Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned.
When the Jews tried to do away with the Lord Jesus, they cried, "His blood be upon us and upon our children!" (Matt. 27:25). Although we are not the ones who killed the Lord Jesus, our forefathers did. Even though we did not commit the act, the corporate body to which we belong did. The corporate body to which we belong is an enemy of God and is condemned to perish. I hope you can see not only that we are sinners individually and need to be saved individually, but that we also belong to a corporate body which is wrong. We need to be delivered from that relationship and that position. What then is baptism? Baptism is a deliverance. Believing is on the positive side and baptism is on the negative side. Baptism delivers you out of that corporate body. Many people in the world may say that you are one of them. But the moment you are baptized, they will realize you are finished. "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved." This is true because once a person believes and is baptized, everyone will know where he stands. Without believing, there is no inward reality, and what one does will be nothing but an outward display. With believing, there is inward reality, and if one takes a further step to be baptized, he will be separated from the world, having terminated his relationship with it. Baptism is an open declaration that one has come out.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Watchman Nee, Messages for Building Up New Believers, pp. 20-21. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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