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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



Never once in the Gospels did Jesus say "Now ye are clean and
saved through water baptism"; and as we saw earlier, there is
no record anywhere in the Gospels, or in the Epistles, which
indicates that Jesus water baptized anyone. On the other hand,
as I point out in such articles as "The Blood Atonement: In
Jesus' Own Words", Jesus most certainly spoke about the New
Covenant between God and man which was sealed with the Lord's
own Blood. So doesn't it stand to reason that if Jesus said
that "the flesh profiteth nothing", that physical baptism of
the flesh with water likewise profits us nothing? The Apostle
Paul went so far as to say:

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no
good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to
perform that which is good I find not."
Romans 7:18, KJV

"For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is
profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that
now is, and of that which is to come."
1 Timothy 4:8, KJV

Considering how both Jesus and the Apostle Paul were aware of
the low state of the flesh, and knew that it only leads us to
sin, and that anything we do to it profits us very little, it
only makes sense that baptizing the flesh with water will not
have any bearing on our spiritual condition, particularly not
on our Salvation. Jesus and Paul both highlighted the spirit
over the flesh, and viewed it as only a vehicle to glorify
and serve God the Father. As you will see momentarily, even
the Apostle Peter came to realize that cleansing the flesh by
means of water baptism was a useless, unprofitable act. Even
King David recognized that it is only the Word of God which
cleanses us; and as we all know, Jesus is the Living Word of
God; because as it is written "In the beginning was the word
. . . and the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us". King
David wrote:

"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking
heed thereto according to thy word."
Psalm 119:9, KJV

Once John the Baptist had redirected enough of his disciples
to follow Jesus; once he had prepared their hearts and minds
by way of preaching, and a simple act of water baptism, God
knew that it was time to remove John from the picture. Thus,
a short while later, John received his graduation ceremony
when he was beheaded by evil King Herod, and zipped off to
Heaven. God removed the old schoolmaster -- John -- in order
to introduce a new Schoolmaster who would take them to even
higher spiritual heights, and build upon John's foundation.
That, of course, was Jesus.

Think about this for a moment. What would have happened if
John the Baptist hadn't been imprisoned and beheaded by King
Herod? Do you think that it would have been as easy for the
disciples of John to follow Jesus? Possibly not. Maybe they
would have been content to continue in the old way, hearing
John preach, and watching him baptize people in the Jordan
River. Obviously, John the Baptist must have possessed quite
a charismatic personality. It's possible that his followers
would have been blinded to God's full truth being revealed
through Jesus. Their spiritual growth could have even been
stunted. John probably knew this, so I suspect that he may
have been glad to be relieved of his earthly duties.

Today, we possess both the Old and the New Testaments, which
serve as our written spiritual guide. In a sense, we've been
blessed with having the full platter set out before us. In
some regards, we probably have it a lot easier, inasmuch as
our spiritual understanding is concerned. We can browse the
pages of the Old and New Testaments, turn on our computers
and use our Bible programs, listen to our Bible DVD's, etc.,
and make a lot of interesting connections, which in earlier
times would have been more difficult to do. Many Biblical
truths have been opened to us like never before. Spiritually
speaking, we are really stuffed with the wonders of God's
Word.

Even though many of us would have undoubtedly been thrilled
to be able to sit at the Lord's feet, and hear Him teach us
directly, and perhaps even hear some things that were never
recorded in the pages of the Gospels or the Epistles, I have
to wonder if, given the situation at the time, we might not
have found ourselves in a situation similar to that of the
first Disciples; that is to say, struggling with trying to
understand everything that Jesus said and taught. You may
think otherwise now, but that is because you have your full
Bible in front of you. All they had back then were the books
of the Old Testament. Of course, many of them were eager to
understand just as we are today. As King David once wrote:

"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out
of thy law."
Psalm 119:18, KJV

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot
attain unto it."
Psalm 139:6, KJV

The Apostle Paul likewise wrote on one occasion:

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways
past finding out!"
Romans 11:33, KJV

While John the Baptist was quick to understand his place in
God's overall plan for humanity, with others, such was not
the case. Throughout the four Gospels, we find examples where
the Twelve Apostles were sometimes slow to understand some of
the lessons that Jesus was trying to teach them. Today, we
take these things for granted, and sometimes think that we're
so smart; but are we really?

I suspect that the necessity of water baptism may have been
one of the difficult issues with which they had to struggle;
at least at first. We need to remember that Jesus often chose
to meet people on their mental and spiritual level, and then
He would gradually lead them to deeper spiritual truths, as
they were able to accept them. In the case of water baptism,
I don't doubt that Jesus knew that it was not necessary, but
in His loving way, He probably also knew that it would take
His followers some time to arrive at this same conclusion.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the Lord did not try
to impede His Disciples from baptizing people. If it served
to strengthen people's faith, and made their repentance more
sincere, then maybe it was alright, even though unnecessary.
It surely didn't hurt anything. Again, we need to remember
that Jesus was dealing with spiritual babes. While this is
just personal speculation on my part, I think that this may
possibly be one of the reasons why the Disciples continued
to baptize people, even in the Book of Acts. In other words,
perhaps they just did it out of habit. The first example in
the Book of Acts where we see the Apostles offering water
baptism can be found in chapter two. After preaching boldly
to a crowd of thousands of people, and winning their hearts
to the Lord, we find the following scene occurring on the
Day of Pentecost:

"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart,
and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do? 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. For the promise is unto you, and
to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many
as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words
did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this
untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word
were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them
about three thousand souls."
Acts 2:37-41, KJV

While the above verses do not specifically mention water, we
can assume that this is the kind of baptism that Peter was
referring to, because we find him water baptizing people in
later chapters. A more clear-cut example of water baptism can
be found in Acts chapter eight, where Philip goes down into
the water and baptizes the Ethiopian eunuch, as we see here:

"And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain
water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth
hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said,
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he
commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down
both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he
baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch
saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing."
Acts 8:36-39, KJV

In the very next chapter, we find Ananias being commanded by
the Lord to go to the house in Damascus where a blinded Saul
is currently staying. As you may recall, at this particular
point, the Lord is dealing heavily with Saul, due to Saul's
stubbornness, and the fact that he has been persecuting the
Lord's children. Despite his obvious reservations, Ananias
does as he has been commanded, and goes to heal Saul of his
blindness. It is after this, that Saul is baptized, as we by
these verses:

"And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias;
and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said,
Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise,
and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire
in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for,
behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named
Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might
receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard
by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints
at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief
priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said
unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to
bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children
of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must
suffer for my name’s sake. And Ananias went his way, and
entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said,
Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee
in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest
receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And
immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales:
and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was
baptized."
Acts 9:10-18, KJV

We know for certain that the previous verses are referring to
water baptism, because thirteen chapters later, when Paul is
recounting his conversion experience before an angry mob of
orthodox Jews, he specifically uses the word "water", as we
see here:

"And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a
good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, Came unto me,
and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight.
And the same hour I looked up upon him. And he said, The God
of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his
will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of
his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what
thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? arise,
and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name
of the Lord."
Acts 22:12-16, KJV

Now, depending on how one reads those verses, it sounds like
Saul received his sight, and was filled with the Holy Spirit,
the minute that Ananias laid his hands on him. We find strong
evidence to support this possibility in Acts chapter nineteen,
where Paul lays his hands on a group of about twelve Disciples
at Ephesus, upon which they're all immediately filled with the
Holy Ghost, as we see here:

"And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost
came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied."
Acts 19:6, KJV

We will come back to that verse in a moment, as there is more
important information to share from that particular incident;
but the main point is that those Disciples received the Holy
Spirit at the very moment that Paul laid his hands upon them.
So if my understanding is correct, it was after Saul had been
healed of his three days of blindness, and after he had been
filled with the Holy Spirit, that he rose up and was baptized
with water. This seems to strongly suggest that water baptism
was a secondary action, and was not even necessary, in order
for Saul to receive the Holy Spirit. In other words, Ananias
was fulfilling a physical ritual which profited Paul little.
If Paul was already filled with the Holy Spirit, which means
that he was already saved, then what purpose did the water
serve? Ananias says that it washed away Paul's sins, but did
it really, or did Ananias just think that it did due to the
tradition which seems to have begun with John the Baptist?

If you still remain convinced that water baptism is necessary
for the forgiveness of sins, in order to obtain Salvation, or
to receive the Holy Spirit, please keep reading, as I will be
providing some additional examples. First, however, I wish to
share some additional verses with you which show that, as per
the example of Jesus Himself, laying on of hands was a common
practice with the Disciples of the First Century Church:

"Then were there brought unto him little children, that he
should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples
rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and
forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom
of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed
thence."
Matthew 19:13-15, KJV

"And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his
hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
Mark 6:5, KJV

"Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick
with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his
hands on every one of them, and healed them."
Luke 4:40, KJV

"And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made
straight, and glorified God."
Luke 13:13, KJV

"Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed,
they laid their hands on them."
Acts 6:6, KJV

"And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on
them, they sent them away."
Acts 13:3, KJV

"And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of
a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and
prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
Acts 28:8, KJV

Another good example of a water baptism being performed can
be found in Acts chapter ten where we find Peter baptizing
certain Gentile believers who were members of the family of
Roman centurion, Cornelius. As you will see, Cornelius and
his family and friends had just been filled with the Holy
Spirit. Consider the following:

"While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on
all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision
which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter,
because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of
the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and
magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water,
that these should not be baptized, which have received the
Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be
baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to
tarry certain days."
Acts 10:44-48, KJV

What I find particularly interesting regarding these verses,
is that not only did Cornelius and his household receive the
Gift of the Holy Spirit before actually being baptized with
water, but they likewise received it without the laying on
of hands, exactly as occurred to the Apostles in the second
chapter of the Book of Acts. You will recall that earlier, I
explained the Power of the Word, and that it is the Word of
God which cleanses us, and not water; because as Jesus said,
His words are Spirit and they are life, and we are clean by
the Word which He has spoken unto us. That's precisely what
we see occurring here. These Gentiles merely heard the Word
of God, and were baptized with the Baptism of Blood, that is,
saved, and then immediately filled with the Holy Spirit. They
received the baptism by fire, (the Holy Spirit), before ever
receiving a water baptism; which sounds very similar to what
Paul also experienced with Ananias in the previous chapter.

This incident certainly seems to confirm that water baptism
is not really necessary; either for the remission of sins,
or for Salvation, or to obtain the Holy Ghost. As with Paul,
water baptism was clearly a secondary physical ritual, which
in reality, profited Cornelius' family and friends little.

To reiterate, these Gentile believers were obviously water
baptized after-the-fact and definitely not before. There's no
way that baptismal regenerationists, such as Roman Catholics,
Baptists, and other denominations, can explain this obvious
conflict with their misguided doctrine. I do not believe that
God would pour out His Holy Spirit into an unclean vessel; in
other words, into an unsaved individual. Therefore, it stands
to reason that Cornelius and his family were saved the moment
that they heard and received the Word that was being preached
to them by Peter. This is because God's Word makes it clear
that Salvation is a state of mind and heart that's based upon
belief in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Salvation is totally
independent of any physical act or ritual. The minute that we
choose to accept the Word, and embrace the truth regarding the
Atonement of Jesus Christ, we are in fact saved whether we've
been water baptized or not, as the above incidents clearly
reveal.

Paul's pride and stubbornness were smashed by God on the road
to Damascus, and he humbly accepted the truth regarding Jesus
Christ. That was his moment of Salvation. That is also why he
was able to receive the Holy Spirit a few days later, and was
then baptized in water. His belief in Christ's Atonement had
already cleansed him. He was baptized in Christ's Blood even
before Ananias arrived and performed water baptism upon him.
In similar manner, the minute that Cornelius and his family
opened their hearts, and accepted the truth of Peter's words,
they were in fact saved; they received the Baptism of Blood,
followed by the baptism by fire, which was the Holy Spirit.
Water baptism was just a secondary ritual. So it seems to me
that baptismal regenerationists don't have a leg to stand on.

A related example can be found in one of the two thieves who
died on the cross next to Jesus. As you may possibly recall,
one of the two malefactors began to mock the Lord. The other
thief, however, was in a very repentant state, and readily
admitted that he was receiving a just reward for his crimes.
He then asked Jesus to remember him, and what did Jesus say
to him? Did He tell the thief, "Sorry, but you've never been
water baptized, so you're a hopeless case"? Of course not! He
said "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise". It is rather
obvious that this thief was not taken down from the cross so
that he could be water baptized; yet Jesus clearly promised
him a place in His Kingdom; again proving that water baptism
is not necessary for the remission of our sins, or in order
to obtain Salvation. Following is the full story:

"And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him,
saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the
other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God,
seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed
justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this
man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord,
remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus
said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be
with me in paradise."
Luke 23:39-43, KJV

Why wasn't water baptism necessary? Well, based upon all of
the Scriptures that we have examined here, it seems obvious
that this thief was baptized in Jesus' Blood, so why would
water baptism even be necessary? John the Baptist's ministry
clearly taught us that being in a state of repentance is the
first step towards Salvation. This thief clearly recognized
his sins, and he was sorry for them. In addition, he clearly
recognized who Jesus was, and he accepted Him as such, as is
evident by the fact that he called Jesus "Lord". In short,
all of the necessary requirements for Salvation were met. He
had demonstrated his faith to Jesus, and Jesus honored this,
and even comforted him, by telling him that he would be in
Paradise with him.

Now, some people might argue that the thief couldn't possibly
have been baptized in Jesus' Blood, because Jesus wasn't dead
yet; however, I would offer that the Lord's Blood had already
been spilled when He received the thirty-nine lashes, when
the crown of thorns was placed upon His head, when He fell on
the way to Golgotha, and when the Romans nailed Him to the
Cross; so the thief was able to receive Salvation right then
and there. If you don't wish to accept that view, then look
at Jesus' words to the thief as a prophetic statement. Jesus'
Death on the Cross was already a done deed. He would be dead
within a matter of a few hours, and the Promise of Redemption
would be fully sealed by His Blood, so the Lord possessed the
power to tell the thief that He would see him in Paradise.
Regardless of how we choose to look at it, the point remains
that the thief was clearly promised Salvation without having
been baptized in water. That is an indisputable fact.

Let us return now to the incident which occurred in chapter
nineteen where Paul laid his hands upon the Disciples in the
city of Ephesus, and they received the Holy Spirit. Allow me
to quote the entire story for you:

"And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth,
Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus:
and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye
received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto
him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy
Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye
baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul,
John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying
unto the people, that they should believe on him which should
come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard
this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And
when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came
on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all
the men were about twelve."
Acts 19:1-7, KJV

First of all, the fact that these believers are referred to
as "disciples" would seem to indicate that they have already
accepted Jesus and are saved. Second, we learn that they have
not yet received the baptism by fire; that is, the baptism of
the Holy Spirit, but that they've received the water baptism
of John the Baptist. The fact that while Paul is questioning
them, he uses the phrase "since ye believed" certainly seems
to support the idea that these are saved Christians; however,
it could possibly also mean that they have believed in John's
message, but they still don't know who the Savior is, because
they are located in Ephesus in Asia Minor, (modern Turkey),
while the events surrounding Jesus' Ministry occurred quite
a distance away in Israel. Personally, my view is that they
are saved, because if they weren't, it seems to me that Paul
would be asking them if they had received Jesus yet, and not
if they have received the Holy Ghost yet "since ye believed".

But what we want to concentrate on is what happens next. Some
people claim that Paul baptized these Disciples with water,
but I posit that this is not what happened whatsoever. They
had already received the water baptism of John; that is, the
baptism of repentance, so wouldn't it be redundant to water
baptize them a second time? Even the Roman Catholic Church
teaches in its catechism that water baptism can only be done
once. Of course, the reason why it teaches this, is because
it erroneously believes that water baptism is an inseparable
and necessary part of receiving Salvation, and one can only
accept Jesus one time, since He sacrificed Himself only one
time. But the point remains that for Paul to baptize them a
second time would be a redundant, pointless act.

Paul clearly asked them if they had received the Holy Ghost.
He was asking them about the baptism by fire, and not about
the baptism by water. Spiritual baptism was clearly Paul's
primary concern, which suggests that Paul believed that they
had already accepted Jesus and were saved. So what does it
mean when it says "they were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus"? The very next sentence give us a clear answer. We are
told that Paul laid his hands on them, and they were filled
with the Holy Ghost -- the baptism by fire, and not a water
baptism -- precisely as had occurred when Ananias laid his
hands on Paul. That Paul would do this is quite consistent
with what we read in his Epistles. Paul's emphasis was not on
the physical rituals, but rather on the spiritual realities;
namely baptism by blood -- Salvation -- and baptism by fire
-- receiving the Holy Spirit. The first one saves us, and the
second gives us the power to win others to Christ, precisely
as Jesus said it would do, as we see here:

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth."
Acts 1:8, KJV

Please understand that the main question here is not whether
or not the Apostles baptized people with water, because it is
obvious that they did, at least for a time. The real question
which we are trying to answer is whether or not water baptism
is absolutely necessary in order for an individual to receive
Forgiveness of sins, and to obtain Salvation, that is, Eternal
Life. We have now examined several Scriptural examples which
demonstrate that water baptism is not necessary for either.
Furthermore, we have seen that water baptism is not necessary
in order to receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit either. These
examples clearly reveal the flawed reasoning that is embraced
by baptismal regenerationists, such as the Roman Catholics,
and other denominations. They're bound by a legalistic ritual
and a totally unnecessary tradition, which Jesus Himself did
not practice anywhere in the Gospels.

More importantly, by stating that water baptism is necessary
in order to receive Forgiveness of our sins, and to achieve
Salvation, they are attaching a condition to the Sacrifice of
Jesus Christ. Indirectly, such people are stating that His
Sacrifice on the Cross was not enough. When Jesus died on the
Cross, He clearly said "It is finished" in John 19:30. That
word "finished" is translated from the Greek word "teleo". In
my Greek lexicon, this word is defined as meaning to bring to
a close, to finish, to end, to fulfill, to accomplish, or to
complete. It is very similar to the Greek word "pleroo" which
we examined at the end of part two of this series. So this is
precisely what Jesus did for us. The minute that He died on
the Cross, He completed, He fulfilled, He brought to a close,
He accomplished, His primary mission upon the Earth. And what
was that? As we saw earlier, to open the way to Salvation for
all men.

By making water baptism a necessary condition for Salvation,
these baptismal regenerationists are basically saying, "Yes;
Jesus died for our sins, and paid the Price that we might be
able to obtain Salvation, but we still need to tax His free
Gift to us, by adding water baptism to it. If you don't pay
our tax, you are not really saved yet." Can you understand
how blasphemous that sounds to a Bible-believing Christian?
How dare these people tax a Gift which has been freely given
to us by God, through the Death of His Son. It is similar to
the Jewish money changers sucking every coin that they could
out of the worshipers who came to offer their sacrifices and
tithes at the temple in Jerusalem. In his first Epistle to
the brethren at Corinth, Paul tells us "ye are bought with a
price, and in the Gospel of Mark Jesus plainly tells us that
He has paid that ransom price, as we see here:

"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but
to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Mark 10:45, KJV

Once a ransom price has been paid by the negotiating parties,
-- in this case, God the Father and Jesus the Son -- then the
hostages -- we sinners -- are set free. There is no further
negotiations or conditions, such as taxing the free Gift by
adding the condition of water baptism. As we saw earlier in
part three, Jesus very plainly said "to preach deliverance to
the captives . . . to set at liberty them that are bruised".
In the case of Jesus' Crucifixion, all true, Bible-believing
Christians should simply say "Mission accomplished".

Please go to part five for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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