‘I believe baptism is commanded by God but not essential for salvation. It is merely an “outward sign of a work that has already taken place within.”’
According to Romans 6:3-10
and Colossians 2:12 we are dead and unified with Jesus
through baptism into His death, His burial and
His resurrection:
Biblical baptism
“He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.” –Mark 16:16
According to this erroneous teaching, which states: We are saved when we believe and are resurrected
at that point and are then baptized as a sign of “what has already taken
place,” we get another and completely different picture, which looks
like this:
Denominational baptism
“He who believes and is saved shall be baptized.” – Denominational tradition
We don’t bury live people. On the contrary; We bury dead ones! This teaching, when
looked at closely, is NOT what the Word of God teaches
about baptism in Romans 6 and Colossians 2:12. This is not a Biblical baptism.
Romans 6:9-10 states Christ died ONCE and cannot die again! We are
unified with Him in death, buried with Him and also raised with Him through baptism. How does all this take place? By faith.
If we are “saved” before we are baptized, then baptism has no meaning
and is contradictory to itself.
Furthermore, Ephesians 4:4-5 states that
there is only ONE baptism, not two! A person must choose which baptism
is the one that is taught in scripture. And there is only ONE Gospel.
If we deny baptism is when we are reborn,
we are denying not only our own resurrection (and rebirth) but also Christ’s
resurrection.
To further clarify and reinforce this point see 1Corinthians
10:1-4, and remember the following illustration from the Old Testament as
an illustration for us today:
God brought
1.
out of
2.
through the sea (water -i.e. baptism)
3. and into
the promised land (
God did NOT bring
1.
out of
3. into the promised land (
2. then through the sea (water -i.e. baptism)
Baptism is nothing new in God’s salvation
plan. It is something He has always used to illustrate the separating of sin
from mankind. God has always
saved people through water. It was foreshadowed long ago in the Old
Testament scriptures.
Consider Nadab and Abihu
and their strange fire in Leviticus 10:1-3 and King Saul and his own way of doing
things in 1 Samuel 13 & 15. Remember also, the story of
Naaman the Leper. Was it the
water of the
1
Corinthians 10:6,11
Now these things occurred as examples to keep
us from setting our hearts on
evil things as they did…
These things happened to
them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the
fulfillment of the ages has come.
Romans
10:2-3
For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is
not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes
from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's
righteousness.
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that
through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Consider also this passage:
Mark 16:15-16
And
he said unto them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel
to every creature.
He that
believes and is baptized shall be saved, and he that
does not believe shall be condemned.
Notice
Jesus said, “He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved.”
Notice also what Jesus did
NOT say. He did NOT say, “He that believeth and is saved shall be baptized.”
In great error, most denominations teach the latter. In other words,
most denominations teach what Jesus did NOT say! This should send a chill up
the spine of anyone who is truly seeking to follow the teachings of Christ.
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."
—John 8:31-32
Notice: holding to Christ’s teaching
= being His disciple.
Therefore NOT holding to Christ’s teaching =
NOT being His disciple!
This is a very simple test God
gave us to determine who is and who is not a disciple of Christ.
Some (such as Baptists) may
ask if what we believe about baptism at time of immersion matters. I.e., Is
it important for us to believe that God is forgiving our sins in baptism
when we are baptized? The answer is, yes, it is vital
that we believe and understand what baptism is about,
otherwise we are undergoing a different baptism, which is not the ONE
baptism of Ephesians 4:4-5. The Colossians believed
that God was working to make them a new creation in baptism. Notice the
phrase “through faith in the working of God”:
and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the
dead.
See also:
“The Way of Salvation” Kenny Carl Moser (1893-1976)
|
Scripture |
The ONE baptism
in the Bible |
“Baptist” or “non-denominational” baptism |
Full water immersion? |
YES |
YES |
|
For the purpose of having your sins forgiven/washed away? |
YES |
NO |
|
To save you? |
YES |
NO |
|
To be reborn? |
YES |
NO |
|
To have new life? |
YES |
NO |
|
Required for salvation/criteria for judgment? |
YES |
NO |
|
United with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection THROUGH
baptism? |
YES |
NO |
|
Saved before baptism? |
-- |
NO |
YES |
CONCLUSION: |
Biblical baptism |
Non-Biblical baptism--needs to be corrected |
Which baptism is Biblical today? |
Explanation |
Reference |
“Baptism of the Holy Spirit” |
Happened once to the Jews in Acts 2 and once
to the Gentiles in Acts 10. Has since passed away 2000 years ago. |
Acts 2, Acts 10, Acts 8:36-39-in water |
Infant baptism |
Must believe, repent, and make conscious decision to
follow Christ. Doctrine of “original sin” false. |
Acts 16:30-33--Faith must precede baptism Acts 8:36-39--Faith must precede baptism Acts 2:38--Repentance with baptism |
Baptism for the dead |
Man faces judgment after death |
|
Baptism as a “public confession of faith” |
Not taught in bible |
-- |
Baptism for the forgiveness of sins into Christ |
The ONE baptism spoken of in Ephesians 4:4-5 |
Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Acts
8:26-40, 1Peter 3:20-21, Colossians 2:12, Galatians 3:26-27, John 3:3-5, Mark 16:15-16, Titus 3:5, Matthew 28:19-20 |
Can you be taught wrong and baptized right?
Isn’t it ironic that the Baptist
Church does not believe in baptism?
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This page last updated: June 24, 2022