Is Water Baptism Essential for Salvation?
COPYRIGHT ©2017 - James M. Frye
All scripture quotations are from the Authorized King James Bible. All
underlines, bold, and words within brackets are the author's.
For more articles on other issues, please visit our website at: www.seekingfortruth.com .
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This article may be copied or printed for
distribution provided no changes are made to it and the above copyright and
website URL remain intact. It may be distributed only in its original
form, unedited, and free of charge.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why this Matter is so Important
What is the true gospel that a person must
believe in order to be saved? There is not a single question on earth which is
more important than this one. For as scripture says…
Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul?
Nothing should be more important to a person,
than the salvation of their soul.
Romans 1:16 For I
am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to
the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to
everyone who believes it. Those who
believe it are saved, and those who do not believe it are not saved. But
according to the Bible there is only one true Biblical gospel.
Galatians 1:6-9
6 I marvel that
ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another gospel:
7 Which is not
another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the
gospel of Christ.
8 But though
we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you
than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said
before, so say I now again, If
any man preach any other gospel unto you than that
ye have received, let him be accursed.
According to the above passage, there is only one
true Biblical gospel, and those who preach any other gospel are accursed by
God. So as you can see, this is a most important matter. Since there is only
one true Biblical gospel which can save a person, anyone who believes any other
gospel than the true Biblical gospel is not
saved. After all, no one can be saved by believing in a false gospel. With
all of this in mind we must ask ourselves, “What is the true Biblical gospel?”
Some people (including those in “The Church of Christ”) teach that a person
must not only believe, but must also be water baptized in order to be saved.
They say that being water baptized is part of being saved. Is that the true
Biblical gospel? Or is that a false gospel which comes under the condemnation
of Galatians? If it is a false gospel, then no one can be saved by believing
it, and those who teach it are accursed by God.
This article will contain 2 parts. In the first
part, I will prove from scripture that being water baptized is not essential for salvation, that it is
not part of the gospel, but is
rather the first act of obedience which a person who is already saved is commanded to submit to. In the second part of this
article, I will deal with those verses which are most often misinterpreted and
twisted to teach that water baptism is essential for salvation.
God says that His people “are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6). Jesus said that people err because
they do not know the scriptures (Mark 12:24). The Bible also teaches that
people wrest (twist, misuse, and misinterpret) the scriptures because they are
“unlearned” (2 Pet. 3:16). In other words, a person will misunderstand,
misinterpret, and twist scripture because
they are “unlearned” regarding many things which the Bible teaches. This is the
case with those who believe and teach that water baptism is essential for
salvation.
There are many foundational doctrines of the
Christian faith (The Doctrines of: Regeneration, Justification, Conversion,
Mystical Union, and Spirit Baptism) which clearly contradict this teaching
along with the misinterpretations of scripture used to teach it. But because
people are “unlearned” regarding these Biblical doctrines, they fall for these
teachings and are deceived. If people had known what the Bible teaches
regarding these doctrinal matters, they would not have fallen for these
misinterpretations to begin with. Because of this fact, it will be necessary at
times throughout this article to provide a brief explanation of certain Bible
doctrines in order to demonstrate the errors and misinterpretations of this
teaching. There is not enough space in this article to fully explain these
Biblical doctrines, so only a brief description of certain parts of these
doctrines will be provided.
Part 1: Why Water Baptism is NOT Essential for Salvation
Salvation is by Faith
Alone
The Bible teaches that salvation/justification is
by faith/believing alone apart from any works/deeds that a person can do.
Ephesians 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.
Romans 1:16 For I
am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Romans 3:26 To declare, I
say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus.
Romans 3:20 Therefore by
the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his
sight: for by the law is the
knowledge of sin.
Romans 1:16 For I
am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to
the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Romans 3:28 Therefore
we conclude that a man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law.
Romans 4:5 But to
him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness.
Romans 5:1 Therefore
being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Galatians 2:16 Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works
of the law, but by the faith of
Jesus Christ, even we have believed
in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified
by the faith of Christ, and not
by the works of the law: for by the
works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Galatians 3:11 But
that no man is justified by the law
in the sight of God, it is
evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we
might be justified by faith.
John 3:16 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.
John 5:24 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth
on him that sent me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
This is just a small sampling of the many verses
which teach that salvation is by faith alone apart from any work, deed or
action that a person might do. Since all scripture is true (John 17:17; Psa.
119:160), what these verses say is true. Salvation
is by faith alone. If salvation were to be by faith plus water
baptism, then these verses would not
be true. It would not be a true statement to say that a person is justified by
faith (with no mention of anything else being required),
if in fact water baptism was required. The very fact that scripture says that
people are saved by faith (alone = nothing else mentioned as necessary), means
that is indeed true. We cannot have it both ways, either salvation is by faith
alone and these verses are true, or salvation is by faith plus water baptism
and these verses are not true.
The doctrine of “justification by faith alone”
was a central issue in the “protestant” reformation of the 16th and
17th centuries. During that time, millions of Christians lost their lives
at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church rather than surrender their belief in
the doctrine of “justification by faith alone”. Martin Luther said that the doctrine of “justification by faith alone” is
the article of faith upon which the Church stands or falls. In other words, it is the key doctrine which is
most foundational to true Biblical Christianity. Once this doctrine is
surrendered, there is no salvation and hence no true Biblical Christianity.
Scripture teaches this as well. That is why people were willing to give up
their lives rather than give up this doctrine. Sadly in our day, what millions
of Christians used to be willing to die for is now being voluntarily tossed
aside by many.
Water Baptism is NOT Part of the Gospel
The same Paul, whom God used to pen the words of
Galatians 1:6-9, which we read earlier, said in verse
8 of that passage that anyone who preaches any other gospel than the one he
preached is accursed by God. With that in mind, let us take a look at the
gospel which Paul preached. Did he consider water baptism to be a part of the
gospel?
1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ sent me not to
baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross
of Christ should be made of none effect.
Although Paul did baptize people (1 Cor. 1:14,
16), he clearly made a distinction in the above verse between preaching the
gospel and baptizing people. In other words, Paul did not consider baptizing
people to be part of the gospel. This can be also seen in other passages. In 1
Cor. 15, Paul tells us specifically what gospel he preached.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I
declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you,
which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye
are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have
believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also
received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third
day according to the scriptures:
Paul said this is the gospel which he preached.
Notice that he did not say a single
word about water baptism. In other words, Paul’s gospel did not include water
baptism. Search the scriptures. Although you will find Paul preaching the
gospel many times to many people, he does not one single time include water
baptism as part of the gospel. It is only after
a person has believed the gospel and has been saved, that Paul then instructs
them to be water baptized.
This is consistent with the things which Paul
taught in his letters. In the previous section, we saw 13 verses which
specifically state that salvation is by faith alone apart from any deed or
action a person can do (which would include being water baptized). If you look
back at those verses, you will see that 11 of those 13 were written by Paul. So
we see that Paul’s teaching and practice were the same. He taught a gospel of
salvation by faith alone, and he preached a gospel of salvation by faith alone.
Paul only brought up water baptism after
a person had already believed and
been saved.
Believers are Saved Prior
to Water Baptism
Scripture records numerous accounts of people who
were either saved without being water baptized, or who were saved prior to
being water baptized. We see this in the case of the repentant woman (Luke
7:47), the publican (Luke 18:13-14), the man sick with palsy (Mark 2:5), the
thief on the cross (Luke 23:43), Cornelius (Acts 10:43-48), etc. etc. etc.
Everyone whose salvation was ever recorded in the New Testament was saved prior
to being baptized with water in the name of Jesus. Let us take a look at one of
these so you can see what I mean. In Acts 10 we see the account of Cornelius.
Acts 10:24-25 And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And
Cornelius waited for them, and had
called together his kinsmen and near friends. And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him …
Acts 10:34 Then
Peter opened his mouth, and said, …
Acts 10:43 To him
give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Acts 10:44 While
Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell
on all them which heard the word.
Acts 10:47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost
as well as we?
Acts 10:48 And he
commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Do you see the order here?
1. Peter preached the gospel to Cornelius and
those at his home ending with the words, ”whosoever believeth
shall receive the remission of sins” (with no mention of water baptism).
2. After Peter had preached the gospel (which did
not mention water baptism), those who heard and
believed also receive the Holy Spirit.
a. We know that they believed because Peter tells us this later on in Acts 15:7-9 that
God had purified these people’s hearts “through
faith” (Acts 15:9).
b. We know that they were saved because the Bible says that everyone who has the Holy Spirit
is saved (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:13; 2 Cor. 13:5).
3. After these people had already believed and
been saved, Peter then commands them to be water baptized.
These people had already believed the gospel and had been saved before being water baptized. This means
two things. First, the gospel Peter preached unto them, and by which they were
saved did not contain a single word
about water baptism. Secondly, it was only after
they had already been saved that Peter mentioned water baptism and commanded
them to be water baptized. Just as I have been saying, water baptism is the
first act of obedience for those who have already believed the gospel and been
saved. So how can water baptism be necessary for salvation if it is only to be
administered to people after they
are already saved? Obviously, it cannot, and it is not.
Baptism is ONLY for Those
Who Already Believe
As we have seen in this article, a person is
saved when they believe the gospel.
Scripture also tells us that a person must be a believer before they can be baptized.
Acts 8:36 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?
Acts 8:37 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.
According to the above passage, a person must already
be a believer before they can be
water baptized. We have already seen that a person is saved when they believe. Therefore, every
true believer is already saved before
they are permitted to be baptized in the first place. And since they are
already saved by faith/believing before they can be water baptized, how could
water baptism possibly be necessary for their salvation? How could a thing be
needful to save you, when you are not permitted to do that thing until after
you are already saved? Obviously, baptism is not necessary for salvation. This is the case throughout scripture,
people believe the gospel (and are saved) first, then they are baptized.
Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the
things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
First they believed then they were baptized.
Acts 18:8 And Crispus, the
chief ruler of the synagogue, believed
on the Lord with all his house; and many
of the Corinthians hearing believed,
and were baptized.
People believe first and then they are baptized.
And since a person is saved when they believe, all those who believe are already saved before they get baptized.
Clearly, water baptism takes place after
salvation and, therefore, cannot play a part in salvation.
The Biblical Doctrines of
Spirit Baptism and the Mystical Union in Christ
The Bible not only speaks of water baptism, it
also speaks of Spirit baptism. John the baptist said
the following regarding Jesus Christ…
Mark 1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
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.
John says that he baptized with water, but that
Jesus would baptize with the Holy Ghost (Spirit). Scripture tells us that salvation,
redemption, etc. are “in Christ” and are only available to those who are “in
Christ”.
Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.
How are believers made the
righteousness of God? How are they justified and redeemed? How are they a new
creature? According to scripture, all of these things come through being “in
Christ”. But how does one come to be in Christ? According to the Bible, a
person is placed into Christ through
Spirit baptism.
Romans 6:3 Know ye
not, that so many of us as were baptized
into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
The above verses say nothing about water. There
is no mention of “water” in either passage. These verses instead speak about
people being baptized into Christ
(not into water). That is Spirit baptism. Water baptism places a person “into
water”, but only Spirit baptism can place a person “into Christ.” According to
scripture, every believer has already, upon salvation, been baptized into
Christ (and therefore His body – the universal, invisible church made up of all
who are saved – Heb. 12:23) by the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body, whether we
be Jews or Gentiles, whether we
be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Water baptism is merely an outward ritual which
symbolizes this inward spiritual reality of being baptized into Christ. It is
the reality (Spirit baptism) and not the symbolism (water baptism) which saves
a person. Search the scriptures and you will find that things which are
symbolic never save. The animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant which were symbolic
of Christ’s sacrifice upon the cross (John 1:29; 1 Pet. 1:19) could not
actually take away sins (Heb. 10:4). Many of the Jews mistakenly thought that
they were saved because they had been physically circumcised as Abraham had.
But scripture says that Abraham was saved by
faith first, and then was physically circumcised afterward as a sign/symbol of the salvation he already had (Rom.
4:9-11). The same is true with water baptism. It is a symbol which comes after salvation which symbolizes what
has already happened at salvation.
The Warning of Galatians
As we saw earlier, Paul preached a gospel of
salvation by faith alone with no mention of water baptism, and only baptized
people after they had already
believed and been saved. After Paul had established many churches based upon
this true gospel, false teachers came along and tried to deceive the people in
these churches into believing a false gospel.
Acts 15:1 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught
the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner
of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
These false teachers taught that faith alone was
not enough to be saved, but that a person had to be circumcised as well. To put
it plainly they taught that salvation was by faith + circumcision. One of the
areas most affected by this deception was the area of Galatia where Paul had
planted a number of churches (Gal. 1:2). Paul then wrote an entire letter (the
book of Galatians) to those churches to refute this heretical teaching. In this
letter, Paul once again reaffirms that salvation is by faith alone and warns
people not to fall for this, or any other, false gospel. Paul sets forth some
very stern warnings regarding those who would believe or teach any other gospel
than the true Bible gospel which he taught and preached. You may recognize
these verses from the first section of this article.
Galatians 1:6-9
6 I marvel that
ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another gospel:
7 Which is
not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the
gospel of Christ.
8 But though
we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you
than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said
before, so say I now again, If any man preach any
other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be
accursed.
Although Paul primarily deals with this
particular false gospel of salvation by faith + circumcision throughout the
book of Galatians, the above verses tell us that this curse applies to any other gospel than the one which
Paul taught (salvation by faith alone). In other words, any gospel which
teaches salvation by faith + anything else is a false gospel which cannot
save, and those who teach it are accursed by God. Whether it is circumcision or
anything else, any gospel which adds anything which a person must do in
addition to faith for salvation falls under this curse. This would of course
apply to a gospel which says that people are saved by faith + water baptism.
Later in the book of Galatians, Paul provides
another very stern warning.
Galatians 5:2-4
2 Behold, I Paul
say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3 For I testify again
to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole
law.
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Again dealing with the false gospel of salvation
by faith + circumcision, Paul says that if people fall for that false gospel
and be circumcised (as something that must be done in addition to faith for
salvation) that Christ (and His sacrifice upon the cross) would profit them
nothing and would be of no effect unto them. In other words, they would not be
saved. As we said earlier, although Paul is dealing mainly with the false
gospel of salvation by faith + circumcision, Gal. 1:6-9 assures us these things
are true of all false gospels. Any gospel other than the one which Paul taught
(salvation by faith alone) cannot save and those who teach it are accursed by
God. It does not matter if a person says that “faith + circumcision =
salvation”, or if a person says that “faith + water baptism = salvation”
neither is Paul’s gospel of “faith alone = salvation”. According to scripture,
both are false gospels which cannot save and those who teach them are accursed
by God. People need to take this warning seriously!
Part 2: Verses Twisted to Teach Salvation by Water Baptism
In this section, we will examine the main verses
which are often misinterpreted to teach that water baptism saves.
Misinterpreted Verse #1
Mark 16:16 He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned.
People who believe that baptism is essential for
salvation often misunderstand and misinterpret this verse as if it were saying “faith + baptism = salvation” when in fact it
says nothing of the sort. First, notice that this verse makes believing or not
believing to be the determining factor in salvation. It specifically says that
it is those which “believeth not” who shall be damned. In other words, it is
the absence of “faith/believing” which is the determining factor in salvation.
What then does it mean when the verse says “He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved”? Perhaps, an analogy would help.
Suppose I were to say to you, “He that gets on
this bus and sits down will make it to the bus station”. That would be a true
statement. But what if a person were to get on that bus and not sit down?
Wouldn’t they also make it to the bus station as well? Yes, they would. So, it
is “getting on the bus” which is essential to making it to the station, not
sitting down. Sitting down or not sitting down is just an incidental which has
no effect one way or the other. This is the exact same language used in the
verse above. It is “believing” which is essential to being saved. Being
baptized or not being baptized is just an incidental which has no effect one
way or the other. We know this, not only because of the language of the verse,
but also because this is the clear teaching of scripture elsewhere. We simply
cannot misinterpret this verse to contradict all of the clear verses of
scripture which have been given in this article.
The previous verse only deals with 3 situations.
The first part of this verse tells us that…
1. A person who believes and is baptized - Shall
be saved.
The second part of the verse says a person who
does not believe shall be damned (whether they are baptized or not). Therefore,
we can break this into two parts.
2. A person who does not believe (and is not
baptized) - Shall be damned.
3. A person who does not believe (and is
baptized) - Shall be damned.
This verse simply does not deal with the following case.
4. A person who believes and is not baptized.
This verse says absolutely nothing about such a situation.
Since this verse does not deal with this 4th
situation, it cannot be used to say that
a person will not be saved unless they are baptized, or to say that baptism is
necessary for salvation. We would instead have to find other places in
scripture which do deal with this 4th situation. And as we have seen
repeatedly throughout this article, scripture makes it clear that whosoever
believes is saved, and they are saved when they believe, prior to being water
baptized.
Let us put two verses of scripture together to
see how we are to interpret scripture with scripture.
Acts 16:30-31 … Sirs, what must I do to be
saved? And they said, Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
When we set these two verses side by side this is
what we learn.
Verse 1: A person who believes shall be saved.
Verse 2: A person who believes and is baptized shall be saved.
A person who believes and is baptized shall be saved,
but so also will the person who just believes. Therefore, it is the “believing”
which results in salvation and not the water baptism. Believing (faith) is the
essential. Water baptism is not an essential otherwise the first passage would
not be true. But if we rightly understand that both passages must be true, we
will not interpret one to conflict with the other.
Misinterpreted Verse #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.
This verse has the exact same type of language as
the previous verse we just looked at. Perhaps if I change the word order a bit
you will be able to see what I mean. I could reword it to say, “He who repents
and is baptized shall receive the remission of sins”. Again it is the language
of “He that gets on this bus and sits down will make it to the bus station”.
The only question is which is the essential which leads to the remission of sins,
repentance or water baptism? We need to look to other scriptures for the answer
to this question.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore,
and be converted, that your sins may be
blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of
the Lord;
Acts 8:22 Repent therefore of
this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
Luke 24:47 And that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem.
Scripture is clear that it is repentance which
results in people’s sins being remitted, blotted out, and forgiven. The words
of the last verse are the same as Acts 2:38. Both verses say “repentance” and
“remissions of sins”. According to one verse a person who repents shall have
their sins remitted, and according to the other verse a person who repents and
is baptized shall have their sins remitted. So, clearly it is the “repentance”
and not the “baptism” which is the essential which results in the remission of
a person’s sins. Once again, let us put what these passages teach side by side.
Acts 2:38 – A person who repents and is baptized
shall have their sins remitted.
Other verses – A person who repents shall have their sins remitted.
A person who repents and is baptized shall have
their sins remitted, but so also will the person who just repents. Therefore,
it is the repentance and not the water baptism which results in the remission
of sins.
The Biblical Doctrine of
Conversion (faith and repentance)
Let me explain a little about repentance and the
doctrine of conversion.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore,
and be converted, that your sins may
be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of
the Lord;
Once again an illustration would be helpful here.
Picture a coin. On one side of this coin the word “repentance” is written. On
the other side of this coin the word “faith” is written. The coin itself, we
will call “conversion”. When a person is converted (saved), they are not only repenting
(turning from their sins), but they are also believing (turning to Christ in
faith) for salvation. But there is only one turning, not two.
Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is a package deal. Neither faith nor
repentance ever exist the one without the other. This is why there is no
salvation without repentance. Sometimes, when the gospel is mentioned in
scripture, both terms - “repentance” and “faith/believing” are mentioned
together (Mk. 1:15). But more often just one or the other is mentioned alone.
But it is always to be understood that neither exists without the other. As I
said, it is a package deal. The vast majority of the time it is “faith/believing”
which is mentioned by itself. So we see many verses which tell us that a person
is saved/justified by faith/believing alone (see the
second section of this article for examples). But on some occasions it is the
term “repentance” which is mentioned alone (like Acts 3:19; Acts 8:22; Luke 24:47; and Acts 2:38 above). But as I
said, it is always to be understood that neither exists without the other.
Everyone who truly believes also repents, and those who are truly repentant
will only be so because they believe. After all, why would a person who does
not believe the gospel repent?
Since this is a package deal, what we dare not do
is to say that a person is saved by faith + repentance. Scripture never teaches
such a thing. A person is saved by faith alone, and those who truly believe
will heed the call to repent. Therefore, it can be rightly said in scripture
that those who repent shall receive the remission of sins. Why? - Because they
only repented because they believed. It was their faith that saved them and
their repentance confirms that their faith was genuine.
Interpreting the Book of
Acts
One final point before we move on to our next
verse. You may have noticed that Peter said in Acts 2:38, to those who were
gathered on the day of Pentecost, that they would receive the Holy Spirit after they had been water baptized. But
in Acts 10:43-48, which we looked at earlier, Cornelius and those at his home
received the Holy Spirit before they
were water baptized. Why the difference? The book of Acts is a book of
transition from the primary Old Covenant (OC) people of God (the Jews) to the
primary New Covenant (NC) people of God (the gentiles). It is also a transition
from the Old Testament times where not every believer had the indwelling Spirit
of God, to a time under the NC where every believer would have the indwelling
Spirit of God, as God began to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh (Acts
2:16-17). Therefore, many of the practices which were taking place in the early
portion of the book of Acts are no longer taking place in the same way toward
the middle and end of the same book. Therefore, it is what is taking place by
the end of the book of Acts that becomes the common practice of the NC church,
not what was taking place at the beginning.
When interpreting a verse like Acts 2:38, it is
important that a person be aware of this transition and that they know how to
properly interpret passages in the book of Acts. In context, Acts 2:38 was
spoken on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1). Pentecost was an Old Testament feast
which God had appointed for the Jews to keep under the Old Covenant (OC). This
feast was also known as the Feast of Weeks (Exod. 34:22), and the Feast of
Harvest (Exod. 23:16). It took place 50 days after the Feast of Passover, hence
the name “Pentecost” meaning “fiftieth”. This feast, along with all of the
other OC feasts, contained symbolisms which were fulfilled by Christ (Col.
2:16-17) as part of the New Covenant (NC). Once this feast took place and was
fulfilled, it was never to be repeated again. This feast only represented the
initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit which was never to be repeated again. So
the truth which Peter spoke in Acts 2:38 was true for the day of Pentecost but
would no longer be true later on. People who repented would still be saved, but
the things regarding water baptism and the Holy Spirit would not be the same.
As we have already seen, the practice was not the same by the time we come to
Acts 10.
Jesus said in Acts 1:8 that the gospel was to be
preached first to the Jews at Jerusalem and Judaea (Jerusalem is in Judaea),
then to those in Samaria (who were part-Jew / part-gentile), and finally unto
the uttermost part of the earth (to the gentiles). Prior to the gospel making
it to the gentiles, there was a delay between the time when people were saved
and the time they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-15). But after the gospel
made it to the gentiles (Acts 10), everyone received the Holy Spirit at
salvation. So while the Jews at Jerusalem, unto whom Peter preached Acts 2:38,
did receive the Holy Spirit after
being water baptized, the gentiles in Acts 10 (to whom Peter also preached)
received the Holy Spirit at salvation and prior
to being water baptized. And this is the way it was to be from then on.
This is what is taught in the epistles and the rest of the New Testament, and
it is therefore what is taking place today.
The truth spoken in Acts 2:38, is no longer
taking place today. And it is twisting scripture to take this verse out of its
original context and teach people that this promise which Peter made for the
day of Pentecost is still true today. It is just as wrong to teach that, as it
would be for a person to quote Exod. 14:21 and teach that the Red Sea is still
being parted today, or to quote Exod. 10:13 and teach that God is still in the
midst of sending a literal plague of locusts upon Egypt today. God truly did
those things in the past, but He is no longer doing them now. The same is true
of Acts 2:38. As I said, due to the transitional nature of the book of Acts, it
is what is taking place by the end of the book of Acts which becomes the common
practice of the NC church, not what was taking place at the beginning.
But many people do not understand these truths
about the book of Acts and, therefore, misinterpret it. They tell us that
things today are still functioning as they did in Acts 2:38. But someone who
rightly understands the book of Acts and the transition which is taking place
in that book would never make such a mistake. If we try to say that Acts 2:38 is
the practice today, then we are misinterpreting the book of Acts, not only to
contradict the rest of the New Testament, but also to contradict itself. For
the same book teaches us in Acts 10 that the practice changed.
Misinterpreted Verse #3
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.
This verse is often misinterpreted by those who believe
that water baptism saves. Let us look at this verse along with two other verses
from its context.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God.
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.
John 3:7 Marvel not
that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Those who believe that water baptism saves, tell
us that being “born of water” in the above verse refers to being water
baptized. This is a heretical doctrine known as “baptismal regeneration”. Let
me explain what this passage is really teaching and then I will deal with this
heretical misinterpretation.
The above verse says that there are two agents
involved in a person’s being born again (regenerated). One is referred to as
“the Spirit” and clearly refers to the Holy Spirit. This is confirmed elsewhere
in scripture.
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 the word “washing” in this verse. The Holy
Spirit washes us in regeneration. But what is the water He uses to wash us and
by which we are born again? In other words, what do the words “born of water”
in John 3:5 refer to? There are two primary things which are referred to as
“water” in scripture, the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39), and the word of God (Eph.
5:26). Since the Holy Spirit has already been mentioned here as “the Spirit”,
the reference to “water” here is clearly a reference to the word of God. This
is confirmed when we search the scriptures and find that this “water of the
word” is that very thing which a person is “born again” by.
Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the
washing of water by the word,
1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible, by the word of God,
which liveth and abideth for ever.
The word of God is referred to as water, and
scripture says that we are born again by it (that water). Therefore, the water
being referred to in John 3:5 is the word of God. This one is actually very
easy to interpret because when you search the term “born again” you will find
that it only occurs in three places in the entire Bible. Two of them are in the
very passage we are studying, John chapter 3. The only other reference is 1
Peter 1:23. So if a person were to just search the term “born again” they could
not miss the cross reference. There are two agents involved in regeneration
(being born again), the Holy Spirit and the water of God’s word. The Holy
Spirit of God takes the word of God when it is preached and uses it in the
regeneration of the human heart. In order to explain why the words “born of
water” cannot possibly be referring to water baptism, it is necessary to
briefly discuss the doctrine of regeneration.
The Biblical Doctrine of
Regeneration
The Bible teaches that both “faith” and “repentance”
are gifts from God.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Faith is a gift from God. God must grant
people faith, or they will not believe (Phil. 1:29; 2 Pet. 1:1).
2 Timothy 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose
themselves; if God peradventure [perhaps] will give
them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
Repentance is also a gift from God, God must give
people repentance or they will not repent. The reason both faith and repentance
are spoken of as being gifts given by God is that unless God first regenerates
a person’s heart, they will never believe and repent in the first place.
Acts 16:14 And a
certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which
worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she
attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
Why did Lydia believe the gospel when Paul
preached it unto her? This verse says that she believed because God first
opened her heart. This opening of the heart refers to regeneration (being born
again). God opened her heart “that” (in order that) she would believe. If God
had not first opened her heart, she would not have believed.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The “natural man” is the unsaved man who has not been
born again (regenerated) by the Spirit of God. What does this passage say about
him? It says that he will not receive the things of the Spirit
of God (including the gospel – 1 Cor. 1:18) but thinks they are foolish. It
says that he cannot (is unable to)
understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. This is the same truth
which is being communicated in John chapter 3.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God.
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.
John 3:7 Marvel not
that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Look carefully at verse 3. It says that unless a
person is first born again (regenerated), they cannot even
see (perceive/understand) things concerning the kingdom of God. This is not
talking about literally seeing with physical eyes, for Jesus said that the
Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom that cannot be seen with physical eyes
(Luke 17:20-21). The word “see” here is used in a spiritual sense and refers to
“seeing through the eyes of faith” (2 Cor. 4:18). So, according to this verse,
unless a person is first regenerated by the Spirit of God, that person cannot understand
the things concerning the kingdom of God. The gospel itself is about the
kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15; Acts 20:24-25; Matt. 24:11), therefore, this
includes the gospel as well. Therefore, according to verse 3, being born again
(regenerated) must take place before a person can “see” and understand the
gospel.
Therefore, a person who rightly understands the
Biblical doctrine of regeneration would never make the mistake of
misinterpreting the words “born of water” in verse 5 to be referring to water
baptism. Why? Because, in the context of John 3, being “born of water” is
clearly a reference to being “born again”. But verse 3 also tells us that
unless a person has already been
born again, they cannot “see” (perceive/understand) things concerning the
kingdom of God (including the gospel). So clearly, being born of water/born
again is something which takes place before
a person believes. But as we saw earlier, water baptism is something which
takes place after a person believes.
Therefore, being “born of water” cannot be referring to water baptism.
According to scripture the order is: 1. Regeneration (being born again), 2. Faith, 3. Water Baptism. Since the
water in John 3:5 is involved in regeneration/being born again, it cannot be a
reference to water baptism.
Misinterpreted Verse #4
1 Peter 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:
Let us look at the verse along with the verse
which comes before it so that we can see the context.
1 Peter 3:20 Which
sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the
days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1 Peter 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:
Verse 21 begins with the words “the like figure”
indicating that this passage is speaking of water and baptism “figuratively”
(symbolically) and not literally. It is saying that the waters of baptism are a
like or similar “figure” of our salvation as the waters of the flood in Noah’s
day were of his. Let me ask you, was Noah saved by the waters of the flood? Of course not. If it were not for the ark, those very waters
would have brought about his death and destruction. But if we take what this
passage says about water and baptism literally, and not figuratively as it says
it is to be taken, then he was. Verse 20 specifically says that “eight souls were saved by water”. If
you take verse 21 to be literally saying that baptism saves a person, then you
must also take verse 20 to be saying that the waters of the flood literally
saved Noah and his family. Since the waters of the flood clearly did not save
Noah and his family, therefore, neither do the waters of baptism save us.
However you interpret one, literally or figuratively, you must also interpret
the other.
Furthermore, the passage specifically says that
it is not talking about “putting away the filth of the flesh”, which is the
only thing which water baptism can actually do. It says that being water
baptized is “the answer of a good conscience toward God” and that is exactly
what it is. As we have repeatedly seen throughout this article, water baptism
is the first act of obedience for those who have already believed the gospel
and been saved. When we put Acts 23:1 together with Acts 24:16 we learn that a
good conscience is one that is void of offense. So a person who has been saved
by faith, who is then commanded by the scriptures to be water baptized, will
answer (respond) with obedience and have a good conscience which is void of
offence (one that does not feel guilty for having disobeyed). Therefore, being
water baptized is the answer (response) of a good conscience toward God. But it
does not literally save anyone, any more than the waters of the flood saved
Noah.
Misinterpreted Verse #5
Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou?
arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Those who believe that water baptism is essential
for salvation say, “See, this verse says that water baptism literally washes
away people’s sins”. But is this verse speaking literally or figuratively? It
is always important to let scripture interpret itself and not put our own
“private interpretation” (2 Pet. 1:20) on a passage. We do this by looking at
other things which scripture says regarding a matter and not just a single
verse.
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are
past, through the forbearance of God;
Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
him.
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of his grace;
Revelation 1:5 … Unto him that loved us, and washed
us from our sins in his own blood,
Scripture tells us that it is through faith in
Christ’s blood that believer’s sins are remitted, they are justified, redeemed,
and their sins are washed away by the
blood of Christ. So, Acts 22:16 cannot be misinterpreted to contradict
this. We simply cannot misinterpret a single unclear verse, which seems like
“it might be saying” that water baptism literally washes away people’s sins, to
contradict what scripture clearly says in many other places. Scripture
repeatedly says that people are saved by faith alone, and when they believe,
Christ’s blood washes away their sins. As we have already seen, water baptism
is just an outward sign/symbol of that inward spiritual reality.
Let us look at that the second part of this
passage “calling on the name of the Lord”.
Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou?
arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Scripture tells us elsewhere…
Romans 10:13 For whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
According to the above verse a person is saved by
calling upon the name of the Lord. In context (Rom. 10:8-13), this verse is
talking about calling upon the Lord out
of faith for salvation. The words “faith”, “believe”, or “believeth” appear
4 times in as many verses leading up to this verse. So, it is calling upon the
name of the Lord out of genuine faith for salvation which saves a person. And
when a person believes in Christ, it is Christ’s blood which washes away their
sins, not water.
Once again, let us put the truth of these two
verses side by side.
Verse 1: Whoever is baptized and calls upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved (have their sins washed away).
Verse 2: Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
He who is baptized and calls upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved, but so also will be the person who just calls upon the
name of the Lord. So it is calling upon the name of the Lord (out of saving
faith) which saves a person, and not water baptism.
Given all of the above information, we must
understand the reference to baptism washing away a person sins here
figuratively rather than literally. After all, our previous verse (1 Pet. 3:21)
specifically says that water baptism is a “figure” (symbolic). Think about it.
Literal, physical water could never actually wash away the sins of a person’s
heart, but could only wash their outward flesh. Water baptism is just an
outward symbol of an inward spiritual reality, and that is exactly how the word
is being used in Acts 22:16. When a person “calls upon the name of the Lord”
with a believing heart for salvation they are saved by faith and their sins are
washed away by the blood of Christ. Water baptism is an outward symbolism of
this inward spiritual reality.
Misinterpreted Verse #6
James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified,
and not by faith only.
Although this verse does not specifically mention
water baptism, it is often used by those who believe that water baptism is
essential for salvation to try and teach that salvation/justification is not by faith alone. Here is the verse
in its context.
James 2:21-24
21 Was not
Abraham our father justified by works, when he
had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by
works was faith made perfect?
23 And the
scripture was fulfilled which saith,
Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness:
and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then
how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
The above passage says
that Abraham was justified by works. The term "justified"
means to be "declared righteous". Now here is the question, is
James saying that Abraham was declared righteous "before
God" (saved), or is he saying that Abraham was declared
righteous before men" (seen to have been righteous)?
1. The first
reason this passage cannot be interpreted to say
that Abraham was declared righteous "before God" (saved)
is that such an interpretation would contradict what scripture clearly teaches
elsewhere.
Romans 4:2-3 For if Abraham were justified by works, he
hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it
was counted unto him for righteousness.
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man [any man] is not justified
by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed
in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ,
and not by the works of the law: for by the works of
the law shall no flesh be justified.
Paul clearly says that
Abraham was not justified “before God” (saved) by works and that no man
is justified by works. So clearly, James must be using the term “justified” in
a different way than Paul.
2. The second
reason this passage cannot be interpreted to say
that Abraham was declared righteous "before God" (saved)
is that such an interpretation would violate the very context of James chapter
2. Here again, is the verse in its context.
James 2:21-24
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by
works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works
was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him
for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by
faith only.
Verse 21 says that
Abraham was justified by works when he offered Isaac upon the altar. That took
place in Gen. 22. If we take this to mean that by doing this Abraham
was declared righteous "before God"(saved), we
have a major problem. Verse 23 says that in doing this, Abraham fulfilled the
scripture which says "Abraham believed God, and it (his faith) was imputed
unto him for righteousness". That took place in Gen. 15. Verse 21 says that
Abraham was justified when he offered up Isaac (Gen 22), and that this fulfilled the
fact that Abraham was said to be justified by faith (not by works) already
in (Gen 15:6).
Genesis 15:6 And he believed
in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Genesis 22:2-3 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son
Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land
of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains
which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and
saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and
clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of
which God had told him.
Do you see it? Abraham
had already been saved by faith (and not works) in Genesis 15.
Did he get saved again when he offered up Isaac in Gen 22? No,
of course not. His works simply bore witness to the genuineness of
his faith. Since James says in verse 23 that Abraham was justified (saved)
by faith in Gen 15, he can't be saying in verse 21 that
Abraham was saved by works in Gen 22. Otherwise James would not only be
disagreeing with Paul, he would also be disagreeing with himself.
And that would also mean that James was teaching that Abraham was
saved twice - in two different ways! And it would mean that God who
inspired the scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16) contradicts Himself and doesn't know what
He is talking about. God forbid!
Hebrews 11:17 By
faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he
that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Abraham was
justified (declared righteous) "before God" (saved) in Gen 15
and he was justified (declared righteous) "before men" in Gen
22. In other words, his works bore witness to the genuineness of his faith.
After all, that is the whole purpose and context of James chapter 2.
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith,
and have not works? can faith [a faith that does not
produce good works] save him?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 ...shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith
by my works.
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works
is dead also.
The very context of the
passage confirms that this is the correct interpretation. So James cannot be
misinterpreted to teach that salvation is by faith plus works. James is writing
about works which demonstrate the genuineness of a person’s faith, not about
works which are done to be saved. Those who
believe and teach that water baptism is essential for salvation reject the
Biblical gospel of salvation by faith alone. They have to do this because they
are teaching salvation by faith plus water baptism. James 2:24 is the very passage
they twist in order to try and prove that salvation is by faith plus works. But
as you can see, it says nothing of the sort.
Summary and Conclusion
In this article, we have learned the following
things.
1. The Bible tells us that a person cannot be saved
by believing any other gospel than the one true Biblical gospel which Paul
taught. Anyone who teaches any other gospel than the one Paul taught is
accursed by God.
2. The scriptures, including those which were
written by Paul, teach that salvation is by faith alone apart from any work or
deed a person can do. Since water baptism is a work, salvation is by faith
alone apart from water baptism. If salvation were to be by faith + water
baptism, dozens and dozens of Bible verses would state untruths and be in
error. Since all scripture is true (John 17:17; Psa. 119:160) this is not
possible, and therefore the Bible verses which teach salvation by faith alone
are true as well.
3. Water baptism is not part of the gospel. Paul
said that it is not, and taught a gospel which did not include water baptism.
It was only after people had already believed the gospel and been saved that
Paul instructed them to be water baptized.
4. Believers are saved prior to water baptism. We
see many examples of this throughout the New Testament. When Peter preached the
gospel to those in Cornelius’ house, he said nothing about water baptism until
after the people had already believed the gospel and been saved. Since these
people were saved prior to being water baptized, clearly water baptism cannot
be necessary for salvation.
5. A person must be a believer before they are
permitted to be water baptized. Since a person is saved when they believe,
every true believer is already saved before being water baptized in the first
place. How could something which takes place after salvation be
the cause of salvation? Clearly, it cannot.
6. Water baptism only places a person into water.
It is Spirit baptism, of which water baptism is symbolic, which places a person
into Christ.
7. The book of Galatians warns us that if a
person does any work in addition to faith for salvation, they will not be
saved. Christ’s sacrifice upon the cross for sins will profit (benefit) them
nothing, and will be of no effect unto them.
8. There are many Bible verses which people twist
to teach that water baptism is essential for salvation. They do this because
they are unlearned and unaware of many of the foundational doctrines of the
Christian faith which clearly contradict such a teaching. If they understood
these scriptural doctrines, they would never have fallen for these
misinterpretations in the first place. When interpreted Biblically in the light
of the rest of scripture, none of these verses actually teach that water
baptism saves.