Articles
Why Do You Wait?
Ananias couldn’t see any reason for Paul to put off being baptized. He asked him a rhetorical question, “Why do you wait?” (ESV). The implied answer was that there was no reason for delay. Saul should immediately rise and be baptized. The urgency for this action is seen in its purpose- to wash away his sins. The importance of this action is seen in who commanded it- the Lord. When he was baptized he would call on the Lord’s name, that is, submit to His authority.
Have you been baptized, that is immersed in water (see Acts 8:38-39), in submission to the Lord’s authority, in order to wash away your sins? If not, the question, “Why do you wait?” is an important one. Perhaps you are not at all in the situation of Saul and are not at all ready to be baptized. In this case, the question, “Why do you wait?” will have legitimate answers, reasons that you should delay baptism. We will explore reasons that people should wait to be baptized.
On the other hand, perhaps you are like Saul, ready to be baptized, but you are waiting because of what you believe to be legitimate reasons. However, these reasons are really not legitimate. We will look into some things that hold people back from baptism that should not cause them to delay.
Please read further so that you will understand the reasons to wait to be baptized, the reasons not to wait to be baptized, as well as the consequences of waiting to be baptized once you are ready.
Reasons to Wait to be Baptized
There are valid Scriptural reasons to delay being baptized. You should wait to be baptized if:
1) You have not been taught the gospel. Jesus said that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws him. He went on to explain, “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me” (Jn 6:44-45). The Father draws men to Jesus through His teaching. Jesus’ command to be baptized followed His instruction, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mk 16:15-16). If you have not learned the gospel, either through your own study or through the instruction of a teacher, then you are not ready to be baptized.
2) You do not know what sin is. It would not make sense for you to be baptized in order to “wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16) before you realized that you are a sinner. Paul said that he would never have come to know sin except through the Law of Moses. He gave this example, “for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” But, once he knew God’s command against coveting and coveted anyway, sin became alive in his life and he died (that is, became separated from God, Rom 7:7-9). The gospel of Christ works the same way as the Law of Moses in raising man’s consciousness of sin and pointing out his broken relationship with God (1 Tim 1:8-11). If you have not come to see and to accept that you are a sinner and have therefore separated yourself from God, then you are not ready to be baptized.
3) You do not believe in Jesus. You must learn the gospel, not only to realize that you are a sinner but to discover evidence to lead you to the conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus gave John the Baptist, His miracles, and His fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy as witnesses that He is who He claimed to be (Jn 5:31-39). He added one ultimate evidence, His resurrection from the dead, an event that He said would be sufficient in itself to prove who He is (Mt 12:39-42). If you have not come to believe in Jesus, either through your own study or through the teaching of a teacher, then you are not ready to be baptized (Mk 16:15-16).
4) You have not made up your mind to follow Jesus (repented). Peter coupled repentance and baptism as requirements for forgiveness. He said, “Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Paul described repentance as the crucifixion of one’s old self. Before baptism, a person must decide to turn from his way of sinful living in order to serve Jesus and righteousness. In baptism, he buries the old man that he has killed and then he rises from the water to walk in newness of life (Rom 6:1-7). If you have not decided to crucify your sinful self in order to follow Jesus, then you are not ready to be baptized.
If you have never been baptized, make ready through meeting the 4 pre-requisites above. Learn the gospel. Let the gospel convict you of sin, convince you to believe in Jesus, and motivate you to turn from sin to follow Him. And then be baptized immediately!
Invalid Reasons to Wait to be Baptized
If you have been taught the gospel, know what sin is and admit that you have committed it, believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and have determined that you will turn from sin to follow him, then you are in the same position that Saul was when Ananias asked him, “Why do you wait?” (Acts 22:16). There is no reason to delay your baptism. However, there may be some obstacles that are holding you back that seem like good reasons to postpone your baptism. Let’s notice three invalid reasons for you to wait to be baptized:
1) You do not know “enough”. You do not have to know everything about the gospel before becoming a Christian. Jesus said that men need teaching, not only before baptism but after baptism as well (Mt 28:19-20).
Christians grow in their understanding of the gospel, from a comprehension of its fundamental principles to a grasp of its complex doctrines, from a babe drinking “milk” to a mature disciple eating “meat” (Heb 5:11-6:3).
No Christian will ever know everything that he could possibly know. Paul wrote, “If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know” (2 Cor 8:2). One who delays baptism until he knows “enough” will never be baptized!
2) You have sinned too badly. Sometimes men hesitate to be baptized because they believe that Jesus could never forgive them of their sins. I once met a man who was in prison for murder who felt this way.
But Saul was a “blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor.” He was the “chief of sinners”. And Jesus, through His acceptance of Saul, demonstrated His perfect patience (1 Tim 1:12-17). If Jesus forgave the chief of sinners, then He will forgive anyone. His grace is more than sufficient. If through Ananias, Jesus invited Saul to be baptized and wash away his sins, then His invitation is open to you as well. You should not hesitate for one moment to accept it!
3) You are not perfect yet. I once met a young man who told me that he would be baptized once he was perfect. I told him that he would never be baptized.
Jesus has no expectations that Christians will be perfect. In fact, He said that if a Christian would say that he has no sin, he deceives himself, makes God a liar, and His word is not in him (1 Jn 1:8, 10).
Baptism is not the last chance to wash sins away. If Christians confess their sins to God, Jesus will be their Advocate to the Father, and His blood will cleanse and propitiate (satisfy God’s demand for justice and calm His anger) just like it did at the moment of baptism (1 Jn 1:9; 2:1-2).
Take care of your past sins now and, in doing so; put yourself in a position for Jesus to take care of your future sins as well.
These three “reasons” are in fact not reasons at all. They are Satan’s lies to prevent you from obtaining salvation. Why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16)
Consequences of Waiting
What are the consequences of waiting to be baptized after all legitimate reasons for waiting have been removed?
1) You may never see tomorrow. Life is not only short, but it is uncertain (Js 4:13-15). Death may end your opportunity for salvation. Waiting is a foolish chance to take when eternal separation from God is the penalty for sin that will be handed out to those who have not received forgiveness through obedience to the gospel (Rom 6:23; 2 Thess 1:7-9).
2) Your heart may become hardened. Even if you do see tomorrow and many tomorrows, your heart will gradually become insensitive to your need for salvation as you put off the washing away of your sins day after day. At first, Felix trembled when he saw his soul’s doomed condition at the Judgment, but later he called for Paul, not to be baptized, but to receive a bribe to let him out of prison (Acts 24:24-27).
3) You are postponing the reception of the greatest blessing. You should be as anxious for forgiveness as the eunuch from Ethiopia who was baptized just as soon as he saw enough water to be immersed and went on his way rejoicing (Acts 8:36-39)!
4) You will have fewer days to serve Jesus and to influence and to convert those around you. Why continue a day longer in a purposeless existence? As Paul said, “To live is Christ” and to engage in fruitful labor in His service until death brings you into His presence (Phil 1:21-24).
Ways to Connect and Learn
www.woodlandhillschurchofchrist.org
www.thevirtualpulpit.org
tinyurl/whillsyoutube (Livestream, recordings, short videos)
Teleconference of Sunday worship & Wednesday AM and PM Bible study
Dial-in number is 1-917-900-1022; Conference ID is 748- 7068#
Woodland Hills church of Christ
2718 N. Wabash Road
Marion, IN 46952
Schedule of Services:
Sunday
Bible Study 9:30 AM
Worship Livestream/phone available 10:30 AM
Wednesday
Bible Study phone available 10:00 AM
Bible Study Livestream/phone available 7:00 PM
Phone: (765) 662-3304
