We're going to read together in the Gospel of Matthew and the twenty-eighth chapter, Matthew's Gospel and the chapter twenty-eight. And we'll commence at verse nine. Verse nine of the Gospel of Matthew chapter twenty-eight. Let us hear God's Word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid, go tell my brethren that they go unto Galilee, and there shall they see me. Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city and showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And it is come to the governor's ears, We will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught, and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain, where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen and amen. We know the Lord will add His blessing to the reading of His own infallible truth. Well, bow in prayer just now again. Let's unite our hearts before the Lord. and let us seek His face for His blessing upon our souls, everyone bowing together, and each believer laying hold on the Lord for His help as we gather around His Word. Our God and our Eternal Father, we thank Thee that we're privileged now to turn to the Scriptures and consider Thy Word that is before us, and we pray, Lord, The Holy Spirit will take the truth that we will view today and that He will bear at home to every heart and to every soul. We ask, O God, that Thy Spirit will enlighten our minds, that He will open up our hearts to see Thee and to hear from Thee in Thine own Word. Bless every brother and sister before Thee. And those, Lord, who gather with us still in their own regenerate state, we pray that Thy Spirit might deal with them and that the Spirit of God this day will take the Word and apply it to them. Hear and answer prayer. Abide with us. Breathe on us. For this we ask in Jesus' name and for His sake and for His glory. Amen. Matthew 28. Turn there, please, and we will read again the last few verses of the chapter. Verse 18, And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Our confession of faith and our church catechisms teach the institution by Christ of the two sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper. In answer to question 92, it is stated, that is in the catechism, a sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ wherein, by sensible signs, Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to believers." The catechism then goes on in question 93 in answer to it to say, "...the sacraments of the New Testament are baptism and the Lord's Supper." Now, these statements have been taught to generations of young people within historic Presbyterianism in the ages since the Westminster Assembly met, which was back, of course, in the 1640s. And as a church, we still teach the Catechism, believing these statements to be founded on and in agreement with the Word of God, the only infallible rule for faith and practice. Now, that definition from the Catechism uses the word sacrament. A sacrament is, and goes on to give the definition, the word sacrament is Latin in origin. It simply signifies a holy or a sacred truth. The problem is that throughout time, many of the Lord's people have disliked the word sacrament, preferring to use instead the word ordinance. because of the misuse of the sacraments. Not the misuse of the word, but the misuse of the sacraments by the apostate system of Romanism. You see, Romanism views the sacraments as absolutely necessary to salvation, teaching that saving grace is actually conveyed to sinners by means of these ordinances or these sacraments. And that's a position that is known as sacramentalism. You may have heard the term. It's always associated with Rome's erroneous views of the sacraments, sacramentalism, and therefore many, as I say, don't like the word sacrament at all. But not only does Rome misuse these sacraments through her erroneous teaching and practices, she also adds to them. You may be aware that in the Church of Rome's theology there are seven sacraments, not only baptism, which he calls the Mass, but there's confirmation, penance, holy orders, marriage, and then extremumction, which is another way of referring to the last rites. But she has added five other sacraments to those that are found in the New Testament, so she has no biblical warrant whatsoever for doing so. Her addition of these five to the original two that the Lord instituted is an arrogant step, it is an arrogant delusion, it is a great deception, it is a rejection of the Word of God. but this is what the word sacrament means. It's simply a reference to what I have called a holy or a sacred oath in a very real sense. That's the meaning of the word sacrament. But in nature, what is a sacrament? Call them what we will, whether sacraments or ordinances, the point is that the Lord Jesus Christ appointed or instituted both baptism and the Lord's Supper. Furthermore, our Saviour did so in order to have them correspond to and replace the two Old Testament sacraments, ordinances, that is circumcision and the Passover. But the vital thing is that we need to understand what a sacrament actually is. And that's why it's so good to have the Catechism, because it gives you a definition of a sacrament, and that definition is of course taken from or based upon the Word of the Living God. A sacrament, as I explain it to you right now at this point in the service, is first of all an outward visible sign. It is biblically correct, therefore, to speak of, as it does in the Catechism, of these sacraments being signs, because in baptism there is the use of water, physical water, of course. In the Lord's Supper there are the two elements of bread and the juice of the grape. You see, our catechism actually refers to them as sensible signs. And I know whenever I learned the catechism as a boy, I could never understand what this word was. And nobody ever explained it to me. I never asked. But it was never explained to me. Sensible signs? Have you ever wondered about that? Well, what it simply means is that these signs appeal to our senses. That's simply what it signifies. The water of baptism is visible to us. And in communion, the bread and the wine can be seen and can be handled and can be tasted by us. And therefore, they are sensible signs. They appeal to our senses. Our senses sense them or our senses detect that these are real signs that we are handling or that we are experiencing. You think of the eunuch in Acts chapter 8 when he came to be baptized and what did he say to Philip? See, here is water. And obviously Philip had instructed the man already about baptism and he said, well, here's water. In other words, he realized that in baptism there's the sign to be used. There's the sensible sign of water. Sensible in that sense it appeals to the senses. When the Lord instituted the Lord's Supper, He placed bread and wine in the hands of the apostles so that they actually held the elements and they tasted them and they seen them. So in using the word sign with regard to the sacraments or the ordinances, it is being underlined that baptism and the Lord's Supper are actually object lessons that teach us spiritual truths. That's really the great significance of their being called signs, sensible signs. They are object lessons that teach us spiritual truths. Do not forget that. When you take the Lord's Supper, for example, and you take the bread or you drink the cup, remember that you are using that which the Lord Himself actually appointed. He actually has given to His people these signs that they can taste and see and handle and so on. And as you partake of them, you are therefore engaged in an object lesson, really, by which you are taught spiritual truth, the truth that pertains to Christ and His work for us and in us. and the spiritual and the saving benefits that come from the Lord Jesus Christ to His people. So a sacrament is a visible outward sign. Furthermore, a sacrament is a sign that is indicative of an inward work of grace. That's in addition to what I've already said. It is indicative, a sacrament is indicative of an inward work of grace. Now, both sacraments signify the inward work of God's saving grace. In the case of baptism, and I will deal with this more today, a little later, but right now may I simply say this, that in the case of baptism there is signified our experience of union with the Lord Jesus Christ, the new birth, of being washed from sin to walk in newness of life. That's what baptism actually signifies, that inward work of grace. Then in the Lord's Supper there is signified the experience. And notice how I keep using the word experience, because this is very important. They are signs, as I say, of an inward work of grace. And my friend, that's experiential, that inward work of grace. The sign and baptism of our union with the Lord, our new birth, being engrafted into Christ. And then in the Lord's Supper, there's signified the removal of sin's guilt. and our acceptance before God through the once and for all sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. A sacrament, therefore, is a sign that is indicative of an inward work of grace. And as you hear me say that, give you those few details, you'll notice right away how vital it is to notice this. The sacraments themselves do not confer grace on anybody. Rather, they are signs of that inward work of grace that the Lord performs, that the Lord initiates, and that the Lord confers. But these sacraments themselves do not confer grace to anyone at any time. That's very important. They are mere signs. And I say mere signs, I don't minimize their importance, I'm just simply saying they're signs, visible, outward signs of an inward work of grace. But then a sacrament is also a seal to the believer of his salvation. Now, in Romans 4 verse 11, and I've given you the words in my notes, but if you want to look at the verse as a whole, you may do that, but simply in that verse you'll find these words that Abraham received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had." I repeat those words for emphasis. Abraham received the sign of circumcision. And then it goes on to say, "...a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had." Now here are the two words. Sign and seal, used right here in Romans 4 verse 11. They're used, of course, with regard to the Old Testament ordinance of circumcision. Circumcision was both a sign and a seal. But since in the New Testament church, and we'll deal with this more in the next message, by the way, but in the New Testament church, circumcision has replaced. Sorry, baptism has replaced circumcision as the sign of the covenant. That means that we can take these very words here and apply them to baptism and indeed to the Lord's Supper. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are not only signs, but the Word of God teaches they are seals. Now, the two sacraments that I said are visible signs of the inward work of grace, but they're also seals in a certain sense. And what does that mean? Well, when we meditate on, when we dwell on the Lord's Supper, its meaning and so on, and when we meditate on our baptism, that is on the truth, relating to baptism, on the great gospel truths relating to baptism and the Lord's Supper. As we dwell on those truths that are symbolized or signed in the sacraments, then the Holy Spirit applies those truths to our hearts. And in other words, He seals them to our souls. And in that sense, the ordinances, the sacraments are not only signs, but they are seals to the hearts of God's people. As you dwell on the meaning of baptism, as you dwell on the meaning and significance of the Lord's Supper, you're dwelling on truth. You're dwelling on revealed truth. And the Holy Spirit then, as you partake of the Lord's Supper, for example, or you think on your baptism, because you only can be baptized once, of course, as you dwell in those truths related to those signs, the Holy Spirit uses those truths to affirm within your soul, to confirm to your heart the truth of what is symbolized in the sacraments. That's simply what our catechism, our confession of faith, means when it uses the word seal in relation to the sacraments. simply as saying that the truths that are signified or symbolized by the sacraments, the Holy Spirit applies those truths to us as we meditate on them, as we dwell on them, and therefore they become in that sense a seal to the Christian, an affirmation to the Christian of the truth that is represented. And then, of course, there is the observance of the sacraments. Because as we noticed, a sacrament is an outward visible sign of an inward work of grace, a seal or an affirmation to the soul of the believer of the truths that are symbolized. But the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded that these two sacraments be observed by His people. You see, the observance of them, and I want to say this today very clearly, the observance of them is not optional. Rather, it is obligatory. It is commanded by Jesus Christ. That's what makes it obligatory. That's why it's not optional for the child of God to apply his or her heart to the observance of the ordinances, the sacraments that we're thinking about at this present time. It is because Jesus Christ has commanded them, as we see here with regard to baptism at the end of chapter 28 of Matthew, or other places when we read about the Lord's Supper, the Lord says, this do in remembrance of it. As a commanding believer, it is therefore obliging upon you. to observe the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper. Now, over the last few months, I have been preaching a series of messages on Christ's headship over the church, All that devolves from that, we look at various lines of thought, and we have worked our way right through to what we have now come to deal with, that is the means of grace. We have looked at the Word of God as a means of grace. We have looked at prayer as a means of grace, involving the prayer meeting as well. And now we come to the sacraments, and we want to deal with this matter of Christian baptism. especially seeing it, may I say at this point, as a means of grace appointed by the Lord for His people. Now, it's a large subject, and today I simply want to deal, believe it or not, with one point, one point, although we'll have a few sub-points, but I want to deal with one major line of thought here today because I feel that we need to look at this very carefully. First of all, well, only today, the significance of baptism. What is the significance of baptism? That's where I feel we must start. Well, we must state it that the primary significance of baptism is that it is a picture of our union with the Lord Jesus Christ. A point that is clearly in view in the statements of baptism, either in the confession of faith or in the catechisms of our church. If you read those statements again, you will find that they all refer to this matter of our ingrafting into Christ, or the new birth. Our union with the Saviour, therefore, is the great significance of the ordinance of baptism. Those cradle statements, of course, also tell us that baptism signifies purification from sin. For example, if you take what's called the Heidelberg Catechism. I just quote from that to show you that reformed churches in general have held these views that I expressed to you today. Just not Presbyterianism, but taking the very Dutch reformed churches over centuries gone by. And in their catechism it says, Christ has appointed the outward washing with water. Now that's very interesting. That's why they define baptism. the outward washing with water. Christ has appointed the outward washing with water and added the promise that I am washed with His blood and Spirit from the pollution of my soul, that is, from all my sins. That is a marvelous definition of the significance of baptism, along with our own shorter catechisms. definition of baptism. And the significance is this. Baptism, as I am saying to you, signifies the great spiritual transaction of union with Jesus Christ that results in the cleansing of our hearts from our sin. Now, this basic significance of baptism, that is the principle of union, is seen in a very interesting way in the New Testament in the usage of the New Testament word for baptism. People might say to you, well, the word baptism is found everywhere in the New Testament, and I want to tell you right now it's not. It's not found very often at all, really. That is the word baptism. Furthermore, many brethren, when they come to read the word baptism, They will read into it their own view of baptism, whatever it might be. I talk here about the modes of baptism, which I am not going to deal with today. I'll come to that at a later date. But they'll read into the Word their own view of baptism. And if you come from a Baptist background, invariably when you read the word baptize, you'll always put in there the word emerge. Or you might read it from another background altogether and you put in there and you're thinking the word poor or the word sprinkle. Well, the point is that the word baptize or the noun baptism doesn't mean either of those. Let's get that absolutely clear. It doesn't mean immerse or sprinkle or poor. The word baptize has within its very bosom In its etymology, in its meaning, it has within it the sense of union. That is what baptism signifies, and that is what the very word baptized, as it is used in the New Testament in various places, conveys to us. The thought of union. I want to show you that. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. And look with me at verse 1. Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, for that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. May I say, first of all, that the reference to the cloud there is not an atmospheric cloud, not a cloud of dew, not a cloud of moisture, but it's a reference to the cloud of glory. You see, the Lord went through the sea with His people, and there was the great cloud of glory that was a symbol of His presence. So that's the cloud. I want you to understand that. But look at verse 2 of the words where it says that they were baptized unto Moses. 1 Corinthians 10 verse 2. Baptized unto Moses. Now here's the word baptized used. What I want you to get is this. It's the same word as you will find in a passage where it does refer to the sacrament or the ordinance of water baptism. Yes, that's right, it's the same word. But what I want you to understand here is this, and I'm not being funny when I say this. In this verse, where it says they were all baptized unto Moses, there's not a drop of water in sight. Not a drop. Now, they were going through the sea. Yes, that's right. But remember that the water was walled up on both sides of them, and the seabed was dry. And they're walking through. And therefore, while there's water all around them, there's no water on them, either by means of their being immersed or poured or sprinkled. It's as dry as can be. Not a drop of water. touching those people as you read these words, but it does say here, they were all baptized unto Moses. What does that mean? Here is the thought of union. They were baptized unto Moses in the sense that they were in union with Moses. Indeed, it's just as remarkable and as particular as this. Do you see the word unto? Baptized unto Moses? The very same word that is used there in the original language is translated just as often in our New Testament as, into. And therefore we can read it that way, baptized into Moses. Do you see there the thought of union? It is simply saying that Moses was their leader and they were in union with Moses and Moses led them through the sea. onto the other side. And as a people, they're in union with Him. And my friend, here's the point. The Holy Ghost has used the word baptize. Is that not very important? Is that not very interesting? For us to get a hold of the meaning, the deep significance of baptism, they were in union with Moses. They were joined to Moses. Here's a text that brings out the meaning, the significance of the word, and therefore of the ordinance. Then go with me to Romans chapter 6, please. Romans chapter 6. One of the best ways of understanding a subject, a word, whatever it might be in Scripture, is to let the Bible give you the meaning. When you study your Bible, remember, my friend, that the Holy Ghost has used the words properly, wisely, in such a way that we are left with no doubt about what a word might signify. So, Romans chapter 6, verse 3, Know ye not that so many of us, as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into His death? Now, here is the point I want you to see here in passing I mentioned a moment or two ago. Remember it says, baptized unto Moses? And I said you could use the word into. Well, here you have it. It's the very same original Greek word. And it says this, baptized into Jesus Christ. As many of us, read it again, as we're baptized into Jesus Christ, we're baptized into His death. Let me say this to you again. I put it in this same manner. There's not a drop of water here, even though the word baptized is used. And let me say something more. There had better not be any water in Romans 6. You know why? If there's water in Romans 6, if this is the actual sacrament that's in view here, the baptizing of a believer or whoever it might be with water, then we are in deep trouble. Because, my friend, then this passage is teaching baptismal regeneration by water. Do you understand what I am saying? You may know today or you may not know that the Church of Rome and the Church of Ireland both, along with other bodies that practice immersion, all teach that when a person is baptized, that person, that is with water, that person is born again. Most Bible-believing Protestants here in Northern Ireland would always have thought that about the Church of Rome. I am simply saying to you there are other church bodies Here in the United Kingdom and across the world, like the disciples of Christ, the Church of Christ, and they also believe in baptismal regeneration. They just use another mode and the subject, in their case, is a grown-up person. But it's the same thinking. Now, water saves. The water regenerates. What I'm saying to you is, if in Romans chapter 6, We're looking at a case of actual water baptism. Then Paul is teaching here that water baptism puts a person into Christ. That is baptismal regeneration. And of course he's not teaching that at all. But I put it that way just to get it across to you. Here is another case where the word baptized is used. And the noun in verse 4, therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death. Here is a case where the words are used. But again, my friend, there is no water in view here. Paul here is not dealing with the sacrament of water baptism. He is speaking of a baptism rather that is spiritual. bringing a sinner into union with Jesus Christ, into union with all the merits of the death of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But the point is, he uses the word baptize, and therefore he explains for us, the Holy Ghost explains for us again, that the great principle in the word baptize is that of union. Now, let's go to Galatians 3. Another place where the word is used, and we want to look at what it has to say, Galatians chapter 3 and the verse number 26 and then 27. And these are very interesting verses. Verse 26 of Galatians 3, For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Let's just pause with that verse. Here, all the children, the word children could be read sons, sons of God, by faith in Christ Jesus. The word for children or sons simply refers to the legal position of the believer in the divine family. But the point here is, were the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, Now, I emphasize the last three words because, as I have often said from this pulpit and other times throughout the New Testament, indeed especially in the writings of the Apostle Paul, you have a tremendous emphasis on the great truth of union with Christ, and he always uses this kind of language, in Christ, or in Christ Jesus, in Him, in Whom, so on and so forth. It always speaks of union with the Saviour. So, you see, what he is saying in verse 26 is obvious. We become the sons of God through our faith in Christ. In other words, faith brings us into union with Christ. The Holy Spirit gives the sinner the faith to trust in Christ, to believe in Christ, and thereby he is joined to Christ. So, let's talk about union with Christ in verse 26. Then look at verse 27. He says it in another way. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Do you see what I am doing here? Verse 27, the in Christ relationship, the union with Christ relationship is in view still, but it is now expressed in another way altogether. He uses the word baptized. As many of you as have been baptized into Christ, he is talking about union with the Lord. And he says, it is to be baptized into Jesus Christ. My dear friend, I put it to you again, again, there's not a drop of water in view. If there were, we would have to become baptismal regenerationists. We would have to believe that when the water touches the human body, in whatever way it's administered, immediately that individual is regenerated. But of course, we don't believe that. because the Bible doesn't teach it. But I take you to these passages where Paul is talking about union with Christ, and he uses the word baptize in that context. And therefore, there you have it. This is the significance of baptism. It speaks of a union. It speaks of being joined. And therefore, baptism is a symbol of our union with Jesus Christ. That is why the catechism talks, as I said earlier, about our in-grafting into Christ. That is why the confession of faith uses basically the same terms because they were written by the same men. But let me say this today. While the New Testament word or noun, either it's a verb or a noun, while that word denotes the principle of union, Water baptism does not unite the sinner with Christ. It may seem superfluous for me to have to say this, or for me actually to go through this, but I want to do so, because I am very aware that the devil has not changed his tactics. And my dear friend, baptismal regeneration is an old heresy, an old delusion. And it's still very prevalent today. How many people have you been a witness to as an outreach worker, or even on your own personal level? And you said to somebody, you need to be saved, or you need Christ. And what's the answer that comes back invariably? Well, you know, I was baptized. Do you see what I'm saying? Immediately, you're dealing with people who actually believe. that water baptism unites them with Christ. Well, I'm showing you today the significance of baptism as union with Christ. That's what it symbolizes. But water baptism does not unite anyone with Christ. Let me put it another way. Water baptism, as an ordinance, is the solemn admission of a person into the visible church. But what a baptism does nothing, absolutely nothing, to effect the person's inclusion in the invisible church. And those are the terms I use right there. And believers need to know these terms. What do I mean by the visible church? I mean, my friend, all those who at least make profession of faith and they come together in an assembly like this. That's the visible church. Right now, as we meet here today, we are a visible aspect of the church of Jesus Christ. The invisible church is the great company of all true believers from all time, whom only God knows, all given to Christ from the foundation of the world, all redeemed by His precious blood, But another way, all who will eventually arrive in glory. That's what reformers and writers and commentators always mean by the church invisible, the great company of the redeemed. But you see, the church of Jesus Christ has a visible expression, and it is a fact that when The Lord said to the disciples, go forth into all nations and make disciples, or said to the apostles, go into all nations and make disciples, and said this baptizing them. What he was saying was, water baptism is a means of a person professing his or her faith in the Lord, and is therefore a means of admission into the visible congregation of the Lord. Now there are those, of course, who have different views on when a believer should be baptized, for example. Some will say, as soon as they're saved, baptize them. Other churches say, well, let's wait a wee while and make sure they're truly saved as far as lies within us. But baptism, in that sense, the sacrament is admission to the visible church. But, my friend, baptism does not admit anybody to the true church. of Jesus Christ. If you go to Acts 2 verse 41 for a moment, and you'll notice what it says in verse 41, here are the converts of the day of Pentecost. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day were added unto them about three thousand souls. You see the order in that verse. They have received the word, These people on the day of Pentecost, they are now believers. Then it mentions their baptism, and then it says they were added, the same day they were added on to them about 3,000 souls. I'm not getting into the argument of whether they were baptized immediately or not. That's not the point. The order is the important thing. They heard the word, they were saved, they were baptized, then it speaks of them being added. Now to what were they added? Well, certainly they were added to the great company of the redeemed by their salvation. But they were admitted to the visible church by their baptism. So, baptism is a means of admission to the visible church. But my friend, I come back to this. Baptism admits nobody to the invisible church, to the company of the redeemed. Let's go again to 1 Corinthians, this time to chapter 12. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 13. It essentially says much the same as I showed you in those earlier references, but there's a difference here that I want you to notice. It is dealing, this verse, with spiritual baptism, that is, what is signified by water baptism. It's here, but there's a difference here I want you to notice. 1 Corinthians 12, 13. By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body. Now, here is that spiritual baptism. I'm not going to take time to say any more than that. This is spiritual baptism. In fact, it's made very clear. By one Spirit are we all baptized. But here's the thing to notice. Into what? Into one body. Now, here's the baptism, the word used again, in the sense that it's very indicative of union, baptized into. It's a spiritual baptism, but this time it's into union with the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. And, my friend, the body of Christ is the company of true believers. And what's been taught is here, very obvious, in the new birth, in that spiritual baptism. A sinner is not only united with Christ, the head, he's united with the body, with his believers. But it's not water that does that. No matter when it's administered, or how it's administered, Water does not put anybody either into Christ or into the body of the Lord Jesus. It is the true church of the redeemed from all ages. It doesn't do that. That is why, by the way, baptism should never be called or accounted christening. Why? Well, the very term means to make a Christian. But my dear friend, water baptism makes no one a Christian. It only gives admission to the visible congregation or to be affiliated with the visible congregation of the Lord. That's all it does. It regards its being an ordinance in the sense of what it does for the person who is baptized in that realm of things. Our Confession of Faith makes a very important statement I want to read right here. And it's this, although it be a great sin to condemn or neglect this ordinance, that is, baptism, now listen carefully. It is a sin to neglect it. That's what the Confession teaches. I hope that will sink home. It's a sin to neglect baptism. Why? Because it's disobedience to the Lord. The Lord has said it's to be done. So it is a sin to disobey it. It goes on to say this, yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it as that no person can be regenerated or saved without it, or that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated. Our confession of faith guards very carefully against the idea, the notion, the falsehood that water baptism of any form or with any subject of baptism brings a person into regeneration. It makes it absolutely clear that water baptism is not necessary to salvation. It makes it absolutely clear that all who are baptized are not necessarily regenerated. That's very, very striking language. Let me repeat that. Our confession teaches that all people who have been baptized, whenever, are not necessarily regenerated. Why does it say that? Because, my friend, the Bible teaches that. First of all, it says in that statement, water baptism isn't essential to salvation. And the classic example, of course, is the thief who died beside Christ on the cross. If that man should have been baptized in order to be saved, in order to be in heaven, well, he's lost. But the Lord said, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Now, just because the thief died in those circumstances and couldn't be baptized, may I say this, I hasten to say it, doesn't mean that that's a license for us to neglect baptism. It just makes the point. that water baptism is not essential to salvation. But then turn to Acts chapter 8 and look with me there at a man who came on to the ministry of Philip and seemingly believed, was baptized too, but look at what it says about him. And here the point is made from the confession, or proved from the confession, that all who are baptized are not necessarily regenerated. Acts 8, look at verse 13, "...then Simon himself believed." And when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, etc. You may know the story how he saw the apostles arrive in the scene, and they laid their hands on people, and the people received the Holy Ghost. And this man said in verse 18, when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also the power that in whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. What was Peter's response? Thy money perish with thee. Do you see that? Thy money perish with thee. Because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou'st neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent, therefore, of this thy wickedness. Pray, God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee." Now, here are the telling words. For I perceive... Now, I know this is unique. Only an apostle could have had this perception. But this is what he says. I perceive that thou art in a gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity. I find you cannot read those words and not conclude that this man was yet on regenerate. He had been baptized. He had been in the company of the apostles. But he's still in the bond of iniquity and in the gall of bitterness. Therefore it's proved right here that not all who are baptized, however it might be done, are truly regenerate. And it enforces the point I'm making. While water baptism is a sign of union with Christ, water baptism does not unite anybody with Christ. irrespective of age or mold or anything else. It doesn't do that. And any church, and let me say this, there are many Protestant churches who have imbibed that false notion, who will practice infant baptism, for example, and they baptize the children of the most ungodly wretches on the face of the earth But the whole ethos, the whole thinking is, we've got to get the children done. Now, I'm not decrying infant baptism there, by the way. I'm making a point. Protestant churches have been guilty of allowing that form of baptism to degenerate into the very same thing as the Reformers rejected when they came out of Rome. My friend, Roman Catholic baptism of children is not Christian. In my ministry in America, I saw Roman Catholics saved. I saw all the Roman Catholics coming out of the wilderness who had heard the gospel and come to the Lord and who had joined the church, and that was fine. But I would never accept Rome's baptism because it's not scriptural. I'm talking about what they believe happens to the child. I'll be dealing with that a little more in another message, but what I'm simply saying is here to make the point, water baptism doesn't anybody into Christ. Just to close here, turn to 1 Corinthians 1. Paul makes some remarkable statements in this passage, 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Verse 14, he talks about baptism in a number of these verses. Just quickly see what he says. Verse 14, I thank God that I baptized none of you except or but Christos and Gaius. That would be a remarkable thing if baptism, water baptism, brings about regeneration. Paul would really be saying, therefore, here, I thank God that I regenerated none of you. That's what he would be saying if water baptism joins anybody to Christ. And then, in verse 17, Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. That's a telling statement, among other things that could be said about it. It's a telling statement for this reason. That you see that baptism, while it is commanded by Christ and is one of the ordinances, It takes secondary place to preaching. Preaching the gospel. But Paul says in verse 17, Christ sent me not to baptize. My friend, get it clearly. If baptism of any individual, by whatever mode you care to mention, contributes even the least iota to union with Christ, Then why did Paul say, the Lord did not send me to baptize, but to preach? You see the point I'm making? What I'm really drilling home today is, do not ever entertain in your mind that your baptism has anything to do with your salvation or your union with Jesus Christ, if you are a Christian. It's a sign, a visible outward sign. It's a seal in the sense I explained. You meditate on the truth of what it signifies, and the Lord blesses that to your soul. It becomes a means of grace to you as you think about that great truth. My friend, it did nothing for you by way of uniting you with the Lord. And should there be anybody here today, and I must say this, I cannot presume that all sitting here today are thinking the way I have expressed. Therefore, I must say, should there be anybody here today sitting in this gathering and you are resting, maybe as I put it, just the slightest wee bit on your baptism, you are adding works to Christ. You are going back to papalry. My friend, you are in danger of losing your soul. Because baptism puts nobody into Christ. Baptism is water. It does not unite us with the Savior. It's the Holy Ghost, through faith in Christ, resting on the merits of His blood that unites a man with the Savior. May the Lord write His Word in our hearts. for his own glory. Let us all bow together in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we pray that by word that we have considered all these texts and passages will affirm to our hearts the real meaning of what this ordinance is and will also safeguard us from error. O Lord, we pray today that Thou wilt help those among us who are not saved. Should there be any trust in baptism or any other ritual, to flee from it and flee to the Christ of God. O Lord, answer prayer. Move this day. Bring glory to Christ's name. And part us with Thy blessings. We ask this for the Savior's sake. Amen.