On the day of Pentecost, the apostles told the Jews, "Repent and each one of you be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38). The Protestants have difficulty accepting this verse. But this verse is the plain word of the apostles. "Be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." It is strange that the emphasis of the apostle's word is not upon faith but upon baptism.
Was the focus of Peter's message in Acts 2 on persuading men to believe? No. Does this mean that Peter's preaching was inferior to ours? The Bible tells us that the most crucial thing concerning salvation is faith. How could Peter have left this out? Perhaps he could ignore other doctrines in his message, but how could he not speak about faith? Nevertheless, he did not speak about it. Instead, he spoke about baptism, and the Holy Spirit pricked the heart of those who listened. What about us? We say that faith alone is enough. We think this is orthodox Christianity. Yet Peter said, "Be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ."
Peter spoke only of baptism because those who listened to him were the ones who had killed the Lord Jesus. Fifty days prior to that, they were crying, "Take this man away." These were the same people who were shouting and crying in Jerusalem. Now they needed to be separated from the rest of the Jews. This is why it was not necessary to speak to them about believing. They only needed to be baptized. That would be sufficient for them to get out. As soon as they were baptized, their relationship with that corporate body would be terminated. As soon as they were baptized, they would leave that corporate body and their sins would be washed away. They would no longer be part of that corporate body; they would be out of it. This is why Peter said, "Be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." The act of baptism brought them out. As soon as they came out, all problems were solved.
You need to realize that you were originally in the world and that you were an enemy of God. Since you have come out, you are saved. You need to confess before God and before men that you have come out and have nothing to do with that corporate body. You are through with it. "Be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." This was the main teaching on the day of Pentecost. At this point your mind needs to be directed by God's Word, not by Protestant theology.
Let us consider the case of Paul. Ananias came to Paul and said to him, "Rise up and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name" (Acts 22:16).
Paul was the foremost and greatest teacher, prophet, and apostle of Christianity. Was there a little error in his experience? Sometimes we preach the right doctrines but have the wrong experience. What would happen when we gave our testimony? What would happen if others did the same thing we do? The testimony of a teacher is very important because it may mislead others. Could it be that the experience of the foremost teacher of Christianity was wrong?
"And now, why do you delay? Rise up and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name." Please take note of this verse. It says that baptism can wash away one's sins. The Catholics quote this verse and regard it as a personal matter before God. The error of Catholicism lies in saying, "If you are baptized, your sins will be washed away." Therefore, they claim that a death-bed baptism can wash away sins. They do not realize that the significance of this matter is not before God but before the world.
Formerly, Paul was a man in the world. After he had believed in the Lord Jesus and had seen Him, he needed to rise up and be baptized. The moment he was baptized, his sins were washed away. The moment he severed his relationship with the world, his sins were gone. If you are a Christian secretly and are not baptized, the world may still consider you as one of them. You may say that you are saved, but the world will not admit it. You may say that you have believed in the Lord Jesus, but they will say that they have not seen it. Once you get into the water, they will see it; they will know that you have believed in Jesus. Otherwise, why should a person be so foolish as to get into the water? The moment you are baptized, you are freed from the world. Water baptism is a severance of one's relationship with the world.
If a person believes in his heart but does not have any outward gesture, the world will still consider him to be part of it. For instance, in Kuling of Fukien there is a strong tradition of idol worship every fall; everyone is required to donate some money. If a person merely says that he has believed in the Lord, others will not believe him. But the moment he is baptized, they will know that he is no longer one of them. Therefore, baptism is the best way to free oneself from the world. If you want to be freed from the world, you must be baptized. You must tell the world, "My relationship with you is over." By doing this, you come out of the world.
Baptism is an open testimony, and we should not be afraid to let others witness it. Unbelievers can also be present during our baptism. Recently, when we baptized some people in Foochow, a brother said, "We do not like to conduct the baptism meeting in such a messy way. There were too many spectators." If this is the case, John the Baptist would have to learn from this brother because John conducted baptisms that were not that orderly. Even the baptisms of the three thousand on the day of Pentecost were not that orderly. The issue is not whether a meeting is orderly. Of course, it is not good to be disorderly. But all the brothers and sisters should know what we are doing. When we baptize someone, we should let the whole world witness what we are doing.