Chapter One

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST AND WATER BAPTISM
Christian people are divided over the question as to whether or not water baptism is essential for salvation. Both groups claim to base their views on what the Bible teaches. Both groups cannot be right.

If we are to know who is right and who is wrong, two things are necessary to enable us to make the right decision: the Word of God, and the Spirit of God.

1. The Word of God, "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20).

2. If we are to rightly understand the Word of God we must be taught by the Spirit of God. "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God" (I Cor. 2:12).

We must not go by what we think the Bible says, or by what someone tells us it says, but we must study the Book ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit.




The Gospel in Water

Alexander Campbell wrote, "Immersion is that act by which our state is changed," and he then stated, "If so, then, who will not concur with me in saying that Christian immersion is the Gospel in water. "

Since Campbell's major premise is wrong, his conclusion based on this premise is wrong. His premise, "Immersion is that act by which our state is changed," has no Biblical basis. We are changed by the power of God, and not by water baptism. We are changed by the Word of God (I Thess. 2:13); we are changed by the Holy Spirit of God (2 Cor. 3:18). There is absolutely no hint in the Scriptures that our state is changed by baptism. Therefore, Mr. Campbell's conclusion that "immersion is the Gospel in water" is utterly false. I am quoting these statements by Alexander Campbell, since he is the fountainhead of the heresy among Church of Christ people, that baptism is essential for salvation. This heresy has become their central doctrine.

In some strange way the Churches of Christ have developed a water based theology, though some are breaking away from this kind of thinking, most are still in bondage.

The Gospel of Christ is clearly stated in I Corinthians 15:1-4, "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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." Nothing is said about baptism in this statement of the Gospel. Surely, if baptism is a part of the Gospel, we would be informed of that fact in these verses.

The Bible says we are saved by the Gospel (v.2). If we teach that baptism is essential, we are adding conditions to the Gospel which God has not authorized. There is not one verse in the Bible where such authorization is given.

The word "Gospel" means "Good News." It is the good news that Jesus Christ, God's Son, died on the Cross in our place and stead. He completely paid our sin debt. This is the message Christ has commissioned us to go into all the world and preach to every creature.

Is this the Gospel you have and preach, or do you add to the Gospel by telling people they must "repent and be baptized for remission of sins"? If you are preaching such a gospel, you do not understand the finished work of Christ. If you are not preaching the Gospel of the Grace of God, you are preaching "another gospel," and if you are preaching "another gospel," the curse of God rests on you. "As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:9).

I reject the twin errors, "that baptism is essential for salvation," and "that we are baptized for the remission of sins," for two reasons:

1. The Gospel of John, and
2. The Book of Romans.
The Gospel of John was written to tell men how to be saved (John 20:31), but baptism as a condition for salvation is not mentioned one single time in this book.

The Book of Romans is the great doctrinal book of the Bible, but it does not teach baptism is essential for salvation, or that we are to be baptized for the remission of sins. The Church of Christ does not get its doctrine of baptismal regeneration from the Bible, but from the Roman Catholic church.



Baptism for the Remission of Sins

"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"' (Acts 2:38). Baptism for the remission of sins is the principal doctrine taught by the Churches of Christ. I reject the theory that we are baptized for the remission of sins for two additional reasons:

1. Acts 2:38 is based on a biased translation, and
2. this command is given only one time in the New
Testament.


A Biased Translation

Acts 2:38 has been called the most debated verse in the Bible. The entire controversy hinges on the meaning of the English word "for" and the Greek word "eis." Hundreds of books have been written, pro and con, on the meaning of these words.

Most Church of Christ ministers follow Alexander Campbell who said, "The preposition 'eis' here means in order toin order to the remission of sins." On the other hand, many able evangelical Greek scholars tell us that "eis" in Acts 2:38 would better be translated as "because of" as it is translated in Matthew 12:41, "The men of Nineveh will rise in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here." To try to say "in order to" does not make sense in that verse. A criminal is not put in jail "in order to" commit crimes, but because he has committed crimes. When we say a person shouts for joy, we do not mean he shouts in order to get joy, but because he has joy.

Dr. Bruce Cummons has given an excellent illustra- tion in reference to the word "for" in Acts 2:38:

Consider another passage of Scripture, where the same word "for' is used in a similar way. Read carefully Luke 5:12-15. Christ healed a leper of his dread disease. Since this was before Calvary, the healed man was still under the law, and Christ was faithful in fulfilling the law. Jesus said to the man, therefore, 'Go, and show thyself to the priest and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them" (v.l4). Notice the language carefully: "Offer for thy cleansing. " Did Christ heal, or did the offering heal? Why, you may say that's ridiculous! Christ healed! The offering was only a testimony to the truth that had taken place in the life of the man healed'. You are right'.

Furthermore, the same language is employed and the same purpose is set forth in Acts 2:38. 'Repent, ' as I have shown to mean, biblically, 'repent unto salvation' and then 'be baptized for the remis- sion, "or as a testimony that your sins have been remitted.

If the offering did not cleanse or was only a testimony of, "for thy cleansing, ' then by the same Bible truth, baptism does not save but is a testimony of the truth that your sins have been remitted; or to be baptized "for the remission of sins, ' or actually as a testimony that your sins have been remitted.

Christ alone is the Saviour, not the baptistry, not the water in it! Thus, the purpose of baptism is to show forth the salvation that has already taken place in the heart and life of the believer. If the blood of Christ was shed for the remission of sins, then baptism cannot bring about, or be the means of remitting sins. You cannot have two ways of salvation. If you want to set this verse (Acts 2:38) against the hundreds of passages in the Bible that declare salvation to be by faith and make Acts 2:38 say what Peter never intended it to say, then that is up to you.


The Command to "Be Baptized for Remission of Sins"
is Not Repeated After the Day of Pentecost.

One of the principal rules of Biblical interpretation is to study the passage in the light of its context. Let us do this. The events that took place on the day of Pentecost were most unusual. A little less than two months before this time, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had been nailed to a cruel cross. He had died for the sins of the whole world. He was buried and had been raised from the dead on the third day. The Jewish nation had clamored for His blood, and they were not satisfied until He was dead, but God raised Him from the dead (Acts 3:15).

Now, fifty days later, something very unusual was taking place. Read the details for yourself in the second chapter of Acts. A great crowd of people had gathered after the Christians had been filled with the Holy Spirit. The crowd asked, "What is the meaning of this?" (Acts 2:12).

The Apostle Peter stood up and preached to the great crowd in the power of the Holy Spirit. He told them, "'Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' (Acts 2:36,37). "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'" (Acts 2:38). Peter was calling the Jews to repentance for their terrible sin of crucifying the Lord Jesus. He told them to be baptized to demonstrate the sincerity of their faith. Lip service was not enough. The emphasis of Peter's statement was on repentance for their awful sin. The emphasis was not then, and is not now on being "baptized" for the remission of sins. Such emphasis is not found anywhere in the Word of God.

This was a onetime command. You ask, "How do you know this to be true?" The facts speak for themselves. This command is not repeated one single time in the Book of Acts. It is not repeated anywhere in Romans and clear through the Book of Revelation.

Read Acts 3:11-20. What did Peter tell the people to do after the lame man was healed? "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19). He did not tell them to "be baptized for the remission of sins. " Surely, if baptism for the remission of sins is essential for salvation, Peter would not have missed this opportunity to command them to do this. What did the people do? "However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand" (Acts 4:4).

In Acts 8:26-40 we have the account of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch. Please take time to read the account for yourself.

Philip "preached unto him Jesus" (v.35). "Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, 'See, here is water. What binders me from being baptized?'" (v.36). Did Philip tell him "to repent and to be baptized for the remission of sins"? No. Philip said, "'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God'" (Acts 8:37), "and he baptized him" (v.38). I emphasize, the eunuch believed and was saved. Dozens of references tell us we are saved simply by believing (Acts 10:43; 13:39; 16:31; John 3:16-18; 5:24; 6:47). This account follows the Scripture pattern of believing and THEN being baptized. The eunuch was saved by believing before he was baptized.

The story of the conversion of Cornelius is well known to all Bible students. Read the account for yourself in the tenth and eleventh chapters of Acts. Is the account of Cornelius' conversion in harmony with Church of Christ doctrine?

What did Peter, the same man who told the people on the day of Pentecost to "Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins," tell Cornelius that he must do to receive remission of sins? Peter was just starting his sermon when he said, "To Him [Christ] all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43). And what happened? "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word" (v.44). Notice Cornelius was saved by believing and not by "being baptized for the remission of sins. " Please notice that the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius and his household BEFORE they were baptized. This is the Divine order. Believing always comes before baptism.

When Paul and Bamabas were on their first missionary journey, they came to Antioch in Pisidia. Did they preach baptism for the remission of sins? No, they preached, "and by Him [Christ] everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:39).

Did the Apostle Paul tell the Philippian jailor, "Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins, and you shall be saved"? No, he told him, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).

The Book of Romans is the great doctrinal book of the New Testament. Does it teach baptism for the remission of sins? Not one single time! One of the great themes of Romans is justification by faith. I repeat, not one time from Romans through the Book of the Revelation are we told to "repent and be baptized for the remission of sins."

To my way of thinking, these facts which have been presented to you should be prayerfully pondered. Is God trying to tell you something? Acts 2:38 is one of your great doctrinal verses, but the command to "repent and be baptized" is not repeated one single time after the day of Pentecost. But you say, "Since Acts 2:38 teaches that baptism is for remission of sins, that is all that is needed. One verse is enough. " Yes, one verse is enough, if it is in harmony with the rest of the Bible, but Acts 2:38 is not in harmony with what the Bible teaches about salvation.

Churches of Christ have several other proof-texts to show baptism is essential for salvation, but not one of these verses teach that you must be baptized for the remission of sins.



Right Way; Wrong Way

There is a right way and a wrong way to study the Word of God. The right way is to come to the Bible with an honest heart and an open mind, depending on the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of God to you. The wrong way is to come to the Bible with preconceived notions as to what you think the Bible teaches, or should teach to suit your fancy, and then to search the Scriptures to find verses that will bolster your opinion.

This second method is used by the Churches of Christ to establish their doctrine that baptism is essential for salvation. Most of us use proof-texts to reinforce our views, but we should be sure our proof-texts are in harmony with the basic message of the Bible. None of the proof- texts used by the Churches of Christ to prove that Baptism is essential for salvation are in harmony with the basic truth throughout the Word of God. All of the proof-texts used by the Churches of Christ to prove their doctrine of baptism are based on isolated passages of Scripture.

The great basic truths concerning salvation are that we are saved by grace and justified by faith.

Ah, my friend, what a difference it makes to realize and to know that God Almighty, Himself, declares us to be righteous on the basis of what the Lord Jesus did for us in His death and resurrection, rather than to have the Church of Christ method of salvation which depends on faith, plus baptism.



Some Other Proof-Texts Used by the Churches of Christ
to Prove Baptism is Essential for Salvation

After Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16 is the verse most used by the Church of Christ to teach that baptism is essential for salvation. "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned'" (Mark 16:15, 16).

Two statements are made in verse 16; both statements are true. The first statement is a statement of fact and not a command. "He who believes, and is baptized will be saved." This statement is true. The second statement verifies the truth that believing is sufficient for salvation, "He who does not believe will be condemned." This truth is verified in John 3:18, "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."



Born of Water

"Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God'" (John 3:5).

I recently attended a Church of Christ service in which a young woman was baptized. The minister said, "You have seen this girl born again right before your eyes. "

Since many Church of Christ people think in terms of water, it is natural for them to see baptism in this verse, but such a conclusion is unwarranted. Water does not always refer to literal water. This is clearly shown by the Lord Jesus when He said, to the woman at the well; "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:13,14). Water is a type both of the Spirit of God and the Word of God (John 7:37-39; Eph. 5:26).

The new birth is never said to be by water, but twice it is said to be by the Word of God. "Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever" (I Pet. 1:23). "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures" (Jas. 1:18). We are born again by the Spirit of God and the Word of God, we are not born again by water in any shape, form or fashion. This verse has nothing whatsoever to do with baptism.



Our Sins Are Washed Away by the Blood of Christ
in the Waters of Baptism.

"And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16).

What folly to think that water can wash away our sins. Ananias was speaking in a symbolical sense. The Bible says it is the blood of Christ that cleanses from sin. "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (I John 1:7).

It cannot be both ways. Since our sins are washed by the blood of Christ that is enough. To teach that our sins are washed away by the blood of Christ in the waters of baptism is purely a Church of Christ invention, and it is heresy of the worst sort.



Baptized into Christ

"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3:27).

It is natural for Church of Christ people to think this verse means water baptism, since they have been taught that water baptism is the only kind of baptism taught in the New Testament.

But, before we discuss baptism, either Spirit baptism or water baptism, let us think about the meaning of being "in Christ." I Corinthians 15:22 will help us, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." What does it mean to be "in Adam;" what does it mean to be "in Christ"? How do we get "in Adam;" how do we get "in Christ"? To be "in Adam" means we are a member of the Adamic or human race. To be "in Christ" means we are a member of a new race of which Christ is the head. We became members of the Adamic or human race by means of a physical birth. The Bible teaches we "get" into Christ in a two-fold way. First, by a spiritual birth (I Cor. 15:22; 2 Cor. 5:17), but also, by being baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ. Since the Churches of Christ teach that water baptism is the only kind of baptism, I Corinthians 12:13 presents a problem to them. This verse says, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free-and have all been made to drink into one Spirit." Some people will go to great lengths to make the Bible fit their doctrine.

We are not baptized into Christ when we are baptized in water. The Holy Spirit baptizes us into Christ the very moment we are saved.

Suppose a person is led to Christ by a believer while flying five miles high in a jet airliner. The very moment he believes on Christ he is saved, and is baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ. The very moment he exercises saving faith in Christ, God Almighty declares this person to be righteous on the basis of the death and resurrection of Christ. The very moment this person exercises saving faith in Christ he is blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3). Suppose the plane crashes, and both men are killed. Will the new convert go to Hell because he wasn't baptized in water?

Suppose an explorer is saved while exploring the Arctic Circle, and there is no possible way he can be baptized in water. Will he have to wait to be saved until he can reach a warmer climate where he can be baptized? What folly! Yes, and how contradictory to the clear teaching of the Word of God. To believe and teach other- wise is to fail to understand the Gospel of Christ.

Several years ago I was asked to sit in on a conversation between a Church of Christ minister and two young Christians who were being pressured into being baptized.

I am not noted for being a good listener, but I did not say a word for about ten minutes while this good man used Acts 2:38 to show this young couple they had to be baptized for the remission of sins or else they were going to Hell, even though both of them had been born again and were happily attending a good, Bible-believing church.

After about ten minutes, I lovingly put my hand on his shoulder and said, "My good man, may I ask you a question?" When he answered in the affirmative, I said to him, "Do you recognize the Book of Romans as being one of the great doctrinal books in the Bible?" He affirmed that he did. I asked then, "Why does not the Book of Romans teach that baptism is essential for salvation?" He replied, "I thought that it did." He was, of course, referring to Romans 6:3,4, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" We have clearly seen from our discussion of Galatians 3:27 that we are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit, and not by water baptism.

Many Christians go astray because they do not know what the Book of Romans teaches. You will never be led astray by any false teaching if you have a working knowledge of the Book of Romans. Romans 3:21 to 5:21 gives us the great doctrine of justification by faith. Chapters 6-8 are the greatest chapters in the Bible on how to live the Christian life.

Romans 6:3,4 are in this second section on living the Christian life and do not tell us how to be saved. You should check this out for yourself.



Baptism Doth Also Now Save Us

"The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us..." (I Pet. 3:21).

Several years ago I was passing out Gospel tracts on the midway of the South Plains Fair. A Church of Christ youth approached me and said, "Will you believe that baptism is essential to salvation, if I can show it to you in the Bible?" I affirmed that I would. We read I Peter 3:21 together.

This verse does not say that baptism saves us, but "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us." Baptism is a figure of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. This is the Gospel and we are saved by believing the Gospel (I Cor. 15:1,2).



Is Baptism Before, and for Salvation,
or Does It Follow Salvation?

The Bible teaches that water baptism should always follow salvation. Church of Christ doctrine teaches it comes before salvation and is a condition of salvation. Check it out for yourself. The truth that baptism follows salvation is clearly brought out in Romans 4:4,5 and 4:9-13. "Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness" (Rom. 4:4,5). In these verses the Apostle Paul clearly shows that faith was counted to Abraham for righteousness, and then he asks this question: "Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith" (Rom. 4:9-13).

Nothing is said about baptism in these verses. The issue in Paul's day was not baptism, but circumcision. The Jews taught a man could not be saved without being circumcised. The issue today is not circumcision, but baptism. In this passage the Apostle Paul clearly shows that Abraham was saved before he was circumcised and that he received circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of faith that he had. In exactly the same way we are saved before we are baptized and we are to receive baptism as a seal or outward sign of the faith that we have.



A Brief Survey of What the Bible Teaches
About Water Baptism

Four viewpoints:

1. Baptismal regeneration is practiced by the Roman Catholic church, and several Protestant denominations. This doctrine teaches that a baby is saved or brought into grace when it is sprinkled as an infant.

2. The Churches of Christ practice a different form of baptismal regeneration. They believe that when an adult who has made a decision to follow Christ is immersed in water, that person is born again. They also contend that a person must be baptized for the remission of sins.

3. I fear the average person who is baptized has very little understanding of the meaning of baptism. Some consider baptism to be the door to church membership. It is just the thing to do, so they are baptized.

4. "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 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" (Rom. 6:3,4). When a Christian is baptized it should mean that he is taking his place with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.

Most certainly verse three is Holy Spirit baptism. How wrong Church of Christ people are when they think and teach that we are baptized into Christ when we are immersed in water! When a person is baptized in water it should be made plain that they are dying to self, and they are raised with Christ to "walk in newness of life" (v. 4).

The Biblical doctrine of water baptism can be summarized with this concise statement: Baptism is the immersion of a saved person, a believer, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

1. Baptism is by immersion. (Mark 1:5; Acts 8:38,39)

2. It is the immersion of a believer, a saved, born again person; a person who wishes to identify himself with Christ, and who wants to let the world know that he belongs to Christ.

3. Baptism is never a means of salvation, or condition for being saved; it always follows salvation.

In pagan lands people are not persecuted when they make a profession of faith in Christ, but thev are oersecuted and sometimes put to death when they are publicly baptized.

Now I am going to throw you a curve. Baptism is essential for obedience, but it is not essential for salvation. There is no question about it, baptism is essential to obedience, but obedience is not essential to salvation. If obedience is essential to salvation every professing Christian would be on the road to Hell because none of us are perfectly obedient. What folly to think that because we have been "baptized for the remission of sins," and because we are obedient in five or six other things, we are Christians. We are saved by Christ's obedience. "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous" (Rom. 5:19).

The Church of Christ doctrine that we must be baptized for remission of sins, and that baptism is essential for salvation, is not based on the Word of God. This false doctrine has been taught for so long, it is unthinkable for them not to believe it.

Many years ago I was riding on a bus with a Catholic young man. I asked him if he was a Christian. He told me he was a Catholic, and proceeded to tell me all about the doctrines and practices of the Catholic church. When he finished, I said to him, "Do you realize that everything you have been telling me is contrary to the teaching of the Bible?" He exploded, and said, "So what? We have been practicing these things for thousands of years. "

Just because we have believed certain things for a long time does not necessarily mean they are true. What we believe must be tested by the Word of God.

There is a difference in Bible doctrine, and in man- made doctrine.

The Churches of Christ teach that baptism is essential for salvation. They also teach that a child of God can so sin as to fall away and lose his salvation, but when this person "gets saved" the second or third time, it is not necessary for him to be baptized each time he "gets saved."

If baptism is essential for salvation the first time they are saved, why is it not essential the second time?

Yes, I know their neat way of dealing with this problem, but as strange as it may sound, their explanation will not "hold water. "