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II. THE ERRORS OF BAPTISMAL REGENERATION
A. From Mark 16:16
B. From John 3:5
C. From Acts 2:38
D. From Romans
6:1-4
E. From 1Peter
3:21
John 1:12
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become
the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life
John 3:36
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth
on him.
John 5:24
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come
into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
John 6:40
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth
the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise
him up at the last day.
John 11:25
He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
Acts 10:43
43 Whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Acts 13:39
39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things,
from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Acts 16:30,31
30 Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved, and thy house.
Romans 3:22
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ
unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Romans 3:28
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith.
Romans 4:3
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it
was counted unto him for righteousness.
Romans 4:5
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness.
Romans 10:9-13
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with
the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall
not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek:
for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved.
1Corinthians 1:21
21 It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them
that believe.
Galatians 2:16
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law,
but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ,
that we might be justified by the faith of Christ.
Galatians 3:26
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast. .
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Matthew 3:13-15
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be
baptized of him.
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of
thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now:
for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Titus 3:5
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing
of the Holy Ghost;
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A. From Mark 16:16 they teach that one must be baptized to be saved.
Mark 16:16
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned.
Notice that this verse says nothing about a person who is not baptized being condemned, it only states that the one who does not believe shall be condemned. It is the absence of faith (belief) which causes one to be condemned. It is faith which saves from condemnation, not water baptism.
Furthermore, this verse is a powerful prooftext for the Christian view
of Believer's baptism. Notice that this verse makes a distinction
between believing and being baptized. One should "believe" before
he is baptized. Those who believe in baptismal regeneration claim
that water baptism is what makes one a "believer" but that would mean that
they were baptizing unbelievers in order to make them into believers.
Mark 16:16 above teaches that one is to believe "AND" be baptized. That
is two distinct and separate actions believing and being baptized.
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John 3:5-6
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.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit.
First, consider the fact that Jesus says nothing about being water baptized in John 3:5. The word "baptize" is not found at all in this discussion between our Lord and Nicodemus. Any mention of baptism by those who interpret this passage is simply arbitrary and based on preconceived notions and preconceived doctrines. To be "born of water" meant to be born physically and has absolutely nothing to do with baptism. In verse 4, Nicodemus certainly thought to be born again meant physical birth. This is apparent from his statement about one going back into the womb while he is old. In verse 5, Jesus differentiated between the physical birth which Nicodemus was thinking of and the spiritual birth which Jesus was referring to. Jesus says, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God." Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee, believed that since he was born a Jew, he would automatically enter into the kingdom of God. However, Jesus showed that simply being a Jew was not enough.
One cannot produce a spiritual birth with physical means. Therefore, "born of water" in v. 5 cannot possibly mean literal water. If it meant literal water, then applying a physical substance (water) to a physical being would bring about a spiritual change. Even if one has no knowledge of the Pharisee's teaching (that being born of water was to be born physically) Jesus interprets verse 5 for us in the very next verse. In verse 6, Jesus states, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." In the context, this is an obvious interpretation of the previoius verse where Jesus speaks of the water and the spirit. Being born of water refers to a physical birth and being born of the spirit plainly refers to a spiritual birth. Jesus is explaining to Nicodemus that he had already had a physical birth, now he needed a new birth, a second birth, a spiritual birth from the Spirit of God above in order to enter the kingdom of God.
When v.8 is read in the context, it becomes apparent that the emphasis
is not on water or anything physical (even though Nicodemus had erroneously
thought it referred to a physical birth) but on the Spirit. The Spirit
is the means of the new birth. It is the Spirit of God himself who
regenerates the believer not anything of creation, not anything physical.
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Acts 2:21 & 37-38
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the
name of the Lord shall be saved...
37 ...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?
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.
Look at the context of Acts 2:38. In Acts 2:21(quoted above), Peter has already told the crowd how to be saved. In verse 37 they cried, "What should we do?"(NRSV) They did not ask, "What should we do to be saved?" That question had already been answered clearly in Acts 2:21. They already knew what they needed to do in order to be saved, and having heard and believed the Word of God they wanted to know what they were to do next. Peter told them to, "Repent and be baptized." Now, the misunderstanding over Acts 2:38 comes with the next little word. The word "for" is what has confused so many people because they have brought their preconceived notions and doctrines into this passage. Peter says, "Repent and be baptized every one of you for the remission of sins." What does the word "for" mean in the context of this verse? If a man is put in jail "for" a crime, is it "in order to" commit a crime, or "because of" a crime that he has committed? If a policeman stops you on the highway and gives you a ticket "for" speeding, is it "in order to" speed or "because of" your speeding. Acts 2:38 does not teach that one is baptized "in order to" be saved but rather a person is baptized because he is saved already.
It may help to consider another passage of Scripture, where the word "for" is used in a similar way. In Luke 5:12-15, Christ healed a leper, and since this was done before Calvary, the healed man was still under the law. Christ was faithful to always fulfill the law, so told the man, "Go, and show thyself to the priest and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them" (Lk 5:14). Notice how the word "for" is used in this passage. When Christ said, "Offer for thy cleansing" was he telling him to make an offering in order to be cleansed or to make an offering because he had been cleansed? Did Christ cleanse this man, or did the offering cleanse him? Quite obviously, it was Christ who had already cleansed and healed him! Jesus stated that the offering was to be given "as a testimony." The offering was only "a testimony" to the truth that had taken place in the life of this man! The same language is employed in Acts 2:38 and the baptism of Acts 2:38 serves the same purpose as the offering which is set forth in Luke 5:14. The offering did not cleanse. It was only a testimony of the cleansing which had already taken place. When an offering was given "for" his cleansing, it was given in response to what God had already done in the life of this man. In like manner, baptism does not save but is a testimony of the truth that your sins have been remitted when you believed on the Lord Jesus and confessed Him as your Savior.
Romans 6:3-4
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into
Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that
like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Notice that "water" is not mentioned at any point in Romans 6. The word "baptism" literally means to be dipped or immersed into something, but not always or necessarily water. When Romans 6:3 speaks of being "baptized into Jesus Christ" it is not a reference to being immersed in water. Instead, it refers to being immersed directly into the Lord Jesus Christ so that we may then say that we are "in" Christ Jesus (Rom.8:1; 16:3; 1Cor.1:2,30; 4:15; Gal.2:4; 3:28; Eph.1:1; 2:10; Php.1:1; 4:21). In the same manner, we are baptized into His death according to Romans 6:4, that is we identify with His death.
1Peter 3:18-21
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for
the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 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:
1Peter 3:18-21 refers to the gospel being preached by Noah when the ark was being prepared. In other words, the people of Noah's time were without excuse because the Spirit of God spoke to them through Noah. They had ample opportunities to accept Christ, but only eight souls took the opportunity and accepted God's grace. All of the rest rejected Noah's preaching. What saved Noah and his family? Was it the water or the ark? It was definitely the ark. The water drowned those who did not get in the ark. Those souls that were inside the ark were brought safely through the water and escaped the flood. Corresponding to that figure baptism now saves us--not the washing off of material defilement, but the craving of a good conscience after God--through the resurrection (Weymouth translation). In other words, we are saved by that of which baptism speaks--the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Remember, the eight souls that were saved were in the ark, they were not swimming in the water. The ark was a type of Christ.
Notice that the salvation of Noah's soul is not even in question here. Noah was saved from sin a long time before the flood. That is why God spared him from this awful judgement - because he was already a saved man! Gen 6:9 tells us that he was already a justified man, perfect in his standing before God.
There are three important observations which need to be made if one is to properly understand this passage of Scripture. First, notice that baptism is a "FIGURE" The record says, "...the like FIGURE whereunto baptism doth also now save us." When I baptize people it is a FIGURE or a picture, of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It is a testimony given by the person being baptized. It testifies of their faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for salvation. Thus, baptism is a figure of what saves them.
Second, observe that the passage says," ...NOT THE PUTTING AWAY
OF THE FILTH OF THE FLESH..." You see, baptism does not put away our sins.
NO! It cannot do that! The Bible says the "filth of the flesh" is not washed
away in or by any baptismal water. According to 1John
1:7
it is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from our sin.
Third, notice that baptism is described as "...THE ANSWER OF
A GOOD CONSCIENCE TOWARD GOD..." Baptism is the ANSWER of
an already good conscience! The only way a man can have a good conscience
is to be saved. Hebrews 9:14 tells us that a man's conscience is
purged "by the blood of Christ." If a man has a good conscience,
it is only because he has been cleansed from his sin by the blood of Jesus
Christ. I have heard some teach that a man has to go through the water
to get to the death and blood of Christ, but this passage plainly shows
that a man must go
through the blood before he is in any condition to go through the water.
A man must go through the blood and have his conscience cleansed before
he goes through the "like figure" which is the symbolic act of water baptism.
1Pet 3:21 is simply saying that if a person has been saved by the blood of Christ, he ought to be baptized, setting forth in a figurative symbolism the doctrine of his salvation: that is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Why, Then, Is a Person to Be Baptized or Immersed in Water?
1. Because it is commanded that a saved person be baptized (Acts
10:48).
2. Because Jesus (our Great Example) was water baptized (Matt.3:13-15).
3. Because it is a work of righteousness (Matt.3:15).
4. Because it is sacred--it describes and honors the Trinity
(Matt.28:19).
5. Because it pictures the Gospel of salvation (1Pet.3:18-21).