PLAISTOW. — When I first knew the Lord I was told that believing in Him I should be baptized. Since then I have been told that baptism is really only for Jews. Is this right?
THE significance of baptism is, in one word, dissociation. The baptized person is there committed to the death of Christ: he is buried with Him. This being so it is not difficult to see that for a Jew baptism is charged with special force and meaning, inasmuch as he of all people has so much from which to be dissociated. Once his eyes are opened to the truth he finds himself a part of that nation especially responsible for the death of Christ, upon whom His blood rests in the way of condemnation. To him comes the word, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation,” and gladly receiving that word he is baptized after the fashion of that which took place on the day of Pentecost. See Acts 2:3737Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Acts 2:37) to 41.
All this is clear. Yet this does not mean that baptism has nothing to do with converted Gentiles. Scripture indicates otherwise. When the first Gentiles were converted and received into the bosom of the church, what happened? Jewish prejudice would have kept them at a distance but God Himself settled the matter by the gift of the Spirit. Those who would have forbidden baptism to Cornelius and his friends were silenced and that privilege was conferred upon them, as Acts 10:4444While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. (Acts 10:44) to 48 show us. This was, remember, in the nature of a test case, and thus was it settled.
Nor is it otherwise when we turn to the epistles. The assembly at Rome was mainly composed of Gentiles (See, 1:13) yet in chapter 6. Paul bases important truth upon the fact of their baptism, which would have been unthinkable had the majority among them never been baptized at all. The same thing is found in Colossians 2:12,12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:12) and that assembly was preeminently a Gentile one.
There can be no doubt therefore that though baptism has a special force in the case of the Jew it is equally a privilege intended for the Gentile.
The Lord will never admit of unity or harmony at the expense of truth or godliness, or of His own glory. The great witness of that is Babel. There the whole family were of one speech and of one language, but because they said, “Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven,” the Lord of heaven came down to scatter them. On the other hand, the harmonies which He purposes will be the display of His glory, and the sustainment of truth and godliness; and the greatest and chiefest and deepest of them all (the oneness of Christ and His members) is the most glorious expression of His glory. In the sight of this we can sing with renewed vigor of soul,
Lord Jesus, are we one with Thee,
O height, O depth of love!