By Bob Vaughn - uca@uncommonanswers.com
"Contending for the faith once delivered to the saints"
Uncommon Answers Home Page
BAPTISM
The Bible says in Ephesians 4:5 that there is "one baptism". Of the
many baptisms mentioned in the Bible two stand out in most minds,
"water baptism" and "spirit baptism". A third baptism, preached less
and needed most, and I believe the "one baptism" spoken of in Ephesians
4:5, is "baptism into the body of Christ". I believe that this baptism
is a must for salvation, and therefore the "one baptism" in Ephesians
4:5.
Spirit baptism happened once on the day of Pentecost shortly after
Jesus' ascension. The disciples were told by Jesus that they were to be
baptized with the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:5). John the Baptist told ALL the
people that Jesus would baptize them with the Holy Ghost and fire (Luke
3:16). Peter, quoting the prophet Joel, said God had poured out His
Spirit on ALL flesh (Acts 2:17). After this day of Pentecost, the Holy
Spirit, having been poured out on all flesh, began to convince the
WORLD of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). Today as then,
we all-- baptized in the Holy Spirit--find the Lord not far off but
near, and in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:27-28).
Nowhere in scriptures do we find men being baptized in the Spirit after
the day of Pentecost in Acts 2; but men since that day, beginning with
the apostles, have been being FILLED with the Holy Spirit. When
anything is baptized in a substance it is surrounded by the substance,
but it is not filled until the substance comes inside. ALL flesh is
baptized in the Spirit but NOT ALL FLESH have been filled with the
Spirit.
Water baptism is thought by many to be instrumental in the washing away
of sins. The Bible plainly preaches that only the blood of Jesus has
power to redeem us from our sins. However, there are some scriptures
that, being read without careful study, may influence a person to
believe such about water baptism.
1) I Peter 3:20,
in speaking of Noah
and his family being saved in the ark, says he was saved "by" water.
The Greek text more properly says "through" water, but anyone without
the Greek who knows the story of Noah (Genesis 8, 9) knows that he was
saved IN the ark, THROUGH the water. It was Noah's getting into the ark
that saved him, not the water. Likewise, we are saved by being baptized
into Christ (Romans 6:3-4). He is our ark.
2) Acts 2:38
says, "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." Acts 2:38 & Romans10:9-10 & Acts 16:31
& John
3:16 & John 3:36 & Romans 10:13 when read in context
all teach
REPENTENCE and continued OBEDIENCE as the way.
(see "Easy Believism"). Matthew 26:28 says, "For this is my blood of
the new testament which is shed for the remission of sins". Jesus'
blood is the cleansing agent applied to our sins as we trust and OBEY.
3) In Mark 16:16, belief, when
accompanied by
water baptism, is said to save, and the man who doesn't believe shall
be damned. But NOTHING is said of the believer who isn't yet baptized.
Some try to put words in God's mouth by saying this verse damns the
believer who isn't yet baptized. Baptism as an act of obedience to our
Lord should be a part of our early Christian growth, but to try to
render condemnation to a believer who can't be baptized or hasn't yet
been baptized because of lack of knowledge or opportunity is folly.
SALVATION IS NOT OF WORKS, but works follow salvation (Ephesians
2:8-10).
Water
baptism, done in obedience to our Lord, is simply a physical show of
the spiritual happening of being baptized into the body of Christ,
thereby being dead with Him, buried with Him, and resurrected in
newness of life with Him (Romans 6:3-4).
I believe baptism into the body of Christ is the baptism spoken of in
Ephesians 4:5. Of the baptisms taught in the Bible, is the only one
that is a MUST for initial salvation. Water baptism is an act of
obedience, and obedience is a must for continued salvation. Let's
examine the scriptures:
1) I Corinthians
12:13: "For by one
Spirit are we all BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY".--Clearly, we are all brought
into the one body--that of Christ--by the Holy Spirit.
2) Galatians 3:27: "For as many
of you as have
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ".--Baptized into Christ,
"self" is dead and we are now living for Jesus, having put Him on.
Galatians 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet
not I but Christ liveth in me."
3) 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 live."--Only as we are baptized into
Jesus Christ are we partakers of the benefits of His death, and only
then can we live the new life--the resurrected life.
BAPTISM
INTO THE BODY OF CHRIST is a must. For when we are in His body, we are
partakers of the benefits of His death (Romans 6:3). As we receive
spiritual guidance, we through the Spirit put to death, by faith
(Romans 6:11),
the deeds of the "old man" (Romans 8:13-14, I Corinthians 12:13). Our
"old man", BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST'S BODY, is dead and buried with Him. We
now, resurrected with Him, live in NEWNESS OF LIFE (Romans 6:4,.
Ephesians 4:24).
Be filled with the Holy Spirit in obedience to the Word (Ephesians 5:18);
be baptized in water in obedience to the word (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38);
but above all be sure you are "baptized into the body of Christ".
Bob Vaughn