Baptism is a great subject in the Bible. We need to be clear about two aspects concerning baptism. First, before we are baptized, we need to be clear as to what baptism can do for us. Second, after we are baptized, we need to look backward and ask, "What is the significance of baptism?" In the first case, the baptism pool and the water are before us. As we are going to be baptized, we should ask ourselves, "What can baptism do for me?" After our baptism, we need to ask, "What is the meaning of my baptism?" One is a question posed in foresight, and the other is a question posed in hindsight. The former touches one's knowledge prior to baptism, and the latter, one's understanding after baptism.
"He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned" (Mark 16:16). This verse shows what baptism does for a person.
"He who believes and is baptized shall be saved." I suppose that all Protestants are a little afraid of this verse. Therefore, they dare not read it. Whenever they read this verse, they change it to, "He who believes and is saved shall be baptized." But the Lord's Word does not say this. In order to avoid the error of Catholicism, the Protestants deliberately go around God's Word. However, as they evade the error of Catholicism, they fall into another error. The Lord's Word is clear: "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved." Man has no authority to change it to, "He who believes and is saved shall be baptized."
Let us now pay attention to the meaning of the word salvation in the Bible. What is a person being saved from? According to the Bible, a man is saved from the world, not hell. The opposite of eternal life is perdition, but the Bible does not regard salvation as the opposite of perdition. The Bible shows us that salvation is one's deliverance from the world. As long as a person is in the world, he is already in perdition.
Let us consider man's condition before God. Today man does not have to do anything to perish. I will not perish because I have killed someone, and I will not be saved from perdition because I have not killed someone. The fact is that the whole world is perishing. From among the perishing ones, God has pulled us out and saved us. The whole world is perishing corporately, but God is saving men one by one, individually. God does not catch all the fish from the sea and then separate the good from the bad, assigning some to salvation while destining others to perdition. All the fish in the sea are perishing. Those which are caught by God are saved; the rest remain in the sea.
Hence, the matter of salvation and perdition has nothing to do with whether or not you have believed or how good your conduct is; it has to do with your location. If you are in the boat, you are saved. If you are still in the sea, you are perishing. You may not have done anything, but as long as you are in the world, that is enough for you to perish. It does not matter whether you are good or bad, a gentleman or a villain. It does not matter whether or not you live by your conscience. As long as you are in the world, you are finished. If you have not left that place, you are condemned by God.