Week 19: The Long Lasting Influence of a Godly Woman & Faith, Baptism, and the Pattern of the New Testament

The Long Lasting Influence of a Godly Woman

On this Lord's Day we also remembered Jochabed — Moses' mother — a woman whose quiet, courageous faith shaped one of the greatest figures in all of Scripture. Hebrews 11 credits her faith explicitly: "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's command." (Heb 11:23) Never underestimate the power of a mother's love and the life-changing effect of her influence. But this morning I also want to draw your attention to a pattern running all the way through the book of Acts — one we cannot afford to miss.

Hear, Believe, Be Baptized

In Acts 18:8 we read that "Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized." That order — hearing, believing, baptism — is not unique to Corinth. It is the pattern everywhere the gospel went. In Samaria, when Philip preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, "both men and women were baptized" (Acts 8:12). Lydia heard, believed, and only after she was baptized did she feel free to ask the apostles to stay at her house (Acts 16:15). In Ephesus, disciples who had received only John's baptism were taught more correctly and "were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19:5). Over and over, the sequence is the same.

Baptism Is the Final Step Into Christ

Sadly, this pattern is reversed in almost every other religious body today. The common teaching is that believers are saved first, then baptized afterward as an outward sign of an inward grace already received. But that is not what the New Testament shows. Paul writes in Galatians 3:27 that we are baptized into Christ. Think about that carefully. If a person is already saved before baptism, what exactly is he being baptized into? The order matters because the theology demands it. In Romans 6:3, we are buried with Christ in baptism and raised to walk in newness of life. That burial and resurrection language only makes sense for a penitent believer — someone who has heard the word, been pricked in heart, and is acting in faith on what God has promised. The water itself saves no one; it is "an act of faith in the working of God" (Col 2:12). Peter's words in 1 Peter 3:21 — "baptism now saves you" — were never addressed to an unbeliever. They were addressed to those who already believed and were trusting God to do what He promised.

The Lord Said It Plainly

Jesus settled the question before the church ever began. "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:15-16) The people at Corinth heard the word, believed it, and were baptized — and the Lord says they are saved. There is no simpler way to put it. On the Day of Pentecost, when the crowd asked what they must do, Peter's answer was plain: repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins. Baptism is not a footnote. It is the final step in which faith, repentance, and confession all come together, and in which God — not the water, but God — washes sins away.

In Closing

Have you heard the word? Do you believe it? If so, do not put off the step that completes the process. And if you have already obeyed the gospel, live faithfully in the newness of life into which you were raised. The same plea made two thousand years ago is made today.