water – La Vista Church of Christ

Faith to Walk on Water

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 19:00:10 +0000

by Clint Gann
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 1, 31 March 1992

Over 75 percent of the Earth’s surface is composed of water. One of the first things God did in the creation was to separate land and water (Genesis 1:9). After man was placed on earth, God often used water as a teaching tool. For example, look at the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian captivity. After the tenth plague, Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to leave Egypt as they had asked. Exodus 12:31. In Exodus 14:5, Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued the Israelites who were camped by the Red Sea. The Israelites were frightened and, as became their habit, began complaining to Moses. The LORD said to Moses, "Tell the sons of Israel to go forward" (Exodus 14:15). Forward? That’s where the water was! There we see that the LORD caused the sea to be divided by a strong East wind and turned the sea into dry land. The Israelites walked across on dry land, "...the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left" (Exodus 14:21-22).

Of course, the Egyptians tried to follow but were destroyed when they went in after the Israelites into the midst of the sea, and the waters returned and covered Pharaoh’s entire army (Exodus 14:23-28). Nobody claims that the water of the Red Sea saved the nation of Israel. It was the power of God that provided their escape and destroyed Pharaoh and his army.

Consider the example of Naaman in II Kings 5, described as "...captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man with his master, and highly respected" and "...was a valiant warrior, but he was a leper." Fortunately for Naaman, a little girl taken captive from Israel waited on Naaman’s wife. She knew of the prophet Elisha and boldly proclaimed that he could cure Naaman of the dreaded disease.

Naaman did go to Elisha, who prescribed rather unusual medicine: "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean." We might think that, being a desperate man, Naaman would immediately go and do as he was instructed. But he did not have the faith necessary to obey. The captive Israelite girl had more faith than Naaman. He furiously said to his servants that the rivers of Damascus were far better than all the waters of Israel. He could have stayed home, washed in the cleaner rivers, and saved himself the trouble of the journey.

Naaman’s servants were more reasonable than he. They pointed out, "...had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ’Wash, and be clean?’" They understood that the power to cleanse Naaman was not in the water of the Jordan River. Sure enough, when he dipped seven times, "...according to the word of the man of God...," he was healed.

Elisha has another interesting water story in the following chapter of II Kings. Apparently, the sons of the prophets lacked sufficient space in their dormitory. (As the wise man said, "There is nothing new under the sun.") Elisha authorized the students to build a larger place in which to live and accompanied them to fell trees for timber. II Kings 6:5 records that as one man was working, the axe head fell into the water. The man was distraught and cried out to Elisha. The man had two good reasons to be dismayed: the tool was borrowed, and iron swims worse than a rock. Perhaps it is hard for us to understand his feelings because we can simply drive to the neighborhood hardware store and replace the lost axe head. It was his good fortune, though, to have a prophet of God at hand. Elisha asked him where it fell, "And when he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float." Float? Yes, the iron axe head floated. Was the saline content of the water suddenly sufficient to support the piece of iron? No, it readily sank when it fell in the river. Did Elisha’s stick have a magnetic field that would raise the axe head from the bottom? No, wood has no magnetic properties. Although we may consider this a "little" miracle, the power behind it came from Jehovah.

The next example is the story of the disciples in Mark 4:35-41. In the evening, Jesus wished to go to the other side of the sea and, with the disciples, entered boats. During their crossing, "...there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up." Jesus, seemingly unaware of the situation, was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. The disciples, badly frightened and afraid for their lives, awoke Him and said, "...Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" (Jesus doesn't care? This was the Son of God, who came to the earth to die for them, and they accuse Him of not caring?) Jesus, after being aroused, rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." The wind died down, and it became perfectly calm. Notice that Jesus simply spoke to the wind and sea, and it was so. He then turns His attention to the disciples and speaks to their lack of faith. "Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?" They became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" We are somewhat surprised at this question. They had already witnessed miracles that He had performed. Surely they had not forgotten so soon. Does Jesus’ question regarding their lack of faith remind us of Naaman? Or even ourselves?

Now review Matthew 14:22-23. Depending on your perspective, this is perhaps the most famous or infamous story involving water. After feeding thousands with only five loaves and two fish, Jesus sent the disciples to the other side of the sea, while He sent the multitudes away. When the people had gone, Jesus went up to the mountain to pray. In the meantime, the boat with the disciples was far away from land and "...battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary." After He had prayed, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him, they were frightened. They cried out in fear, afraid they were seeing a ghost. Jesus immediately spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid." Centuries later, we think that His voice alone should have been reassuring. But Peter answered Jesus and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." Jesus’ reply was simple: "Come!" Amazingly, Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. Unfortunately, he saw what was happening all around him and began to sink. Peter cried to Jesus, "Lord, save me!" Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him. When they got into the boat, the wind stopped, and those in the boat worshipped Him, saying, "You are certainly God’s Son!"

We are often quick to criticize Peter for this incident, but the record shows that he did get out of the boat and walk on water. (Impetuous as he might have been, the other disciples remained in the boat.) Did Peter suddenly have aqua-sandals that would tread on water? Was his body density somehow less than the water he was displacing? No! to both questions. Ironically, Jesus explained how Peter was able to walk on water when He saved Peter from sinking: "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" The laws of science fail to explain how this could possibly happen. Peter’s faith in Jesus enabled him to walk on water. It was only when he began to doubt that he started to sink.

Application

What about water and us? We don’t have to cross the Red Sea to escape the Egyptians, nor does Jesus ask us to walk on water. In contrast, He commands us: to walk down into the water (Acts 8:38), to be buried in baptism (Romans 6:3-4), to wash away our sins. (Acts 22:16). This doesn’t make sense to many people. Like Peter, they begin to doubt, asking, "How can that wash away my sins?" We cannot give an answer based on earthly wisdom. However, when we examine it through faith, we realize that God can make it so through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Peter 3:21). We are simply to trust in His power to save (Romans 4:24-25).

Jesus the Living Water

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 16:34:58 +0000

by Doy Moyer

by Nathan Anderson via Unsplash

Jesus came into Samaria to a town called Sychar, where Jacob’s well was situated between mounts Ebal and Gerazim. Here a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus simply said, “Give me a drink.” The woman was taken back because Jews and Samaritans had no dealings with each other, but this did not stop Jesus. He said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). While she was puzzled about how Jesus could draw water at this well, He said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14). She wanted this water, and the conversation that ensued convinced her that Jesus was indeed the Prophet from God.

This theme of water is significant in Scripture. In John’s gospel, John the Immerser baptized with water to identify the Messiah (John 1:19-34). Jesus turned water into wine (John 2). He then told Nicodemus that “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). On the last day of the feast of booths, Jesus cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38). By the end of John’s account, when Jesus was pierced in the heart, “at once there came out blood and water” (John 19:34). Other references can be given, but these should suffice to show that water is an important theme.

Much can be said for each reference, but the brief focus here is on Jesus providing living water. In the Old Testament, living water (I.e., fresh or running water) was to be used to cleanse lepers and other defilements (Leviticus 14:5-6; 15:13; Numbers 19:17). Yet the living water provided in such contexts was limited to the time and place of its use. In John 4, the well was an important source of water, but it was still going to be limited. The water Jesus was offering is different. While the physical water was necessary to live, the water from Jesus leads to an even greater life, to eternal life. Koester offers these thoughts:

“The water in Jacob’s well was bound to a place; it needed to be hauled out by hand and it only quenched thirst for a short time. But the water Jesus promised was not bound to one place; it would spring up within a person so that he or she would never thirst again. The water from Jacob’s well could extend life for a while, but living water from Jesus would issue into life everlasting, which in John’s Gospel refers to life lived in relationship with God.” [Craig Koester, Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel: Meaning, Mystery, Community, 189].

When God gave Israel water in the wilderness, the people sang, “Spring up, O well! Sing to it!” (Numbers 21:17). God provided for them the gift of water so that they could live. God cared for them, led them by the Holy Spirit, revealed His word, and gave them every opportunity to live with Him. Sadly, they ended up rejecting Him, as Jeremiah noted,

“For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13; cf. 17:13).

God was not done, though. His plan through the Messiah was to open up a fountain “for sin and for impurity” (Zechariah 13:1). In Jesus is fulfilled the psalmist’s thoughts: “For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light” (Psalms 36:9). His teaching is a “fountain of life,” as is the wisdom that pours forth from Him (Proverbs 13:14; cf Proverbs 18:4).

Drinking from the living water offered by Jesus means that we are partaking in His teaching and the Spirit. Again, He said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive …" (John 7:37-39). By committing to the living water, we are committing to God’s Son, His word, and living by His Holy Spirit, for “if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

Jesus offers us Himself, the true Living Water from heaven, who will cleanse us from our sins and give us eternal life. “There’s a fountain free, ’tis for you and me…”

Why Water?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 25 Apr 2021 17:06:19 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Why-Water.mp3

Text: John 3:1-12

I. Jesus stated that unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven - John 3:5

A. We understand, despite efforts by many to avoid it, that Jesus refers to baptism when he said one must be born of water

B. Today, I would like to consider “Why water?”

C. What is it about water that makes it representative of becoming a Christian

II. The Character of Water

A. It is abundant

1. Water is so abundant on this planet that it is easily taken for granted

2. We drink it, bathe in it, swim in it, generate electricity with it, grow things with it, etc.

3. We find it in liquid form, solid form, and gaseous form - Job 36:26-29

4. We can marvel at the weather - Job 37:5-20

5. When Christ commanded that disciples be made from all nations through baptism, the availability of water is rarely an issue - Matthew 28:19-20

B. It refreshes

1. We don’t have to work long, especially in the heat of summer before we are thinking of water. How refreshing it feels when our tongue feels like sandpaper!

2. Thus Jesus’ agony on the cross - John 19:28

3. David was battling the Philistines and while relaxing in a cave thought longingly of water from a particular well - II Samuel 23:15

a. Unfortunately Bethlehem was currently being held by the Philistines

b. But three of David’s men overheard him and stole into the camp just to get him water from that well - II Samuel 23:16-17

4. A mark of kindness - Matthew 10:42

5. Our physical thirst represents our spiritual thirst for truth - Psalm 63:1

a. The spreading of truth becomes a well-spring - Isaiah 35:6-7

b. What Jesus offered was truth that would always be available - John 4:13-14

c. When explaining the need for salvation, one must repent and be converted to experience refreshment - Acts 3:19

d. Souls eager to be refreshed in the presence of God will submit to His will - Acts 2:38-39

6. A representation of heaven - Revelation 22:1-2

C. It cleanses

1. After a long day of hot, sweaty work a long shower or bath feels so good. Removing the sweat and grime cleanses the body and it makes you feel like a new person.

2. Cleanses was an important part of the Old Law

a. Water of purification was used after a person became unclean - Numbers 19:19-20

b. The priests had to wash before serving God - Exodus 30:18-20

3. Such physical cleanses represented the spiritual need to be cleansed from sin

a. Wash yourselves clean by ceasing to do evil - Isaiah 1:16

b. Whiter than snow - Psalm 51:2, 7-10

c. In speaking of the salvation of mankind through Jesus - Zechariah 13:1

4. Baptism in water represents that - I Peter 3:21

a. Wash away sins - Acts 22:16

b. Washing of regeneration (new birth) - Titus 3:5

c. A new life - Romans 6:3-4

d. Only in this way can we draw near to God - Hebrews 10:22

D. It is essential to life

1. All life on this planet requires water.

2. The human body is about 75% water. We cannot survive without it.

a. It is needed for circulation, digestion, respiration, temperature regulation, waste removal, and so much more.

b. We can go without food for a while, but we cannot go without water.

3. Water has been involved in saving people

a. Noah was saved from the corruption of the world - I Peter 3:20

b. Israel was saved from the corruption of Egypt - I Corinthians 10:1-4

4. It should not be surprising that this essential element is used to represent salvation in the New Testament - Mark 16:16

a. Romans 6:3-7 - freed from the bondage of sin

III. God has blessed us with abundant water

A. Though there might be periods of difficulty, no one need die of a lack of water.

B. With the gospel abundantly available to all men, there is no need for any to die a spiritual death either

C. As the eunuch observed - Acts 8:36-38

D. What about you?

Based on “Water” by Wayne Greeson

You Must Be Born Again

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 20:48:51 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2003/08/You-Must-Be-Born-Again2.mp3

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Text: John 3:1-22

I. I had a fellow ask me if I had been born again.

A. In particular, he wanted to know how I came to believe such a thing.

B. When I replied with I John 2:3-6; 4:6; 5:2-3, he became quite upset

C. He wanted to know how I was born again because he did not believe that baptism was a birth.

D. I found this interesting because he had separated in his mind being born again from being saved.

1. The passages I showed him discuss how we know we have a relationship with God.

2. In his view, being born again was separate from having God in your life.

II. Why must we be born again?

A. You cannot see the kingdom of God without it - John 3:3, 5

1. What is the kingdom?

a. The phrase “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” refers to the same kingdom - Matthew 19:23-24

b. The kingdom was close to arriving at the time of John the Baptist and Jesus - Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15

c. Jesus used the terms “church” and “kingdom of heaven” interchangeably - Matthew 16:18-19

d. The church / kingdom had arrived by the time Hebrews was written - Hebrews 12:22-24, 28

2. We know that Jesus was referring to something on this world.

a. When Nicodemus had difficulty believing in the new birth, Jesus gave answer - John 3:10-12

b. The new birth and the kingdom were earthly things.

c. Jesus is saying that if Nicodemus cannot grasp these concepts, how will he ever be able to grasp spiritual concepts of heaven?

B. Even though the new birth is of this world, it is not something seen - John 3:6-8

1. Jesus draws a parallel to the wind. It is a play on words as the word “spirit” means “wind.”

a. You can hear the effects of the wind, but you cannot see the wind.

b. You cannot look at the wind and tell where it came from and where it is going.

2. So it is with being born of the Spirit.

a. The spiritual rebirth is not something seen directly

b. Yet we can see the effect of that rebirth

C. Jesus stressed that importance of the new birth by stating several times “Verily, verily” or “Most assuredly” – the concept was an absolute truth.

1. You cannot enter the kingdom (or the church) without it

a. You must be born again. It is not optional.

b. Just as faith is not optional - Hebrews 11:6

c. Just as worship is not optional - John 4:24

2. The kingdom contains those rescued from sin - Colossians 1:13-14

a. You cannot be saved without being in the kingdom - Matthew 19:23-25

b. Jesus is the Savior of the church - Ephesians 5:23

c. He purchased the church with His own blood - Acts 20:28

3. The church is also known as the family of God - I Timothy 3:15

a. Without the new birth, he cannot be in God’s family

b. In other words, he cannot be a child of God.

c. If he is not a child of God, then he remains a child of Satan - I John 3:10

D. In other words, you cannot be saved without being born again

1. Parallel Matthew 18:3 and John 3:3

a. Being born again and being converted are the same

III. How is one born again?

A. One must be born of water and Spirit - John 3:5

1. There are two elements which produces one new birth

2. We are not speaking of two births, one of water and other of Spirit, else Jesus would have said one needed to be born again twice.

B. Being born of the Spirit

1. We are born by the will of God - John 1:12-13

2. We are begotten by the truth - James 1:18

a. It takes knowledge of the word of God to become born again - I Corinthians 4:15

b. I Peter 1:23 - Born again by the word of God

c. That word is the work of the Spirit - I Corinthians 2:12-13

d. It is the gospel which saves - Romans 1:16

e. Because it is from the gospel that faith is produced - Romans 10:17

3. Belief in Jesus is required to be born of God - 1 John 5:1

a. Belief gives us the right to become children of God - John 1:11-13

(1) We do not become what we already are.

(2) A marriage license gives the right to become married. But it doesn’t make a person married.

(3) Faith gives us to the right to become a child of God.

C. Being born of water

1. Notice that there is no article. Whatever water refers to, it doesn’t matter what kind of water is used.

2. Baptism does the same thing as being born again

a. Being born again makes us children of God and puts us into the kingdom of God (the church).

b. Galatians 3:26-27 - It does not say that faith made us children and then we were baptized. Faith made us children through the medium of baptism which put us in Christ.

c. Parallel John 3:3 and Mark 16:16

(1) Being in the kingdom and being saved are the same (Matthew 19:23-25)

(2) What stands between a man and the kingdom is the same that stands between a man and being saved.

(3) Being born again is the equivalent to believing and being baptized.

3. Baptism allows us to walk in a new life - Romans 6:3-4

a. When a child is born, it begins a new life.

b. So it is with a child of God

4. The baptism practiced by the early church was in water

a. Just after Jesus told Nicodemus about the new birth, he and his disciples were baptizing people in water - John 3:22-23; 4:1-2

b. Acts 8:35-39 - The eunuch was clearly baptized in water.

c. Acts 10:47-48 - Peter commanded that water be used to baptize Cornelius.

D. It is not baptism alone, but water combined with Spirit.

1. The combination of a change in heart (spirit) with the water - I Peter 3:21

2. Washing of regeneration and renewal by the Spirit - Titus 3:5

a. Regeneration comes from a Greek word meaning “new birth or rebirth”

b. Baptism is a washing - Acts 22:16

c. Renewal refers to a change or a transformation - see Romans 12:2

IV. Handling some objections

A. Some argue that “water” refers to a physical birth and “spirit” refers to the new birth

1. Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, an adult and not an embryo, when he said “you must be born again.”

2. Nicodemus realized he was speaking of an adult when he asked “How can a man be born when he is old?”

a. The answer to this question was that he must be born of water and the Spirit.

b. The born of water comes after a man has grown up.

B. Some argue that “water” refers to “living water” as in John 7:38-39

1. In John 3, water is used without an article meaning there isn’t a specific type of water in mind. Jesus did not say we are to be born in living water, but just plain water.

2. If “water” refers to the Spirit, then we have Jesus repeating himself. One must be born of the Spirit and the Spirit.

3. If we can substitute Spirit for water here, we can do it everywhere water is mentioned, such as the baptism of the eunuch - Acts 8:36-39 (read using “spirit” instead of “water).

4. Water is something in addition to spirit and not just another form of it.

C. Some argue that if “water” refers to baptism in water, then “spirit” refers to baptism in the Spirit.

1. Jesus only mentions one rebirth, not two.

2. The single rebirth is accomplished by two elements: water and spirit

3. Ephesians 4:5 says there is only one baptism.

V. Parallel passages

John 3:5	I Corinthians 12:13	Ephesians 5:26	Titus 3:5
born of water	baptized	washing of water	washing of regeneration
and the Spirit	by one Sprit	by the word	renewing of the Holy Spirit
enter into the kingdom of God	into one body	sanctify and cleanse her	He saved us

VI. Babies need to grow

A. I Peter 1:22-2:3 - After being born again by the word, we must grow up in it.

B. Grow to be teachers and able to distinguish good from evil - Hebrews 5:12-14

C. Will you become a child of God?

What is the difference between water and the blood of Jesus?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 12 May 2006 02:25:50 +0000

Question:

What is the difference between water and the blood of Jesus?

Answer:

The shed blood of Jesus is the reason mankind has a hope of salvation. It paid the price necessary to purchase us back from the debt we incurred by our own sins. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7). "Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (I Peter 1:18-19). Man is unable to obtain salvation on his own. It took the blood of God's own Son to rescue us from our sinful mess.

Water (baptism) is the method God selected for men, willing to come to Him for salvation, to accept the gift God has freely offered. "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:3-11). It is in baptism that we contact the blood of Christ and have our sins washed away (Acts 22:16).

Is water baptism a work?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 05 Jan 2004 17:26:47 +0000

Question:

Is water baptism a work?

Answer:

I have always been amazed at the dread shown by people toward the word "work." You would think that it was a dreaded disease or something equivalent to sin.

The word "work" by itself is neither good nor bad. It simply refers to something that takes effort.

Faith is a work. "Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent"" (John 6:27-28). Faith is not necessarily automatic or naturally ingrained. Faith is something that we are commanded to have. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). This is why James tells us, "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works" (James 2:17-18). And Paul speaks of the obedience of faith (Romans 1:5; 16:26). Faith and works are not two disjoint topics, but two subjects that are closely intermeshed.

God's intention is that man accomplish the work God has set out for him. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). In fact, it was Solomon who noted it was, for this reason, that man was placed on the earth. "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Like faith, baptism is also called a work of God. "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead" (Colossians 2:11-12).

When Paul told us, "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12) he was not referring to works of man's choosing, but those works laid out for man by God Almighty. There are those who claim to reject all works, claiming that they will be saved by faith alone. Yet, how much faith do they have in God when they will not obey His commands? Perhaps you believe that if a man truly believes, of course, he will do the will of God. So, I must ask, if a person claims faith, but does not do the will of God, will he be saved? James tells us, "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only" (James 2:24).

And if God says something saves but man claims it is unnecessary, does that man truly believe God? God said through Peter, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). Was Peter right that man must repent and be baptize to be forgiven or was he wrong? Or when Peter said, "baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (I Peter 3:21), was he right or wrong? Those who claim that salvation comes without works appear to lack the very faith that is necessary to save them from their sins.

Martin Luther coined the phrase, "salvation by faith only," yet even he understood the role of baptism. In his Small Catechism in answer to the question "What gifts or benefits does Baptism bestow?", Luther responded, "It effects the forgiveness of sins." Concerning the sinner, Luther wrote, "Through Baptism he is bathed in the blood of Christ and is cleansed from sins." He also wrote, "To put it most simply, the power, effect, benefit, fruit, and purpose of Baptism is to save." In response to those who would call this a salvation by works, Martin Luther wrote, "Yes, it is true that our works are of no use for salvation. Baptism, however, is not our work but God's."

Now Martin Luther is just a man, but if the man who touted "faith only" understood that baptism was not a work that earns salvation, then it causes me to wonder why so many others do not understand.