BULLSEYE!
ACCURATE
BIBLE
KNOWLEDGE!
QUESTION:
“WATER BAPTISM SHOWS YOU ARE A BAPTIST BUT NOT NECESSARILY A CHRISTIAN,
CORRECT?
ANSWER:
YES
EXPLANATION:
In the
Bible there
are nine baptisms each representing different functions.
The word ‘baptism’
can refer to any of
four types - water, Holy
Spirit, Holy Ghost and fire baptism.
1. BAPTISM
UNTO MOSES
The baptism unto Moses in the Old Testament
Moreover,
brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our
fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were
all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 1 Cor
10:1-2
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Paul
draws the similarity of the church of Israel in the desert and the
Christian
church under Paul’s gospel.
Israel was
under the divine covenant of being
under the cloud that led them in the night and miraculously protected
from the
pursuing Egyptians.
The
Christian church also has the divine
testament of the pillar and cloud, being Jesus Christ our Saviour,
while also
being protected from Satan.
Just as
Israel was physically baptised unto Moses through the sea, with all the
laws,
privileges, coverings and protection, the church also has been
spiritually
baptised in to Christ the Saviour.
Both
Israel
and the church have great similarities in the eating and drinking.
Paul draws
the parallel that both parties,
Israel and the Christian church … did all
eat
the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink:
for they
drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was
Christ. 1Co 10:3-4.
The manna
on
which Israel fed was a type of Christ come down from heaven, upon which
they
could feed and live. Their drink was a stream that came from the Rock
which was
Christ.
Christians,
spiritually speaking, are in the Rock and we eat and drink from his
words.
2. JOHN TO
ISRAEL FOR REMISSION OF SINS
This is
John the Baptist to ISRAEL with the baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins that
were past of cold neglect to God the Father.
And he (John) came
into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins; (Luke 3:3) … and were baptized
of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. (Matt 3:6)
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John
called
Israel to repent of their PAST sins of their cold
indifferences
to God, their going through the motions of blood sacrifices, if indeed
they
were still sacrificing, then get water baptized as an outward
show of
being cleansed from these sins. This turned them back to God. He was
also
preparing them for their coming Messiah.
3. JESUS’
WATER BAPTISM
And Jesus,
when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and,
lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: Matt 3:16
|
Of
course
this has
nothing to do with Christ being a sinner. This was a changing of
the guard
from the old priesthood of Aaron to the new priesthood of Christ the
Messiah.
Aaron had the water and the oil (Ex 30:19, Exo 30:29-30) while Christ had
the water
and the dove. This baptism is not our example to follow saying
“Well, if
Christ was baptised, then we must do likewise.”
4.
PENTECOST AND ISRAEL’S BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY GHOST
And, being
assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not
depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which,
saith he, ye have heard of me. For
John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the
Holy Ghost not many days hence. Acts 1:4-5
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This
was
a baptism not with fire
but AS
OF fire (Acts 2:3), but nevertheless, indicating the wrath
of
God, that Israel was now under God’s judgment in that he was
temporarily
putting Israel aside with their exclusive access to God in the Hebrew
language,
and that God was now speaking to all nations in their own tongue.
Salvation was
open to all, Gentile and Jew alike, and not just the Jew.
5. CHRIST
BAPTISM OF SUFFERING ON THE CROSS
But Jesus
answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the
cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that
I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. Matt 20:22
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The
mother of James and John Zebedee is having
pointed out to her, that in her wanting
particular favours for her sons sitting next to Christ in heaven, there
will be
a price to pay. Christ tells her of the extreme suffering that he would
undergo
… and that they would too.
6. CHRIST
SENDING HIS DISCIPLES INTO ALL THE WORLD
And he
said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature. He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name
shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They
shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall
not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover. (Mark 16:15-18)
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Just
prior to this, Christ has given the disciples a very
severe
upbraiding for their unbelief that he
was alive (Mk 16:11, 13, 14). Now
for the remedy for this past sin he says to them that “If you believ-ETH
that I am resurrected, that is continuously believe all the time from
now on,
without let up, no gaps, but with constant belief, and then you get
water
baptised, you shall be saved and not be damned.
Of course,
many of the disciples other than
the chosen twelve, walked away by not continuously believing in
Christ,
and were damned. Of course should they repent and change their minds
about
this, they would go to Abraham’s Bosom when they died. If not, they
would go to
hell upon death.
As the
Baptist Church hold this very near and
dear to their hearts as the Great Commission, they suddenly disappear
and can’t
be found when they read that if they are under the Great Commission,
they all
will be confirming their ministry with the signs following them of
casting out devils,
speaking with new tongues, taking serpents, drinking deadly
liquids, and last but not least, laying hands on the sick
for their
recovery. OUCH!!! Surely this is not the gospel of
Paul whereby
we have eternal security upon believing once.
Answer?
The great Commission was for the
disciples for that time only and has now been replaced by Paul.
7. PETER
BAPTISM TO ISRAEL FOR REMISSION OF SINS
Then PETER
said unto them (ISRAEL),
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. Acts 2:38
Dear
Reader, can we see this is exactly the same when John preached to
Israel:
And he (JOHN)
came into all the country about Jordan (ISRAEL),
preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
(Luke 3:3) … and were baptized
of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. (Matt 3:6)
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Just as
John the Baptist preaches to Israel preaching
the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins unto God
the Father (Luke
3:3), we have the
same phrase and words here, as Peter says to the men of Israel Repent,
and
be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission
of sins.
Dear
Reader,
can you see how John’s and Peter’s messages are the same? Both were for
repentance
+ water baptism + for the forgiveness of past sins –
with one in
the name to God the Father and the other in the name to God the Son.
John was
saying “Israel, turn your hearts back to God the Father.”
They were
baptised in the name of God the Father.
Peter was
saying “Israel, turn your hearts back to God the Son.”
They were
baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Indeed,
Israel at the Red Sea, had their hearts turned to Moses.
They were
baptised unto Moses, that is, in the name of Moses.)
As John
was
turning the hearts of Israel to God for the confession of their past
sins to
God, similarly, Peter is turning their hearts to Christ, and to confess
their
past sins toward him – that is their rejection of Christ and their
putting him
on the cross. They were pricked to the heart.
Now if the
men of Israel would do this they would receive the Holy Ghost, and if
they continued
to follow Peter’s instructions, then to follow Paul’s gospel of believe
with no
water, they would go to heaven upon death.
Dear
Reader,
can you see how God has slowly refined his gospel message from John to
Paul?
Could you
preach that today? Of course not. “Repent of your sins towards Jesus
Christ,
come and get water baptised and you will get the Holy Ghost.” Water
baptism, a
work, to get saved? Ridiculous! It’s not of works, for by grace are
ye saved
not of works … (Eph 2:8-9). This would simply send people to hell.
However,
today,
to get saved, you don’t need to know much about Bible
doctrine.
People will have Peter’s gospel preached to them, and being fully
persuaded
that Christ can save them, they will be saved.
However,
once saved, if they still believe Acts 2:38 is the gospel for today,
then their
salvation will not be in jeopardy but their rewards will be in jeopardy in heaven.
Furthermore, many will get weak and sickly and fall asleep (1Cor 11:30).
When Peter
speaks to the men of Israel, and they are pricked to the heart, they
know they
must DO something. Peter’s gospel to Israel reminded them of
John’s
repentance needed and confession of past sins, with a water baptism
signifying
a symbolic washing away of sins and starting again.
That is
why
the men of Israel said “What shall we DO?” This was the
jailer’s
question as well.
He was
expecting
to have to repent, get water baptised. But no! God’s instructions had
changed
to a simple “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ”.
Peter’s
gospel for the remission of past sins with water baptism
is poles
apart, chalk and cheese, when compared to Paul’s gospel.
8. THE
BAPTISM BY THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR THE REDEMPTION OF SINS
THIS IS
THE ONLY BAPTISM NEEDED THERE IS
NO WATER.
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. 1 Cor 12:13
For as
many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on
Christ. Gal 3:27
“…many of
us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his
death? Rom 6:3
One Lord,
one faith, one baptism, Eph 4:5
Buried
with him in baptism … Col 2:12
|
This
is
the baptism that happens when a person believes on the Lord Jesus
Christ,
without water baptism, and is placed into the death of Christ with
eternal
security.
This is
Paul’s gospel, a dispensation of the
gospel given him (1Cor 9:17) that negates all others. This is the
final, clean,
pure, waterless gospel of the grace of God, for a person to enter
heaven. We
must not add water!
9. THE
BAPTISM OF DAMNATION IN THE LAKE OF FIRE
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to
bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with
fire:” (Matt
3:11)
And the
devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be
tormented day and night for ever and ever. Rev 20:10
And death
and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second
death. Rev 20:14
And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into
the lake of fire. Rev 20:15
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This
last one is the baptism of fire for those who have died and
gone to hell
(the rich man in Luke 16:19-31) and have now had their everlasting
accommodation
into pure literal fire.
IN SUMMARY:
The three
cases in which Baptist
churches are spiritually blinded are as follows.
JOHN TO
ISRAEL FOR REMISSION OF SINS (Matt 3:6)
With John,
this is Israel’s confession
of the past sins, with water baptism, of having
turned
their hearts away from God the Father.
CHRIST
SENDING HIS JEWISH DISCIPLES INTO ALL
THE WORLD (Mark
16: 15-18)
With
Christ sending his Jewish disciples into
the world to preach, this is their confession of the past
sin of unbelief,
with water baptism, about the resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
PETER'S
BAPTISM TO ISRAEL FOR REMISSION OF SINS
(Acts
2:38)
With Peter
to the men of Israel, this is
their confession of the past sin, with water baptism,
of crucifying
Christ.
Now the
question is “Why” Oh why? Oh why? Oh
why,
do Baptist Churches insist on water baptism? Why add this impediment to
Paul’s
waterless gospel?
In asking
Baptists if they are Christians and
saved, their reply is inevitably “Oh yes, I’ve been water baptised.”
Can you
see what Baptists are trusting in the go to heaven.
The reason
they give is that other Christians
may know they are Christians. But this is no where to be found in
scripture!
Surely
water baptism is not a fruit of the
Spirit? The scriptures say Ye shall know them by their fruits
not
their water baptism.
Could
someone please write in and tell me the
scripture that water baptism lets others know we are Christians.
Why not
just get people to just sign a
document?
In their
insistence of water baptism,
Baptists create a mixture in their churches and God hates mixtures. End
result?
A spiritual double mindedness which God rewards accordingly.
PAUL’S
GOSPEL IS WATERLESS, DRY AND CRISPY!
The book
of Romans has no mention of water - before
or after
salvation!
1&2
Corinthians have no water – before
or after
salvation!
Galatians
has no water - before
or after
salvation!
Ephesians
has no water - before
or after
salvation!
Philippians
has no water - before
or after
salvation!
Colossians
has no water - before
or after
salvation!
1&2
Thessalonians have no water - before
or after
salvation!
1&2
Timothy have no water - before
or after
salvation!
Titus has
no water - before
or after
salvation!
Philemon
has no water - before
or after
salvation!
Hebrews
has no water - before
or after
salvation!
James has
no water - before
or after
salvation!
1&2
Peter haver
no water
- before or after salvation!
1, 2, 3
John have
no water
- before or after salvation!
Jude has
no water - before or after
salvation!
Revelation
has no water - before
or after
salvation!
Why ADD
A STUMBLING BLOCK for
people? I scratch my head!
Why not
add physical circumcision as well? It
makes just as much sense! As stupid as it sounds, it just might go some
way to
show other Christians we really are a Christians too! And make it
mandatory as
well!
Why not
have people rub their heads and
tummys at the same time and then have a secret handshake? It makes as
much
sense doesn’t it?
Why not
make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem as the
requirement to show your Christianity?
How about
when you walk into the church you
should bow, not step on the door-line, cross yourself and say ‘Three
hail Marys”.
We see,
how The Baptist church has struggled
to get free of John’s baptism of where Israel had to confess their past
sins
and get water baptised to get right with God.
And right
here, we have the reason why
Baptist tracts have the blasphemous salvation message of “Repent and
turn from
your sins that God may forgive you.”
Furthermore,
in asking Baptists if they are
Christians and saved, their reply is inevitably “Oh yes, I’ve been
water
baptised.”
Can you
see what Baptists are trusting in the
go to heaven.
Truly they
bring to nought the word of God by
their tradition.
John’s
commandment to Israel, Christ’s commandment
to his disciples, Peter’s commandment to Israel have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
to do
with the Christian church.
THEY ARE
SUPERSEDED,
NEGATED AND PERISHED COMMANDMENTS AND DOCTRINES, ONLY SUITABLE FOR
TIMES PAST.
YES!
WATER BAPTISM SHOWS YOU ARE A BAPTIST …
BUT NOT
NECESSARILY A CHRISTIAN!
SURELY
CHRIST’S INJUNCTION NOT TO OFFEND LITTLE CHILDREN SHOULD ALSO APPLY TO
TEENAGERS AND ADULTS IN THE CHURCH?
DEAR
BAPTIST,
KNOWING THE TERROR OF THE LORD AT THE JUDGMENT SEAT, HOW WILL YOU PLEAD?
DO YOU
THINK YOU KNOW BETTER THAN PAUL?
YOU’LL
ADD WATER WILL YOU?
“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.” (1Co 1:17)
SURELY
THIS MUST RANK
AS ONE OF SATAN’S
MASTER
DECEPTIONS -
TO GET WATER INTO
CHURCHES.
**** ****
Harley
Hitchcock
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com
BULLSEYE!
ACCURATE
BIBLE
KNOWLEDGE!
QUESTION: “WHAT IS AN 8TH DAY ADVENTIST?”
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Bible
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www.AustralianBibleMinistries.com