Picking up from where I left off in Part I:
“It is my firm belief that there are many, many “Christian” organizations, unbeknownst to their congregants, interpreting or mishandling the bible and is the reason why it’s so important for people to read and study the bible for themselves.”
Continuing along the vein of denominational organizations “interpreting” the bible to establish methods of worship to be practiced by their congregants, let’s explore the most accepted ritual practiced by numerous denominations, baptism. There are many other examples that we could study to illustrate how mishandling the word of god has created systems of worship practiced by so many attending church week in and week out. But, I would like to tackle the subject of baptism as probably one of the most misunderstood practices offered by, dare I say required by, most churches as necessary for salvation and prerequisite to membership in their church.
What I mean by membership is the many forms it can take in today’s organized religions. It can mean membership in the congregation, membership into the clergy, and in many denominations membership into the church, the body of Christ. Just stop and think about how many different ways baptism has been practiced throughout history. You can have your babies baptized, yourself baptized, your wife, your husband, your children, your parents, your dog, cat, car, etc. You can be immersed, sprinkled, or dipped; in a baptismal pool, from an urn, in a river, in the ocean; the permutations are endless. Which way is the “right” way? For that matter, if there is such a thing as the “right” way, is being baptized necessary for eternal salvation of our souls today? Those are the questions I aim to answer for you in this post.
Now, before I really get going here let me say this: I realize this is a deeply personal and significant subject for many, many, believers. I get that. It is not my intention to offend or hurt anyone’s feelings. And despite that, there’s really no way for me to avoid offense because of the deeply held belief by many that water baptism, in particular, is something required for true and complete salvation. With that said, my intention here is to provide a perspective that you’d be hard pressed to find in many denominational church organizations, especially those where Baptism is central to the doctrine they preach. And also to demonstrate the difference between “interpreting” the bible and understanding God as he intended. Lofty as that might be, here goes nothing.
Understand also that this in no way is an exhaustive treatment of the subject of baptism. I’m simply offering a perspective that I hope will provide a deeper and clearer understanding of the word of God by way of encouraging your own study so you can understand for yourself whether you need to be baptized for salvation. I also want to illustrate how “private interpretation” has led to the many denominations that exist today by comingling doctrine into what I call a “Christian soup” that in large part causes people to think the only way to God is through a church door.
Moving on…
In general, let’s approach the biblical doctrine of baptism from a chronological standpoint since time and circumstance are the primary means of understanding God in context, which is key to “rightly dividing the word of truth”. As I’ve said before, will probably never say enough, and I’m sure many know, people can make the Bible say and mean anything. Which is to say, without a deliberate effort on the part of every reader to read the word of God with a pure heart, ready to accept what it says and means, rather than coming at it hoping to find something to bolster some preconceived understanding stemming from the typical Christian experience, it’s soooo easy to get it wrong.
Recall from my last post what Jesus tells the twelve apostles:
Matthew 10:5-7
These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
To reiterate, this is Jesus talking. This is also during his earthly ministry when he tells the twelve apostles not only where and where not to go, but also what to say to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”. In Matthew 15:24, in response to the Canaanite woman looking for mercy for her daughter who was vexed with a devil, Jesus again tells the twelve that he is “not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. This is key to understanding everything else in the books of Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus came only to the Jews. Understanding this should inform our perspective when considering baptism and water baptism in particular.
So, chronologically it goes something like this:
1. As foretold in the Old Testament and what marks the fulfillment of this prophecy, John comes baptizing and preaching in the wilderness:
Matthew 3:1-6
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
Matthew 3:11
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
John 1:32-33:
And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
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.
Notice John is baptizing WITH water while preaching to “they of Jerusalem” “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins”. And who is he baptizing? And who is he preaching to? The Jews. More importantly, who is he NOT preaching to? The gentiles. Notice specifically John declares in Mathew 3:11 and John 1:33 that he (Jesus) that comes after him will baptize “WITH [emphasis mine] the Holy Ghost”, “and WITH [emphasis mine] fire”.
2. As also foretold, and also to be fulfilled, Jesus is baptized by John WITH water. The practice of water baptism has its origins in the Old Testament, details of which are far beyond the purpose of this study. And as such, was a practice established between God and the nation of Israel, which is to say, it was something Jews did, NOT Gentiles. The important thing to understand is simply that it was one of many things that had to be fulfilled as Jesus accomplished his Father’s will during his earthly ministry.
Matthew 3:16-17
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
3. Not to marginalize in any way the prophetic fulfillment of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, let’s move forward to the point in time in Acts, chapter 1 just before the eleven Apostles (Judas Iscariot had not been replaced at this point) witness his ascension. This is a pivotal moment where Jesus tells them they are about to be baptized with the holy ghost as was foretold by John the Baptist preaching from the wilderness. Notice also in verse eight below, after telling the apostles during his earthly ministry “Go not into the way of the Gentiles”, Jesus explains their purpose, as it were, sending them to Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth, which is to say, the gentile nations.
Acts 1:4-9
And, being assembled together with [them], commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
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.
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
It’s important to understand the cut that God is making here. While alive, Jesus came to his own, not the Gentiles. Only after his death, burial, resurrection, and just before his ascension to the right hand of God, does Jesus send the apostles to the rest of the world.
4. The day of Pentecost comes and Peter is in front of “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” who are witness to what? They are witnessing baptism “with the Holy Ghost, and with fire”. This was a purely spiritual/supernatural event. They were also witness to the disciples speaking in tongues, meaning everyone was hearing what Peter was proclaiming in their own language. I don’t want to get lost in the details here, just trying to capture the high points of this chapter describing this event which was prophesied by Joel (Joel 2:28-32). And after hearing Peter preaching a murder indictment to the wayward generation of the Jews he faced, many asked him what they should do, to which Peter says:
Acts 2:1-4
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Act 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.
What I hope you’re starting to see is that through the period leading up to Jesus’ earthly ministry, through his eventual sacrifice, resurrection, ascension, and finally to the day of Pentecost, baptism changed from John’s baptism with water to Peter’s baptism with the Holy Ghost. Notice in particular that Peter tells them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, which is different from what John preached when he came preaching in the wilderness; a point in time when Jesus was not yet “the Christ”.
Moreover, everything about baptism regardless of the method, if you will, was between those prophesied to come, prophesied to do and say what the Old Testament prophets said would be the evidence of their coming, including Jesus’ coming of course, and the generation of Jews who he faced. It had nothing to do with the Gentiles. We weren’t even in the picture at this point in time. In fact, the apostle Paul tells us our state of being during the day of Pentecost as described in Acts, chapter 2.
Ephesians 2:11-12
Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Remember the overarching point of this whole exercise; understanding the word of God as He intended. Paul makes our standing in relation to the “commonwealth of Israel” before salvation came to the gentile nations pretty clear. “Aliens”, “strangers”, hopeless, and “without God in the world” means what it means, we (gentiles) had nothing to do with what was going on between Jesus and the generation of the Jews he faced. From the time John baptized Jesus in Jordan, through his death, burial, resurrection, ascension, the day of Pentecost, and all the signs and wonders that accompanied these events, all of it was between God, Jesus, and the nation of Israel and had nothing to do with all other gentile nations.
All of these events can be traced back to the Old Testament prophets who foretold his coming and foretold his rejection by the wayward and gainsaying generation he faced. And while all of that happened, we gentiles were what? Aliens, strangers from the covenants of promise, and without God. So, I ask you, what does water Baptism have to do with us?
Deeper still, understanding the purpose of water baptism helps us understand it in context of our place in relation to the nation of Israel. Put simply, it was a necessary practice to fulfill God’s law in preparing Israel to be a nation of Priests ruling over the kingdom of Heaven on earth, again, as foretold. You gotta go back into the Old Testament to understand the sacrificial practices the priests of Israel were required to accomplish for atonement of sins committed by the nation of Israel to really understand baptism, it’s origins, and it’s purpose, in order to fully understand it’s place for gentiles today. In the simplest terms, it was required to cleanse the nation of Israel to prepare them for their role as a nation of priests.
Luke 24:44
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Understanding all of this, I ask again; what does water baptism have to do with gentiles? One thing’s for sure, it is not required for salvation or membership or for anything else for anyone not a Jew. For that matter, water baptism isn’t even required for Jews today who choose to believe the gospel of the dispensation of the grace of God. In fact, all water baptism has really become is a “tradition of men” practiced by so many organizations who, in effect, mock the finished work of Christ at the cross. What people in these organizations seem to miss, or maybe it’s more what they are not taught, is that the gospel of salvation in effect today as dispensed by “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God”, “the Apostle OF [emphasis mine] the Gentiles” requires faith, nothing more, nothing less.
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.
And when we choose to believe Paul’s gospel, there is a baptism. In fact, there is also a circumcision. A circumcision made without hands, “the circumcision of Christ”, wholly spiritual in nature. There is a burial with Jesus Christ in baptism, there’s a resurrection, there’s a quickening (made alive), there’s forgiveness, and finally there’s a blotting out of the handwriting of ordinances that were nailed to the cross. And how were all of these things accomplished? “Through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead.” God has accomplished all of these things in the spiritual/supernatural realm by virtue of the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, our lord and savior, and all we have to do is believe, nothing more, and nothing less.
I ask you once again, does the Bible need interpretation?
Ephesians 4:4-6
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Colossians 2:8-14
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
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.
