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The
belief that you HAVE to be water baptized in order to be Saved is yet
another false doctrine being taught today. Here are the
verses
that this false belief is derived from.
- MARK 16:16 He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned.
- ACTS
2:38 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.
- MATTHEW 28:19 Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
So then by
these verses it does appear that a person must be water baptized in
order to be saved. And it is TRUE that a person must be baptized in
order to have Eternal Life. The problem with this false doctrine, is
the people who believe you must be water baptized in order to be Saved,
do not realize there is more then one baptism. Granted there is only
one baptism that is required for Salvation, the others are not
required
but is something we should do if we are able to do so.
Scriptures
are quite clear there is another baptism that is not by water
submersion.
- MATTHEW 3:11 I indeed baptize
you with water unto
repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes
I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and
with fire:
John the Baptist said this, and
Jesus
testifies concerning John in Mat
11:9-11
that he was a great prophet
and none born of women greater then John the Baptist. This man just
told us that he baptizes with water but Jesus will baptize with the
Holy Ghost. Clearly this is a different baptism then that of water.
Other Scriptures confirm they are different one from another:
- JOHN
1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the
same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and
remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
(Note: Jesus never baptized with water)
- ACTS 11:16 Then
remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed
baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
- ACTS 1:5 For John truly
baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not
many days hence.
So then clearly there are two different baptisms one that is done by
water and another baptism done by the Holy Ghost. Notice what Jesus
Himself says concerning this other baptism.
- LUKE 12:50 But I have a
baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be
accomplished!
Jesus said this after He had already been water baptized by John. Jesus
was water baptized at the beginning of His teaching the people. When He
says what He did in Luke 12:50 was long after He was water baptized,
yet we see Jesus saying that He is in need of another baptism yet to
come, even though He was already water baptized. The baptism He is
referring to is not a baptism of water, but a baptism of His death and
resurrection so that the Holy Ghost may be received by us through Him.
- ROMANS
6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ
were baptized into his death? 4 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. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness
of
his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Water baptism is not the same thing as Holy Ghost baptism. This is also
evident by all the water baptisms that John the Baptist performed, none
of them received the Holy Ghost by his water baptisms.
John the Baptist himself, a man that started the water baptism said to
Jesus that he was in need of being baptized by Him.
- MATTHEW 3:14 But John forbad
him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
John the Baptist also realized there was another baptism other than
that of
water, which was the baptism that Jesus offered, not by water but by
the Holy Ghost.
So then the verse that says:
- MARK 16:16 He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned.
It would be wrong to automatically assume that, that baptism is
referring to water baptism, when in Truth it is referring to the Holy
Ghost baptism that is required for one to be Saved. The false teaching
is when Nicolaitan Christians say you must be water baptized in order
to be Saved.
This false doctrine thrives because a false teaching says that water
baptism and Holy Ghost baptism are one and the same event, that when a
person gets water baptized that they at the same time are getting Holy
Ghost baptized, and because this has happened in the past, then it is
suppose to happen all the time. My point is this, there is a
baptism of water and there is a baptism of the Holy Ghost, and True it
has happened in the past that BOTH of these baptisms have occurred at
the same time, satan then uses this to his advantage by teaching people
this is the way it is suppose to be every single time.
We see in Acts Chapter 8:12-17 that people believed the teachings of
Philip (a disciple of Jesus Christ Himself and full of the Holy Ghost)
and Philip baptized them (with water) yet none of them received the
Holy Ghost. It wasn’t until Peter and John came unto them to lay their
hands upon them who have already been baptized by water, before they
received the Holy Ghost. So these received the Holy Ghost Baptism AFTER
they were water baptized.
We see in Acts Chapter 9:17-18
that Ananias laid his hands on Paul and then immediately baptized
Paul. So he received the Holy Ghost baptism about the same
time
he was water baptized.
We see in Acts Chapter 10:34-48
that Cornelius and all his relations and all his close friends were
Holy Ghost baptized BEFORE they were water baptized.
So
we see Scriptures teaching that Holy Ghost baptism is not the same
thing as water baptism, because Scriptures teach you can receive the
Holy Ghost After you are water baptized (Acts 8) During water baptism
(Acts 9) and Before water baptism (Acts 10) and in Acts 11:16 we
clearly see Peter teaching that there are two different kinds of
baptisms, one of water and the other of the Holy Ghost.
A couple of verses that prove people can be water baptized
and not have the Holy Ghost until After:
- ACTS
8:16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then laid they their hands
on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Notice the Holy Ghost, according
to Scriptures was given by the laying on of hands and not by water
baptism.
- ACTS
19:2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye
believed? (Notice, believing was not enough, they had to
do something
else) And they said
unto him, We have not so much as heard whether
there be any Holy Ghost. 3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were
ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. (These
were water
baptized) 4 Then
said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of
repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him
which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5 When they
heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And
when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them;
and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
Notice the Holy Ghost, according
to Scriptures was given by the laying on of hands and NOT by water
baptism.
A couple of verses that proves people can receive the Holy Ghost
(baptized by the Spirit) without ever being water baptized.
- ACTS
10:44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all
them which heard the word. 45 And they of the circumcision which
believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on
the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46 For
they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered
Peter, 47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized,
which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
- LUKE 23:43 And Jesus said
unto him, Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with me in
paradise.
The thief on the cross was never water baptized, yet is going to
paradise. The Holy Ghost is able to fall on him without him being water
baptized even as He fell on the Gentiles in Acts 10 without being water
baptized. John the Baptist himself was never water baptized.
It is essential to understand that there is a water baptism and there
is a Holy Ghost baptism and they are not one and the same thing. Water
baptism is not a requirement for one’s Salvation, to believe that it
is, is to believe a false doctrine. Now the baptism of the Holy Ghost
is required for Salvation. When a person is baptized by the Holy Ghost
their heart is changed, they no longer want to live the sinful life
that they were living before, and they become genuinely sorry for their
sins, these also will receive a gift or gifts of the Holy Ghost given
to them by the Holy Ghost severally as the Holy Ghost wills (I
Cor 12:1-11). And it is given to them that OBEY Jesus Christ (Act
5:32).
Please don’t misunderstand me. I believe everyone should get water
baptized if they are able to do so, just as I believe everyone should
feed the hungry, give to the poor, visit those in prison, visit the
elderly, if they are
able to do so. But none of these things is a requirement for
one
to have Salvation, but are things we should do if we are able to do
them. And doing these things are evidence of our Faith, our
Christian walk, these things we should desire to do once we are Saved
by Faith, through Grace. But to teach – You must get water
baptized in order to be Saved is a false doctrine and is not the Truth
according to Scriptures. Now you do have to be Baptized by
the
Holy Ghost in order to go into the Kingdom of God.
- Acts 5:32 And we are his
witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath
given to them that obey him.
Now there are some who believe the false doctrine that you must be
water baptized in order to be Saved that use the following verse to
support that belief.
- John 3:5 Jesus answered,
Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Notice that it does
NOT say Verily, verily I say unto you, except a man be baptized by
water, and of the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.
That is what they want it to say, and how they interpret that verse to
mean, however the very next verse explains it
- John 3:6 That which is born
of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
“EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN OF WATER” is flesh. We all, who are
human
are indeed born of water in the womb of our mothers.
Another possible interpretation of “EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN OF
WATER” can be referring to Jesus, for many verses refer to
this
water.
- John 4:10 Jesus answered and
said unto her, If thou
knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to
drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee
living water.
- John 4:14 But whosoever
drinketh of the water that
I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give
him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
- John 7:38 He that believeth
on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living water.
- I
John 5:6This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not
by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that
beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
Jesus also
came by the water, this is true for Jesus Christ the Son of God was
indeed born human from the womb of a human, thus being born of water ,
but the difference in Jesus is that He came by water ( born flesh) and
blood, that is to say He was born to be a sacrifice, for the lost.
“Except a man be born of water and the Spirit” The water is Jesus, the
Spirit is the Holy Ghost- except a man believe in Jesus and baptized by
the Holy Ghost cannot enter into Heaven, except a man be born of God (I
John 5:1) and baptized by the Holy Ghost he cannot enter into the
Kingdom of God.
So then you can interpret “EXCEPT A MAN
BE BORN OF WATER” to mean water baptism or to mean born flesh or to
mean the water to be the living Christ, all of these are
interpretations what the verse can mean. But here is the
Truth,
the interpretation that it means water baptism contradicts other verses
in Scriptures, while the other two interpretations do not contradict
other verses. So then … :
IF WHAT YOU BELIEVE CONTRADICTS EVEN ONE VERSE IN SCRIPTURES, THEN WHAT
YOU BELIEVE IS WRONG.
The interpretation that being born of water means you must be water
baptized, contradicts other verses in Scriptures, which this Article
has discussed previously, therefore can’t be a correct interpretation,
to believe that, is to believe a false doctrine. Not to
mention
there is absolutely no Scriptures whatsoever that refers to water
baptism as being born of water. Scriptures interprets Scriptures and we
have no Scriptures that says, teaches, or even implies that water
baptism is being born of water, this is a teaching of Nicolaitan
Christians which cannot
be backed up by the Words of God, it is a false doctrine.
Some will argue and debate with this Article saying there is
only one baptism, for it is written:
- Ephesians
4:4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope
of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and
Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
This is True there is ONE LORD for man to be Saved by, there is ONE
FAITH that brings Salvation, and there is ONE BAPTISM that is required
for Salvation. So then concerning Salvation there is only ONE LORD, ONE
FAITH, and ONE BAPTISM.
However we know there are more
than one Lord, for even Sarah called Abraham “Lord” also it is written
there is more then one Lord in:
- I Corinthians 8:5 For though
there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there
be gods many, and lords many,)
We know there is more than
one Faith. There is little faith, there is great faith, there is faith
that can move mountains, there is a dead faith if it have no works,
there is a word of faith (Rom 10:8), there are acts of faith, faith
given to us by measure (Rom 12:3). There is a gift of faith, which is
one of the gifts of the Holy Ghost.
We know there are more than one baptism according to
Scriptures:
- Matthew
3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to
bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
So then according to this Scripture from the greatest prophet ever,
there are TWO (2) different types of baptisms, one which is done by
water and the other baptism is by the Holy Ghost and fire.
Notice also that Jesus Himself after being baptized by John
the Baptist, as we mentioned earlier in this Article, said:
- Luke
12:50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened
till it be accomplished!
(He was already water
baptized)
Clearly Jesus is referring to
another baptism
and that baptism is not that of water immersion. There is yet
another baptism which Scriptures themselves refer to, called the
baptism of the dead (I
Cor 15:29)
Notice again in another place, baptisms is plural in the
next verse, which refers to more then one baptism.
- Hebrews
6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms (Plural), and of laying on of hands,
and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
So then my point is there are more than one baptism. True there is only
one baptism that is REQUIRED for Salvation and that is the baptism of
the Holy Ghost. Anyone can be baptized by water and it not change their
life. Baptism of the Holy Ghost is what changes a persons life and that
baptism is what is REQUIRED to be Saved.
- Ephesians 2:8 For by grace
are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift
of God:
We receive Salvation as a free gift, and we do not have to DO anything
to receive it. Even water baptism, which is most assuredly a
work, something that is done, a deed that is done in public to confess
our free Salvation that we received, and to symbolically represent that
we are washing away our sins, which was done the moment we accepted the
free gift of Salvation from Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
The thief on the cross was baptized, not by water, but by the Holy
Ghost at the moment he believed on the Lord Jesus and called Him “
Lord” (Luk
23:42) because it is written “NO MAN CAN SAY THAT JESUS IS
THE LORD, BUT BY THE HOLY GHOST” (I Cor 12:3)
So then it
is quite clear and Scriptural there are more than one type of baptism,
howbeit there is only ONE BAPTISM required for Salvation, but since
there are more than one type of baptism a person must be careful not to
misinterpret, by assuming every mention of baptism is referring to
water baptism, it could very well (and most of the time is) referring
to Holy Ghost baptism and not that of water.
Please do
not get me wrong, i believe every believer in Christ SHOULD get water
baptized, even as i believe every believer in Christ should help the
needy, feed the poor, clothe the naked, and do good works.
However, none of these things are REQUIRED for one to have Eternal Life
in Christ, these things we should do, if we are able to do so, to
fulfill all righteousness.
Is not Jesus suppose to be our
example, how we are to live our own lives? Jesus got water baptized
even though He had absolutely no reason to do so, being that He had no
sin to even symbolically cleanse. John was baffled by this also, but
the Lord said He was doing it to fulfill all righteousness, not that we
in a like manner HAVE to get water baptized but is something we should
do to also fulfill all righteousness. Jesus laid His hands on the sick
and healed them too, does that mean if we do not the same thing we are
not Saved? NO!
The moment a person believes in Christ and
repents of his or her sins, and accepts Jesus into their hearts to
live, is at that moment, cleansed from all their past sins.
Water
baptism does not do this. It is true that water baptism is symbolic for
washing away of sin to receive forgiveness, even though it is symbolic,
what then actually DOES wash away our sins, not that which is symbolic,
water will never wash away sin, nor will anything from the Earth
cleanse sin. Scriptures over and over again explains what actually does
the cleansing.
- I John 1:7 7But if (conditional) we walk in
the light, as He is
in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
This is what actually does the
cleansing and not water baptism which is symbolic, Amen.
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