I had this question come in today concerning baptism: I had a man tell me that John 3:3-5 was not talking about baptism , but rather Natural Birth. I know it does talk about natural birth in the first 2 verses of John 3. Can you please do a study on this and post it please. Lets first take a look at the scripture in question: John 3: 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Many scholars believe that John 3: 5 is a direct reference to both water and Spirit baptism, and many reference Bibles will cross reference this scripture with Acts 2: 38. If that indeed is the case, then the words of Jesus could be interpreted as: “Except a man be baptized in water and baptized in the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”. Some denominations believe so strongly that this scripture is referring to water baptism, that they baptize infants in order to secure their Salvation. Those who oppose the necessity of water baptism believe that “born of water” was simply a reference to the natural birth that every human experiences through the amniotic fluid of the water bag. If this is the case, then every person has already been born of water, and would not have to be baptized in water. Many churches do not even touch this subject. Sermons concerning the new birth have been preached without ever mentioning John 3: 5. Bible tracts on “How to Be Born Again” have been written without ever addressing this scripture. There is a good chance that you have never been presented with John 3: 5. This Study is different, for it dares to disturb the nest of tradition and uncover the truth. Again we remind you that ultimately, it does not matter what any particular denomination teaches. What matters most is what the Bible teaches. So we will explore the words of Jesus Christ and the teachings of His apostles. Water Baptism: An Option or a Need? Does the Bible teach water baptism as an option for all believers, or as a need for Salvation? There is a belief system out there that water baptism is something that one should do, but is not required to do. Those who believe this have no other choice but to conclude that water baptism is simply a “public confession of faith” – after one has been saved - but has no bearing on one’s Salvation. The Bible itself will answer this question. Let’s start by reading the words of Jesus Christ concerning water baptism when He approached John the Baptist: Matthew 3: 14, 15 (NLT) But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” 15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. Jesus himself was baptized to fulfill all that God required. KJV says “to fulfill all righteousness”. Does water baptism sound like an option, or the will of God? Jesus made it clear that it is not enough to call Him Lord; we must do the will of God. (See Matt. 7: 21) After Jesus had risen from the dead, He gave specific instructions to His disciples as they were to begin His church. These instructions are commonly referred to as “the great commission”. Let’s visit the gospel of Matthew as he recorded the instructions of Jesus: Matthew 28: 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Jesus commissioned his disciples to both teach AND baptize all nations. Something to think about: Is “teaching all nations” an option? Of course not. Then why would “baptizing all nations” be presented only as an option? Now let’s visit the gospel of Mark, who also recorded the great commission: Mark 16: 15, 16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Jesus makes it very clear: A person who believes the gospel and is baptized shall be saved. Does water baptism sound like an option, or a need? Some argue that Jesus did not say, “He who is baptized not will be damned”. There was actually no need to say that, since a person who refuses to believe the gospel would have no desire to be baptized. Now let’s visit the gospel of Luke, who also records the commission: Luke 24: 46, 47 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. It is extremely important to notice here that Jesus commands that repentance and remission of sins – two separate entities, should be preached. You may recall in lesson 2 that we discovered in Acts 2: 38 that the first word out of Peter’s mouth was “Repent”. Now let us take another look at this very first response to those desiring salvation in the New Testament Church: Acts 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. The next seven words out of Peter’s mouth were, “and be baptized every one of you”. We will discuss the method of baptism in an upcoming segment, but notice the reason for baptism – for the remission of sins. In fulfillment of the great commission, Peter preached repentance and remission of sins. Again we ask: Does water baptism sound like an option, or a need? In his epistle to the church, Peter uses a rather interesting analogy in which he links water baptism to Salvation: 1 Peter 3: 20, 21 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Notice that Peter does not focus on the masses who were drowned by the water, but instead chooses to focus on the few who were saved by the water - those who were obedient to the only plan of escape. It is at that point in which he likens salvation to those who have been baptized in water. Many argue that water baptism alone cannot save us, and they would actually be correct. For it is not the water that washes away our filthy sins of the flesh – it is the obedience to God’s word (the answer of a good conscience) and the application of the blood of Jesus. Water baptism alone is not the Salvation plan, but after studying the scriptures, it is hard to argue that water baptism is not PART of the Salvation plan. It also cannot be denied that Peter linked water baptism and Salvation together. Many examples could be given in the book of Acts in which we find the unsaved coming to belief in Christ through the preaching of His apostles, and subsequently being baptized on the same day, sometimes even in the same hour. (See Acts 2: 41; Acts 8: 12, 13, 16, 36, 38; Acts 9: 18; Acts 10: 47, 48; Acts 16: 15, 33; Acts 18: 8; Acts 19: 5; Acts 22: 16) We can spend all day arguing about who is right, or we can simply agree that Jesus and His apostles were right. Their words and their actions do not seem to indicate that John 3: 5 speaks of the water bag. To the contrary, they repeatedly indicate their strong belief in the necessity of water baptism. Any church, regardless of denomination or even “non-denominational” stance, should not be negligent to teach from the book of Acts. Without rightly dividing the Word, and only teaching from the letters written to those who were already saved, you will fall to the spirit of error. In my observations over the last 30 years, I have found that those most opposed to the Acts 2: 38 message, ironically are those who no longer preach from the book of Acts. @Back on Track Bible Studies - Rick Flores (Taken in part from The Spirit of Truth Bible Study)
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 03:33:31 +0000
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