ALL ABOUT WATER BAPTISM
by
Herbert W. Armstrong
1948,
1954, 1972 edition
IS WATER baptism essential to salvation? What about the "thief
on the
cross"? Was he saved without it?
What is the proper form, or mode -- sprinkling, pouring or
immersion?
Should babies and children be baptized?
Suppose you were baptized by a minister you have since lost
confidence
in. Should you be baptized over again?
Suppose you were baptized "in the name of the Father, and the
Son,
and the Holy Ghost [Spirit]." Should you be baptized again "in
the
name of Jesus" only?
Should one be baptized IMMEDIATELY, or only "after a six
months'
probation"? Must the ordinance be performed by an ordained
minister?
--------------------
WE ARE
saved by GRACE, and through FAITH -- make no mistake about
that;
but -- there are conditions!
And millions are being deceived, misled into thinking they are
saved,
when they are not!
People have been taught, falsely, that "Christ completed the
Plan
of Salvation on the Cross" -- when actually it was only begun
there.
The popular denominations have taught, "Just BELIEVE -- that's
all
there is to it; believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are
that
instant saved!"
That teaching is false! And because of deception -- because the
TRUE
GOSPEL of Jesus Christ has been all but blotted out, lo these
1900
years by the preaching of a false gospel about the Person of
Christ
-- and often a false Christ at that -- millions today WORSHIP
CHRIST
-- and all in vain! "In vain do they worship me," said Jesus,
"teaching
for doctrines the commandments of men" (Mark 7: 6-9).
Man is mortal. Man has no immortality inherent within himself.
Christ
Jesus, only, of all men who have lived, has immortality (I
Tim.
6:16). The penalty of sin is DEATH -- the second, or eternal,
death,
from which there will be no resurrection. And ALL have
sinned
and come under this sentence. Only GOD has eternal life
inherent
in Himself (John 5:26) -- only GOD has eternal life to give.
And
as the Father has life in -- inherent in -- Himself, so has He
given
to the Son, Christ, to have immortal life inherent within
Himself.
And through Christ, God gives it to us (I John 5:11-12) --
and
whoever has not Christ has not eternal life. Eternal life is a
GIFT
no man has until he receives it as GOD'S GIFT (Rom. 6:23).
The BLOOD of Christ does not finally save any man. The death
of Christ
merely paid the penalty of sin in our stead -- it wipes the
slate
clean of past sins -- it saves us merely from the DEATH
PENALTY
-- it removes that which separated us from God and reconciles
us to
God.
But we are SAVED -- that is, given immortal life -- by Christ's
LIFE,
not by His death (Rom. 5:10). Christ is a living Saviour! He
is not
dead -- He rose from the dead! We could never be saved by His
blood
alone, if He had not risen from the dead (I Cor. 15:17-18).
We are mortal, without immortal life inherent in us, under
penalty
of eternal DEATH from sin -- unless saved. To be saved, we
must
be born of God, who is a Spirit. We were born of human
parents,
and therefore we are human -- flesh -- dust -- of the earth,
earthy
(John 3:3, 6; Gen. 2:7; 3:19; I Cor. 15:47-49). To be born
of God,
we must, first, now in this life, receive the impregnating
LIFE
-- the Holy Spirit -- from God. We are then merely begotten,
spiritually
-- comparing to an unborn human babe still in its
mother's
womb -- not yet really BORN. We then become merely HEIRS of
the
Kingdom -- not yet inheritors.
Becoming converted means being CHANGED. When one receives the
Holy
Spirit of God, his whole viewpoint, his outlook, his purposes,
goals,
ways of thought -- everything -- becomes CHANGED! It is a
renewing
of the MIND -- the Spirit of a sound mind. But he is as yet
merely
begotten. And, as the unborn babe must be fed, through the
mother,
and must develop and grow physically before it can be born,
so the
converted human, now spiritually begotten, must be fed on
the
spiritual food of GOD'S WORD, and must GROW SPIRITUALLY -- must
grow
in grace and the knowledge of Christ as He reveals His
knowledge
through His Word (II Peter 3:18). He must OVERCOME the
down-pull
of his human nature and achieve self-discipline. He must
learn
PATIENCE, must grow in LOVE, FAITH, and UNDERSTANDING. He
must
do the WORKS of Christ; and, in this spiritual growth -- this
life
of active service -- he must ENDURE persecutions and afflictions
and
trials UNTO THE END.
It is only those who, during this Christian Spirit-begotten
life,
have grown in knowledge and grace, have overcome, have
developed
spiritually, done the works of Christ, and endured unto
the
end, who shall finally be given IMMORTALITY -- finally changed
from
mortal to IMMORTAL at the time of the second coming of Christ
(I Cor.
15:53-54).
So, being, as we say, converted -- receiving the Holy Spirit of
God
-- is merely the beginning! Then begins a lifetime of LIVING
under
the GOVERNMENT OF GOD -- by God's laws which express His will,
instead
of by self-will and desire.
A PERSON IS NOT EVEN BEGOTTEN OF GOD UNLESS HE IS CHRIST'S (I
John
5:12). AND HE IS NOT CHRIST'S UNLESS HE HAS RECEIVED THE HOLY
SPIRIT
(Rom. 8:9). One is not even converted -- spiritually begotten-
-not
even STARTED on the way to final salvation, unless and until
he RECEIVES
THE HOLY SPIRIT FROM GOD! The question, then -- how to
make
the first BEGINNING of becoming a Christian -- how to START on
the
Christian life -- which leads to eternal life -- is how to thus be
CHANGED
and receive God's Holy Spirit!
"What Shall We Do?"
Notice
the very beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark
1:15).
Jesus said, "REPENT ye, and BELIEVE the gospel." The very
first
words He proclaimed, at the very beginning of His Gospel,
were
to command the TWO CONDITIONS to becoming a Christian:
REPENTANCE,
and FAITH. Those are the two things we must do!
Repentance
is toward GOD. Faith is toward Christ. Repentance means
to quit
sinning, and sin is the transgression of God's spiritual
LAW
-- so repentance means to begin living according to God's
Commandments!
And Jesus said "believe the GOSPEL." And the GOSPEL
is the
Good News of the Kingdom of God
-- which means GOVERNMENT of
God,
and government means obedience to LAWS, in this case God's
laws,
which express the will of God -- government by the WILL OF GOD,
no longer
by human self-will!
After Jesus had completed His earthly ministry, had paid the
penalty
of your sins, had risen from the dead and ascended to
heaven,
the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost.
Thousands were in Jerusalem
for this festival. When the Spirit
of God
came upon -- and into -- the disciples that morning, thousands
came
in awe and wonder at the majestic spectacle. Peter then
preached
the first inspired sermon of this Christian dispensation.
Thousands
were convicted in their hearts. They realized their lost
condition.
They realized Christ was indeed Messiah -- SAVIOUR!
"What shall we do?" they cried out to Peter and the disciples.
"HOW
SHALL WE BE SAVED?"
Peter was now inspired. The answer came straight and direct!
"REPENT"! shouted the inspired Peter in great power, "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
SPIRIT"!
(Acts 2:38.)
There are the conditions -- JUST TWO -- the same as Jesus gave
them
at the very beginning of His Gospel -- REPENT, and BELIEVE! For
one
cannot be rightly baptized except he believe (Acts 8:37).
Baptism
is an ordinance symbolizing FAITH in the death, burial, and
resurrection
of Christ.
Once these conditions are complied with, God stands bound by
a PROMISE
to put within the repentant believer HIS SPIRIT -- which
means
His LOVE, faith, understanding, gentleness and goodness,
power,
etc. -- His attitude of mind -- the Spirit of a sound mind -- His
very
LIFE -- the impregnation and begettal of eternal life, and the
very
character of God! The HOLY SPIRIT in one CHANGES one!
"For the PROMISE is unto you, and to your children ... even as
many
as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39).
WATER BAPTISM, THEN, IS A REQUIRED PART OF THE WAY OF
SALVATION!
Jesus' Example!
Jesus
in all things set us an example, that we should follow His
steps.
He was the example for Christian living for the individual,
and
also the living example for His called ministers (I Peter
2:21).
Jesus, though He had committed no sins to be remitted, was
baptized,
setting the example for us. You'll read of it in Matthew
3:13-17.
In being baptized, Jesus was immersed in water (not
sprinkled
or poured upon) because "Jesus, when he was baptized,
went
up straightway out of the water." Immediately the Spirit of
God
descended upon Him, in this case visibly, and a voice from
heaven
said: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
God
help us, that by His help, power, and grace, we may be enabled
to live
such overcoming lives that He may finally say the same of
us!
Meaning of "In the Name
of Jesus Christ"
Jesus
also set the example for ministers. Did you know that Jesus
baptized
more disciples than John the Baptist?
Listen: "After these things came Jesus and his disciples into
the
land of Judaea;
and there he tarried with them, and
baptized
.... When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had
heard
that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
(Though
Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples) ... " (John
3:22
and 4:1-2).
There is an important meaning here. Actually Jesus did not do
the
physical work of baptizing these people Himself -- He had His
disciples
do it for Him! And what they did, by His authority and
command,
is attributed to Him! So it was considered as if Jesus
Himself
had baptized them.
Here is a most important truth. His disciples did the
baptizing
IN HIS NAME -- that is, in His stead -- they did it for Him,
by His
authority -- and that was considered just the same as if Jesus
had
actually done it Himself! In fact, the Holy Spirit actually
inspired
the direct statement that Jesus baptized more disciples
than
John. When, at His direction, and by His authority, His chosen
disciples,
chosen by Him, did it for Him, it is considered that
JESUS
did the baptizing. He did it, in other words, by and through
His
disciples!
To ask for anything in prayer, or to do or perform anything,
IN THE
NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, is to ask or do it BY HIS AUTHORITY.
It is
to act for Him. To do it for Him, in His stead. It is acting
as if
by power of attorney to act FOR Him. It implies He has
delegated
that authority to us. And indeed He has! For we are
commanded
to do all things IN THE NAME OF CHRIST!
Jesus Commanded Baptism
Keep
in mind the clear picture of the true GOSPEL. The true Gospel
of Jesus
Christ is the Message which GOD SENT to the world, and
Christ
was the divine Messenger who brought and proclaimed it. It
was
not primarily a Message about Himself, but about the Kingdom --
the
GOVERNMENT -- of God. Jesus devoted three-and-a-half years to
teaching
this Message to His twelve apostles.
After His resurrection, Jesus gave them the final GOSPEL
COMMISSION
for this age, and in it He commanded baptism as an
obligatory
ordinance for this Gospel dispensation:
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach
THE
GOSPEL" (the Message God sent and Christ proclaimed) "TO EVERY
CREATURE.
He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved; but
he that
believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15-16). Note these
points:
The GOSPEL to be preached was not the present-day message
ABOUT
the Person of Christ, but the Message He brought and
preached
-- the Good News of the GOVERNMENT of God. What is it
necessary
to BELIEVE to be saved? That which is preached -- the
GOSPEL!
When even the preachers today do away with God's LAW, and
therefore
the government (Kingdom) of God -- for there can be no
government
without law -- they deny that which must be believed to be
saved
-- and their followers cannot be saved, but are deceived! And,
also,
it is "he that is baptized" that shall be saved. It's part of
the
divine Commission -- a required ordinance for salvation!
Notice Matthew's version of the Great Commission:
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations ... " surely the
disciples
were to teach these nations that which Jesus had taught
them
-- the Message God had sent Him to deliver and proclaim to the
world
-- the Good News of the government of God -- a Message that has
not
been preached for 1800 years or more! "... Baptizing them in the
name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:
teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you"
(Matt. 28:19-20).
Here again, in the final Great Commission for preaching the
Gospel
in this age, Christ commanded BAPTISM. And here He
specifically
stated "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the
Holy Ghost [Spirit]."
In Name of Jesus Only
Since
some today are being baptized over again "in the name of
Jesus
ONLY" in order to eliminate the Father, and the Holy Spirit,
this
should be considered here. The contention of these people is
that
this passage in Matthew 28:19 is the only place in the Bible
where
the names of the Father and the Holy Spirit are commanded.
They
argue that a thing must be established "in the mouth of two or
more
witnesses," and since they claim there is but this one witness
to this
command, it must be rejected. All other passages mention
only
the name of Jesus.
The explanation is that two or more witnesses are required
only
in the case of HUMAN testimony -- where one accuses another.
That
instruction does not apply to the divine Witness, as inspired
by the
Holy Spirit, and to assume it does is surely close to
blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit! On the contrary, "ALL scripture
is given
by inspiration of God, and is profitable ...." And, THE
SCRIPTURE
CANNOT BE BROKEN! If you can break, disprove, reject, or
throw
out this one scripture, you can reject all the rest!
In this passage, the word translated "in" should properly be
translated
"into." The meaning, then, is that repentant believers
are
baptized INTO God the Father, and into Christ the Son, and into
the
Holy Spirit. But the one who plunges the new believer under the
water
performs the act IN THE NAME OF -- that is, by authority of,
JESUS
CHRIST. Why? Because Jesus said "ALL POWER" -- and that
includes
all authority -- "is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
He has
ALL authority! Either we do it by His authority, or else we
are
doing it without any authority.
New
Testament Ordinance
The
apostles understood this as a divine Commission and Command.
They
carried it out. They always baptized repentant believers.
The first inspired sermon after the Holy Spirit came to
convert
Peter and the apostles was mentioned above. Peter commanded
all
to repent, and to be baptized.
And "they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the
same
day there were added unto them about three thousand souls"
(Acts
2:41).
"Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached
Christ
unto them ... But when they believed Philip preaching the
things
concerning THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and the name of Jesus Christ,
they
were baptized, both men and women" (Acts 8:5, 12).
Some, who do not believe in water baptism, may say this
baptism
was not with water, but with the Holy Spirit. But later,
when
the apostles sent Peter and John down to these people at
Samaria, they, "when they were come down,
prayed for them, that
they
might receive the Holy Spirit: For as yet he was fallen upon
none
of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus"
(verses 15-16).
None of them had been as yet baptized with the Holy Spirit --
yet
they already were baptized. Since they had not been baptized
with
the Holy Spirit, obviously they had been baptized in water.
Baptism Definitely Commanded
As Peter
preached the first inspired sermon after the coming of the
Holy
Spirit, and commanded baptism -- to the Jews in Jerusalem,
so
God
sent Peter also to first preach the Gospel to the Gentiles ten
years
later. It was at the house of a very devout Gentile,
Cornelius.
But devout though he was, he did not understand -- did not
have
saving KNOWLEDGE. He knew no better than to fall down at
Peter's
feet and worship him, a mere man. God had sent Peter to
instruct
him.
Peter preached to Cornelius' family, "The word which God
sent"
-- the Message God sent by Jesus Christ as Messenger. And
"while
Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all
them
which heard the word" (Acts 10:44). In verse 45 it is termed
"the
gift of the Holy Spirit." The word "ALSO" indicates the same
"baptism"
with the Holy Spirit as Peter and the apostles had
received.
In Acts 11:15-17 it is plainly described as the SAME
"baptism"
with the Holy Spirit the apostles had received. Now these
had
received the "baptism" with the Spirit.
"Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid WATER, that these
should
not be baptized, which have received the Holy Spirit as well
as we?
And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the
Lord"
(Acts 10:46-48).
Here is a definite inspired COMMAND to be baptized in WATER.
Immersion,
Sprinkling, or Pouring?
As in all other points of doctrine, the churches today are in
utmost
confusion -- some practicing pouring, some sprinkling, some
immersing.
Some say it makes no difference. Those who sprinkle
usually
apply it to children.
The word "baptize" is not an English word. It is a Greek word.
The
New Testament was written in the Greek language. In translating
it into
English, the translators left this Greek word untranslated.
Literally,
in the Greek, the word is "baptizo". The definition of
this
word is "IMMERSE." It means to plunge into, put into, dip. It
does
not mean "to sprinkle" or "to pour." The Greek word for
"sprinkle"
is "rantidzo", and "to pour" is "cheo" in Greek. The
Holy
Spirit did not inspire the use of these words, but baptizo,
meaning
IMMERSE, PUT INTO.
Therefore sprinkling or pouring IS NOT BAPTIZING!
When one understands the meaning of the words inspired, it is
silly
to talk about "which form or mode of baptizing shall we use --
sprinkling,
pouring, or immersing?" It is as ridiculous as to ask
which
form of IMMERSING shall we use -- sprinkling, pouring, or
immersing?
Or as to ask "which form or mode of skiing shall we use --
swimming,
ice-skating, or skiing?" Swimming and ice-skating are
not
skiing. Sprinkling and pouring are not baptizing.
John baptized around about Aenon near Jerusalem, "because
there
was much water there" (John 3:23). He would have needed only
a cupful
to sprinkle, or a pitcherful to pour -- but baptizing
required
"MUCH WATER" in a river. Also this verse indicates John
baptized
the subject with much water, not by pouring a cupful of
water
on the subject.
Jesus set us an example -- there was no other purpose in His
baptism
-- and He was put down into the water, for He went up OUT OF
the
water. Both Philip and the eunuch went down INTO the water
(Acts
8:38). There was no reason whatever for Philip to go actually