HELLO
I hope this information is a blessing to those who are decieved THAT THE GOOD WORKS OF WATER BAPTISM DOESN`t save.
There is a school of thought that supposes salvation is by baptism. This doctrine is called "Baptismal Regeration". Is this doctrine taught in the Scriptures? Or is this a man-made idea of salvation? In this study, we will examine the issue of baptism, and whether it saves or not.
In the New Testament, baptism always means imersion in water except when the passage refers to Spirit baptism. John the Baptist needed "much water" for baptism, as John 3:23 shows. The early Christians baptized by "going down into the water", as Acts 8:38-39 record. The word "Baptism" (Greek- "Baptizo") means immersion and is called burial in Romans 6:4 and Col. 2:12. There is not in one instance in the Bible of sprinkling or pouring of water for baptism. Neither sprinking or pouring baptism is scriptural.
1. Is Baptism Salvation?
Let's look at several passages here to see if Baptism is Salvation.
Acts 8:34-38: "And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him."
We notice from the verses listed above several things.
a. The Eunuch heard the gospel.
b. He trusted Jesus Christ as His saviour first. Notice Philip said that he may be baptized "if thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." Clearly, Philip recognized that Salvation precedes Baptism. Hence, baptism is not salvation.
c. The Eunch was baptized after salvation.
Now, Let's look at Mark 16:16:
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
Notice in both passages, the key word is "believe". Baptism has nothing to do with Salvation. You cannot have baptism without salvation! Salvation ALWAYS precedes baptism in the Scriptures, as we shall see.
Remember, from Acts 8, the story of Philip and the Eunuch, the Eunuch had to be saved first, and then baptized second.
Acts 16:31-33:
"And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway."
So we notice from this passage, they heard the Word of the Lord, accepted it, and then were baptized. Again, Salvation preceeded baptism.
What about Titus 3:5?
Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."
Notice, first of all, "not by works of righteousness". We notice from Eph. 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast."
Therefore, any works done by us are unrighteous, nothing we can do can save us. We notice from the above verses, it is not of our doing, but the Lord's doing.
Second, people think this "washing of the regeneration" means water washing. Is this true? Let's look at Heb. 9:14:
Heb 9:14 "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
This "washing of the regeneration" is not water, but the Blood of Jesus Christ! Read Col. 1:14 and Eph. 1:8.
What then, about 1 Pet. 3:21?
1 Pet. 3:21 "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:"
What does THAT mean?
It means simply, baptism cannot remove sin. We notice that baptism affirms we accept the resurrection of Christ. Notice that "not the putting away of the filth of the flesh" is used. This shows baptism cannot cleanse the filth of the flesh, that is, sin, away. When we read 1 Pet. 3:18-22, the whole context of the verse, we see simply that baptism affirms the resurrection of Christ. There are numerous verses in the Scriptures as to what cleans us from sin (see Col 1:14; Eph 1:8, et al).
B. What is the purpose of Baptism then?
Romans 6:3-4: "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 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."
Col. 2:12: "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."
Clearly, from the verses above, we indentify ourselves with the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Christ Jesus through Baptism. This does not make us saved or clean, but rather emphasizes that we, by choice, have chosen to walk with the Lord, leaving our past life of sin beyond, and entering into a newness of serving God and not Sin.
Thus Baptism emphasizes newness of walk (Notice, not newness of salvation or life, but WALK) with the Lord. To illustrate this, let us look at the baptism of our Saviour, Jesus.
Mark 1: 9-11: "And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Does this mean Jesus had to be saved? No! This was a pattern that Jesus established for believers to follow. It also marked the beginning of His 3 years of preaching and teaching. This was the beginning of His Service on earth to man. In this way, the pattern is, Baptism and then service. Note, that Jesus did not need Salvation- He was sinless and perfect. It was a Pattern or picture of service for us to follow. So, it is Salvation, Baptism, and Service.
Conclusion: Baptism is not regeneration. It is not salvation. It is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, a pattern we are to follow.
God bless peace:up: