The Samaritans and Baptism
A request was mailed in to comment more about Acts 8:12 and how much knowledge of the kingdom (church) is necessary for a person’s baptism to be valid. It is difficult to be precise in giving an answer because our situation today is so much different than the Samaritans was in the first century. Living in that time period, they knew more than most people do today.
For example, John had come preaching in the wilderness that the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Matt. 3:2). To the Jews (and probably the Samaritans), this message would immediately make them think of the prophecies of Isaiah, Daniel, and others (even if they did not accept them). They were willing to repent of their sins to prepare for this long-anticipated event.
Then Jesus had come with the same message (Matt. 4:17). On the Day of Pentecost, Peter had preached that Jesus had risen from the dead and that all the apostles were witnesses (Acts 2:31-32). He continued by adding that Jesus had been exalted to the right hand of God and had received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit (v. 33).
What did Jesus receive that had been promised of the Holy Spirit? Through inspiration the Spirit promised King David that, after his death, God would set up his seed after him—and would establish his kingdom. He would build a house (kingdom, temple, the church) for God’s name, and God would “establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam. 7:12-13).
This prophecy, from the Holy Spirit, was now fulfilled in Jesus Who ascended into heaven to receive this promise. Wait! How do we know that Peter is talking about Jesus being made king when He ascends to be at the right hand of God? Consider the additional passage Peter cites for proof—Psalm 110:1. This is the verse always cited to show that Jesus has, in fact, become king. Psalm 110:2 adds: “The Lord shall send the rod of your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
If Jesus has been made king, then the fact of the kingdom must soon be proclaimed. It is also true that, when Jesus promised to build His church, He told Peter He would give him the keys of the kingdom (Matt. 16:18-19). The apostle did proclaim Jesus to be king on Pentecost, and he also told people how to enter into the kingdom. Those who believed had to repent of their sins and be baptized for the forgiveness of them (Acts 2:38). The 3,000 and those who followed after were all added to the church (kingdom) daily (v. 47).
How much of this information did the Samaritans know in advance to Philip’s going there to preach? They knew something about Jesus. He had spent two days there after His conversation with the Samaritan woman (John 4:40).
This woman occasioned the Samaritans’ early interest in Jesus but when they listened to Him personally, they said: “Now we believe, not because of what you have said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world” (John 4:42). However, this event was at the outset of Jesus’ three-year ministry. Undoubtedly, the Samaritans had heard of the crucifixion of Jesus. Like so many others, they may not have known what to make of it. Then, a few years later, Philip comes down and preaches Christ to them (Acts 8:5).
To say that he preaches Christ to them means that he preached the gospel to them. To be sure, Philip taught them about the Jesus Who came down from Heaven. Being born of God (the Holy Spirit) made Him the Son of God, and being born of Mary, gave Him a human parent, thus being called the Son of Man. This Jesus allowed Himself to be taken by sinful men and nailed to the cross, where He paid the price for our sins. He was taken down from the cross and buried, but He arose again the third day, making several appearances to His disciples. Then He ascended into Heaven to be made king and high priest after the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4; Heb. 7:15-22). Later, Philip would preach “Jesus” to a queen’s treasurer from Ethiopia (Acts 8:27, 35).
We see, therefore, that Philip preached Christ, he preached Jesus, he preached the gospel, and he preached things concerning the kingdom of God. Before offering suggestions about that aspect of preaching Jesus, some other observations should also be taken into account.
First, notice that when Philip went to Samaria and preached, he performed miracles in their presence (Acts 8:6). Some of these are enumerated: “For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed” (v. 7). These remarkable events caught the attention of Simon, a man who had practiced sorcery in the city, astonishing its inhabitants. He had passed himself off as someone great, and the people had thought, “This man is the great power of God” (vv. 9-10).
But Simon knew when he was outclassed. He could tell the difference between sorcery and actual power. In fact, later he tried to buy the power to lay hands on people and give them the power to work miracles, but he was soundly rebuked for thinking he could purchase this supernatural gift bestowed only on the apostles (Acts 8:14-24).
Second, when Philip preached “Christ,” “Jesus,” and “the kingdom of God,” he received one particular response. The men and women of Samaria were baptized (v. 12). So was the Ethiopian treasurer (v. 38).
Why? Obviously, Philip was preaching in an effort to elicit that response. Neither the Samaritans nor the treasurer would have thought of being baptized if Philip had not first preached it. As already indicated, Philip preached Jesus as the Son of God and what He accomplished on the cross. But what does that have to do with baptism. Since there is no obvious connection between the two, Philip had to demonstrate, while preaching Jesus, that people must respond to the gospel by being baptized. This is the only way to explain why the treasurer asked to be baptized when he saw the water. It must be the reason the Samaritans, including Simon, were baptized when Philip preached Christ to them.
The connection is explained by Paul in part, when he defines the gospel (in its narrowest sense) as the death of Christ on the cross for our sins, His burial, and His resurrection on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). “But that doesn’t mention baptism!” someone protests. No, it does not, but Paul does explain the connection in Romans 6:3-5, where he shows that all who are baptized into Christ Jesus are baptized into His death, which is the first of the three parts listed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. People are baptized into His death.
Paul continues with the second part, the burial: “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death…” (Rom. 6:4a). What about the third action? “Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (4b). Baptism gets us into the death of Jesus—and all its benefits, such as forgiveness of sins.
Paul then adds: “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection” (v. 5). Everyone should notice that neither here, nor anywhere else, do the Scriptures teach that baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace. That concept was invented by the devil to get people’s minds off of what the text actually does say. In baptism, sins are actually washed away by the blood of Jesus (Acts 22:16; Rev. 1:5).
Before one is baptized, he believes and repents of his sins. He is ready to confess that Jesus is the Son of God and have his sins removed. Faith does not remove sins; repentance (while essential to salvation, Luke 13:3) does not take away one’s sins. Confessing Christ to be both Lord and Christ cannot eradicate sins: Only being baptized into His death can accomplish this desired effect. For that reason, the treasurer and the Samaritans were baptized.
How Much Does One Need to Know?
Having looked carefully at the various elements of these conversions, now it is appropriate to answer the question concerning how much knowledge is needed concerning the kingdom. First, we must acknowledge that our modern society has all grown up in a religious world totally different from the one that existed in the first century.
Jesus did not make an appearance here within the last ten years. No one is expecting a kingdom today, as both John and Jesus preached. Furthermore, neither Jesus Himself nor someone like Philip has come to town recently and performed wondrous miracles. No one can speak excitedly of a Savior dying on the cross for our sins just a short time ago. In fact, most people don’t really believe in sin any more. And we don’t live in this kind of religious climate.
In the United States, people are raised with a mentality that teaches “one church is as good as another.” How many people know of the Old Testament prophecies of the kingdom? Probably, the most the average person has heard is that Jesus is coming back to earth—to Jerusalem, to set up His kingdom in which He will reign 1,000 years. And all those who have been drenched with this doctrine have been taught error. When Jesus returns, it will be in judgment (1 Thess. 4:13-17; 2 Thess. 1:6-10).
Today, people need to be taught what was known in the first century—that the kingdom that had been promised is now in existence (Isa. 2:2-4; Dan. 2:44-45; 7:13-14). John and Jesus both preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Matt. 3:2; 4:17); Jesus promised to build this kingdom, His church (Matt. 16:18-19), which He did. He purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28). He is the head over this kingdom, the church, His body (Eph. 1:22-23).
But here is the thing that needs to be made clear: The Old Testament does not prophesy of many kingdoms—only one. That kingdom would be established in the days of the Roman kings, and it would last forever. The church has been in existence since the first century, and it will remain until our Lord returns. There is “one body” (Eph. 4:4). The concept of denominationalism is not endorsed by the Old Testament. Even division within a congregation was condemned (1 Cor. 1:10-13). The church has but one head—Jesus, who descended from the lineage of David, as promised (2 Sam. 7:12-13).
When Philip “preached the things concerning the kingdom of God” (Acts 8:12), the concept of dozens of religious denominations would have never entered the minds of the Samaritans. Presumably, Philip explained some of these same prophecies cited here when he explained about the kingdom. People need to be taught the same thing today. No one familiar with the Old Testament in the first century, when asked about the kingdom, would ever think of a religious denomination. No one today, explaining the kingdom to a potential convert, could ever bring himself to say, “Go out and join the church of your choice”! How could anyone seriously advocate what the Bible does not teach?
How does one get into that kingdom? “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…” (1 Cor. 12:13). When the Samaritans and the treasurer were baptized, they were placed into the one body (church) (Acts 2:41, 47)—the same one we enter into today when we obey the gospel.