What happens to a believer who dies before they are baptized?
03 July 11 - 01:06
What happens to a believer who dies before they are baptized?Dwight Childers
This is put together form my own personal Bible study notes and those of others.
I have been asked from time to time, “what happens to someone who is a believer, and dies before they are baptized”? The two schools of thought on baptism that I am familiar with go something like this.
1. Some will say that a person has to complete the act of baptism before salvation is granted.
2. Others will say that one does not have to be baptized to be saved.
I must admit, I don’t find either position to be square with what Scripture teaches. The old question that has been asked many times, and debated many times is “Is baptism essential to salvation”, with both debating parties going their way after the debate, believing that beyond a doubt, each has presented irrefutable proof that their respective belief has been confirmed by the Bible. I believe, instead of honestly trying to determine true Biblical teaching concerning baptism, each camp has taken (unwittingly, I will say), their parties particular belief on the subject, and employed a few proof texts to establish their group’s particular doctrine. So the debate remains, dividing many in the body of Christ. Satan is a smart fellow.
The question “is baptism essential” in the debate, is, I believe misleading. At best it is not the right question to be asked. It only takes a casual reading of the New Testament to understand that, yes, baptism is a command and it is essential. The same can be said about the commands to confess Christ, and to repent. Neither carry any more weight in scripture than does baptism. To deny the essentialness of baptism would be to deny clear Bible teaching. We can disregard baptism no more than we can disregard any other command that God has given.
So what is the right question to ask? I believe it is this. How and when is a person justified by God? Is a person saved by faith, or faithful obedience to God’s commands?
How is a person justified?
In the book of Romans, Paul is led by the Holy Spirit to discusses this very subject. The truth that Paul teaches is a foundational truth of Christianity.
Romans 3:21-22 NIV: But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
To understand fully what Paul is teaching in this verse, we must be clear on something. When Paul uses the word “law” what does he mean? In this verse the New International Version translators put the word “law” in lower case, and when, just after that, Paul uses the term “the Law” they employ the upper case. Why? In the first instance where “law” is used, it refers to the principle of law, or law in general. When it is used the second time or “the Law” it is referring to the Law of Moses. That is important to know because in this passage Paul is not discussing the Law of Moses, with the exception of one brief illustration. What Paul is discussing is the principle of law, or law in general. We all understand the concept of law because we live under laws that have been enacted and are enforced by our federal, state, county and local governments. If a person obeys the laws then he is viewed as being upright, free of guilt and awarded the benefits of citizenship. If a person does not obey the laws then he is punished (the penalty prescribed by law for the transgression).
However when it comes to God’s law Paul sets the human concept of law on its head. Paul writes.
Romans 3:28 NIV For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.
Paul, in just a very few words said that our justification, or our righteousness, is not based on our obedience to God’s law. Instead he writes that our justification comes by faith. To some this is shocking. They would argue that Paul is saying that we cannot be saved by the Law of Moses but we are saved by “laws” in the New Testament. To reach that conclusion they have to make “law” apply to the Law of Moses only, and not to law, as they see it, in the New Testament. But that is wrong thinking. Notice what Paul writes in Galatians.
Galatians 3:21 NIV……..For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.
Do you see what he is saying here? When Paul says if “a” law, meaning any law, not just the Law of Moses, but any law, whether it is from the Old Testament or New Testament, or anywhere else. In these verses that we have, and will, be looking at, Paul is talking about laws, before, during, and after the Law of Moses. Paul deals with the principle, or concept of law in general, not just at one point in Biblical history.
So staying within the context of his statement about our not being justified by obeying law, Paul begins to illustrate this by using a story from the life of Abraham.
Romans 4:1 NIV What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?
This ought to be a clue that Paul is not talking about us being justified by the Law of Moses, but we could be justified by obeying God’s law in our time. Why? Because Abraham does not in any way illustrate any truth about the Law of Moses. Abraham lived hundreds of years before the Law of Moses. He could not represent any truth about the Law of Moses because he never had any accountability to the Law of Moses. Abraham, however, does illustrate God’s truth about law in general. So what is that truth? Abraham was not justified by obeying the law under which he lived. He was justified by, or through faith.
If you will notice, this verse does not say that we discovered a truth by Abraham not being justified by law. It says that Abraham discovered it. What Abraham discovered had nothing to do with that law (the Law of Moses). He could not even contemplate the Law of Moses. What he discovered was that God justified him apart from the very commands, law, works, that God gave him. God did give Abrahams commands, but, God declared him just and righteous before he could obey those commands, as the next verses will show. God justified Abraham by faith apart from law (works). You know this truth that is taught by Paul, that is, justification apart from law/works must be applied to every law of God whether it be old or new. If it doesn’t then it holds no truth at all. The bottom line is this. Either God declares us righteous because we obey His law or He declares us righteous through faith “apart from law.” Folks, it is either one or the other. We are righteous either through law, or apart from law. Paul, by the direction of the Holy Spirit, states that it is apart from law.
Does this mean that law is neither here nor there, or irrelevant? No. God teaches us in His word to obey Him. Paul taught us to obey God’s precepts, but God demanding that we obey is quite different than granting us righteousness through our obedience. Some would ask. So if our righteousness is not based on doing what God commands, then what is it based on? Notice what Paul writes.
Romans 3:23 NIV This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
In the preceding verse Paul told us that this righteousness comes apart from law. He now tells us where it does come from. Paul tells us here that God gives it to all who believe and He does this through their faith in Jesus Christ, and Paul talks about this throughout the book of Romans.
Romans 1:17 NIV For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 5:1-2 tells us that we gain access into God’s grace by faith. It tells us that the way we are justified is through faith.
Romans 5:1-2 NIV Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
Paul tells us in Romans 9:30-32 that our righteousness is through faith
Romans 9:30-32 NIV The Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works.
Who does God grant righteousness to? Those who have faith in Jesus.
Why does He do it this way? He credits righteousness through faith in Jesus before we can obey so that we can never claim that we earned righteousness by our obedience.
Salvation is Through What? Faith. Notice as Paul begins to illustrate.
Paul laid the foundation in chapter three of Romans to show that God grants us righteousness through faith, “apart from law.” In chapter four Paul begins to illustrate this point.
Romans 4:1 NIV What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Some may say, sure works don’t save us, but our obedience does, because obedience and works are two different things. But that is not what the Bible teaches. Paul in this section of Romans uses the word works to refer to obedience to God’s law. Paul uses the words work and obedience interchangeably. Paul demonstrates this with a story form the life of Abraham, that is, Abrahams obedience to God’s command to be circumcised. We find the account of this in Genesis 17:9-14.
Genesis 17:9-14 NIV Then God said to Abraham “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendents after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner, those who are not you offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.
If you will notice God gave Abraham the command. God demanded obedience to the command, and listed the punishment that would come if Abraham refused to comply. However when Paul uses this to illustrate the truth he teaches in Romans chapter 3 and chapter 4, Paul says that God’s dealing with Abraham in the situation stands as proof that God grants us righteousness because of the faith in our hearts instead of our obedience to His commands. Another way to say it is “justified by faith apart from law.” Paul says that this was a “must” command, but God granted Abraham righteousness before he obeyed. Paul teaches that if God had granted Abraham righteousness when he obeyed the Abraham would have earned the righteousness instead of receiving it as a gift from God. Notice how he explains.
Paul reflects on what would have happened if Abraham had found his justification by works.
Romans 4:2 NIV if, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about…
Then Paul tells us why Abraham would have had something to boast about.
Romans 4:4 NIV Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.
Paul then tells us why God was not obligated to Abraham. He shows that God did not reward Abraham for an act that led to a corresponding blessing. Instead God blessed him because of his faith.
Romans 4:5 NIV However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
This ought to get our attention. God says that He did not credit Abraham with righteousness because of, or in response to his work. What was the that Abraham did, but that God did not use as a condition for declaring him righteous? Notice what Paul writes.
Romans 4:10 NIV Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before.
Paul shows clearly here that Abraham’s work was his obedience to the command to be circumcised. When God says that Abraham was not justified by his work, God makes it clear what He means, that is, Abraham was not justified by obeying God’s circumcision command.
Paul clearly shows that work and obedience to the command of God are the same thing, not two different things as some would have you to believe.
This is important to understand because Paul says that God justified Abraham not because of his obedience/works, but because of his faith the led him to obey. Not on the obedience (work) itself. Instead of declaring Abraham righteous because he was circumcised, God declared Abraham righteous before he was circumcised. Why? Because God justified him by the faith in his (Abraham’s) heart. Abraham had a willing faith. God did not have to worry about whether Abraham would be circumcised or not. God looked into Abraham’s heart and saw his willing faith. A willing faith will lead to obeying God’s commands. That is a saving faith.
God makes some things clear.
1. Anything we do, even obeying His command, is our work.
2. He also makes it clear the He does not grant us righteousness based on our work.
3. God is not looking to us to earn our righteousness, He credits our faith as if we were righteous.
God lets us know through Paul in chapters 2 and 4 of Romans that our salvation is not a system of laws and works. Instead it is a system of grace and faith.
It would be helpful at this point to contrast Law/Works and Grace/Faith.
Law/Works. If a person obeys the law, then his own actions make him just. If that person violates the law, then his actions make him unjust, and no quantity of obeyed laws makes up for any law not obeyed. An example would be. A lifetime of not stealing would not negate the punishment due for one act of stealing. The person stands just or falls per each of his own actions.
Grace/Faith. Under God’s system of grace and faith, a person’s justification does not come as a result of his obedience or his lack of obedience to the governing laws. Instead it comes from the graciousness of God who enacts the laws. By grace given to the believer through his faith, he stands righteous even when he transgresses. Salvation and right standing with God is a “free” gift. Paul tells us that God was not obligated to grant Abraham righteousness. Why? Because God granted justification to Abraham before he obeyed the command to be circumcised. Lets read the verse again
“under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before.
God looked into Abraham’s heart and saw the faith (willing faith) that would lead him to obey God’s circumcision command, and credited him with righteousness before Abraham obeyed the command.
I believe that is how God deals with us today concerning baptism. He sees the faith that will prompt the act, and graciously gives the blessing before the act ever takes place. That is why giving the blessing (justification/righteousness/salvation) is a free gift instead of an obligation. That is the way God operates.
So Why Should We Obey?
I believe that there are two perspectives to our justification.
1. There is God’s perspective. God teaches us through the Bible that acceptable obedience comes from the heart (Deut 30:14-17, 1 Cor 13). He sees the genuineness of our faith by looking into our hearts. He does not have to wait for us to act to see if our faith is genuine. God knows the heart, and knows when faith comes to life in our heart. He justifies us through the faith He sees within us even before we act.
2. There is our perspective. Humans do not always know what is in their hearts, because we have the ability to delude ourselves. That is why we do better to have an outward sign that we can see and take comfort in. Something that authenticates to us that our faith is real and that we are yielding. It becomes our sign or seal to prove to us that through our faith God indeed has done what He promised to do. The comfort of our own obedience gives us peace, especially when we don’t trust our own hearts.
1 John 3:18-20 NIV Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth, This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He know everything.
God granted Abraham justification because of what was in Abrahams heart, that is, faith, a willing faith. Circumcision made legitimate to Abraham, and to all of us who followed, that his faith was true and that his righteousness was granted.
Faith is for God to see and to justify us through; obedience is for us to see and take security from.
So how does this apply to baptism?
The foundational truth that Paul laid down in Romans chapters 3 and 4 applies to every command of God. Paul says that David said the same thing that he was saying in Romans about this matter. Notice what he writes.
Romans 4:6-8 NIV David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.
If you will recall from earlier in our study that Paul’s reference to Abraham, “apart from works” means that it is apart from any act of obedience. So in reference to God crediting righteousness (forgiveness, justification) apart from works, David wrote about a person being forgiven and never having his sins counted against him. David like Paul, makes it clear that no act of obedience, no work stands between a person and his salvation. Is there any wonder that he refers to this repeatedly as blessedness.
Salvation is ours when:
1. We promptly obey.
2. It is ours when we sluggishly obey.
3. It is ours when we understand and do the will of God.
4. It is ours when we, as humans misunderstand and miss the will of God.
It is not to the perfect that God grants righteousness, it is to those who have faith, willing faith in their hearts.This is not just an Old Testament concept. Remember Paul started with Abraham who lived before the Law of Moses, then he moved to David who lived during the Law of Moses. Then to make sure the point is made clear and drive it home he moves to us those who live after the Law of Moses and are under New Testament grace.
Romans 4:23-24 NIV The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness, for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
The foundational truth that Paul teaches applies to us as well as it did to Abraham, David or to those in first century Rome. It is the way of God and will always be. Our salvation comes by God’s grace and is granted to those who have a willing faith in their hearts. Salvation is credited, not earned. Faith is the door into God’s grace. It is what God sends His blessings through.
Someone Might ask: But didn’t God Say that Salvation Comes at Baptism?
The question that we have been considering in this abbreviated study in not whether or not God commands baptism. He does, that is obvious from a casual reading on the New Testament. The question we are dealing with is, whether God grants His grace to a believer that hasn’t yet been immersed. We do not ever find a scripture in the Bible that says “a believer who has not been baptized yet is lost.” It is just not there. We will deal with Mark 16:15-16 shortly.
The Importance of Baptism:
There are many verses of scripture that address the importance of baptism, and I use them when I talk to someone about their coming to Christ.
Acts 2:38 NIV Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of you sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 22:16 NIV And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name.
Mark 16:15-16 NIV He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
I quote these scriptures, and I believe them. However, the passages that I have cited do not say that our justification/salvation occurs at baptism, no more than other verses say that salvation occurs at the point of repentance or confession. Notice some others verses authored by Paul and Peter.
Acts 3:19 NIV Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.
Ro 10:9-10 NIV That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
In Acts 3:19, just one chapter after Peter had preached that one should be baptized “for the remission of sins,” we find Peter saying that a person should repent so that his “sins may be wiped out.” So did the removal of the peoples sin happen when they repented or when they were baptized? Neither.
Paul in Romans 6 gives us a wonderful picture how at baptism a person is buried and resurrected with Christ, and then in just a few chapters over, that is, Romans 10 Paul tells us that if we confess we will be saved. Which is it? Does justification occur at confession or baptism. Neither.
Trying to make a timeline for all of this misses the point of God’s saving grace. Neither the apostles nor anyone else writing in the New Testament outlines a process of salvation with no act of obedience followed by another until they reach a place where one final act secures salvation, or takes a person from being lost to being saved.
I use to believe that Faith + Repentance + Confession + Baptism = Salvation, and many still do. It is a nice little formula. But the truth is God did not make a formula for salvation. He did not devise a timeline with acts of obedience adding up and finally, one that puts you over the top. That is why the apostles and New Testament preachers never worried about making any kind of ordered plan of salvation clear with every statement that they made to every audience. On one occasion they told people to repent to be saved, and on another they concentrated on confession, and on another they spoke of baptism in the context of salvation. The truth is they expected those who heard them to do all those things commanded by God, and never intended for them to think that any act of obedience was the basis of their salvation. From beginning to end they preached that salvation came by the grace of God through faith. They understood that every act of obedience, no matter how important to the changing of our lives, was not to be done so that God would save us, but to be done because the God who saved us wanted it done. In the very act of obeying we attain in our own hearts the seal that assures us of our relationship with God. Faith is for God to see and act upon, obedience is for us to see and take security from.
Ok now let us look at Mark 16:15-16.
Mark 16:15-16 NIV He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Mark had a great opportunity to let us know that un-baptized believers are lost, but he did not. Now some will argue that he did not have to say “he who does not be baptized will be condemned” because we can infer it form the text. To make that inference is wholly human. If a person infers it, they do so because they see faith and baptism as being equally important. I have heard it stated like this. If 1+1= 2 then the lack of either “1” will prevent you from reaching 2 because 1+0 is not 2. So faith + baptism = salvation, whereas the lack of either does not equal salvation. This kind of thinking has a couple of flaws.
The first is this. Faith and baptism are not equal, and neither are they equally important. The Bible does not equate baptism, repentance, confession, praying, giving, or anything else to faith. Think about it. All of these things are acts we do in obedience to God’s commands. Faith is always the motive. It is the power, reason and drive leading us to those actions. No act of obedience in the Bible is as important as faith, and could not be. In the above formula if faith = 1, that no amount of obedience that we do could ever equal another “1”. God did not make a formula and neither should we. God said “whoever does not believe will be condemned.” That is His point. God saves those with faith and rejects those without faith.
The second problem or flaw with this formula thinking is this. The fabricated formula that we have been talking about contradicts the truth of Romans 4. If the formula that some make of Mark 16 were true, then the same could be said of Abraham. Notice:
“If Abraham believes and is circumcised he will be declared righteous. But if he does not believe he will not be declared righteous.” Now by the same logic of those who try to make Mark 16 a formula, we would say that God told Abraham that faith plus circumcision equals righteousness. We would then say that if Abraham were not circumcised, he would be unrighteous. Do ya see the problem?
Not only was Abraham righteous, Paul pointed out specifically in Romans 4 that God declared Abraham righteous before he was circumcised. The formula that is humanly devised for Mark 16:15- 16 fall flat on its face when applied to another “essential” command of God.
The reason that Mark did not say “he that believes but is not baptized will be condemned” is because no such thought entered his mind. Neither the Holy Spirit who inspired him.
Baptism was not the subject of his statement. Faith was.
Now Let us Look At Cornelius:
I believe that the story of Cornelius in the book of Acts is a prime example of a believer who is saved before the act of baptism. In Acts chapter 10 we read of Cornelius.
Acts 10:2-3 NIV He and all his family were devout and God fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
This family had faith, and God sent an angel to tell Cornelius something.
Acts 10:4-5 NIV Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.
So Cornelius did what he was commanded to do, and sent for Peter. Peter comes and speaks to them. Notice the points that Peter included about Cornelius and his family.
Acts 10:34-38 NIV I now realize…..God…..accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.
Acts 10:36 NIV you know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ”
Acts 10:37 you know what has happened in Judea……how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and Power.
Acts 10:44 NIV While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
Acts 10:46-47 NIV………Then Peter said, Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.
Peter later made it clear that Cornelius’ faith in Jesus led to his salvation before he was baptized.
Acts 15:7-11 NIV Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who know the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.
Look at Peter’s points.
1. God knew Cornelius’ heart.
2. God showed that He accepted him by giving the Holy Spirit to him: Note that Peter used the phrase “showed that he accepted” instead of “showed that he would accept”
3. God made it clear that when Cornelius received the Holy Spirit he was already accepted by God.
Why did God accept Cornelius and his family?
Peter tells us that “God, who know the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them…….for He purified their hearths by faith.”
Why did God purify their hearts by faith before they did the first act of obedience to His commands? Peter again writes, “We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
Here is a good reason why we know that Cornelius was saved before he was baptized. God only gives the Holy Spirit to those who are believers, those who are saved. Notice what Paul writes in Ephesians.
Eph 1:13-14 NIV And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of you salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a deal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession to the praise of His glory.
Paul says that the Holy Spirit is a seal with which God marks believers. Paul says that the Holy Spirit is our guarantee or assurance that we have been saved. Cornelius and his family had already been saved when God poured His Spirit our on them. In the New Testament era, the Spirit is the seal of salvation. There is not situation that exist in the New Testament where God gives His Holy Spirit to an alien sinner (unbeliever) in the same way He gave it to the apostles “at the beginning” on the Day of Pentecost. God showed the Jews who had become Christians that He had given the seal of salvation to a Gentile family so that the Jewish Christians would know absolutely that God accepted them.
Peter did not baptize them so that they would be saved. It was only after the divine sign of God’s acceptance, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, that Peter would baptize them.
Acts 10:47 NIV The circumcised believers who come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”
Cornelius and his family stand as proof of what we have already learned in our study. God grants us righteousness through our faith before any action on our part.
This is not the only story in the book of Acts where God saves people before baptism, but I believe it will do for now.
Summing up:
God gave Abraham a direct command to be circumcised. It was a “must” command. Abraham had no choice but to obey. However, God justified Abraham before he could ever act on the command. God justified Abraham by the willing faith He saw in his heart. God did not have to wonder if Abraham would obey His command for He already saw it in his faith. Paul says that this is how God deals with us.
Notice another verse:
Matthew 5:27-28 NIV You have heard that it was said, “Do not commit adultery.” But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
The person in question in Matthew had committed the sin of adultery, but he had not done the physical act. He was credited guilty because of what was in his heart. God made a determination about the man before the man did the physical act, because of what was in his heart.
The reverse is true as well. God can look into our heart and see a willing faith, that is willing to obey God’s command of baptism or nay other of God’s commands, and credit him as justified or righteous, before he does the physical act.
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