Philip and Baptism
A missionary in China was asked a question by a local Christian. He had met Baptist, Anglicans and Salvation Army missionaries with their different practices. Salvationists traditionally do not baptise those who have become Christians
“Big wash and little wash I understand, but what is this dry clean?
Baptism, advocated by Jesus is a symbolic act, it is a public declaration of belief and a commitment to follow Jesus' teachings. Children of Christian parents will be taught the Bible’s message and taught how the Lord wants his people to live. In this regard there is very little difference between infant dedication and infant baptism, both groups of parents intend to raise their children in the faith and pray that they we remain true to Christ. Even when adults are baptised they still have to continue in the faith if they are going to be saved. Over the centuries Christians have debated what baptism accomplishes, to whom it should be administered, and how much water should be used.
Christian baptism does not save anyone for eternity: it is not a magical act that guarantees salvation.
Baptism is a symbolic act that signifies a person’s commitment to follow Jesus. It is a public declaration of faith, it is not a means of salvation. In the case of a child it is the commitment of the family together that they are committed to following Jesus. God has always been interested in families. Abraham and his descendants in faith were told to identify their children as belonging to the Lord even though this did not ensure their eternal salvation; many did not really worship God by personally serving him.
Naturally enough, most of the people whose baptisms we read about in the New Testament are adults, because they were converted as adults.
In the books of the New Testament it is always assumed that the children of Christian homes are already within the Christian family just as the children of Jewish ones were considered as Jews. There are no references to the children of Christian parents having to join the Church after they had come to the age of reason. Just as in Judaism, it is the family that matters to God. Children are nurtured in the faith and our prayer is that they will grow up living for Christ.
People are only saved if they are personally followers of the Lord Jesus.
I had a patient who came to the clinic wearing a bright cross as a necklace. After the medical issues were dealt with I said to her,
“I hope you don’t mind my asking but does that cross mean that you are a Christian?
“Yes’ she replied but after a pause she added, ‘It depends what you mean by a Christian.”
There is not much time in a busy clinic so I simply said,
“Surely it is someone who is sold out to the Lord Jesus.”
“Oh, there I’m not.”
The means of salvation in Christianity is through a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. This involves acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God and our Saviour, believing in his self-sacrifice as our substitute and trusting in his power to forgive us our sins.
I was talking with a young graduate sitting next to me on the plane. I had given her a sweet and an article to read about the mistakes people make in life, ‘Minor, major and catastrophic ones’. This article is available on this website. The catastrophic mistake is to reject the Lordship of Jesus in your life. She read it through thoroughly and then asked,
‘What is a Christian? I’ve been baptised but am not involved in any way now’.
I told her about that patient and then explained how I had come to commit my life to Jesus when I was a student. She then said she would like to understand more. I had a copy of ‘Cure for Life’ with me and gave that to her. She spent the rest of the flight reading this. A Christian is someone who follows Jesus who as God created this universe and then entered his world to teach us the gospel and to die for us. It is because of Jesus we can be members of his eternal kingdom.
Baptism is a symbolic act, it is a public declaration of one's belief and a commitment to follow Jesus' teachings. Children of Christian parents are taught the Bible’s message and taught how the Lord wants us his people to live. In this regard there is very little difference between infant dedication and infant baptism, both groups of parents intend to raise their children in the faith. Even when adults are baptised they still have to continue in the faith if they are going to be saved.
What a tragedy it is that some baptisms are void of such a commitment to Christ. The promises of the parents and God-parents are not sincere. This is why the anabaptists in the 16th century rejected babies being accepted into the church.
There is surely no greater question than ‘How can I be saved?’, yet how few people ask it. Many try to find salvation by membership of a church or organisation. They say, ‘I’m an Anglican,’ or ‘I’m a Roman Catholic’, or Baptist, Methodist, Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, Jew or Muslim.
When I was visiting Indonesia, a young Muslim man explained to me that there were seventy-two separate groups within Islam and that only those in one of those groups were acceptable to God and would be saved. I asked him which group he was in.
“Oh, I’m in the group that are going to be saved!”
People think that because they belong to the organisation they are somehow ‘protected’. However, membership of an organisation, however good its teaching, of itself, cannot put anyone right with God. We can be very involved in a good bible teaching church and still not be saved. The Bible is clear that religious rites, such as circumcision, baptism, confirmation, ordination or even consecration saves nobody. The Lord reminded the prophet Samuel,
“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
Similarly he says to the church at Thyatira that God’s judgment awaits those members of the church who do not live as he wants.
“Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay you each according to your deeds.” Revelation 2:23
Philip’ commitment
After Pentecost the early church hardly stopped in their efforts to share the gospel about how people can be saved. They were flogged and ordered not to speak about Jesus by the civil authorities but nothing could restrain them.
“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” Acts 5 v. 42
The apostles found this ‘ministry of the word of God’, the preparation, prayer and teaching so time consuming that they needed others to help them organise the day to day running of the church. So they chose seven people, ‘full of the Holy Spirit’. (Acts 6:3)
Today there is a lot of misunderstanding about what this means - to be full of the Spirit. Surely it is a shorthand way of saying that their wills were under the control of God’s Spirit and consequently their words were his words and their actions were for him.
“Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” Romans 8:5
The chosen seven were therefore recognised as being men who were ‘living for God’ but were also wise, having the sense that was needed to organise a church. Stephen and Philip were the first two on this list.
Isn’t this a lovely example of senior people in a church longing to be free for Bible teaching and evangelism, leaving the more junior deacons to do the administration. So often today it is the opposite. Today all too often the Bishops and Moderators choose to do the administration leaving the less experienced and often less trained to do the Bible teaching and evangelism.
Then came the martyrdom of Stephen and the subsequent persecution of the young church in Jerusalem by the Jewish authorities. (Acts 8:1)
The Christians were scattered, ousted from their homes and jobs. The Stalin or Milosevic of those days was a man called Saul! The effect of this persecution must have seemed to be disastrous to the early church leaders. The church structure was destroyed. People could no longer attend the Christian training sessions safely. The organisers were no longer needed as there was no longer a church structure to organise.
But God changed this seeming disaster into something wonderful. It is thrilling to see how He could turn an apparent defeat and make it into a victory! The key was simple, those scattered “preached the word” wherever they went. Jesus meant so much to them.
What a church! They were truly ‘full of the Spirit’, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ. The evidence for this was that their primary purpose in life was to be about the Lord’s business. Jesus himself faced such tensions over priorities. People came to him in their hoards to be healed, and this would undoubtedly make him very popular with the masses but that was not his priority. He told his disciples that he must move on,
“So that I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Mark 1:38
Philip was in all likelihood one of those church members who were scattered by the persecution. He also ‘preached the word’ wherever he went (Acts 8:4). The next verse says that he went up to Samaria to do this. What does this shorthand phrase ‘preach the word’ really mean? The answer is in verse 12.
“He preached the good news of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.”
In other words he was teaching what we have described as the ‘potted gospel’, saying that no-one need remain in the ‘kingdom of Sin’ but they can transfer to become God’s people, in God’s Kingdom, by putting themselves under the authority of Jesus.
Something else was interesting about his approach. He obviously taught that a public response to Jesus was necessary. He didn’t leave them feeling comfortable by just telling them about the love of God. No, he explained that the only way they could be comfortable before God is to respond positively and openly to his Son, Jesus. He did not worry who he talked to, both men and women needed to respond to God’s Son. Both men and women responded and were baptised (Acts 8 v. 12). The phrase ‘both men and women’ is very striking, it was surely included because it was so remarkable. (If you read John the Baptist’s Sermon in Luke chapter 3, the illustrations are all to do with men, see verses 11,12 and 14)
Philip obviously longed for and expected both men and women to respond to this gospel. It is interesting what criteria Philip looked for in those he baptised. In Acts 8:14 it says that “they had accepted the word of God”. This would have meant accepting both the divine authority of Jesus, the ‘Word of God’ and consequently the teaching of Jesus. A person is not yet a Christian until they have accepted this authority over their lives.
So far so good. Philip understood,
1.That the word of God was central.
2.The significance of Jesus for everyone.
3.That a response to Jesus was needed.
A Coincidence Happens!
Philip was walking along the road that leads down from Jerusalem to Gaza when he is overtaken by a slow moving chariot. Contemporary pictures show these chariots as having four wheels. Can you imagine the scene as Philip looks up and sees an important man behind his charioteer, probably wearing fine clothes. There might also have been some outriders. It is likely that this Ethiopian eunuch was a man of integrity. He appears interested in knowing God’s ways and he was trusted enough to be the official in charge of the Candace. Candace was the traditional title of a Queen Mother, who used to run the country on behalf of her son, the king, as he was reckoned to be too sacred for such mundane tasks. It was at this point in the story that the coincidence happened. Was it just a coincidence? William Temple was a godly Archbishop of Canterbury and he was asked why he bothered to pray. He replied,
“I find it strange that when I pray, coincidences happen, when I don’t pray coincidences don’t happen.’
Philip hears the man in the chariot reading a scroll. You might think that the chariot would be standing still in a lay-by, as it would be difficult to read racing along and scrolls were rather too expensive to risk being torn when they went over a bump, but further investigation makes this unlikely. Verse 30 says that Philip had to run to catch the chariot up and verse 38 says that the Ethiopian ‘gave orders to stop the chariot’. It seems likely therefore that the chariot was moving along at walking speed.
You and I might be overawed by such an important person, but not young Philip. He recognised that people such as this also need to hear the gospel. They are only human after all. A rector was driving in an undertaker’s car to take a funeral. They drove past a very rich house in his parish and were admiring it when the undertaker exclaimed,
“You know vicar, they all look the same when they come to us!”
Philip was alerted when he heard what the Ethiopian was reading. In those days all reading was done out loud.
“He was led like a lamb to the slaughter and as a lamb before his sheerer is silent, So he did not open his mouth.”
Can you imagine the excitement that Philip felt as he recognised that passage from the word of God, from Isaiah 53?
In those days there would not have been a vast choice of scrolls that the eunuch could have bought in the Jerusalem bookshop, as everything had to be written out by hand, but it was still an amazing coincidence. Philip obviously knew Isaiah 53 well. He probably also knew that Jesus had taught that that chapter was about himself. Jesus had said,
“It is written, ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’ and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me.” (Luke 22 v. 37)
The Ethiopian was reading about Jesus! No wonder Philip was excited. This coincidence was too strange for words. He must have felt that God was behind this.
Do you ever feel like that, when something that someone says or does, demonstrates that they have an interest in the things of God, and you are prompted to stay around as an opportunity to speak for Christ may appear? Philip could not restrain himself. He runs up to the chariot. It seems likely that his boldness came from his recognition that God was in this coincidence.
The next point in the story is very important for us if we are to learn to be really effective for Christ.
He asked a direct question
If you have not learnt to ask questions of people you will miss out on so many opportunities. As Philip runs up to the chariot he asks the eunuch,
“Do you understand what you are reading?” Acts 8:30
Some may think this rather forward and rather risky. It could result in his being snubbed or ridiculed by this important man. The ruler could have said,
“Who are you, you young Jewish man to approach me in this manner whilst I am relaxing?”
Philip’s motto seems to have been,‘Nothing venture, nothing gain.’
The question he asked is brilliant. He did not say a casual “Good scroll that!” or “I’ve read that”. Instead he asks a personal question,
“Do you understand what you are reading?”
An urgency is also implied in this question as if he were asking “Do you understand that – it really does matter!”
How important it is for all of us to learn to ask polite but real questions. When we meet people who are going through problems we can sensitively ask,
“Do you have a faith that helps you at a time like this, or aren’t you sure?”
When talking to someone about religious matters you can ask,
“Are you a Christian yourself, or are you still uncertain?”
“Are you certain you are right with God and going to heaven or are you a bit unsure?”
There are many such questions. Giving people alternative answers does prevent us from cornering people and allows them to admit that they are uncertain and so lead on to further conversation. If you have not learnt this secret of effective personal work, please do learn it from Philip.
“Do you understand what you are reading?”
As so often happens after asking a direct question, the reply opens up a very profitable conversation.
“How can I, unless someone explains it to me.”
How Philip must have been thrilled as the Ethiopian asked,
“Would you mind explaining to me who the prophet is talking about? Come up and join me in my chariot.”
Do you know this thrill of being in such situations?
Let us be clear, evangelism is explaining the story and significance of Jesus. We are not evangelising if we are not talking about him! Some people think that talking about their religious experiences is enough, but this is not true. Our role is to explain to others who Jesus is and what he has done.
He knew his Bible well
Firstly he was able to recognise those verses from the prophet Isaiah and was able to explain the significance of that chapter to an inquirer. More than that he was able to show from multiple passages in the Old Testament that these books were all about Jesus. (Acts 8:35) How many young Christians today could do that?
The interesting question to ask is how did he learn to do this?
The answer must be that he had been to training Bible Studies where the emphasis was to learn what a passage means and be able to explain and apply it to people we meet. They must have spent considerable time learning the words and meaning of God’s word. It is relevant that after Pentecost, when 3000 people were converted, the new Christians, “devoted themselves to the apostles teaching”. Surely this is how he knew that Jesus had said that Isaiah 53 was about himself, because Peter and John and the other apostles had taught them what Jesus had said at the last supper.
Those early Christians were undoubtedly ‘people of the Word’. They expected Christians to do some homework! Thus Peter taught
“Always be prepared to give an answer . . . ” 1 Peter 3:15
Paul said to Timothy
“Be prepared in season and out of season . . .” 2 Timothy 4:2
“Be Prepared” may be the motto for the scout movement, but it should also be that of the church. Let us all encourage each other to spend time doing our Christian homework or prep, learning the Bible well and learning how to explain these things to others.
There is a hint of something else important in the manner in which Philip talked to the eunuch. He did not immediately jump up and recite a sermon to him that he had learnt by heart. He appears to have entered into a two-way dialogue with question and answer. There is an inference of this polite relationship in verse 34 –
“Tell me please, who is the prophet talking about?”
Philip had obviously learned to:
“Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15
Just as Philip had been taught the ‘Word of God’ as part of his early Christian training, so now he is teaching it to others. This is the essential cycle of the church. As in a relay race, we pass on the baton of knowledge of God’s Word to others. After his resurrection Jesus met his disciples in the upper room and what did he do then?
“He opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures” Luke 24:45
In Samaria, Peter and John who came to support Philip:
“. . . proclaimed the word of God” Acts 8:25
When Philip was talking with the Ethiopian, he:
“ . . . began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus” Acts 8:35
He taught that an open response to Jesus is needed
Philip was not satisfied to tell the message about Jesus, he explained that a response must be made to this message. This response can only be “Yes, I accept him” or “No, I don’t want him”. A response of “I understand” may be encouraging but it is inadequate. The only response that God finds acceptable is:
“Yes, I want to be committed to Jesus”.
Without repentance no-one can be a member of God’s eternal kingdom
The Ethiopian obviously understood this. He asked:
“Why shouldn’t I be baptised?” Acts 8:37
There and then that is what happened. He symbolically died to his old life by going under the water and rose again from it to live a new life. It is also a picture of his being washed of the sin of his old life and the beginning of a new holy life, lived with and for Jesus. Philip must have taught him that the prime object of life was to become right with God and then live closely to him. It is not primarily ‘join the church’ and live in harmony in the Christian community – these things are secondary. It is possible to be involved with a church and not have a personal relationship with Jesus for ourselves. It was Martin Luther who stressed that Christianity consists of personal pronouns. Saying
“Many religious people can say, “Jesus is Lord”. Only those right with God can say “Jesus is my Lord””!
After his meeting with the Ethiopian, the Lord took Philip away. They probably never met up again in this life. Yet it is said that the Coptic Church developed from that one man. How could that happen? What did the Ethiopian have to help him after his conversion? There were probably few other Christians around. The answer must be that he had the Bible and God’s Spirit to help him. There is certainly no indication that the Ethiopian was daunted over the possible problems he would face. Verse 39 says,
“He went on his way rejoicing”.
He had understood the answer to life. He was right with God because of Jesus. This joy is a common mark of true conversion. A few chapters later the jailer of the prison in Philippi became a Christian.
“He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole family.”
Our prayer for Evan is that he also will come to believe and be committed to serving the Lord Jesus, as a result of the teaching of George and Sorcha, the grandparents and Godparents and Friends in the church. Our prayer for any here who are not yet living for the lord Jesus will change direction, repent and start to live a new life. Our faith is evidence based and if any here are uncertain about this evidence do look at the book ‘Stepping Stones’ on the stand outside as you drink coffee.
His circumstances changed but not his priority
It would be easy to think that this is the story of an idealistic young man who was able to behave in this way because he had the enthusiasm of youth and few responsibilities. There is evidence however that Philip did not change in later years. This is slightly speculative but this passage states that Philip:
“. . . traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea”. Acts 8:40
Caesarea was sixty miles north of Gaza. What is it that normally causes a young man to settle down like this? It is likely that he met a young lady and got married. There is some evidence to support this. Twenty years or so later, the apostle Paul was returning from his second missionary journey and he arrived by boat at Caesarea.
“We reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied” Acts 21:8-9
This means that Philip’s daughters were probably in their late teens. It therefore seems probable that, in spite of his responsibilities of a wife and large family he still longed that others should come to know Jesus. It is only at this time that he is given the title ‘Philip the Evangelist’. This is so encouraging, a different situation, a large family but Jesus is still his priority. That is the mark of a Christian.
Priorities
It is so easy for people to hide behind a fence of nominal religion, thinking that my baptism, church affiliation or religion saves me. This is not what the Bible teaches. It is only through a personal commitment to live with and for God’s Son that the status of being ‘righteous’ can be given to us. It is only christ’s righteousness that can make us acceptable to God. Jews in Jeremiah’s time, God’s people, had a nominal faith but this was a pseudo-faith that saved neither individuals nor their society. God said to them:
““My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water. Jeremiah 2:13
We cannot save ourselves, both Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch came to understand this. and longed to pass this message on to others.
BVP
