“I WOULD BE WET ALL THE TIME”

 Mike Johnson

The Bible teaches that baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38) and, thus, is essential for salvation.  Sometimes people object to what this passage says about baptism by saying, “If baptism is for the remission of sins, then it would be necessary to baptize people every time they sin.”  They might add, usually in a humorous way, that they would be wet all of the time as they sin every day.  Does the fact that baptism takes away sin mean that people must be baptized each time they sin?  The answer is NO.

The Bible teaches that there is a different law of pardon for the Christian who sins than for the one who is not a Christian.  We find this differentiation in the case of Simon, recorded in Acts 8.  Philip preached the gospel in Samaria, and many believed and were baptized (vs. 12).  Simon also believed and was baptized (vs. 13).  (We know that Simon was not pretending that he believed because the inspired text says he was a believer.)  After some time, however, Simon sinned (vs. 15-21) and was rebuked by Peter.  What was he told he needed to do?  Was he told to be baptized again?  No, he was not!  Peter told him, “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you” (Vs. 22).  So Simon was told to repent and pray.  He was a Christian who had sinned, and so Peter did not tell him he needed to be baptized again.

1 John 1:9, which speaks to Christians, points out that we are to confess our sins to God.  1 John 2:1-2 further states, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”  James 5:16 says that we are to confess our faults one to another.

Acts 2 was a situation where Peter preached to those who were not Christians.  He told them they needed repentance as well as baptism.  Thus, there is a different law of pardon for those who are not Christians.  Once people receive scriptural baptism, they would not ever need to be baptized again.  Later, when the Christian sins, God has a different law of pardon (Acts 8:22; James 5:16; I John 1:8-10, 2:1-2)