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

I wanted to follow up on the post about Romans 6 and "died to sin":

I have read several commentaries, and all have a little different opinion.  Zerr seems to take "died to sin" is at repentance, but others agree with you and I and put it at baptism.  My preacher likes Zerr, and this topic has been a bane of contention in our studies on salvation.  I really believe it is important to understand the importance of baptism is a death with Christ that occurs when we are crucified with Him and baptized into His death.  Is this disagreement important enough for me to lose sleep over?  Thanks!

P.S. Love the coffee cup daily videos!

Sincerely,
To The Water!

Dear To The Water,

The most well-documented and clearest doctrine in the New Testament is baptism… yet, it is also the most commonly ignored topic in the religious world.  It is impossible to be saved without being baptized.  Peter said it best when he said, “Baptism saves you” (1 Pet 3:21).  Every person that became a christian in the New Testament was baptized – immediately.  You won’t find a single person in the book of Acts that wasn’t baptized.  When the first sermon was preached after Christ ascended into heaven, the apostles told the people that they needed to “repent and be baptized… for the remission of their sins” (Acts 2:38).  Paul tells us that baptism is a burial with Christ, and only after that burial do we receive a new life (Rom 6:3-4).  Baptism was so important to Paul that he was baptized even before eating or drinking (Acts 9:18-19), which shows how important it is because Paul hadn’t had food or water in three days (Acts 9:9)!  Belief is not enough; even the demons believe in God (Jas 2:19).  It is only when our belief is combined with obedience that we have living faith (Jas 2:17-18), and the very first command to obey that God gives us is to be baptized in the name of His Son (Matt 28:19, Mk 16:16).
The reason that your preacher is standing so firmly against the necessity of baptism is because once he says baptism is necessary to salvation, he is agreeing that there are works we must do to be saved.  The religious world as a whole argues against baptism because it opens the door to accountability.  If we are accountable for our behavior, then we can be lost if we fail to live faithfully.  It all traces back to a religious movement called Calvinism (read “Calvin and Sobs” for more details).  John Calvin taught that since we are saved by faith, what we do doesn’t matter – but the Bible says the exact opposite (Jas 2:20-26)!
This is an issue worth losing sleep over because your preacher isn’t teaching people what it takes to be saved!  If he isn’t baptizing for salvation, then he isn’t teaching people how to be saved!  If the foundation of a religion is wrong, everything else crumbles.

It's Monday! How about a cup of God's Word to keep you going? Chapter 5 of Matthew awaits!

5 minutes a day 5 days a week 1 New Testament in a year There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal. Happy Studying! "The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5 Click here for a pdf of the study schedule - CLICK HERE

What does God's Word say about a woman preaching in the church?

Sincerely,
Chatty Cathy

Dear Chatty Cathy,

It says she can’t do it.  1 Cor 14:34-35 makes it clear that women are not supposed to be in leadership positions during the church assembly.  Women have a zillion different roles within the church, but leading the public assembly isn’t one of them.  Men have the responsibility of preaching, teaching, and leading the worship services (1 Tim 2:12).  In today’s politically correct atmosphere, this can be hard for some to swallow, but as Paul said, “We have no other custom” on this topic (1 Cor 11:16).  There is simply no Biblical precedence for women preachers.

Can you please give some Christian advice for single women?  How should we wait for God to bring a man into our life?

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Waiting On God

Dear Waiting On God,

The Bible gives no specific statements about how to look for a future spouse. God instead speaks to the attitudes we must have and the dangers that exist in the world of romance.

1. Don’t force it.  Song of Solomon is an entire book devoted to romance and marriage.  The chorus of that book is the same over and over (Songs 2:7) – it is a warning to avoid forcing relationships merely for the ‘fun’ of romance.
2. Who they are matters more than how they look.  The Bible praises godly spouses for their character (Pr 31:10).  Beauty fades, but one’s values endure.  Make sure you are spending your time getting to know people for who they are and for what they find important.
3. Surround yourself with godly advice.  When we are in the here and now of a romantic relationship, we often get caught up with our emotions and lose perspective.  That makes it especially important to get the advice of those around you who are wiser and less biased.  Parents, grandparents, and other trusted advisors should be sought out as you search for a mate.  Surrounding yourself with many good counselors protects you from making a emotional decision that has lifelong consequences (Pr 11:14).
4. Godly spouses are found by being godly people.  Look at the book of Ruth - Ruth had no reason to hope for a good marriage.  She was a widow, poor, a foreigner, and even had a dependent mother-in-law "holding her back", and yet, she ends up marrying a wonderful godly man who noticed her because she was godly.  Birds of a feather flock together.  If you want a good spouse, be a good person; good potential mates will gravitate toward you.

Marriage is one of the greatest blessings that God gives mankind.  If we do it God’s way, finding a spouse can be a joy and lead to a lifetime of happiness.

[This question is in regard to our Daily Cup reading series: Day 3 – Matt 3]

Day 3: If John didn't know who Jesus was, why did he say, "I have need to be baptized by You”?  Mary and Elizabeth knew who Jesus really was… right?

Sincerely,
Distant Cousins

Dear Distant Cousins,

If the only account of Jesus’ baptism we had was Matthew 3, we would have every reason to believe that John the Baptist knew Jesus was the Savior before His baptism, but in Jhn 1:32-33, John the Baptist says, “I knew Him not”.  John explains that God had told him to go and preach, preparing the people for the Christ who was to come, and he would know the Christ had come when he saw the Holy Spirit descending on Him (Jhn 1:33).

It is true that Mary and Elizabeth had been told about Jesus’ unique future at His birth (Lk 1:39-43), but that was thirty years ago (Lk 3:23), and we know that by the time Jesus began preaching, Jesus’ family didn’t believe Him to be Lord (Jhn 7:5).

So why would John the Baptist tell Jesus that he needed to be baptized by Him?  John said that he didn’t know Jesus as Savior, but he did know Jesus as a man.  After all, they were related to each other (Lk 1:36).  The most likely reason for John’s request to be baptized by Jesus is that he was so impressed by his cousin’s character and morality that John believed Jesus to be a truly great man.  He was more right than he knew!