THE DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS by T. R. Post

Have you thought about why some people won’t go to church? One reason that sinners use as an excuse is, “There are too many hypocrites there.” You will find hypocritical people everywhere you go. But 2 Corinthians 3:3 tells us that as Christians we are living epistles. Non-Christians carefully observe the actions of professing believers to see if they are “walking the walk” as well as “talking the talk.”

In grade school I had a couple classmates that came across as God-fearing people but treated me as “fair-weather friends.” Some days these religious kids would be friendly towards me. Other days they would join fellow classmates in teasing me. I didn’t realize until years later how that had played a part in turning me away from the things of God.

In his personal testimony, evangelist Jesse Duplantis talks about how as a kid he didn’t like all the fighting he saw amongst members of his church. His father (who was the pastor) advised Jesse to get his eyes off of men and onto Jesus. Jesse didn’t do that and fell into a lifestyle of sin before he got saved at the age of 24.

Jesus prayed in John 17:20-21 that the Body of Christ "may be one." In other words, the Lord wants His disciples living in unity. More people in this world would be attracted to Christianity if God’s people showed genuine love toward one another. Unfortunately, Satan uses various tactics to bring division among Christians; among them are doctrinal differences.

Webster’s Dictionary defines doctrine as “something that is taught.” This applies both to true and false teachings. We have many denominations today because of past church splits. Sometimes it is necessary for Christians to leave a church especially if the pastor starts preaching things contrary to God’s word. Jesus warned us in Matthew 15:9 that the Pharisees taught doctrines that were commandments of men and not of God.

One subject that has caused division among believers is water baptism. I have met Christians who insist that being baptized is necessary for salvation. One verse that appears to support that belief is Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Notice this verse does not say, “he who is not baptized will be condemned.” The thief on the cross didn’t have time to get water baptized when he cried out to Jesus. Yet the Lord told this thief that he would be with Him in paradise (Luke 23:40-43). When I make reference to that, some argue that the thief was not under the New Covenant. But Hebrews 8:6 says that through Jesus we have “a better covenant” which is “established on better promises.” Christians do not have to follow numerous laws in order to be in right standing with God.

Another verse often quoted by people who preach baptism is needed for salvation is John 3:5, "Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" But this verse doesn’t specifically refer to baptism. Jesus was talking to a Pharisee named Nicodemus. To the Pharisee, “born of water,” meant to be born physically. In Scripture, water is often used as a symbol for God's Word. An example of this is found in Ephesians 5:26, "He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word…"

I’m not minimizing the importance of water baptism. Jesus told us in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep My commandments.” The Lord has commanded us to be baptized as well to take communion in remembrance of the sacrifice He made for us. But we do those things because we are saved, not in order to become saved.

After I got born again in March 1991, I knew that I was going to heaven even though I didn’t get water baptized right away. The church I attended at that time only conducted baptisms during their annual picnic. Because of that I didn’t get baptized until four months after my salvation.

Since then I have visited other churches that have water baptisms more frequently. Among the most memorable I‘ve seen was at the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida. Many people who had just got born again or recommitted their lives to the Lord shook under the power of God after giving their testimony and then getting dunked into the water!

IN WHOSE NAME?

Another issue that separates believers is how someone is water baptized. Some Christians teach that baptisms must be done “in the name of Jesus only.” They defend their belief in this by quoting Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” But in Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” On the surface this appears to be a contradiction. Notice though that Matthew 28:19 refers to “name” and not “names.”

It’s sad that some religious folks are more passionate about defending their doctrines than seeing people get born again. When I’ve gone out witnessing, a few folks have tried to waste my time debating doctrine if I don’t totally agree with their interpretation of the Bible. It’s best to walk away from these contentious Christians. Romans 16:17 says, “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.”

After spending a considerable amount of time studying the Bible, I’ve found four different kinds of baptisms mentioned...two of which are applicable to New Testament believers. The first one is being water baptized for the remission of sins. The other is the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.

It is possible to speak in tongues before being water baptized, proving that baptism does not bring salvation. A few weeks before I was water baptized, I prayed to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For awhile I kept yawning whenever I tried praying in other tongues. Later I realized this was the devil trying to stop me. This stopped about the time I was water baptized.

Before Jesus’ earthly ministry, a sect of Jews called the Essenes used to baptize non-Jews who converted to Judaism to symbolize purification. This is probably what the Apostle Paul referred to in 1 Corinthians 10:2 as being “baptized into Moses.” The other baptism that does not apply to us today is what John the Baptist did to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah (see Matthew 3:11). Acts 19:4-6 makes reference to three different baptisms…

4 Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would 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 hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 1:17, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel." This would nullify some people’s belief that if you lead someone to Christ, then you are responsible for baptizing that new believer.

But again I want to emphasize that water baptism is a commandment of the Lord. So if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior but haven’t yet been water baptized, then I would encourage you to talk to your pastor about doing that. It will deepen your commitment to Christ. As Romans 6:4 says, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” In his book “The Potential of the Redeemed Mind”, Dr. Wayne Gwilliam writes that water baptism “…was meant to give clarity to the soul of man by neutralizing the defense mechanism of the mind.”

BAPTIZED AS A BABY?

When I’m out evangelizing and ask people why they are going to heaven, a response that occasionally comes up is “I have been baptized.” When I ask them how they were baptized, some people talk about being sprinkled as a baby. Many traditional churches (including the one I was raised in) practice the ritual of infant baptism. Did you know that isn’t mentioned at all in the Bible? The Greek word for baptize is baptismo which means “make overwhelmed“ or “to immerse.” That doesn’t sound like “sprinkling” to me.

Although it is Scriptural to dedicate a child to the Lord, that kid must eventually decide for himself whether or not to follow the Lord. There is nothing man can do to save neither himself nor his children. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” No kind of water baptism will get anyone into heaven.

Jesus said in John 3:3, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again [spiritually], he cannot see the kingdom of God." So if you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then I urge you to pray this prayer right now…

"God in Heaven, I know I'm a sinner and I need Your help. I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and rose again from the dead. Jesus, come into my heart, make Yourself real to me, cleanse me and protect me with Your precious blood, fill me with the Holy Spirit, keep me away from sin, be my Lord and Savior. Amen."