WATER BAPTISM

Okay, this is going to be a tough one for many.  For the body of Christ, our doctrine to live by does not come from the book of Acts.  Acts is a transitional book that tells us what happened to Israel once they rejected Stephen's message under the power of the Holy Spirit and that Jesus saved the apostle to the Gentiles -  Paul, by grace.  Paul was baptized because the kingdom gospel (different than our gospel of the grace of God) was the only message out there. And the kingdom gospel required baptism in water. Mk 16:16, Acts 2:38. But when Paul received further revelation, baptism was not to be done b/c Jesus would now be saving people by grace alone, by faith alone, (Eph 2:8-9 not of yourself) and not by the works of the law or the work of baptism.

Besides all that, we may have missed the "why was one baptized?" answer. Exod 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. Priest needed to be washed to be priest.  Ex. 29:1,4, 7  The kingdom Jesus promised is where all Israel will be priest and need to be clean. That is why Jesus was casting out devils and healing them, to go into the kingdom that was promised.  Lev 21:16-21   That's why Jesus went ONLY to Israel in His earthly ministry.

Ezek 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

Ezek 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. Ezek 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Ezek 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Do you see that this in the early chapters of Acts is being fulfilled? Yes you do. Study baptism, cleansing, purifying. A proper study of baptism in the books of Matt - Acts will find that baptism was a requirement for salvation. It was not optional if you wanted to obey God and be in the kingdom. This is why there is no need for water baptism today if you have believed and put your trust in the new gospel of the grace of God Jesus gave to Paul for us today. That Jesus died shedding His blood, was buried and rose, for the forgiveness of your sins. That is what saves us. I Cor 15:1-4. Not Mk 16:16 a verse not written to the body of Christ, but to the 12 apostles Jesus sent to Israel.

Jesus said through Paul:

1Cor 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.

The gospel that saves us today does not require water baptism at all, for any reason or by any method.

There is only one baptism for us in the body of Christ and the Spirit is the one who does the baptizing , NOT a man.

We need to ask some questions about baptism and get bible answers from the dispensation of grace we live in today. Why be baptized? What is baptism in the bible? What would baptism do for me? And most of all: Does baptism still apply today for us in the body of Christ?

People think they have well thought out this baptism issue but what they miss is God's progressive revelation given to Paul and these irrefutable facts:

- Paul never once spoke positive about water baptism

- Paul never mentions water baptism is required in HIS DOCTRINAL EPISTLES

- Paul never once says anything in his pastoral epistles to Timothy or Titus for doctrine or an ordinance to carry out to be saved, stay saved, or as some outward expression.

- Paul does say water baptism is EXCLUDED from the new gospel Jesus gave to him for the body of Christ.

- Paul did many other things in the book of Acts that are not followed today but came to an end: tongues, healing, miracles, signs, wonders.

Paul is not ignorant that there is more than one baptism in God’s history, but that there is only one baptism in the current dispensation required for salvation. He explains this baptism by the Spirit in 1 Cor 12:13, Col 2:11-12, and Titus 3:4-6.

As I have said many times to people if we don't properly rightly divide God's word, we will NEVER agree on its interpretation.

Why is it that people who get baptized in water don't do all the other things that surround the verses dealing with baptism? We call this context. They read Mk 16:16 but leave out vs 17-18. They read in Acts 2:38 to be baptized but leave out selling all they have in vs 44-45. Also when John the Baptist was baptizing they were confessing their sins. I don't hear or see this going on today. Do you? Matt 3:6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. Water baptism is not for us the body of Christ .

I can answer my own question: People want something physical to do, they lack the faith to just live by faith not sight and don't understand the magnitude of God's grace. When He says we are saved by grace through faith they take that to mean their faith has to do something more than just believe and put their trust in the gospel. II Cor 5:7. People want something to say they have done to add to their salvation and they most of all do not understand the dispensation of the grace of God given to Paul for us today - the body of Christ.

Paul never mentions water baptism as part of or necessary for salvation in his epistles. People who think that, don't get it from his writings, they carry it over from Israel's program under the gospel of the kingdom where there were many things necessary under that gospel. Including but not limited to:

Keeping the law

Offering animal sacrifices

Selling all you had

Forgiving others to get forgiveness

Getting water baptized

repenting of your sins

Paul makes it clear that the one baptism he is talking about is necessary for salvation to every believer. It is done by the Spirit and He, the Spirit, seals us in the body of Christ once we believe and put our trust in the right gospel that Jesus gave to Paul for the body of Christ. Eph 1:13

1Cor 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.

And that there is only ONE baptism for us the body of Christ.

Eph 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Notice all the “ones” in these verses. One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God. Why do people make there to be two baptism and not two of all the others?

Water baptism puts us into WATER. Water baptism is a work of the flesh, and we are not saved by works of any kind, though it was a necessary work under the gospel of the kingdom. Acts 2:38

We should not stop reading our bibles at the 4 gospels or the book of Acts. We need to keep reading to see the progressive revelation Jesus gave to Paul. These were Jesus' last words written by the last person to see Christ and to pen the last words in our complete perfect preserved word of God.

Another thought. We cannot state all the things Paul did not say, only the things he did say. And he did say there is no water baptism in the gospel Jesus gave him for the body of Christ. If you put water in Rom 6 or Col 1 that would make 2 baptisms. Paul DOES say there is only one. Eph 4:5. And definitely says the Spirit does do a baptism on us. So, pick one. Which one do you want to throw out? This is easy to me b/c it deals with a number. You cannot redefine or misinterpret a number. We know since Adam that 1 = 1. 2 does not = 1. The math of a 2nd baptism for us (2=1) is not possible.