor to baptism, but baptism is the point of death, burial, and resurrection with Christ, exactly as Rom 6:3-5 says.

Who opens your heart to receive Christ as Savior?  Is the answer simply 'God'?

Sincerely,
Looking For A Key

Dear Looking For A Key,

Yes, the Lord opens our hearts to heed the message of salvation (Acts 16:14), but there isn’t anything miraculous in it.  He opens our hearts because His message is true, and those who seek truth are drawn to it.  God promises that if we seek truth, He will open the door for us (Matt 7:7).  When people are honest and legitimately hungering for truth – God promises they will be filled (Matt 5:6).  God chose a particular type of person for salvation… the kind of person honest enough to listen and obey the Bible (Jas 1:25).