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NASB | John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:5 Jesus answered, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. [Ezek 36:25-27] |
Bible Question:
You have brought out some good points. But, let me ask you this. If baptism is not necessary for salvation, then can preachers stop preaching baptism? Can we just repent, believe, and confess and do away with baptism? I understand that salvation is not brought through the actual immersion of water. I realize that it is a representation. Just as prayer, God knows our every needs and desires. He knows what we will pray for even before we pray. So, does that mean that we don't pray anymore. Instead, we just wait on God to send His blessings? God forbid, Praying is an act of faith. God wants us to openly come before Him and make our requests made known unto Him (Phillipians 4:6). God's word also says that if we ask we shall receive (John 16:24). So, by asking we show our faith that God will provide. Also, the comment about the shedding of blood, without it there is no forgiveness of sin. Of course not, I never denied this. My point was not to say that Baptism is the only means of salvation. I also, did not say that baptism was more than any other aspect of salvation. My point is that when we all have a commen goal, there is not one part of the means to obtain that goal that is any less important than the other (Romans 12:3-5). "Paul said that he came to preach the gospel, not to water baptize folks. This makes them mutually exclusive and demonstrates that while being baptized into Christ (what the Holy Spirit does) is part of salvation, water baptism (what man does) is not." The above quoted statement concers me. Paul did come to preach the gospel. What is the gospel? It is the death, burial, and ressurrection of Jesus Christ. What represents the gospel...baptism. So, even it Paul did not physically baptised people, he taught baptism. Further, you said that what the Holy Spirit does is necesarry for salvation, while what man does is not. Let me get this straight. One thing that we can agree on is that in order for salvation to take place one must repent, believe, and confess, right? So, does man repent, believe, and confess or does the Holy Spirit do this? Of course, Man. So, what man does is just as important as what the Holy Spirit does. If we did not do the work (Faith without works is dead), then we could not be blessed. God gave man his own free will. Therefore, we have to make the choice for salvation. This is done by openly displaying that we want it. The Holy Spirit will not come without this open display. So what man does and what the Holy Spirit does are both necessary for salvation, you can't have one without the other. You see, God used a man, Jesus, to bring forth salvation. What Jesus did, brought forth salvation, therefore, what we do will bring forth our own salvation. No, the water is not what cleanses us, but the act of faith by which we believe that we are buried with Christ pleases God. (Mark 16:16) states that He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. |
Bible Answer: NLightNMe, You wrote: "If baptism is not necessary for salvation, then can preachers stop preaching baptism?" I stated in my prior answer that we should be water baptized because it portrays the spiritual truth of the identification we have with Christ. Christ left us with two ordinances - water baptism and the Lord's Supper. Both of these are pictures of spiritual truth. Should we do them? Yes, we should. Are they required for salvation? No, they are not. They are visible manifestations that we have been saved. So I never said that we shouldn't be water baptized. I just said that it was not required for salvation. "Paul did come to preach the gospel. What is the gospel? It is the death, burial, and ressurrection of Jesus Christ. What represents the gospel...baptism." Very true. All I am saying is that we shouldn't mistake the representation for the truth. The demons believe that Jesus died, was buried, and was resurrected. Salvation is when we put faith in the fact that Christ died, was buried, and rose again for our benefit. And we trust His works, not our own, to save us. "So, what man does is just as important as what the Holy Spirit does." I would phrase this "What the Holy Spirit does in and through man is what is important." Man can do many things of his own volition and it is flesh. All of our righteousness apart from Him is as filthy rags. It is what man does as God does it through him that counts for eternity. "Apart from Me, you can do nothing." "I can do ALL things THROUGH Christ." Again, I think that we need to keep the distinction between the Spirit baptizing us into Christ (the reality which requires no water) and water baptism (which can certainly happen without the Spirit). Many folks are water baptized thinking that it saves them. It is clear from the scriptures that it is Christ's finished work that saves us. Water baptism illustrates simply that truth. Should we be water baptized? Certainly, just as we should pray, read our Bibles, share the gospel with others, give to the needy, and all the other works which the Holy Spirit does in and through us. But let's not mistake the RESULTS of the salvation that Christ has done in us for a MEANS to achieve it. So I'm not saying not to preach water baptism. I'm saying to preach what baptism REALLY is and means - union with Christ - and then offer folks the opportunity to publically display that wonderful union through water baptism. Hope this helps. McGracer |