 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
by Roger A. Scully, Jr.
No doubt baptism washes away sins. Paul was told to "arise and be baptized washing away thy sins…" (Ac 22:16).
The Bible further teaches that the guilt of sin is equal, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one
point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery,
yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law" (Jms 2:10, 11). Since the guilt of sin is the same for all sins,
and since baptism washes away one's sins, why the question "What sins does baptism wash away?" We ask the
question because, in reality, baptism does not wash away all sins. Though this may seem to be contradictory to what
was just stated, it is not, and a proper understanding of this is of the utmost importance.
Baptism does not wash away any sins for which a person refuses to repent. When the apostles were asked, "Men
and brethren what shall we do," (Ac 2:37), Peter responded by saying, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins" (v.38). Notice the prerequisite to baptism—repentance.
Repentance is a change which takes place in the mind, which is then manifest in one's actions, thus repentance
means to turn from one thing to another. In this case it means to turn from sin to godliness. Now, since it is a
prerequisite, its failure results in baptism's affect (the washing away of sins) being lost. Repentance is of no less
importance as one's belief, "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mrk 16:16). If a person does not believe
it does that person no good to be baptized, just as with repentance—both are prerequisites.
Despite this clear Bible teaching many brethren are accepting people into their fellowship who have not repented of
their sins. They defend their actions by saying that baptism washed away their sins, but fail to realize that baptism
does not wash away any sins of which a person does not repent. Several months ago I was on the phone with a
preacher in West Virginia, (the preacher's name and congregation now alludes me) trying to locate a sound
congregation for one of our members who was to be traveling through the area. The discussion began pleasant, but
soon turned to one wherein the truth was in need of being defended (Jd 3). The preacher told me that the
congregation for whom he preached would accept into their fellowship a couple living in adultery if they were baptized,
despite the fact that they would continue to live in the adulterous relationship. I asked him how he could possibly justify
this, and he said, because baptism washes away sins. No, brethren. Baptism does not wash away a sin from which a
person does not turn. This "gospel preacher," so called, went on to explain that they had several people in their
congregation in that situation. These people are still in sin, for they never removed themselves from it, thus they did
nothing more than get wet, and are now living in false hope.
Just this week I spoke to a brother who explained that the congregation where he attends had baptized a couple
living in fornication, which continue to live in fornication. Again, the reasoning is that baptism washes away sins. And,
again we say NO! Not a sin from which a person refuses to turn.
Now those with whom I have the biggest problem is not those still living in sin, but with the preachers and elders who
are baptizing these people, giving them false hope by telling them that baptism is washing away their sins. It is not,
because there has been no repentance! In Acts 3:19 Peter said, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your
sins may be blotted out…" We know that the conversion about which Peter speaks is baptism, seeing as how only
through baptism can one's sins be blotted out. Yet, again he stated as a prerequisite that these people had to repent—
turn from their sin. Without their repentance their sins could not have been blotted out.
It is time that this false hope ceases. People need to be taught that in order for their sins to be remitted they must
first turn from them, which means that if they are living in adultery they stop; if they are living in fornication, they stop; if
one is a thief, he stops. Does baptism wash away sins? Yes, when the candidate repents.
