What is the Church?

The song you just sang ends with, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you.

Now, why would we do that?

Why would we consider turning our eyes to Jesus?

! Why does that matter?

Why would a people who come to church on a Sunday morning

ever consider to turn their eyes to Jesus and not to something else?

Well, of course, it's because we recognize that in Jesus,

we have everything that we need for life and godliness,

that Christ has accomplished for us what is required to bring us to God

and to make us a people that are connected to God and to one another

because of his death, his resurrection, because of his work on the cross,

because of his perfect life, because of what he's done for us

in establishing us as a people to God and a people to one another.

So because of what Jesus has accomplished,

I think we can all appreciate the fact that we turn our eyes to him.

We look to him.

He's the one who's sufficient.

He's the answer.

Last week, we began to see this church that began to be birthed,

began to be born there in Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

and we got to see up close and personal what the ultimate goal of the church is.

So I'm going to turn it to you and give you an opportunity just to think

and maybe even respond.

What is the ultimate goal of a church?

The chief end of man is to glorify God.

So the ultimate goal of the church, of course, is to bring glory to God.

We know that.

And we got to see that last week.

We got to see how this church is beginning to be born,

and because of the work of God and the glory of God shining on this church,

we see this glory that's kind of emanating in every piece and every component

that is taking place here at the beginning.

That shouldn't be a surprise.

We got to see the glory of God that was revealed in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

We saw that Holy Spirit that came, this indwelling presence,

in changing the people who were there in the upper room,

in helping them to experience and to know that God was fundamentally making them into witnesses,

empowering their witness.

The glory of God was present.

And maybe just for a moment, we need to back up for a second.

And what is the glory of God?

Is the glory of God just His shining?

Is it just His majesty?

Is it just His brightness?

And last week, we came to see and reminded again that the glory of God is more than that.

The glory of God is the manifestation of His presence, power, and authority among His people.

That's where we see the glory of God.

And so when the presence of God comes through the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem on a people,

the glory of God was there because the presence of God was manifested.

We saw last week that the glory of God was revealed through the Word of God.

That God's people, embracing the Scriptures, embracing the truth of who God was,

then got to enjoy that presence of God and the nature of God through the truth of God in His Word.

We saw the glory of God revealed in His people.

That Jesus came in the flesh, that Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us so that He could impart His Spirit and make a people for Himself.

That would then help the rest of the world participate in seeing the glory of God as well.

We saw that the glory of God will be revealed in His Son.

And it was revealed, of course, in Jesus Himself.

But the glory of God will be revealed in the final moments, the end of history when Jesus comes back

and Jesus takes His place, a place of authority, a place on a throne, a place of reigning as King forever and ever.

From the very beginning, the church is set apart by the glory of God.

And so it should be no surprise then that we see this theme of God's glory everywhere we look in the Scriptures.

Of course, all of creation testifies to the glory of God.

Psalm 19, the heavens declare the glory of God.

And of course, everything exists for His glory.

It's there to help participate and enjoy and express glory to God.

1 Corinthians 10.31, so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

So that then the greatest offense that we ever commit,

those outside of Christ and even those inside Christ,

the greatest offense we ever commit is falling short of the glory of God.

Romans 3.23 says,

For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory.

Isn't that interesting?

See, we push away the presence of God.

We push away the authority of God.

We want nothing to do with that when we choose our sin over choosing God.

We don't want His glory, so we fall short of His standard.

And so the greatest strategy of our enemy then, of course, is to interfere with the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 4.3 and 4 says this,

That's Satan's strategy.

He doesn't want you to see the glory of God.

And then the greatest blessing of the gospel found in the next couple of verses, verses 5 and 6.

For what we proclaim is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord,

with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

For God who said,

Let light shine out of darkness,

has shone into our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

God intends to shine His glory and to bless His people with a vision of God Himself.

And those who see the glory of God respond in faith and get to enjoy the benefits of His glory.

And then the inevitable aim of salvation is to help us to be transformed by glory.

We see that in 2 Corinthians 3.18.

It says,

If you are a child of God, if you have believed in Christ, ask forgiveness for your sins,

then you have the indwelling Holy Spirit and His aim in your life is to change you.

Not to leave you where you are.

To change you from one degree of glory to the other.

It's incredible.

And so the final outcome of the end of the age is to direct hearts to the glory of God.

Philippians 2.9-11 says,

Therefore God has highly exalted Him, speaking of Jesus,

and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Seeing and savoring Jesus.

The glory of God is the aim of creation and is also the aim of the church.

That's the highest objective.

But what is the church?

We're talking about the church now.

For the next couple of weeks we're going to be discussing what is the nature of the church?

What makes up a church?

Now we understand it's built on the glory of God,

but what constitutes the church?

How do we define the church?

How do we understand the church?

We're going to spend some time working through Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

kind of in the flow of our sermon series here,

and I would just encourage you,

if you would, to open up your Bibles to page 910,

or Acts chapter 2, beginning in verse 22,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

as we endeavor to understand what the church is by looking at the scriptures.

John Piper has provided this helpful definition of the church.

He says this,

The church is a group of baptized believers

who meet regularly to worship God through Jesus Christ

under the guidance of duly appointed leaders.

I think that's a helpful definition,

and we're going to break that out piece by piece

as we're working our way through the text

and see how relatable that is to our situation.

But we're going to see that the church is built on the foundation of Christ.

The church has Christ as its central identity.

And right at the start, as we evaluate this definition,

I want to provide maybe some defining statements.

So as we have this helpful definition,

what are some things that are true?

Maybe what are some things that are not true

that help us understand the fullness of what we're talking about

when we talk about the church itself?

This first defining statement,

you may find it there in your notes, is this,

The church is not the building,

it's the body.

The church is not the building,

it's the body.

You see, the church is not the structure.

It's not this piece of property

that we're all gathered in.

This is a building,

and it is a place where we worship as the church,

but this is not fundamentally the church.

Peter wants us to understand the living nature of the church

when he says this in 1 Peter 2, verse 5.

1 Peter 2:5

He says,

You also, as living stones,

are being built up a spiritual house,

a holy priesthood,

to offer up sacrifices acceptable to God

through Jesus Christ.

And throughout the scriptures,

the nature of the living organism of the church

is expressed in a number of metaphors

that Jesus will use throughout his teaching ministry.

He'll refer to the church as a body.

He'll refer to the church as a bride.

He'll refer to the church as a flock,

or as branches,

and that he is the vine.

He wants to express to us

and help us understand

the living quality of the church.

So we don't find our identity in this structure.

This building is not the church.

This building helps to facilitate believers

who are part of the church

to enjoy worship

and to be encouraged

and to meet with one another

and to carry out the purposes

that God has called us to.

But fundamentally,

this is just the building.

But you are the church.

We believers represent the church.

And so when God gives directives

and provides purposes for the church,

those purposes are not meant to be carried out

by the structure.

Those purposes are meant to be carried out by you

because you are the church.

So when God calls the church to action,

he calls people to action.

And as you are the church

and I am the church,

God has called us to carry out

those objectives together

as a collective unit

of living people

expressing our devotion to God

in carrying out the objectives

that he's called us to.

This is a radical shift in thinking.

This is a radical way

for us to begin to understand

that when God tells the church

to do something,

he's not talking about something theoretical.

He's talking about something very concrete.

He's talking to people.

So just in a moment,

just do this exercise with me.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ,

the person sitting on your left,

why don't you look to the person on your left?

I guess it's over here.

Look to the person on your right.

If that person is a believer,

that person belongs to you.

They belong to you.

And you belong to them

because you are the church.

That's important for us to understand.

It's not just a theoretical gathering of people

that just kind of show up once in a while

in this structure,

but that you are sent by God

to carry out the mission

that he's given you to carry out.

What a blessing that is.

What a responsibility that is.

So as we come to our passage,

we begin to understand fundamentally

that the church are followers of Jesus Christ.

That's our first point this morning

from Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2:22–36

verses 22 to 36.

We're going to see that Jesus Christ

is the one who is the head of his church.

And those who follow Jesus

can identify themselves

not just as disciples of Jesus

or followers of Jesus,

but those who are fundamentally connected

to him as the church.

Here's what it says in verse 22.

It says,

Men of Israel,

hear these words,

Jesus of Nazareth,

a man attested to you by God

with mighty works and wonders

and signs that God did through him

in your midst.

As you yourselves know,

this Jesus delivered up

according to the definite plan

and foreknowledge of God,

you crucified and killed

by the hands of lawless men.

God raised him up,

loosing the pangs of death

because it was not possible

for him to be held by it.

front and center

in Peter's sermon,

he wants to direct attention

to the one who got it all started.

Jesus Christ

is the reason why we gather.

Jesus Christ

is the reason why we exist.

And so Peter has just said

in verse 21

that everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord

shall be saved.

What does it mean

to call on the name of the Lord?

Does it just mean

I say his name out loud?

Does it just mean

that once in a while

I might direct attention to him?

No.

There's something

quite specific

that Peter has in mind.

And over the next several verses,

he'll develop that

when he's talking about

who Jesus is

and the faith

that needs to be resident

in the hearts of believers

of what we believe

about Jesus

that leads us

and helps us to enjoy

saving faith in him.

I'm just going to touch on it briefly

in our time this morning.

And then next week,

I want to just develop

this a little bit more

because it's really important

for us to understand Jesus,

understand what faith

in Christ really looks like.

In verse 22,

we notice that Jesus

was fully man.

He was fully man.

That's the first thing

I want to draw your attention to.

It says,

Jesus of Nazareth,

a man attested to you

by signs and wonders.

You see,

Jesus came

from a real place.

Jesus

had a real heritage.

Jesus

lived

as a man

with flesh

and blood.

Jesus came

to a real time

and a real space

as we saw last week.

John chapter 1,

John 1:14

verse 14,

you know this.

The word became flesh

and dwelt among us.

We have seen his glory,

the glory

as of the only son

from the father

full of grace and truth.

Jesus became

a man

for you.

And that's important

for those of us

who want to have

saving faith.

We must believe

that Jesus was fully man.

But second,

we need to believe

that he was also fully God.

We see that also

in verse 22,

the second part of this.

A man attested

to you

by God

with mighty works

and wonders

and signs

that God did

through him

in your midst

as you yourselves

know.

See,

throughout Christ's life,

he was validated

not only

through the words

that Jesus spoke,

he was validated

by the miracles

that he did.

There was prophecies

about this future Messiah

and what this Messiah

would do.

And Jesus takes

this prophecy

that's found

in Isaiah chapter 61

Isaiah 61 · chapter mention

and he applies that

or places that

onto himself.

That's in Luke

Luke 4:18

chapter 4,

verse 18.

The spirit of the Lord

is upon me.

And what is he going to do?

Well,

he's going to proclaim

good news to the poor.

He's going to open

the eyes of the blind.

He's going to release

the captives from prison

and certainly

that's what Jesus did.

Jesus healed the blind.

Jesus raised the dead.

Jesus cast out demons.

Jesus accomplished miracles.

He did that

in a way

to help not only

align himself

or identify himself

with these prophecies

but also then

to confirm himself

that he was in fact

Jesus as God.

He was the son of God

himself in the flesh.

The fulfillment

of all these promises.

And so

at his baptism

what does the father say

from heaven?

He says

this is my beloved son

in whom I'm well pleased.

The father's confirmation

of the son

his identity

this is my son.

He was fully God.

Third,

he died for sinners.

We find that in verse 23.

This Jesus

delivered up

according to the definite plan

and foreknowledge of God

you crucified

and killed

by the hands

of lawless men.

Jesus was not

a victim

of circumstances.

Jesus was not

overpowered

by wicked men.

This was not

God's backup plan

because Adam and Eve

fell

in sin

in the garden.

This was God's

plan A

through his son

Jesus Christ

this definite plan

of God

built from the

foundations of the world

that Jesus came

to die.

Why

did Jesus

come to die?

Why was that

so important

that Jesus

had to die?

Just yesterday

as I was

making my way

here to the church

to do some

last minute studying

I went to a store

and saw

one of the younger

guys

he was there

waiting on me

and he was wearing

a cross

I said

hey

so

what's up

with the cross?

Oh yeah

wearing a cross

what's that all about?

Well

you know

Jesus

Jesus died

okay

well

why did he die?

Well

he died

to show

that he loved us

okay

well

why else

did he die?

Why did he have

to die?

Well

he died

this is a good question

he said

he had to die

because

because

of sin

he wouldn't die

for our sin

that's what it was

and of course

that is true too

but what

our world

doesn't understand

is that

yes

Jesus loved us

for God

so loved the world

that he gave

his only begotten son

and yes

Jesus died

for sin

but

he didn't die

for his sin

right

and

what was it

about dying

that was required?

well

we know that

Romans 6 23

says

the wages

of sin

is

death

everyone

in this room

deserves

not only

to die

in a physical way

you deserve

to die

I deserve

to die

and be separated

from God

forever

because of my sin

and Jesus

by his grace

died

for

that

he

became

sin

who knew

no sin

that

we

might

be

called

the

righteousness

of God

now

can you

wrap your head

around that

you are called

righteous

before God

even though

you're a sinner

because of what

Christ did

for us

on the cross

by becoming

sin for us

hallelujah

that's why

he had to

die

he had to

die

for sinners

fourth

he was

raised

from the

dead

notice

verse 24

God

raised him

up

loosing

the

pangs

of death

because

it was

not

possible

for him

to be

held

by it

and then

for the

next

several

verses

Peter

will go

on

to describe

the wonder

of his

resurrection

and the

essential

quality

of his

resurrection

and why

that matters

for you

you see

Jesus

through his

death

and then

through his

resurrection

says

finally

I have

conquered

death

and the

grave

and sin

I am

triumphant

and then

he extends

and offers

to those

who believe

in him

newness

of life

he was

put to

death

in the

flesh

he was

raised

in the

spirit

so he

could offer

to us

the hope

of eternal

life

John

John 11:25

chapter 11

verse 25

and 26

says this

Jesus said

to her

I am

the

resurrection

and the

life

he

who

believes

in me

though

he may

die

he shall

live

and whoever

lives

and believes

in me

shall never

die

do you

believe

in the

resurrected

savior

so you

can enjoy

the benefits

of life

with him

fifth

he's at

the right

hand of

God

we see

that in

verses

34

and 35

being

therefore

exalted

at the

right

hand

of God

and having

received

from the

father

the promise

of the

holy

spirit

he has

poured

out

this

that you

yourselves

are seeing

and hearing

for David

did not ascend

into the heavens

but he himself

says

the Lord

said to my

Lord

sit at

my right

hand

then verse

36

let all the

house of

Israel

therefore

know

for certain

that God

has made

him

both

Lord

and Christ

this

Jesus

who you

crucified

the work

of salvation

is complete

and Jesus

is now at the

right hand of

God

demonstrating

his once

for all

authority

over

everything

he is

Lord

over all

and so

he is

worthy

of worship

our next

defining

statement

is this

the church

is about

Jesus

and our

connection

to the

head

the church

is about

him

Jesus

died

for the

church

so that we

could enjoy

the benefits

of being

joined together

with him

and joined

together

with one

another

Colossians

1

18

says this

and he

is the

head

of the

body

the church

he is the

beginning

the firstborn

from the

dead

that in

everything

he might

be preeminent

you see

the church

belongs

to Jesus

it's been

given to him

by the

father

he's purchased

it with his

precious blood

he is

we have

placed our

faith in

him

and by

faith

we believe

in his

death

and resurrection

so the

church

belongs

to Jesus

and because

it belongs

to him

then we

belong

to one

another

and because

it belongs

to him

then the

way you

treat

your brother

or sister

in Christ

is the

way you

treat

Christ

how you

treat

the body

of Christ

is how

you treat

Jesus

himself

ever

considered

that

the

significance

of our

oneness

and the

way that

we

interact

with one

another

is not

just a

reflection

of what

we believe

about them

but more

importantly

it's a

reflection

of what

we believe

about God

what do

you believe

about God

how does

it show

up in the

way that

you interact

with your

brothers and

sisters in

Christ

if we

don't care

about the

body of

Christ

how could

we ever

say that

we care

about Jesus

himself

so God

came in

the flesh

he was

he was

came to

death

he was

buried

he was

risen

again

so that

we could

enjoy

oneness

with him

as a

church

next we

see that

the church

is a

confession

a people

who confess

faith and

repentance

in

Christ

Acts chapter

Acts 2:37

2 verses

37 and 38

says this

now when

they heard

this

they were

hearing

Peter talk

about the

significance

of what

Christ had

done for

them

they heard

this

they were

cut to

their

hearts

and said

to Peter

and the

rest of

the apostles

brothers

what shall

we do

and Peter

said to

them

repent

and be

baptized

every one

of you

in the

name of

Jesus

Christ

for the

forgiveness

of your

sins

and you

will receive

the gift

of the

Holy Spirit

this concept

of asking

forgiveness

this concept

of even

sin and

guilt

in our

culture

has really

been

minimized

you see

the culture

wants to

excuse

what God

condemns

our culture

wants to

soften sin

until it

no longer

sounds

offensive

we want

to name

rebellion

or rename

rebellion

so that we

don't have

to repent

from it

we have

new titles

for our

wickedness

we call

it a

struggle

rather than

calling it

an offense

against God

how many

times have

we done

that

well

I'm

just

struggling

today

I'm

really

having

a hard

time

it's

really

been

difficult

for me

well

let's

name

it

what

it

is

yes

maybe

you're

struggling

but let's

call it

wickedness

let's call

it sin

let's call

it rebellion

and it's

only when we

begin to

embrace

the real

titles

that God

has assigned

to them

that we'll

come to a

place of

true

repentance

you see

we want

healing

without

true

holiness

we want

relief

from our

consequences

but not

release

from sin

itself

we want

our burdens

lifted

but not

our hearts

changed

and that's

the problem

and that's

what Jesus

has come

to fix

that's what

repentance

is all

about

you see

repentance

is this

Greek word

that helps

to communicate

this idea

of a changed

mind

a changed

heart

a changed

perspective

a change

of direction

it's not

simply a life

that is moving

in a direction

as comfortable

there

but once

you become

aware

of your

state

your sinfulness

your rebellion

there's a change

of heart

a change

of direction

a change

of posture

we see this

in 2nd Corinthians

chapter 7

verses 9 and 10

Paul will talk

about the

difference between

godly sorrow

that leads to

repentance

and worldly

sorrow that just

wants to

relieve itself

of the burden

of shame

and the guilt

that it's feeling

or those

consequences

he says

as it is

I rejoice

not

because you

were grieved

but because you

were grieved

into repenting

for you felt

a godly grief

so that you

suffered no loss

through us

for godly grief

produces repentance

that leads to

salvation

without regret

whereas worldly

grief produces

death

you see

worldly sorrow

is just

wanting to

remove consequences

it wants to

remove the

shame

that is

associated

with sin

godly sorrow

is the kind

of sorrow

that recognizes

the offense

that it's

caused against

god

there's an

earnestness

there's a resolve

in your heart

to do away

with the damage

that sin has

caused

there's a

hatred

of how that

sin has

violated

god's standard

and a

zeal

to remove

those habits

once and for

all

from your

life

you see

true repentance

leads to

true

change

not a change

that's manufactured

but a change

that is

as a result

of the indwelling

spirit's power

and work

in a life

our third

defining statement

is this

the church

is not

about

the program

the church

is about

the people

you see

we've been

called to be

a redeemed

people

a regenerated

people

a changed

people

a people

that express

this new

identity

as a result

of what

Christ has

accomplished

for us

and so

as a people

of god

god has

put us

into a

family

and because

we belong

together

the church

and its

programs

are just

meant to be

a catalyst

for helping

us to

love one

another

better

and to

fulfill

the

obligations

of the

ministries

that god

has called

us to

not just

a program

that is

meant to

serve our

needs

and to

help us

feel a

sense of

accomplishment

how easy

is it

to be

involved in

ministry

and I'm

speaking

just personally

here

how easy

it is

for me

to do

the ministry

that is

right in

front of

me

I'm

teaching

a lesson

I'm

seeking

to

communicate

truth

I am

helping

somebody

memorize

a verse

maybe

I'm

mowing

a lawn

or

weeding

around

the flower

beds

or

maybe

I'm

shoveling

snow

and how

often

the ministry

or the

program

that I'm

involved

in

has

nothing

to do

with

people

and I'm

okay

with that

I feel

quite

satisfied

that I've

accomplished

something

for God

I've

done

my

ministry

I've

made

God

look

beautiful

in how

I am

serving

others

but see

in that

service

there's

so little

to do

with the

people

that God

has put

me

in

fellowship

with

see

even

something

as simple

as coming

to church

on a

Sunday

morning

and sitting

in the

pews

and singing

good songs

and hearing

a message

or joining

a connect

group

how easy

it is

to come

at the

last minute

and show

up

and do

that service

and be

served

but have

nothing to

do with

the people

that God

has put

you in

community

with

that's

so

comfortable

that's

so

normal

that is

so

that's

so

me

okay

to be

quite

honest

I

I

would

just

rather

punch

the

clock

do

my

deal

get

out

of

the

way

and

have

nothing

to

do

with

people

that's

that's

what

my

flesh

wants

because

that's

the easy

thing

but what

does

God

want

I've

been

so

convicted

over the

last

couple

of

months

at the

compassion

of our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

Jesus

here he

is

he's

served

all day

long

he

finally

has

an

opportunity

to get

away

with

his

disciples

he's

encouraging

them

to enjoy

a

vacation

so

they

cross

the

sea

of

Galilee

they

show

up

on

the

shore

and

there

in

the

distance

are

all

the

crowds

he

just

got

away

from

so

he

could

have

vacation

but

what

does

the

Lord

do

he

doesn't

get

back

on

the

boat

and

go

further

he

gets

off

the

boat

and

he

serves

because

of

compassion

for

the

crowds

Lord

please

help

me

to be

a

person

of

compassion

help

me

grow

in

love

with

your

people

help

this

church

love

the

people

that

God

called

into

relationship

with

him

and into

relationship

with

us

may it

never be

that we

check in

and check out

of the

program

but that we

understand the

program is

meant to be a

catalyst for

knowing and

loving the

people that God

has put us in

community with

and to serve

them

instrumentally

so we can

carry out the

purposes that

God has called

us to

next

we find

that the

church is a

testimony

has a

testimony of

believers

baptism

and I don't

have time to

to really

dig into

this the way

I would

like to

but we're

going to

develop this

more as

we as

we talk

about

baptism

it comes

up

many

many

many

times

throughout

the

book of

Acts

but

but we

see

here

that

this

testimony

of

believers

baptism

these

individuals

who have

come to

faith in

Christ

what are they

commanded

to do

we find

in verse

38

and Peter

says to

them

repent

and be

baptized

every one

of you

in the name

of Jesus

Christ

for the

forgiveness

of your

sins

and you

will receive

the gift

of the

Holy Spirit

there's a lot

in this

verse

but I

touch on

them one

at a

time

those

who follow

in faith

in Christ

are those

who are

marked

by Christ

and then

will

carry out

the example

of Jesus

and what

did Jesus

do

he fulfilled

all

righteousness

by being

baptized

that's in

Matthew

Matthew 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

Jesus

came

remember

Jesus

comes

he comes

into

the Jordan

and he

comes to

Galilee

and he

wants to

be baptized

by John

the Baptist

and like

no I

can't

baptize

you

you should

be baptizing

me

because it

was a

baptism

of repentance

did Jesus

need to

repent for

anything

of course

not

Jesus

was perfect

Jesus

he fulfilled

the law

he didn't

need to

be baptized

so what

is he

doing

why was

he baptized

well he

was baptized

as an

example

for you

and me

who need

to repent

he was an

example

to us

to fulfill

righteousness

this example

for us

to know

that in

the Christian

life

those who

come to

faith

in

Christ

have

sin

to

deal

with

and

repentance

is the

way

that

sin

is

handled

but

also

recognizing

now

Jesus

will

turn

this

baptism

this

illustration

of

repentance

and

washing

and he'll

turn it

now into

something

even more

because

now it's

a picture

of him

it's a

picture

of his

death

his burial

his

resurrection

and so

when we

get baptized

we're not

getting saved

it has

nothing to

do

with

salvation

but we

get baptized

to associate

ourself

and confess

what Christ

has already

done for us

in our

hearts

Christ

has saved

us

we've been

buried with

him in

baptism

we've been

raised with

him into

everlasting

life and so

we are

confessing

in baptism

the work

that Christ

has already

accomplished

for us

and we

do it

once

because

it was a

once for

all

work

of

Christ

you