After a public profession or confession preceded by belief and repentance, there is one other specific act required before one can become a true disciple.  John the Baptist came preaching repentance and baptism in water in order for one to be his disciple.  Jesus taught that one should be baptized before he entered into service, and he was baptized of John the Baptist when he was ready to enter into his ministry; when he was 30 years of age as required by the Law of I-loses.  This baptism was not in order for him to be made a Son of God.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1.) "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth." (John 1:14.) He came and desired baptism at the hands of John the Baptist,"But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.  Then he suffered him."(Matthew 3:14-15.)

     Jesus was the eternal Son of God; he had no sins to put away; he had no conscience to answer; therefore, this washing was  instituted in order for his disciples to have no excuse for not being baptized; that he might satisfy every precept of God's divine plan for making disciples of his children.

     John the Baptist had put forth the requirement of repentance before he would baptize any."But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, 0 generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance." (Matthew 3:7-8.)

     Here is emphatic proof that something has to precede baptism; that evidence of repentance must be shown first.  Only those who had been circumcised in heart, who had been baptized by the Spirit into Christ, were qualified for water baptism.

         "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body . . ." (II Cor. 12:13.)

          "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of (by) the Holy Ghost." (Titus 3:5.)

     Here is the cleansing by the Holy Spirit that makes one a fit subject for the Kings domain.  Also:

          "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." (I Cor.6:11.)

      This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit which actually cleanses every heir of promise of every stain of sin in the court of the law of sin and death.  This is the cleansing which removes the stain of sin from the elect of God and fits them to live in the heavenly environment freed from all past guilt.  The new birth gives them the nature and character required for that blest abode; the washing of regeneration removes their trespasses from them.

     This washing is referred to by Paul in Romans 6:3-4:

          "Know ye not, that so many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of  life."

     What Paul is saying: Do you not know that when you were quickened by the Holy Spirit, that you were washed from your sins, that your sins went to the grave with Christ and he left them there.  He had just said: "How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Romans 6:2.) Then, he continues.  Therefore (because of this), we are buried with him by baptism into death; we are baptized in water because we are dead to sin, because we were set free from the eternal consequences of our sins; we now come forth from water baptism, that as Jesus came forth from the grave, we come forth from the liquid grave to walk in newness of life. 

     Because we have become dead to sins eternal consequences on us, we need to bury that old dead man and bring forth one that will walk in newness of life.

     On the day of Pentecost, when those who were pricked in the heart at the preaching of Peter, began to cry:

          "Men and brethren" what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:37-39.)

     As with preaching, the invitation to baptism is indiscriminate from the standpoint of the ministry, but is limited to those whom God has called; however, everyone that has been pricked in the heart by the gospel had already been called of God.

     It is necessary that one be a believer before he is a fit subject for baptism.  This example is given to us in the account of Philip and the Eunuch:

          "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.  And as they  went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.  And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (Acts 8:35-37.)

     There had to be some evidence of belief and repentance, or of the work of the Holy spirit in all who were baptized in the New Testament churches.  When Peter was sent of the Lord to preach to Cornelius, after his discourse and its results, Peter said: "Can any man forbid water that these be baptized, who have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?" (Acts 10:47.) Believers' baptism has ever been the New Testament practice.

     It may very well be inquired as to what are the benefits received in baptism.  We answer that they are manifold; they can be of incalculable worth to men who desire to be disciples of the lowly lamb of God.

     When Jesus was baptized, he said it was necessary to fulfill all righteousness, for John to suffer it to be so.  As soon as he was baptized, John saw the Spirit descending on him like a dove and heard a voice saying, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:15-17.) The feeling of the presence of God's Spirit is very real with many who are baptized, so much so that I have seen many shout for joy at the close of the ceremony.  There is no better feeling than that of the sense of having pleased the Lord.

     Also, it is one place that we can go that we know our Lord went.  All who have been touched by his grace have a desire to follow him and this is the place to begin, buried with him in baptism to be raised to walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4.) It has often been said that there are two places that men can go where the Lord himself went: One is baptism; the other to the feet of the brethren to wash their feet, although very few practice this today.  The blessings of following in his way are great indeed, and until one is baptized, he will never know many of the blessings.

     There is also a salvation in water baptism.  It is not eternal, but has to do with the state of God's children:

          "Who sometimes were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing, in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water; The like figure unto which even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." (I Peter 3:20-21.)

     Notice that this act does not put away the filth of the flesh, it is the answer of a good conscience before God, and it is like the saving by water during the flood.  We need to not overlook the examples.

     Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8), and God determined to deliver Noah and his kin from the wickedness present in the earth at that time.  When the waters subsided, the earth had been cleansed from the evil that was on everyhand and Noah and his sons had a new, clean start in life.  It did not alter the character or nature of any of the eight people, but it freed them from the evil influences that beset them on everyhand.  So it is with baptism.  It is a time when all the old is put away and a new start is given and is very helpful from that standpoint.

     Also, it is the answer of a good conscience before God.  When man realizes that he is guilty before God, there is something that he feels that he must do.  Saul of Tarsus asked the Lord: "What will you have me to do?" (See Acts 9:6.) This has been the experience of many of God's children, and the poet has well said:

     Enrapt in thick Egyptian night, and fond of darkness more than light.

     Madly I ran the sinful race, Secure without a hiding place.

     But thus th' eternal counsel ran, "Almighty love arrest that man";

     I felt the arrows of distress, And found I had no hiding place.

     Indignant justice stood in view, To Sinai's fiery mount I  flew;

     But justice cried with frowning face, "This mountain is no hiding

     place.  "

     Ere long a heavenly voice I heard, And mercy's angel from  appeared;

     She led me on, with gentle pace, To Jesus as my hiding place.

     Instead of Sinai,, the gospel leads to Jesus Christ as the end of the law for righteousness.  The desire to do something is fulfilled in baptism.  Here is where the offering of the body as a living sacrifice is made by burying the old man that has become dead to sin (sin no more has absolute dominion over it) and offering a new creature, a living creature unto God.  This is the answer of a good conscience.  Those who are not willing to bury that old man never find the full answer of a good conscience.  I fear that many of them keep going to Sinai and there is no hiding place there, and the conscience keeps gouging away at their very hearts, and past sins keep so many a little uneasy -- a little disturbed because they are still in view.

       Ananias gave Saul the answer for that: "And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16.) We may very well ask why this instruction was given when Peter had said that it did not put away the filth of the flesh.  There are two different aspects under consideration: Water baptism does not cleanse us in the sight of God, only the blood of Christ and the washing of regeneration does that, but when one has had the law written in his heart, he sees himself as a sinner.  The gospel comes and tells him that Jesus took away his sins, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that were against him (see Colossians 2:14) and he believes that, but he still has the guilt in his mind of the sins he has committed against a holy God and wishes that he could erase them; that he could bury them and remove them so that they would not rise up to haunt him.  This is what Ananias meant for Saul to do.  By Saul's own testimony, he was the chief of sinners. (See I Timothy 1:15.)

     Instead of having to do the penance required under the law of Moses, God granted to his children the privilege of burying that old man of sin in water baptism and raising one that had been set free from the guilt of conscience for sins that are past.  This was the last act performed by Paul before he entered into a life of service, a life of discipleship, just as it was the last act performed by Jesus before he began his ministry.  There is no other way to discipleship; the old man must be buried, raised again, and then the start toward a rewarding life has begun, but it is just the beginning.