I was once asked this question; ‘if baptism is so important, why don’t the apostles teach more about it in their letters’?

The answer is simple; these letters are written to those who have already believed, and have already been baptised.

This is why it says, "In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men, but with the circumcision done by Christ.  Having been buried with him through baptism, and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead." (Col. 2:11-12)  

 

These letters are not an outreach to the unsaved, they are encouragement and teaching for those already “in Christ”.  In these letters, the apostles continue with Christ’s instructions by- “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20)   

 

  It is made perfectly clear in the following passages.

 

Gal.3:26-27 “ You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ”

 

Rom. 6:1-8  “What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means!  We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?  Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ were baptised into his death.  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  If we have been united with Him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.  For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we also live with Him.”    

 

If we read this passage honestly; it is impossible to deny that it is written to people who have already been “buried with Him through baptism”.  Paul writes about being “united with Him in His resurrection” and being “freed from sin” but he qualifies it by saying “if we have been united with Him like this in His death” (baptised). 

 

So, if we have not been “united with Him like this in His death” (through baptism), then the rest of the passage about “resurrection”, “new life” and being “freed from sin” does not apply to us. 

 

This theme is continued through to the end of chapter 6 and into chapter 7.  It says in Rom 6:23  “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.”  It goes on to say  “Do you not know, brothers......that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?” (Rom. 7:1)  So according to this passage, the law no longer has authority over us because we died to sin through baptism into Christ.  We have been freed from sin and our new life has begun under grace.  That’s why it says  “So my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ” (Rom. 7:4),.  Once again, this is referring back to the earlier statement about baptism - “if we have been united with Him like this in His death”. (Rom. 6:5)

So a simple pattern is laid out for us:  We are all sinners and the wages for our sin is death.  We died by being united with Christ in his death, through baptism.  IT”S NOT COMPLICATED!  It says, “our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with”. (Rom. 6:6)  Because we have been united with him in his death, our sins are forgiven and we are being called to a new way of life, which is not led by the flesh.  That is why Paul wrote “We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Rom. 6:2) 

 

We cannot afford to take this gift for granted.  If the Lord has given us second birth, then our new life belongs to him.  As it is written, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies." (1 Cor. 6:19-20).    

 

 

In Colossians chapter 2, we find the same teaching as in Romans chapter 6. - “For in Christ all the fulness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fulness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.  In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done with the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.  When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.  He forgave us our sins, having cancelled the written code, with it’s regulations, that was against us and stood opposed to us; nailing it to the cross.” (Col. 2:9-15)

Once again, it is written to those who have already been baptised and have received forgiveness for their sins. - “having been buried with Him in baptism”  and “He forgave us our sins,”

In verse 10 we read “and you have been given fulness in Christ”, this is qualified in vs.12, where it says, “having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God” and then in verse 20, “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world”.   In Col. 3:1, the writer is referring back to baptism when he writes “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above.” and again in Col. 3:3 “For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” 

The theme is the same throughout this passage of scripture, and it is clear that all the other statements depend on “having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God”.  So, once again, if we have not been “buried with him in baptism” then the rest this passage does not apply to us.  

 

Peter writes  “To God’s elect, strangers in the world” (1 Peter 1:1).  It is clear once again that these letters are not written to the world at large.   He writes, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has given us new birth into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  (1 Peter 1:3)

And  “For you have been born again not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God”  (1 Peter 1:23)

As well as, "God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.  In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolises baptism that now saves you also - not the removal of dirt from the body but a pledge of good conscience towards God.  It saves you by the resurrection of Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand.” (1 Peter 3:21).

 

All these things have already been achieved in those he writes to;   It reads, “has given us new life” not ‘will give us new life’.  It reads “you have been born again”, not ‘must be born again’.  And it reads “Baptism that now saves you also”, and “it saves you by the resurrection of Christ”, not ‘baptism that will save you’. 

Just as in Romans, Colossians and all the other epistles, the people that Peter is writing to have already been given “new birth”.  They are already “born again”.  They have already been through “baptism”.  There is no need to tell those who are already baptised, to get baptised.