Baptism, to be or not to be?
Is it necessary or optional?
Does baptism include a blessing, or is it just an outward expression of an inward work?
Let’s start with Jesus.
Did Jesus command and connect baptism to faith explicitly?
If Jesus did command baptism and directly connect it to baptism, does it matter what Jesus said?
Did Jesus get baptized? Did Jesus insist he needed to be baptized? When Jesus got baptized, was it just a thing he did with no spiritual significance?
I guess at this point, we could ask ourselves, if we believe something contradictory and in disagreement with Jesus, are we, in fact, Christians?
To the Above questions, here are a few scriptures to consider.
Jesus preached.
”He that believeth AND is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark 16:16
Jesus commanded
”Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” Matthew 28:19
Jesus and His baptism.
‘Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17
In conclusion.
Jesus tied faith directly to baptism.
Jesus commanded baptism as a result of teaching all nations.
Jesus insisted on His personal baptism.
Jesus and His baptism was spiritual and supernatural.
Why would anyone seek to disagree, disobey and deny the importance of baptism when it is in direct contradiction to Jesus?
Tradition.
The tradition of men will eliminate from their discussion all of the examples, commands, teachings, and acts Jesus did to prop up their non-biblically sound doctrine.
Beware of tradition that is contradictory to Jesus.
How is this possible?
Some have been taught that baptism is not required for New Testament Salvation. How is this possible? It is undeniable that baptism was a command by Jesus and all of the Apostles in the book of Acts.
It is accomplished by the classic tactic of eliminating truth by the implicit, if not explicit, practice of isolating some scriptures and ignoring and canceling other verses because it disagree with our denominational traditions.
I believe what the Bible says.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16
Our approach must be All scripture is true. John 3:16 and John 3:5 are both true.
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.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The above, same Jesus, Same conversation, same gospel. Faith and baptism in water and the spirit are required to see or enter the Kingdom of God.
Maybe that is why Jesus demonstrated his need to be baptized in water and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Two baptisms are shown for Jesus. Water and Spirit baptism, Jesus himself experienced this. Why would we not believe the same for us?
Matthew 28:19 and Acts 2:38
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:
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.
The Apostle Paul wrote both of the following.
Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Is Paul, the Apostle Paul, disagreeing with himself? Read what Paul wrote of his own baptism.
Acts 22:16 “arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
Paul states that his Sins were washed away by baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sounds pretty important.
That is precisely what Peter preached in Acts 2.
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.
It was preached that the forgiveness of sins, the remission of sins, was by baptism in Jesus’s Name. Who would not want that?
Why would anyone disagree with Jesus, Paul, and Peter about Baptism?
The Tradition of Denominations.
The most significant error in Christianity is in the realm of theology is when it trusts the traditions of denominations and “church history” over believing and obeying the simple directions and explanations the Bible says.
What a wonderful thing to understand and embrace; all scripture is true.
You can’t be saved without faith. You also must be born again of water and Spirit to be saved. Jesus declared it, commanded it, and practiced this same pattern that was done over and over and over again.
All scripture is profitable for doctrine.
If Jesus Commanded Baptism.
If Jesus insisted on his own baptism.
If The apostles commanded baptism and even rebaptism if it was not in the specified manner of Acts 2:38.
Paul commanded people to be rebaptized in Acts 19. Why would he do that if it was not important?
The Ephesians he later wrote a letter to, that is in your Bible, read how that church started.
”He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. 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. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”
Acts 19:2-5
Reading a scripture that does not explicitly say baptism does not cancel out or nullify the previous statements, practices, or commands of Jesus, Peter, and Paul.
The New Testament verses are not contradictory but rather complementary.
All of John chapter three is true. Verse one through the last verse. Matthew 1:1 through Revelation 22:21
Line upon line, precept upon precept.
Like a house built on a foundation to the tippy top of the roof, even the cap on the very top of the chimney. Every nail, board, and brick are essential.
If you start pulling stuff out of the building, the roof will fall down.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16
The Bible gives many things that we, as New Testament believers, must be done.
When we do something in faith, that is not a work but rather what we do when we truly believe. If you don’t obey the Word, you do not honestly believe the Word.
Jesus will finish this.
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark 16:16
I believe in Jesus!
I have been baptized into Jesus!
I have been baptized with the Holy Spirit of God through Jesus!
In Him, By Him, Through Him!
Scott A. Phillips
P.S. What about the thief on the cross?
If you can replicate that situation, you too can be saved like the thief.
Time Travel to the day Jesus is hanging on the cross. Kill someone before then, and get someone to switch you out with that thief. THEN, maybe you can ignore everything Jesus said.
Thankfully, we don’t have to die on a cross next to Jesus; we can experience the Gospel in a much easier way.
Death to self by repentance. Burial in Baptism into Jesus. Rise in new life with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
That is what Jesus and the apostles commanded and practiced. The apostles did not cancel Baptism because of the thief on the cross.
Why would tradition cancel what Jesus Commaneded and the Apostles preached and demanded of those who would be saved?
Denominational Traditions of Men.
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