After Acts chapter 2, we don’t hear baptism mentioned until chapter 8, when Philip is in Samaria. The people that are being converted are being baptized. Their situation is notable because none of them received the Holy Spirit, at least in an outward sense, until Peter and John came and laid hands on them. I discussed this a bit last week and in earlier posts, so I don’t want to replow that ground.
While Philip is in the middle of this highly successful outreach in Samaria, God tells him to go stand by a lonely road in a wilderness area. (Lots of lessons there!) An Ethiopian comes by, and the Spirit tells Philip to go talk to him. The man was reading from Isaiah and told Philip that he couldn’t understand the message without help. Philip then started with that passage and told the man about Jesus.
Let me let Luke tell the story from there:
“Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.” (Acts 8:35–39)
There are lots of social questions at play here that we need to recognize as being the point of this passage. For the purpose of our study, we’ll focus on a subpoint: after Philip told the man about Jesus, the man requested baptism. The most logical understanding of this passage is that Philip included baptism in the story of Jesus. Or do you see a better way of understanding this?
The man believed the story of Jesus and felt the need to respond. Apparently Philip had told the man that part of that faith response was baptism. That fits with the rest of the book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament.
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The key words you used here are that his baptism was a “faith response”. So as the Scriptues through the Gospel to Abraham testify, the Eunich was already justified (found right) before God by His faith (which is more than belief). Thus, he was saved based on that faith. The water baptism was his public proclamation and, as you said, response (at least before Philip and whoever else was in the caravan) that he had accepted the judgment of God in Christ for his sin (which is what the water symbolises) and had put on Christ in new life; indicating what God had accomplished through the gift of faith. His conscience was cleansed. He was free. Love this story.
Jr,
I studiously avoid the unbiblical phrase “water baptism.” It’s a silly redundancy, like “water swimming” or “water showering.”
That being said, you are reading much into this story based on assumptions. Why not let the Bible speak for itself? There is no declaration as to when the Ethiopian was saved. I don’t believe that I made any assertion as to “the point of salvation.” Why should we add to what Scripture says?
The “pattern” suggests that the “scriptures alone” are not all-sufficient, and that both Sacred Tradition (Church: legit’ leadership) and Sacred Scripture work hand-in-hand. Great passage!
It seems clear from reading Acts thru Rev that the work of the HS was limited to “signs and wonders” (miracles). Paul asked those of John’s baptism if they had received the HS, expecting their answer to be “yes” if they had been able to heal and/or other miracles. They had no such abilities; therefore, had not received the HS.
Thank you for your crisp, clear telling of a powerful story. The Ethiopian treasurer, a eunuch, a spiritual outsider who had traveled far to worship at a place where he would be excluded from certain places, learns of game-changing developments that grant him full inclusion. He responds to the message he is given, and requests baptism in water, obviously (as you point out) because that is what he has just learned. I marvel at the panic his request raises in those who refuse to accept what the Bible says about baptism in God’s plan for saving humanity.