Water Baptism:

the Essentiality, the Mode, the Formula

By Harry A. Peyton

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

DEDICATION & ACKNOWLEDGMENT 2

A WORD OF ADMONISHMENT 2

INTRODUCTION 9

CHAPTER 1 GOD’S NEW COVENANT 10

What Is The Gospel Of The New Covenant

When And Where Did The Gospel Of The New Covenant Begin

Was The Thief On The Cross Saved Under The Terms Of The New Covenant

Who Are The True Ministers Of The Gospel Of The New Covenant?

Can Christians Be Deceived By False Prophets Concerning The New Birth

CHAPTER 2 FOUR STEPS IN OBEYING THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST 15

First Step: The Essentiality Of Living Faith

Second Step: Faith That Leads To Confessing Christ As Your Lord And Savior

Third Step: Faith That Leads To Repentance

Fourth Step: Faith That Leads To The New Birth Of Water And Spirit

CHAPTER 3 GOD’S NEW BIRTH MESSAGE 27

Water And Spirit Baptism Is How The Believer Enters Into Jesus’ Death, Burial, And Resurrection

The Apostle Paul Taught The New Birth Consisted Of Water And Spirit Baptism

The Blood Of Jesus Is Applied At The New Birth

Water Baptism Is The Place Where God Performs Heart Surgery On The Believer

The Importance Of Water Baptism In The New Birth

Where And When Did The Apostle Paul Experience The New Birth

Old Testament Typology Confirmed Jesus’ Teaching On The New Birth

All Ancient Preachers Taught The New Birth Consisted Of Water And Spirit Baptism

Many Of The Reformers Taught The New Birth Consisted Of Water And Spirit Baptism

Immersion: The Only Mode Of Water Baptism That God Will Accept For Salvation

CHAPTER 4 BAPTISM INTO THE NAME OF JESUS 47

What Was The Great Commission Jesus Gave To His Apostles?

What Is The Name Of God The Father And The Holy Ghost In The Baptismal Formula?

The Apostles Understood And Fulfilled The Great Commission

Historical Evidence Of Baptism In The Name Of The Lord Jesus Christ

Many Noted Trinitarian Textual Scholars Declare The Trinitarian Baptismal Formula

Of Matthew 28:19 Was Not The Original Words Of Jesus

YHWH: The Old Covenant Name Of God The Father, How Is It Pronounced?

CHAPTER 5 LOVING AND STANDING FOR THE TRUTHS OF CHRIST 62

BIBLIOGRAPHY 65

ENDNOTES 68

Copyright May 30, 1996 by Harry A. Peyton under the title of “The Doctrines Of Christ.”

A Note from the Author: Since Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, gives His Salvation and His Word to all freely (Rev 22:17, Mt 10:7-8), this book, and all other books, written by Harry A. Peyton are given without charge, and can be accessed through the Internet at the following address: http://www.DoctrinesOfChrist.com. Therefore, fell free to copy it in digital or written form, and share it with others. Since this book is copyrighted, the author forbids any alteration of its contents, and the reproduction of it in any form for Marketing Purposes. This book may be placed on anyone’s web page, as long as my website address is attached to it.

The author believes that the Word of God is infallible in the ORIGINAL LANGUAGE it was written in, and all translations of the Bible regardless of how good they may be are NOT. Since the author has implicit faith in the infallibility of the Word of God, the author has formed his beliefs firmly on the truth of the Bible. This author uses the ancient ANTIOCHIAN LITERAL-HISTORICAL METHOD OF INTERPRETING THE BIBLE, which was used by early Christian Prophets and Apostles of the Bible.

I definitely believe that the ancient Alexandrian Allegorical Method of spiritualizing scripture, which was made popular by the ancient Jewish philosopher Philo Judaeus (13 BC – 50 AD) and later used by the Ante-Nicene Catholic Priests, especially Origen and his student Clement of Alexandria (200 AD), is an abomination to our Lord. Therefore, all scriptures will be interpreted in a literal exegetical fashion, unless the language used and the context demands a spiritual interpretation.

All CAPITALIZATION and ITALICIZATION in QUOTES used in this book is always MINE. All Biblical quotes used in this book will be in dark red, and from the New King James version of the Bible, unless another version is stated as the reference. The vast majority of all translations of the Bible, as well as Hebrew and Greek Lexical definitions and grammar, will come from BibleWorks computer software program version 7.0. The author in most places will quote verses from the Bible instead of commenting on a verse and giving a reference; for He believes that the written Word of God’s has greater power to inspire and enlighten a heart to understand and act upon truth, than the elegant oratory or writings of any man.

If this book has been a blessing to my beloved readers, and they would like to send an offering to the author, feel free to do so. If anyone wishes to send any biblical or historical materials to the author, my address is: 148 Little Creek Hills Rd.: Alto, NM 88312: Phone # 575-336-2800: Email address: DoctrineOfChrist@Hotmail.com.

DEDICATION

Jesus Christ, our great God and Savior came to give Eternal Life to all who will enter into a covenant relationship with Him through the New Birth, and walk with Him in Spirit and Truth. This book is designed to reveal the absolute truth pertaining to the Eternal Life that our Lord Jesus purchased for us through His peerless death, burial and resurrection. It is dedicated to all the courageous men, women and children of the present and past centuries, who loved the Lord Jesus Christ and believed His Truths. I would especially like to acknowledge those who suffered social scorn, loss of income, loss of property, imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom for their faith in Christ’s New Birth message and their monotheistic belief in Jesus’ Supreme Deity.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to acknowledge my Lord, Jesus Christ, whose love, grace, and inspiration made this book possible. May He use this work for the propagation of His Gospel; so many souls may be able to enter into His great Kingdom. I would also like to thank Bridget Joseph and Joan Brooking for their invaluable assistance in editing this book. I deeply appreciate their labor of love.

A WORD OF ADMONISHMENT

Beloved, permit me to ask you, why did God’s children in Jesus’ day reject the truths He taught them? Did they not have God Himself as their preacher or teacher? Did they not believe in the one true God? Did they not believe that the Bible was God’s Word? Did they not attend church every Sabbath Day? The answer is obviously yes to all these questions, so why did many of God’s children not believe the teachings of Jesus? The answer can be found in second Corinthians 4:4. This verse reveals that Satan blinds the minds of those who do not believe the truth, meaning any of the truths that are taught in God’s Holy Word. How did Satan blind the minds of the believers in Jesus’ day? He accomplished this by using false prophets, who may be or may not be honest and sincere, to fill their minds with false beliefs.

It was for this reason, Jesus warned all believers to: “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Mt 16:6). What did Jesus mean by the term leaven? In verse 12, the Bible gives us the answer: “Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the [false] doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Even though some of these false prophets dazzled and mesmerized God’s Jewish children with their oratory and teaching skills, their doctrines were still false. Our Savior spoke of these deceived prophets when He said: “In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men…. Making the Word of God of no effect” (Mk 7:7, 13). It is quite evident that these deceived men followed the traditional teaching of some of their forefathers in their organization, and as a result, they became false prophets.

Therefore beloved take heed, for even though a teacher may be able to paint beautiful spellbinding word pictures, or a preacher may be able to speak very fast and give fiery orations, this does not necessarily mean what they are preaching or teaching is the truth! Evidently, not everything these Doctors of the Law and pastors taught was a lie, for Jesus told them: “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things” (Mt 12:34)?

Since Jesus was the new and unknown preacher in town, who resoundingly taught the Bible antithetically or contrary to the theologians, pastors, and preachers of His day, the people chose to believe the teachings of their pastors and religious organizations instead of His teachings. It must have broken our Lord’s heart! It saddens me to say that this is exactly what many sincere Christians do today, when they hear or read some the truths that were taught by Jesus and His apostles.

When I understood how Satan blinds the minds of believers, I soon developed a healthy fear that maybe: I was not studying the Bible with an open and unprejudiced mind. I subsequently reexamined all my beliefs. I then discovered that several of my beliefs were incorrect, and I needed to repent and change them. Even though I was afraid to change my beliefs, being an Apostolic Pentecostal minister with a BA in Theology, I made up my heart and mind to walk in the Light as He is in the Light. I also came to the realization that I am not married to the doctrines of any preacher, church, Bible College, or denomination, but to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Infallible Word of God and the Truth (Jn 1:1; 14:6).

Beloved, if you and I expect to hear Jesus say to us: “Well done good and faithful servant” (Mt 25:21), then we must not be afraid to change our beliefs, when we perceive that they are not in agreement with the written Word of God; for the Bible, not men or organizations, is the only source of absolute truth. Let us not forget, the people who hated the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, were not the sinners among the Gentiles or the Jewish people as a whole, but the Church Officials such as: the High Priest, Doctors of the Law, elders or pastors, and priests, who were entrusted with leadership positions. These church officials were evidently more dedicated to the traditions of their organization than they were to almighty God and His Word.

Therefore, it becomes very evident that none of these church officials were infallible teachers of the Bible, even though their followers thought they were. Because God’s people blindly followed the teaching of these officials of the church, they rejected our Savior’s teachings, and die lost. This cold but sobering fact should be a warning to all believers today, to make no man or organization their infallible teacher, or put blind faith in their belief system.

Now, since my name, your name, your pastor’s name, your church’s name, and the name of your denomination, were not written in the Word of God, none of us are infallible teachers. Therefore it is senseless for us to make any man or organization our infallible teacher, regardless if they call themselves: a pastor, a Doctor of Divinity, an apostle, a prophet, a prophetess, the pope, the holy one, or the little flock. Every believer needs to love and respect their teachers, but they should never place them on a pedestal and worship them as their infallible golden calf, whereby everything that comes out of their mouth is “thus says the Lord.” Most believers are not aware that this is idolatry and God hates it.

Beloved, when God saved me and delivered me from this kind of idolatry, I made a vow to God that I would never again place my faith in any preacher or religious organization, but only in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Infallible Word. I promised my God that I would not believe anything about the Bible, until I could personally pray about it and search it out for myself! Now God has blessed me with some great pastors and teachers, whom I love and respect even to this day, but I can honestly say that I never worshipped any of them by making anyone of them my infallible teacher. Please do not take what I am saying in the wrong way; I am not condemning or belittling the biblical and holy office of a bishop, but I am placing it in a biblical and historical context.

Beloved, you may have a pastor who is a good teacher, or even a great teacher, but I promise you he is not infallible, and I am happy to tell you that neither am I. Now someone might ask me, why are you happy about not being infallible? Do you not want people to think that your teachings or books are infallible? No, I do not! You may ask why not? Because if I lead anyone to think my teachings or books are infallible, I cannot change or correct them, if I later discover that any part of my teachings are incorrect. Therefore, I do not want to placed myself in the position, where I cannot say, “I am wrong, please forgive me. I make an honest and sincere mistake, but I will correct it and teach it correctly.”

As a pastor, an assistant to a pastor, an evangelist, and a student of the Word of God for the last 33 years, I have always admonished God’s people to become students of the Bible, and I would challenge them prove what I taught them was the truth. I did this for two reasons: FIRST, I wanted their faith to be in the Infallible Word of God and not in fallible man; also I knew that the Word of God could not get down deep into their hearts, unless each of them prove to themselves by their own research, what is truth and what is error. Every child of God needs to take their salvation seriously, for it is too precious to place it in the hands of any man.

SECOND, I knew from the Word of God that a pastor was not the only mouthpiece God had in the Church. I knew every humble Holy Ghost filled child of God, could receive revelation of truth from God (1Co 14:26). Therefore God placed them there not only for a pastors to “equip” them “for the work of the ministry,” or to “become able ministers or teachers of the gospel” (Eph 4:11-12), but also for a pastors to learn from them; for God gave them to pastors for their protection, so that they could correct him if he went into error.

If this is not the truth, then who and what will prevent any pastor from going into false doctrine. Because the majority of God’s churches today, do not have several pastors of equal authority over a congregation, who could also correct them and even reprimand them if they went into sin, God’s pastors today are without protection. The Bible reveals that only pastors have the authority to reprimand or even chastise or rebuke their fellow pastor in any given congregation (1Ti 5:19-20). I know many pastors think that God will use their fellow pastors in their denomination to keep them from going astray; but this is a lie of Satan, for every pastor knows that their fellow pastors, in their denomination, will never hear ninety-nine percent of what they preach or teach.

Beloved, it is a shame that many pastors have allowed, or in some cases encouraged, their people to believe that they are the epitome of knowledge, and every word that comes out of their mouth is straight from the throne God. They are doing a great injustice to the people of God. It is a shame that these men have made themselves the only mouthpiece of God in the Church. They should be fulfilling their God given responsibility to not only to teach God’s children sound doctrine, but also how to study the Word of God for themselves, so they can rightly divide the Word of Truth and find out truth for themselves!

Because pastors have made themselves the infallible Pope in God’s Church, Satan has placed a great fear upon these pastors that their people will not respect or listen to them, if they change any of their teachings. Therefore, fear and pride place a tremendous amount of pressure on pastors to close their minds to any teaching that is contrary to theirs, whereby they are afraid to investigate the teachings of others. If some overcome their fear and pride, they usually study the teaching of others with a bias mind, and their biases blind them to the truth.

As a result, many pastors, seminary professors, and denominational officials have become Nicolaitan ministers. The Nicolaitan Doctrine is one of the most misunderstood doctrines of the entire Bible! Because many pastors, seminary professors, and officials in the hierarchy structure of denominations, are Nicolaitan ministers, they use Satan’s method of correcting those under their authority, who they feel are in error in their doctrinal beliefs. They usually give a strong rebuke to these ministers or saints, and then expect them to repent or change their beliefs, simply because they are the ones in authority.

These Nicolaitan ministers are either ignorant of or willfully rebel against the Biblical guidelines, which God gave in His Word to correct someone who may be in error. Because the love of God is not in the heart of these Nicolaitan ministers, or they are so filled with pride in their own infallibility, they will not take time to sit down with those whom they are correcting. They will not sit down with them and in a loving spirit say: “Well brother or sister, let us prayerfully and scripturally examine your belief and my belief, and see if it harmonizes with all the scriptures in the Bible that pertain to this doctrine” (2Ti 2:24-26). When one is looking for a harmony in scriptures and not for a debate, knowing that the Bible is the infallible Word of God “in the original language that it was written in,” it is not that hard for two people with opposing perspectives to come to an agreement, if their true motive is to find truth. The Bible declares: “Only by pride cometh contention” (Pro 13:10).

In one sense, denominational organizations are like individual churches, they close their mind and heart to anyone who has a different belief than theirs. Now this can be good in some ways and evil in other ways. It is good in the sense that it prevents heresy from spreading in the churches and in organizations, but it is evil and satanic when it is truth that is barred. Because their mind is close and they have lost the spirit of investigation, pastors and denominations will never receive any more truth than what they presently have; this is exactly the reason why Christianity has so many denominations, which claim to be the true Church of Christ. They have gone the way of the Pharisees and Sadducees and have taken refuge in their organizations.

So, what is the answer to this church and denominational dilemma? The answer can be found in God’s Word, for God said: “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge” (1Co 14:29). Paul did not say: “Let two or three pastors speak, and let the other pastors in the congregation judge,” even though pastors are prophets also, but the context or two verses down, Paul proclaimed: “For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged” (vs 31). Therefore, Paul is no doubt referring to entire priesthood of God!

In verse 32, Paul reminded God’s Holy Priesthood that their preaching and teaching must conform to the written Word of God. Paul said it this way: “the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” A prophet is someone who has the Spirit of God in them, which gives them the power to speak under the anointing and inspiration of Almighty God. Everyone in the Corinthian Church must have been a teacher for Paul said, “For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (1Co 4:15-16). Therefore, God gave His children the responsible of knowing truth and judging what is truth, so that they would not be deceived.

It is a shame that pastors and denominations of today have flouted God’s instructions, which He gave for their protection, so that He would not have to judge them as a false prophet on the Day of Judgment! Woe be to the pastor or denomination that follow man’s guidelines over God’s commands!! Ignorant is no excuse, for there will be a multitude on the Day of Judgment who will tell the Lord Jesus Christ: “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you” (Mt 7:22-23)!

The above biblical principle of correction can be applied to an individual church, as well as to a church organization. God told us that those priestly saints, who believe that God has given them a revelation, or insight into His Word, should have the opportunity to preach or teach it in the church, just as a pastor should be allow to teach any revelation in his denomination. Therefore, let the saints of God in the church along with their pastors, and the pastors in a denomination, judge the truthfulness or error of the teaching. In a Nicolaitan church or organization this will never be allowed, for the pastor or denomination claims to be the only mouthpiece of God, therefore no one will ever be able to correct them. As a result, these pastors and their organizations will never change their teachings. Satan will continue to use these pastors and their denominations to promote whatever lies or false doctrines he has deceived them into believing.

God does not want His children to be deceived by Nicolaitan pastors or teachers, and pastors to be deceived by Nicolaitan denominations. Therefore, He commanded all of them to: “Prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Rom 12:2); and “Prove all things, hold fast that which is good” (1Th 5:21); and “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2Ti 2:15, KJV).

According to the great apostle Paul, the Berean saints explicitly followed these God given commands, for he wrote: “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11, NIB). In other words, these believers did not allow their love and respect for Paul, or any other teacher, to prevent them from examining their teachings with the written Word of God. The only way any child of God can “know the doctrine whether it be of God,” is by becoming a devoted student of the Bible (Jn 7:17). This is the will of God! Truth may come very slowly, but it will come as long as a saint of God, or a pastor, or a denomination is willing to humble himself or itself, and change their teaching when they perceive that it is error!

Beloved, if you claim to be a son or daughter of Almighty God, then you must hunger, thirst, desire, and love truth, more than life itself. God has given all of His children the responsibility and privilege of knowing and finding truth for themselves. If they do not take this God given responsibility seriously, than God will allow them to believe a lie and be lost. Because God’s Jewish children, in the days of the Lord Jesus, did not take this responsibility seriously, they rejected the truths He preached and died lost. They rejected their Savior and Messiah.

Our Savior warned all believers not to follow the teachings of false prophets, who would deceive them concerning the New Birth, which is how one enters into the straight and narrow path, that leads into Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (Mt 7:22-23, cp with vss 13-15). Jesus taught that we would know false prophets and false religious denominations by their fruits. One of their fruits would be, they would place a literal meaning on the scriptures they use to prove their doctrine, and a figurative meaning on the scriptures used by others to prove their doctrine false. This is what the Bible commanded us not to do, when it stated that we should not ‘wrest’ or ‘twist’ or ‘pervert’ the scriptures to our “own destruction” (2Pe 3:16). All scriptures must be taken literal, unless it is a Jewish idiom or the language and context demands a spiritual interpretation.

A favorite saying among those who have been deceived by false prophets is: “I know this teaching is not of God because it bring in confusion.” Therefore many believers will follow the example of their deceived teachers, and will also place a literal meaning on the scriptures they want to believe in, and a figurative meaning on the scriptures that seems to bring confusion to them. Because they are not willing to change their beliefs, they will not look for an interpretation that will harmonize with all the scriptures on that subject; therefore, they would rather believe a lie, and spiritualize away or totally forget about the scriptures that seem to bring confusion to them. Hey friend, it is time to repent for handling God’s Holy Infallible Word in a dishonest fashion! Do not forget, God will judge you for this on the Day of Judgment!

I have discovered through my own experiences that we are beings, who love to follow the traditions of our elders, churches, and denominations. Since none of us likes change when it comes to our beliefs, we react very negatively when someone disturbs our feelings of security. Beloved, if we claim to be children of the Light, we must then walk in the Light, or “darkness will overtake us” (Jn 12:35-36, 46). If we truly love our fellow man as our Lord commanded us to, then we will not be afraid to tell each other the truth in a kind and loving manner, even if we momentarily become offended. No surgery is pleasant while the doctor is cutting us open, but after the tumor, cancer or disease is removed and our health is restored, what joy good health brings.

Since our God and Savior commanded us to: “Buy the truth, and do not sell it” (Pr 23:23), pastors and saints, who preach this great gospel, should always remember that there is a price to pay to walk in truth! Rejection, loneliness, and heartache are often a part of this great price; nevertheless, everyone who truly loves our dear Lord will always be willing to pay any price to walk with Him in truth! Therefore, I encourage my readers to open their hearts and minds, as they open their Bibles in search for the truth.

I furthermore admonished them to believe that God said what He meant, and meant what He said. In other words, God intended that we believe and understand “every word,” He used to express His infallible thoughts or teachings (Psa 12:6-7; Pro 30:5; Mt 4:4; 2Ti 3:16). God never intended His Word to be interpreted by the imaginations of the mind of mankind; it makes no difference if they are called pastors, prophets, prophetesses, the anointed ones, Doctors of Divinity, Archbishops, or the Pope. The Bible is a Book inspired with all of mankind in mind, and God intended that it should be read, studied, and understood by all of mankind, not just a selected few, for it is one of our Heavenly Father’s great and precious gifts to us.

Therefore, let each of us become students of the Bible, and eat “our daily bread” with an open and unbiased mind. Let us not be lazy; let us study the Word of God for ourselves; let us not be afraid to search out the teachings of other Christian ministers, who may not belong to our denomination. Either we will believe Satan’s lie, that we can not understand the Bible because of our lack of education in theology, or we will believe what Jesus said: “If any man will do His [God’s] will, he shall know the doctrine, whether it be of God” (Jn 7:17).

Beloved, we do not understand the teachings of the Bible by our intelligence, regardless how much or little we may possess, but it comes by inspiration from God’s Holy Spirit. God only gives revelations to us as we love, keep, hunger, thirst, dig, and pray for truth. You must be willing to do your homework, and study the Word of God with an open, unbiased, humble, and honest spirit. You must have your mind made up, that you will settle for nothing less than truth, in your walk with your Creator and Savior! If we do not buy the truth because it is not popular, or it offends our parents, relatives, friends, church, organization, and so on, then we are selling our salvation for the favor and praises of men. We become men-pleasers instead of God-pleasers. We will esteem men much more highly than we esteem God.

Beloved, permit me to give you an example of how truth is discovered. When our government wanted to discover the truth concerning splitting the atom. They gathered together a group of scientists from various fields of science, and placed them in one room. These men were instructed to proposed theories of how the atom could be split to form a bomb. Each scientist had to be willing to lay aside their pride, as their fellow scientists did their best to disprove their theory. Every theory that could not be disproved was then tested, until the truth was discovered. The same principle is also applied to a pastor or saint in a church, or a pastor in a denomination!

Now beloved, if we are willing to lay aside our pride, fears, and bias beliefs, and meticulously examine all the scriptures on any given subject of the Bible, and look for an interpretation that will harmonize with all of them, then God will be able to open our spiritual eyes and give us enlightenment. Another way of saying this is, we must first find all the pieces to the jigsaw puzzle, which is the hardest part of studying the Bible, but this is where the real men and women of God become separated from the false prophets. Second, we must put all the pieces together until we can see that one and only perfect picture, which is the absolute truth. Third, we must learn patience, and wait upon our Savior with faith in our hearts, expecting Him to give us enlightenment. Let us always remember that it is our God given responsibility to seek for truth, and it is our Heavenly Father’s responsibility to reveal truth (Mt 7:7).

A brother in the Lord once told me that his dad, who was a denominational minister, told him that he spent four years in Seminary School to learn the Bible, and twenty years unlearning what he had learned. In other words, because he was so thoroughly indoctrinated with the beliefs of his denomination, it was a real struggle for him to lay aside his biases, and to study the Bible with an open mind. Beloved, do not be afraid to test or thoroughly examine your beliefs; for truth can be placed under a microscope and thoroughly dissected, and it will shine brighter than ever; as long as we follow the biblical guidelines that are given in the Bible. These guidelines can be found in my book entitled, How To Study The Bible, which is also given away on my website.

Therefore, the author of this book is asking his beloved readers, to prayerfully read this teaching to the end, so that they may comprehend the entire teaching. After doing this, then dissect and examine this book by looking for a harmony in all the scriptures that I use, and also the scriptures you know of that pertain to this subject, as both of us interpret them in a literal fashion. After you have done these things, then judge for yourself the validity of this teaching.

I challenge my beloved readers to try to prove this and the following message in this book wrong! I do not say this in the spirit of pride or in claiming infallibility, but I put forth this challenge in hopes that they will earnestly and thoroughly examine these truths. If anyone believes he or she has found an error in any portion of this or the following teachings, I admonish him or her to love me enough to correct me, and to show me how their belief is in perfect harmony with all of God’s reveal will on this subject.

Beloved, truth is the greatest gift of love that any preacher can give to those who listen to him or her speak, or read his or her writings. The more truth any child of God places in their heart, the more of Jesus they have, for He is the Truth (Jn 14:6). Beloved, you cannot say you love Jesus and not love the Bible, for Jesus is the Living Word (Jn 1:1); and every word in the Bible are His Words. My prayer for you is that the Lord Jesus Christ, who is both the Almighty God and the Son of God, will open your heart and mind to understand His message of truth. With all the above truths in mind, let us begin our SEARCH FOR TRUTH!

Your Servant In Christ:

Harry A. Peyton

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever wondered why there are so many different teachings in Christendom pertaining to the doctrine of salvation? Each religious group proclaims the others to be heretics or teachers of false doctrines. Each group is so opposed to the others that none of groups are trying to find, or even look for a harmony in the scriptures used by the others, as though there is no unique order, symmetry and unanimity that is inherit in God’s Holy Word. There are far too many theologians that treat God’s New Birth message in a random and chaotic manner in their presentation of it.

Each religious denomination places a literal meaning on the scriptures they use, and a figurative or spiritual meaning on the scriptures used by the others. This is what the Bible commands us not to do, when it stated that we should not ‘wrest’ or ‘twist’ or ‘pervert’ the scriptures to our “own destruction” (2Pe 3:16). God commanded us to rightly divide “the Word of Truth” (2Ti 2:15). Throughout this book, the author will place a literal interpretation on all the scriptures relating to the New Birth. I believe this method is the only method that will result in a belief that will be in perfect harmony with all the scriptures relating to salvation.

Salvation is the most important singular doctrine of the entire Bible. It is the solid rock or foundation that all doctrines of Christianity must rest upon. If a Christian builds his or her spiritual house with every truth of the Word of God, but he or she believes and teaches a lie pertaining to this doctrine, their house will collapse, which will result in him or her being lost. I have discovered through my own experiences that we are beings who love to follow the traditions of our elders, churches, and organizations. Since none of us likes change when it comes to our beliefs, we react very negatively when someone disturbs our feelings of security. My dear readers, if we are children of the Light, we must walk in the Light as He is in the Light, or greater darkness will come upon us (Isa 29:10-18).

If we truly love our fellow man as our Lord commanded us to, then we will not be afraid to tell each other the truth, even if we momentarily become offended. No surgery is pleasant while the doctor is cutting us open, but after the tumor, cancer or disease is removed and our health is restored, what joy good health brings. I am not teaching against religious tradition, as long as the tradition is not contrary to the Holy Word of God. Jesus speaking to His Jewish backslidden children said: “in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men…. making the word of God of no effect” through their traditions (Mk 7:7, 13). The Word of God commands us to: “Buy the truth, and do not sell it” (Pr 23:23).

If we do not buy the truth because it is not popular, or it offends our parents, relatives, friends, church, organization and so on, then we are selling our salvation for the favor and praises of men. We become men-pleasers instead of God-pleasers. We will esteem men much more highly than we esteem God. So with this in mind, let's do our best to lay aside any prejudice or biased opinions, and heed God's admonishment: “He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him” (Pr 18:13).

CHAPTER 1

GOD’S NEW COVENANT

What Is The Gospel Of The New Covenant?

The gospel that Paul and all the apostles preached was how: “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1Co 15:1-4). Since this is God's gospel for Eternal Life, how does one enter into the death of Christ? How does one enter into the burial of Christ? How does one enter into the resurrection of Christ? What are the terms or conditions that the apostles taught for entering into the gospel, or in other words, what did the apostles teach concerning how to receive the New Birth? Let’s begin our search by going to the first place where the apostles preached the gospel of Christ.

When And Where Did The Gospel Of The New Covenant Begin?

Since the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, how could this gospel of the New Covenant be preached and believed while Jesus was alive. Even the apostles themselves did not understand or believe that Jesus was going to be crucified (Mk 9:31-32). This is the reason why Jesus, when He was still alive said: “on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18). Jesus clearly taught that the Church still in the future, and that the foundational doctrine the Church was going to be built on was the revelation of who Christ really was, which is Jesus being the one and only God manifested in the flesh (1Ti 3:16, Isa 9:6, Col 2:9). This was the same foundational doctrine that the Old Testament Church was built on (Deut 6:4-5).

The apostle Paul plainly taught that the New Covenant could not begin until the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ had taken place. He said: “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death…. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives” (Heb 9:15‑17). According to this scripture, the Old Covenant was still in effect as long as the Lord Jesus Christ, as the testator was alive. Paul told the Corinthians: “if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1Co 15:17, 13‑16). Permit me to paraphrase what Paul said: “Even though you believe that Jesus is the Almighty God, and as a man He lived a sinless life and made atonement for your sins by His death, if He did not resurrect from the dead, your faith in Christ is in vain, and you are all lost and without hope of Eternal Life.”

The above scriptures undeniably prove that no one could be save through the New Covenant while Jesus was still alive. In other words, no one was able to enter into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, through the New Birth, while Jesus was alive. In fact, no one could be born of the Spirit until Jesus’ died, for Jesus said: “If I do not go away [referring to His death], the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (Jn 16:7). This means no one could be saved under the terms of the New Covenant until Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead!

Therefore, the New Covenant, and its New Birth, began on the Day of Pentecost, which was the fiftieth day after Jesus died as the Passover Lamb, and the forty-seventh day after His glorious resurrection from the dead. It was on this day the apostles and disciples became born of God’s Holy Spirit (Act 2:1-4, 16-18). It was on the day of Pentecost that they entered into the New Covenant, and God began to write His laws in their hearts and minds (Heb 8:6-13). It was on this day, the apostle Peter preached to lost sinners, the first gospel message that was ever preached on the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:23-41).

In the Ante Nicene Fathers, which are the writings of the early Catholic priests that wrote from AD 100–325, we can find the writings of Irenaeus (AD 170). This Catholic bishop confirmed the above truth when he wrote: the Spirit descended at the day of Pentecost upon the disciples after the Lord’s ascension, having power to admit all nations to the entrance of [Eternal] Life, and the opening of the New Covenant. [1] Church historians and theologians also agree that the Day of Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. According to The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: The almost universal opinion among theologians and exegetes is this: That Pentecost marks the founding of the Christian Church as an institution. [2]

Was The Thief On The Cross Saved

Under The Terms Of The New Covenant?

Since Jesus was still alive and the New Covenant had not yet begun, the thief could not be saved under God’s terms of salvation in the New Covenant; also let us not forget the thief on the cross did not know about or believe: in Jesus’ deity, His sinless blood, or His resurrection. Therefore, he did not know or believe in the gospel of Christ. If anyone teaches that the thief was saved under the terms of the gospel of the New Covenant, he or she does not have any scriptures to base their belief system on. In fact, he or she would have to tear all the above scriptures on the New Covenant out of their Bible to teach this doctrine of hell!

So, how was the thief on the cross saved? The thief being a Jew, or a child of Abraham, was in a covenant relationship with God under the Old Covenant of the Law of Moses. Therefore, he was saved under God’s provision of grace in this Covenant. For in the Law, a sinner could offer up a Lamb, a “male without blemish” for a “burnt offering” for his sins. He had to “put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.” In this way, the sinner’s sins were imparted to the lamb (Lev 1:1-4; 16:20-22).

By the sinner placing his hands on the head of the Lamb, the sinner acknowledged that he was a sinner and deserved to die for his sins. He also acknowledged that God in His love and grace provided a harmless, sinless Lamb to die in His place. Therefore, when the sinner confessed His sins to God and laid his hands on the head of the Lamb, God imputed his sins to the Lamb. The sinner then went away unharmed and with a clean conscience, while the Lamb of God bore all of the wrath of God for him. The word atonement is composed of three words at-one-ment. This means the sinner could become one with God or united to God, and that he could now enter into the presence of God for his sins have been forgiven.

As one compares God’s way of atoning for the sins of mankind under the old covenant, with the thief’s experience on the cross, we can perceive that this is what took place that day. The thief looked at his, and our, sinless Passover Lamb, reached out in the spirit and laid his hand on the Lord’s head; he then acknowledge that he was a sinner, confessed his sins to God in his heart, and asked Him to be merciful to him (Lk 23:39-43). As a result, God imputed or imparted the sins of the thief to God’s true Lamb. Therefore, the thief on the cross died, forgiven and saved by the Grace of God.

Who Are The True Ministers

Of The Gospel Of The New Covenant?

Every Christian preacher claims to be a man of God, so how can we know if we have been deceived concerning Eternal Life? Any preacher of today can be deceived, and can deceive others. So we must believe and obey the Word of God as we receive it from men that are truly sent from God. The only men of God whom we know for sure that were sent from God were the apostles. John said: “We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1Jn 4:6). Jesus told His apostles: “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me” (Lk 10:16). Jesus prayed for the apostles and all that would believe and obey the gospel they preached. He said: “sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth…. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word” (Jn 17:17, 20).

The apostle Paul told Timothy that he had fully known his “doctrine.” He admonished this young preacher to continue in his doctrines: “knowing of whom” he has “learned them” (2Ti 3:10-14). The apostle continued by charging Timothy to: “teach no other doctrine” (1Ti 1:3). Paul rebuked the church of the Galatians for teaching false doctrines. He said: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some [false prophets] that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Gal 1:6-9).

We can be sure that the apostles knew and preached the truth, and they were not in error in any way concerning the New Birth or Eternal Life. In spite of this, I have talked to some deceived Protestant Pastors who have foolishly told me concerning Jesus’ Name baptism, which is the Biblical formula for baptism, that they would rather take the words of Jesus than the apostles. The obvious implication of such a ridiculous statement as this, was to imply that the apostles were teaching false doctrine, or something contrary to what Jesus taught concerning the New Birth. This is nothing less then accusing the Lord Jesus Christ of lying, because He said He opened their “understanding that they might understand the scriptures” (Lk 24:45).

Can Christians Be Deceived By False Prophets

Concerning The New Birth?

One of the disciples of Jesus asked him: “Lord, are there few who are saved?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.’ When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you….’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out” (Lk 13:23-25, 28).

Let my beloved readers take note, many will desire or want to become saved and go up in the Rapture, but will not be able to. Why not? Why will these good, honest, and sincere people, who claimed to know Him, and even confessed Him as their Lord, miss the rapture? The answer can be found in the statement Jesus made after He closed door. He said, I do not know you, or you are not one of My children. In other words, false prophets deceived them about the New Birth. Therefore, they did not enter into Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

Let us examine Matthew’s recording of a similar event. Instead of the setting being the rapture as in Luke, the setting is now the White Throne Judgment. Jesus gave a frightful warning concerning False Prophets to all those who have ears to hear and a heart to obey His truth. He said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to [Eternal] Life, and there are few who find it” (Mt 7:13‑14). Jesus told us why only a few will be saved or find the strait and narrow path. He said: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (verse 15). He went on in verses 16-20 to give us the fruits of a false prophet.

In verses 21-23, Jesus revealed the results of a false prophet's ministry. He said: “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never [oudepote] knew you!” According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible, by Dr. James Strong, the Greek word “oudepote” means: not even at any time i.e. never at all. [3]

Let my beloved readers take note, these people will tell Jesus on the Day of Judgment, that they preached and did all type of miracles through faith in the power of His Holy Name. What was our Lord’s response to them? Did He deny that they did not do these things? No, He simply told them He did not know them. However, they professed to know Him, they even confessed Him as their Lord. Nevertheless, Jesus did not say that He knew them at one time, but they died as a backslider, therefore He did not know them. What Jesus said is that He never at any time knew them at any time as His children.

In verses 24-27, Jesus told us why He did not know these honest but deceived people. He said that they built a beautiful spiritual house, which had many great doctrinal truths, but they built their house on the wrong foundation. The true believers built theirs on the “rock” of Christ and the deceived believers built theirs on the “sand” of false Christianity. The apostle Paul declared: “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1Co 3:11). Since the foundation of Christianity is the gospel of Christ, that is, the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, these people obviously believed the lie of the false prophet concerning the New Birth. Therefore, they never were born-again. Jesus said what he meant and meant what He said: “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:5; Tit 3:5; Acts 2:38).

Paul revealed in his epistle to the Galatians that false prophets started perverting God’s Gospel Message in his day. He said these hirelings were preaching: “a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Ga 1:6-9). Satan has had his prophets perverting God’s gospel message in every century. Yes friend, do not let anyone deceive, you must be born of “water and Spirit” if you want to receive, or become partakers of or enter into Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

The New Birth message has never been popular in the history of God’s Church. Catholic Popes hated it and persecuted them who taught it in all ages. Protestant Reformers, like their Catholic ministerial brethren, have stripped God’s children of their possessions, imprisoned them, and even burned them at the stake for preaching it. But truly the gates of hell have never destroyed or stopped the children of God from preaching God’s New Birth Message. My book A History Of Oneness Throughout The Centuries gives the documentation for this persecution.

Let us not be deceived by false prophets! Let us remember what Jesus said about the minister of Satan in his day: “Woe unto you, lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge: you did not in [the Kingdom of God] yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered” (Lk 11:52). He also said: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves” (Mt 23:15). How did these false prophets prevent the believers of their day from receiving salvation? They stopped them the same way false prophet stop believers from receiving Eternal Life today. They blind their minds by teaching believers a false doctrine concerning the New Birth! As a result, the believer’s mind is fill with bias against the truth. Therefore, God Himself cannot reach these believers because their mind is not open to search out the truth in an honest fashion.

Now no one enjoys being called a false prophet, or having someone point out that his or her doctrinal beliefs are false. This preacher does not believe for one moment that all the false prophets in the world today are hypocrites like the ones Jesus described in His day. I believe that many of them today, and in times past, were good, honest and sincere preachers. But because of their love for their parents, relatives, or friends, or loyalty and faith in some pastor and organization, or hearing a repeated message by misinformed authorities, they became deceived. As a result, their hearts became hardened against the truth, which prevented them from studying salvation or the New Birth with an open and unbiased mind. Paul told us to: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phi 2:12). Therefore, if they die lost, they can blame no one for their lack of diligence in studying the Word of God for themselves.

Everyone of us need to hear, know, and do what Jesus said about salvation. We need to know what He meant by being born of the water. We need to know what He meant by being born of the Spirit. Because, if we are wrong, we are building our spiritual house on a sandy foundation, and it will collapse in the Day of Judgment, and we will be lost. Are water and Spirit baptisms, two conditions God has given all believers to obey, if they wish to receive the gospel of Christ?

CHAPTER 2

THE FOUR STEPS OF FAITH

IN OBEYING THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST

This chapter is an excerpt from my book, “What Do You Mean, I Must Be Born Again?”

The greatest question a man can ask in this life is not who am I? It is not even how can I become famous, powerful and wealthy? These questions pertain only to those things that reap temporal dividends. The greatest question a man can ask that will determine his happiness throughout eternity is - how can I receive Eternal Life? Millions of people, throughout every age, have joined every religion under the sun in hopes of receiving Eternal Life. Man-made religions, traditions, philosophies and doctrines have deceived the vast majority of them (Mt 15:8-9, 7:13-14). Eternal Life can only come through the Lord Jesus Christ.

No one would argue the fact that the Bible teaches that God has given His grace to all men, by providing a way for all of mankind to become saved. This way, which is the only way, is the Lord Jesus Christ. Since Christ’s precious blood was shed for all men, does this mean every man in the world is automatically saved by what Jesus did at Calvary? Every preacher of whom you ask this question to, will quickly tell you no! They will promptly inform you that one must meet the terms or conditions of the gospel of Christ.

Let us keep in mind that the New Covenant is not an unconditional covenant, or that God’s grace is not offered to the human race unconditionally. If there were no conditions to receiving God’s grace, then all of mankind would automatically be. If the doctrine of grace, as some affirm, teaches that God requires nothing from man to receive salvation, then no one needs to believe in Calvary, repent of their sins, confess Christ as their Lord and Savior, or become born of water and Spirit.

Mankind cannot save himself or herself by any work of Moses’ Law, or assist God in providing salvation, for God did that at Calvary, but mankind does have the responsibility of accepting or rejecting the conditions God has placed on receiving His grace. If mankind accepts God’s conditions, then he or she must respond by believing and obeying each condition by faith! There is not a preacher anywhere that believes in salvation by grace more than I do; but I do not take it out of the context that God has placed it in, as many denominational preachers of today do.

The apostle Paul wrote: “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). In Romans, Paul taught that the grace of God came to us by the precious shed blood of Jesus, or in other words, we are: “justified by His blood” (Rom 5:9); and He “was raised to life for our justification” (Rom 4:25, NIV). Therefore, Paul, like myself, believed that we are: “justified by faith” in the gospel of Christ, that is, faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Rom 3:28, cp with vs 24). In Corinthians, Paul declared that God’s children received justification by means of the New Birth. He wrote: “You are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus [which is applied in water baptism], and by the Spirit of our God” (1Co 6:11). Therefore, he connected our justification through the gospel with the New Birth!

For this reason, according to the apostle Paul, true justification by faith in the gospel involves obedience to the gospel, that is, we must respond to the gospel with those acts of faith that God requires. There is no true faith in Christ that does not lead to obedience. All the apostles of the Lamb definitely taught that one must not only believe the gospel of Christ to be saved, but also must obey it. The apostle Peter declared: “Judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it first begins at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God” (1Pe 4:17-18).

The apostle Paul declared the very same thing when he wrote: Jesus is “the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Heb 5:9); and “they have not all obeyed the gospel” (Rom 19:16). Paul speaking of God’s wrath on those who would not obey the gospel said: Jesus would come in a flaming fire to take vengeance: “on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel” (2Th 1:7-9). Paul also declared that Christ: “became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Heb 5:9). Therefore, true biblical faith will lead one to act upon their faith by obeying the conditions that God requires.

For example, what preacher would dare claim that mankind is trying to earn God’s grace by believing that Jesus Christ is God in flesh, and He died as a man so He could save them from a devil’s hell, and He rose from the dead for their justification? The answer is obviously none. No preacher would dare call faith in the gospel a work of the Mosaic Law System; even though faith in God and his Laws were required conditions for salvation under the Old Covenant. No preacher would argue that a sinner must have faith in or believe the gospel of Christ, before he or she can act upon their faith by enter into the New Covenant and become saved.

Some Protestant preachers would stop here and declare that faith is the only condition a sinner must meet to be saved, and God has no other conditions. This kind of faith is called “Easy Believeism” in many denominations today. This kind of faith is nothing more then a mental assent, just as one would believe any fact of history that they knew was true. Friend, there is no way you can believe on Him to be saved. You must believe into Him by obeying the gospel, if you wish to receive Eternal Life, for faith is only the first step!

Other Protestant preachers teach that faith in the gospel of Christ will lead the believer to repent of all their sins, and confess Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior. They believe that these steps are the only steps that God requires to become saved. None of these preachers would dare declare that a man or woman is trying to earn salvation by repenting of their sins, or by confessing Christ as their Lord and Savior. No preacher would call these acts of obedience to God’s Word works of the Mosaic Law System; even though repentance was also a required condition in Old Covenant for eternal life!

I fully agree that faith in Christ is a very important step in God’s plan of salvation. I also believe that a sinner must repent and confess Jesus to be their God, Savior, and Lord. But these are not the only steps, for true biblical faith will also lead a believer to obey God’s other conditions, that is, they must be “born of water and Spirit” (Jn 3:5). Why is it that these false prophets never mention this step in obeying the gospel of Christ? Could it be that they either do not understand what Jesus taught, or they see it that it makes sense, but their pride and biases will not allow them to believe it is true?

Satan uses false prophets to confuse the sincere believer in Christ, by denouncing the biblical doctrine of water baptism in Jesus’ holy and sinless name as a doctrine of works. That is, they will claim that the one is trying to earn salvation by their works. These false prophets never associate it with an act of faith towards salvation by obeying what Jesus said to do. Preacher, give me one scripture that declares water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is a work of the Mosaic Law. Preacher, if you make water baptism a doctrine of works, then you have to make faith and repentance a doctrine of works also, which were definitely required by God under the Mosaic Law System (Lev 26: 18, 21, 24, 28; Pro 28:13; Eze 18:29-32; 14:6)!

Since the New Birth is how a believer enters into Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, which places the believer in the New Covenant, this is where the One God, Jesus Name, Apostolic, Holiness-Pentecostal Preachers around the world draw swords with the Catholic and Protestant preachers in Christendom today, and in times past. Yes friend, the New Covenant is not an unconditional Covenant. If you or I want to receive God’s grace, then we must meet the terms of God’s covenant. Mankind cannot come to God on his or her own terms, like Cain did, but he or she must believe and obey God’s terms. So with this in mind, what are God’s terms or conditions for salvation?

The First Step: The Essentiality Of Living Faith

To help my readers understand the false doctrine of “easy believeism” for salvation, permit me to present to you a dialogue I have had with many Protestant Pastors, in my earlier years as a Christian. This dialogue is not verbatim but it is close. I have added some scriptures to their usual statements or arguments, so my readers can receive a fuller understanding of their belief. Through this dialogue, my readers should discover, that there are only a few, if any, of the Protestant ministers that really believe what they preach.

The first question I asked is: Preacher what must I do to be saved or receive Eternal Life?

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: You must believe with your whole heart that Jesus died for your sins, and was buried, and was raised from the dead for your justification (1Co 15:1-4). The Bible declared: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be [future tense] saved” (Acts 16:31). Paul said: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16). John proclaimed: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in [eis - into] Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life” (Jn 3:16). Jesus said: “He that believes in [eis - into] the Son has Everlasting Life” (verse 36). The verb “has” in this verse is present tense, active voice, indicative mood, third person, singular number, which means the moment anyone believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, they are saved or have Eternal Life.

[An exegetical comment I would like to interject here, for my readers understanding. The Greek preposition “eis” in both of these verses is in the accusative case. In verse 16, the Greek pronoun “auvto.n” or “Him,” and the Greek noun “ui`o.n” or “Son” in verse 36, are also in the accusative case, that is, they are used as direct objects. Therefore, “eis” should be translated as “into,” which is the primary meaning of this Greek preposition, especially when it is in the accusative case! Doctors Timothy and Barbara Friberg, in their Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament, defined it as a: preposition with the accusative into, [or] in. [4] Dr. Joseph H. Thayer in his work A Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament says: it is a preposition governing the accusative, and denotes entrance into something or someone. [5] In the Essentials Of New Testament Greek, Professor Ray Summers also declared that “eis” means: “into” [6]].

[If John wanted his readers to understand that Jesus meant that a believer should believe “in” Him, he would have written the Greek preposition “en,” if Jesus meant “on” he would have written “epi,” but since he used the preposition “eis,” and placed the pronoun “auvto.n” and the noun “ui`o.n” in the accusative case, or as a direct objects, and not as an indirect object, he wanted his readers to understand that a believer has to believe “into” Jesus to receive Eternal Life. Or in other words, a believer must believe “into Jesus’ death,” “into His burial,” and “into His resurrection” to receive Eternal Life. There is no way a believer can believe on or in Christ as you believe on or in George Washington, that is, he lived, died, and was our first president. A believer must believer “into” Christ to be saved; for this is salvation, nothing less, and nothing more.]

[Now, let us address the question as to why did this pagan Roman Jailer ask Paul and Silas: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved” (Acts 16:30)? The Bible informs us that this heathen Jailer had just witness a miracle from God, who shook Paul and Silas’ cell door open, freed them from their chains, and not only that but they had not tried to escape. He knew the Roman punishment for allowing a prisoner to escape was death. This man obviously knew from this miracle that God was with these men. He also knew they were place in prison for preaching about some strange God.]

[Paul’s response to the Jailer’s question was “believe [pisteuo] on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be [future tense] saved.” The Amplified Bible brings out the true meaning of this verse. It stated: “Believe in and on the Lord Jesus Christ - that is, give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping, and you will be saved.” The verb “believe” or “pisteuo” does not mean “to have a mere mental assent,” but “to firmly trust in” or “to have a firm confidence in” a person of thing. Greek scholar Dr. W. E. Vine defined it this way: to believe, also to be persuaded of, and hence, to place confidence in, to trust, signifies, in this sense of the word, reliance upon, not mere credence, that is, acceptance. [7] Therefore, the “easy believeism” doctrine is nothing but a “heresy of cheap grace,” whereby salvation is guaranteed to the believer by this one-time act. God hates this heresy, for it robs the sincere believer of true salvation.]

[The verb “will be saved” is the Greek word “sozo” and it is in the future tense, passive voice, indicative mood, 2sd person, and singular number. This means the pagan Jailer and his family would have to firmly trust in Christ as their Savior and at a future period of time, not at the moment of faith, they would receive salvation. There is nothing in the context of these scriptures that even insinuates that this pagan Jailer ever heard the name of Jesus or about His death, burial, and resurrection before verse 32. If you say he did, you have no proof. In verses 32-33, the Bible reveals that Paul preached the gospel to the Jailer not in jail but in his home, for the Word of God stated that he: “Spake unto him the Word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.”]

[Nowhere in this passage can one find that it specifically mentions that Paul told the Jailer and his family to repent, confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior, or to become born of water and Spirit. But we know that he preached to them the “Word of the Lord,” which must have contained these important steps of salvation, for Paul definitely declared that he preached the same gospel to all the gentiles (Ga 2:2). It is obvious from verse 33, that Paul must have preached water baptism as part of the Word of the Lord to the Jailer and his family, for he baptized all of them that night. Let my beloved readers keep in mind that Paul’s back was probably bleeding, from being severely beaten with a rod; therefore, for him to baptize anyone at that time would have been very painful. But being the solider of Christ that he was, he did not let pain stop him from obeying the great commission.]

[Therefore, water baptism had to be part of the gospel of Christ that Paul preached to all gentiles. When Paul preached the gospel to the Ephesian believers, he evidently told them their water baptism by John the Baptist was not sufficient, for he baptized all of them again (Acts 19:1-6). Now the Bible does not tell us that the Jailer and his family were born of the Holy Spirit, but we know that true faith in Christ always leads to the New Birth; just as it did for the apostles, Cornelius and his family, and all others. Those who teach “the heresy of the easy believeism doctrine for salvation,” never look for the harmony in all the scriptures that deal with this subject. The only scriptures they bring to one’s attention are those that speak of believing in Christ, and they even misinterpret those. It is a shame that good men allow Satan to blind them by filling their minds with denominational biases. Let’s resume out dialogue.]

My Response: Since I have to believe the gospel to be saved, is my act of believing one of the works of the Law of Moses? Am I trying to earn salvation by my act of believing? I do not want to tempt God by trying to be saved by my good works.

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Oh no, believing is not a doctrine of works. It is the only condition of obedience that God requires of you, for the Bible says: “For by grace are you saved through faith [in the gospel of Christ], not of works [of the Mosaic Law System], least any man should boast" (Eph 2:8-9).

The Second Step: Faith That Leads To

Confessing Jesus Christ As Your Lord And Savior

My Response: If believing is all I need to do to be saved, then why do some teach I must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and my Lord and personal Savior?

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: This is true, for Paul said: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved [sozo]. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved [sozo]” (Rom 10:9-13). These verses very definitely reveal that God requires a believer to confess Him as their Lord and Savior, and call on His name, if they wish to become saved.

[The verbs “will be saved” in verse 9 and “shall be saved” in verse 13 is the Greek verb “sozo,” which are both: future tense, indicative mood, and passive voice. Because the verb is not in the present tense, but is in the future tense, “this means salvation will be at some point in the future, not at the moment one believes, confesses, or calls upon the Lord Jesus Christ.” The phrase “calling upon the name of the LORD” is a phrase that is used in the New Testament in connection with water baptism, for example, Ananias told Paul: “Now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). The well know Protestant scholar Dr. F. F. Bruce also related confession in the above Romans passage not only to the birth of the Spirit in First Corinthians 12:3, but also water baptism. He wrote: If we are to think of one outstanding occasion for such a confession to be made, we should more probably think of that first confession... made in Christian baptism. [8]]

My Response: If I must believe in Jesus with all my heart, and confess Him as my Lord and personal Savior, and call on His holy name to be saved, then why did you tell me I was saved or had Eternal Life the moment I believed in Him?

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Because I thought you knew that you must also publicly acknowledge Him and call upon His name. Besides if you truly believe in Him, you will do the things God requires. The moment a person believes the gospel, confesses that Jesus is the Son of God and their Lord and Savior, he is born again or has Eternal Life.

My Response: What if I truly believe with all of my heart in the death, burial, and resurrection of my Savior, but I do not confess Him because of pride, or fear of offending some member of my family, or fear of losing my job, or fear of the government, or whatever? Will I be saved?

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: No, you will not because Jesus said: “Whoever confesses Me before men, him will I confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Mt 10:32-33). The scripture is very clear here that you must love Jesus enough to confess Him as your Lord and Savior.

My Response: If I confess Jesus as the Son of God, and as my Lord and Savior, am I trying to earn salvation by my act of confession? I do not want to tempt God by trying to be saved by any good works.

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Oh no, believing and confessing Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior are the two conditions of obedience that God requires for receiving His grace.

My Response: If all one has to do is believe in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and confess Him as their Lord and Savior, and call upon Him to be saved, does this mean that the Devil and his demons are saved? For the Bible reveals that they believe the gospel and have confessed Jesus as the Son of God. The Word of God declared that demonic spirits cried out to Jesus and said: “I know who you are, the Holy One of God” (Lk 4:34). These unclean spirits also confessed: “You are the Son of God” (Mk 3:11‑12). James said: “You believe that there is one God; you do well. Even the demons believe and tremble” (Ja 2:19).

Satan and his demons not only believe in Jesus, and have confessed Him as the Son of God, but they also believe in His death, burial and resurrection, for they were eyewitnesses to these things. They know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus die on Calvary’s cross, for they were there and watched Him die. They saw His body placed in the tomb. They saw Him resurrect from the dead on the third day, so that definitely makes them believers.

The Third Step: Faith That Leads To Repentance

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Even though the Lucifer and his demons have confessed that Jesus is the Son of God and believe the gospel, this still does not make them qualified for salvation. For their faith in Christ did not lead them to repent of their sins.

My Response: From what you are telling me, you must not believe that faith alone can save an individual, for confessing and repenting are two completely separate and different acts from mental faith or believing in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. According to you, a person must not only believe the gospel, but also acknowledge Jesus publicly as their Lord and Savior, and repent of their sins to be saved.

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Yes, but you are saved by faith and faith alone. “If you truly believe, your faith will lead you to confess Him, and repent of your sins,” for Jesus said: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Lk 13:3). In fact, He commanded you to: “Repent and believe the gospel” (Mk 1:14-15). Peter said: “The Lord is… not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2Pe 3:9).

[Repentance is the very important act of faith in our salvation. It includes several essential elements, such as: acknowledge that you are a sinner and thereby deserve the wrath of God; confess your sin to God having a godly remorse or sorrow in your heart for offending God’s holiness. It also includes: being determine in your mind and heart to forsake all that you know is sinful; and a full surrender of your life over to the control of God and His Word, with a determination in your heart to live a holy life. It also may include: making restitution wherever it is possible, especially if you have deeply wounded someone with your tongue or your actions, you really need to ask their forgiveness. When a sinner repents this way they are no longer a sinner but a believer.]

[Repentance is basically expressed by a change in a sinner’s mind, heart, and will; by mind I mean there is a change in their ideas, views, and values, in what is right and wrong, for they will now have a deeper sense of what is holy and pleasing to God; by heart I mean there is a change in their desires or feelings in which they earnestly desire spiritual things and fulfillment, instead of the carnal things that satisfy and feeds the flesh; by the will I mean there is a change in their short and long range goals, and all other areas of their lives, for Jesus is now their Lord and there is a true desire to surrender all areas of their life to Him.]

[The very moment a believer truly and sincerely repents of all their sins, the believer immediately receives a clean conscience. True biblical faith and repentance always gets the attention of God, whereby the believer will immediately experience the presence of God, or in other words, the Spirit of God will immediately move on the believer to prepare their heart, in order that He can come into their human spirit at some point in the future. Let my beloved readers always keep in mind that one must be willing to die out to sin through repentance, and be buried, before they can be resurrected to a New Life in Christ, or in other words, they must be willing to die out to the self life before they can receive a New Birth.]

[One should bear in mind, that no one can receive God’s grace to repentance, unless he or she truly believe the gospel; for no one can repent unless he or she believes God’s promise of salvation is true, and sin is wrong, and repentance is a necessary condition in receiving God’s grace. There can be no true faith without repentance. Since repentance is an important step in our salvation, I will discuss it in much more detail in the eleven chapter of this book].

My Response: If I have to repent, as well as believe the gospel, and confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior to be saved, why did you tell me all I had to do is just believe, confess Him to be saved?

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Because I assumed you knew you had to repent also, even though there are many I suppose, who do not know that. Even so, if you truly believe in the gospel, you will confess Him, and will repent of your sins.

My Response: If I have to repent of my sins to be saved, am I trying to earn salvation by my work of repentance? I do not want to tempt God by trying to be saved by any of my good works.

The Protestant Pastor's Response: Oh no, even though repentance is a work, you are not trying to earn salvation by your act of repentance, but you are obeying the terms or conditions of the gospel. The New Covenant of the blood of Jesus is not an unconditional covenant, which means that everyone in the whole world is automatically saved by what Jesus did at Calvary. The New Covenant is a conditional covenant, which means, if you want to receive God’s grace, you must be willing to meet God’s conditions. No one can come to God on his or her own terms. You must be willing to believe and obey God’s conditions, if you wish to receive Eternal Life.

The apostle Paul preached repentance as a condition of salvation to all of his converts. He told them to: “Repent and turn to God, and do works [ergon] befitting repentance” (Acts 26:20); and he name repentance as one of the basic foundational principles of salvation. He said: “Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works [ergon] and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms” (Heb 6:1). It is obvious the “works” this verse is referring to is a turning away from sin.

[The word works in the above scriptures is the Greek word “ergon.” It is used 176 times in the NT, and the King James Translators translated it as: work 152 times, deed 22 times, doing 1 time, and labor 1 time. Thayer defines it as: an act, deed, (or a) thing done. There is a world of difference between the acts or works faith i.e. believing, repenting, and confessing, and the moral works of righteousness the Law of Moses required for eternal life in the Old Covenant. This is why Paul says in Galatians 2:16: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works [ergon] of the Law [of Moses] but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works [ergon] of the Law; for by the works [ergon] of the Law no flesh shall be justified.”]

My Response: Are you sure repentance is not a work of the Law of Moses? If I have to give up my stealing, lying, adulteries, drunkenness, drugs, wild parties, and so on, that is not going to be easy; that going to take a lot of work and effort on my part. That sure sounds like work to me!

The Fourth Step:

Faith That Leads To The New Birth Of Water And Spirit

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: This is why you need Jesus to give you a New Nature. Jesus said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:5). You must be born of God’s Holy Spirit, if you wish to be saved. For when you believe in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, repent of all your sins, and confess Him as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit of God will come into you at that very moment, and give you a new nature to help you overcome your sinful nature.

My Response: Now you are telling me that I must be born of God's Spirit. I sure wish you would make up your mind about how a person receives Eternal Life. First you tell me the moment I believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ I am saved. Then you change it to the moment I confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Then you changed it again to the moment I repent of my sins. Now you change it to the moment I believe, confess, repent, and receive God’s Spirit. Now which is it?

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: If you truly believe the gospel, your faith will lead you to do everything that God requires of you to be saved. The moment you do all these things God will give you His Holy Spirit and you will have Eternal Life.

My Response: What about water baptism? Some teach that a person must be born of the water or be baptized to receive eternal life?

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Oh no, that is a doctrine of works. The person who believes that is trying to earn salvation by his or her works.

[Any preacher who would be so foolish to say water baptism is a work of the Law of Moses System, should also claim that faith and repentance is a work of the Law. For Moses’ Law required all Old Testament believers to believe in God and His holy laws. It also required all of God’s people to repent and forsake all their sins (Lev 26: 18, 21, 24, 28; Pro 28:13; Eze 18:29-32; 14:6).]

My Response: Where in the Bible does it say: “Water baptism is a doctrine of the works of the Law of Moses?” There is not one place in the Old Testament where God required any Jew to be water baptized to be saved. Where is your proof that water baptism is not just another step of faith in obeying the gospel? After all, if you truly believe the gospel, you will be baptized in water. How can you or any other preacher teach that believing, repentance, and confessing Jesus as God and Savior are works or acts of faith a believer must do to receive eternal life, and then teach God’s command for believers to become born of water, or to be water baptized, is not also an act of faith in obeying the gospel of Christ?

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Water baptism has nothing to do with your salvation. You must believe me. I did not go to Seminary School for four years for nothing you know. It was there that I learned that water baptism is a doctrine that denies the grace of God. Anyone who believes that it is connected with salvation is trying to be saved by his of her own works.

[When a Seminary teaches this doctrine of hell, it should be called Cemetery School so the honest hearted would know to stay away from it. The New Catholic Encyclopedia says: Christian Baptism is the NT fulfillment and replacement of circumcision (Col 2:11). Just as Jewish circumcision meant reception into the Old Covenant, so too Christian Baptism means reception into the New. Circumcision was the seal of the faith of Abraham. Rightly understood, circumcision is of the heart (Rom 2:29) and leads directly to Christian Baptism. Christian Baptism is ‘the circumcision of Christ’ (Col 2:11).... Faith is required for Baptism and there is no true faith that does not lead to baptism (cf. Gal 3:25-27). [9]]

My Response: But you quoted John 3:5, which indisputably stated that everyone: “Must be born of water and Spirit.” Not just Spirit alone, but also water. Did Jesus lie?

The Protestant Pastor’s Response: You must rightly interpret God’s Word. That is why I went to Seminary School, so I could learn how. The word water in the first part of verse 5 is symbolism for the Word of God or the gospel, for the Bible teaches that God sanctified and cleanse His church with “the washing of water by the word” (Eph 5:26). The word Spirit in the second part of this verse must be taken literally to mean Spirit. What Jesus was teaching is that a person must be born of the “Word of God by believing the Gospel message, and then receive the Holy Spirit,” or he or she will be lost.

My Response: If you make the first part of this verse symbolism, then you must also make the second part symbolism? If I, like you, wanted to spiritualize away the simple truth of the Word of God, I could claim that the word Spirit in the second part of this verse represents water baptism. I could say, “Jesus compared the Spirit to water baptism” when He said: “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit” (Jn 7:38-39). I, like you, could twist John 3:5 to mean: “one must be born of the Word of God or the gospel and water baptism.” What gives you or anyone else the authority to spiritualize away God’s Infallible Word? I believe that Jesus said what He meant and meant what He said. There is absolutely no support from the context of this passage that demands or supports a symbolic interpretation! Have you not read Dr. Harry A. Ironside’s golden rules for interpreting the Bible? He said: Whenever the scripture makes sense, look for no other sense, or in other words, “Take the Bible literally when the language is clear and direct.”

Besides this, water is never used as a symbol for the Word of God in the Bible. Paul was not teaching in Ephesians 5:26 that water baptism was symbolism for the gospel. The “washing of water [loutron] by the word [rhema]” really represented the invocation of the name of Jesus in baptism. Weymouth, in his translation of the New Testament, correctly translated this verse as: “Christ loved the Church... cleansing her with the baptismal water by the word.” Phillips’ translation of the Bible translated it as: “Christ gave Himself to make her holy through baptism in His name.” Bishop Cyprian in AD 255 quoted this verse this way: The blessed apostle sets forth and proves that baptism is that wherein the old man dies and the new man is born, saying, ‘He saved us by the washing of regeneration….’ For it is the Church alone which, conjoined and united with Christ, spiritually bears sons; as the same apostle again says, ‘Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify it, cleansing it with the washing of water. [10]

Dr. F. F. Bruce speaking of the above verse wrote: Cleansing it by water and word... [or] cleansing her by the washing of water accompanied by the spoken word…. The accompanying ‘word’ (Gk. rhema) is probably not here Holy Scripture but the word of confession or invocation spoken by the convert, as in Ananias' words to Paul: 'Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name' (Acts 22:16). [11] Drs. Friberg speaking of the Greek word “loutron” says it means: Bath; fig in the NT, as a baptismal term (#17482); and the Greek word “rhema” says: one must focus on content or context, for it could mean ‘a single word, saying, utterance (#23976). Rhema in the above verse is in the dative case (indirect object), neuter gender and singular number. Since rhema is in the singular number and not plural, it should not be translated as words as many, but as word as one, like the word Jesus. When rhema is used in the plural number, it usually refers to a new or recent prophecy from the Lord or a special word from God to an individual, that is, one that is used in the vocal gifts of the Spirit.

Dr. Murray Beasley speaking of John 3:5 wrote: At a time when the employment of water for cleansing in view of the last day had taken the specific form of baptism, it is difficult to take seriously any other reference than baptism. [12] Professor Dwight Pentecost, a Baptist theologian, speaking of the above passage wrote: To interpret water as only a symbol of the Word of God… would be to render our Lord's answer unintelligible to Nicodemus. [13] Dr. Pentecost’s statement is very profound and deserves additional investigation; for there is no place in the Old Testament that uses the word water to refer to the Word of God.

Since this is true, how could Nicodemus be expected to understand the truth of what Jesus taught? Why would our Lord reprove him for not understanding? Why would Jesus describe one aspect of the new birth literally and another aspect symbolically? None of this would make any sense if our Lord had placed a spiritual interpretation to the literal word water! It is evident that Jesus expected Nicodemus to make a connection between water baptism and the New Birth. The Jewish Encyclopedia revealed that a gentile proselyte could not enter into the Old Covenant unless he was reborn through water baptism. It declared: The bathing in the water is to constitute a rebirth, where ‘the ger is like a child just born’ (Yeb 48b). [14]

Some Protestant Pastors Response To John 3:5: The word water in this verse is symbolism for the natural birth and the word Spirit represents the spiritual birth. What Jesus is teaching, they say, is “Unless a man had been born of water [meaning the natural birth], and become born of the Spirit [meaning the spiritual birth], he can not enter into the kingdom of God.”

My Response: Why do you take this verse out of its grammatical structure? Did Seminary School teach to translate or interpret this verse this way? If it did, it is not a Seminary School but a Cemetery School. There is not one translation of the Bible that would dare translate verse 5 that way. The New King James translated it as: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born [gennhqh/] of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God;” and the New International Version as: “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”

The Greek verb “gennhqh” or “gennao” is in the aorist tense, subjunctive mood and the passive voice. The subjunctive mood is the mood of possibility, not a statement of fact. Drs. Friberg speaking of the voice of this verb stated: Passive, of the spiritual new birth be born, be regenerated (JN 3.3) (#5344). Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words speaking of the verb “gennao” declared: to beget,’ in the passive voice, ‘to be born….’ In <John 3:3,5, 7>, the Greek adverb ‘anothen,’ ‘anew, or from above,’ accompanies the simple verb gennao.” Therefore, Greek grammar demands that these verses be understood of a spiritual birth and not the natural birth. The Greek adverb “anothen” connected with the verb “gennao” cannot refer to a natural birth but a birth from above or a spiritual birth. This is why the YLT and NAB translated John 3:3 as: born from above, and ASV, DBY, RSV, and TNT as: born anew, and the KJV, NKJ, NIV, and NAS as: born again.

The International Standard Bible Encylopaedia, in an article entitled “Baptismal Regeneration,” made this very interesting comment on the above passage of scripture: The two leading texts of Scripture which declare in plain terms that baptism is a means for effecting regeneration in the strict sense are Jn 3:5 and Tit 3:5. But this doctrine is implied in Acts 2:38; Eph 5:26; Gal 3:27; 1 Pet 3:21. In Jn 3:7 it is immaterial whether Grk: anothen gennethenai is rendered ‘to be born from above’ or ‘to be born a second time.’ For the second birth is never of the flesh (Jn 1:13; 3:4,5); hence, is always of divine origin, ‘from above….’ Baptism is an instrument by which the Holy Spirit effects regeneration. ‘Water and the Spirit’ (Jn 3:5) is a paraphrastic description of baptism: ‘water,’ inasmuch as the man is baptized therewith (1 Jn 5:7,8; Eph 5:26) for the forgiveness of sin (Acts 2:33; 22:16; 1 Cor 6:11), and ‘Spirit,’ inasmuch as the Holy Ghost is given to the person baptized in order to his spiritual renewal and sanctification.

‘Both together… constitute the objective and causative element out of which (compare Jn 1:13) the birth from above is produced (ek)’ (Meyer)…. ‘From Eph 5:26 it is clear that it can mean nothing else than baptism; compare too, Heb 10:22; 1 Cor 6:11; Acts 22:16.’ Of this laver of regeneration Paul says that through it (Grk: dia), i.e. by its instrumentality, men are saved. Meyer is right when, correcting a former view of his, he states: "According to the context, Paul calls baptism the bath of the new birth, not meaning that it pledges us to the new birth (`to complete the process of moral purification, of expiation and sanctification,’ Matthies), nor that it is a visible image of the new birth (De Wette), for neither in the one sense nor in the other could it be regarded as a means of saving. Paul uses that name for it as the bath by means of which God actually brings about the new birth.’ [15]

In the same encyclopedia under the heading of, Baptism - The Baptist Interpretation, we read: In Col 2:12 Paul again [Rom 6:1-5] says: ‘having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.’ The same image is here presented. Lightfoot (Church of England) on Colossians (p. 182 ) says: ‘Baptism is the grave of the old man, and the birth of the new. As he sinks beneath the baptismal waters, the believer buries there all his corrupt affections and past sins; as he emerges thence, he rises regenerate, quickened to new hopes and new life.’ There is nothing in the New Testament to offset this obvious and inevitable interpretation. There are some things [meaning objections] which are brought up, but they vanish on examination. [16]

Some Protestant Pastors Response: If water baptism is part of the New Birth, then why would Paul say: “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel” (1Co 1:17)? Obviously Paul did not think it was important or he would have never made that statement.

My Response: Many Protestant theologians, who have commented on this passage, have declared that Paul is not teaching against the essentiality of water baptism; for example, Dr. Bruce declared: Paul’s references to baptism in 1 Cor. 1. 14-17, does not mean that he regarded the sacrament itself as unimportant, but that the identity of the baptizer was unimportant. [17] Dr. Bruce’s point is well taken, for what was the context of the apostle Paul’s remarks? Was he preaching against the necessity of water baptism in the New Birth or against disunity in the Church, by their glorification of preachers? It was obviously disunity for Paul wrote: “For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.”

“Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other” (1Co 1:11-15). To baptize in one own name meant, in Christian terminology, that the person being baptized belong to or was the property of the one whose name is called over him or her in baptism. It is obvious from the context that the apostle was not preaching against water baptism, but against disunity. “He was frustrated with some these Corinthians because they were exalting or glorifying the preacher who baptized them as, the apostle of Christ, thereby claiming to belong to that sect.” This divided the body of Christ into hostile forces. It was for this reason why Paul said he was happy that he baptized none of them but a few.

Therefore, Paul's correction of the Corinthians does not negate the essentiality of water baptism in God’s plan of salvation. My beloved readers should keep in mind the many passages in the Bible, especially Paul’s teaching, that reveals the essentiality of water baptism; for example, Paul baptized the Philippian Jailer and his family in the middle of the night, having his back beaten with a rod in which he received “many stripes”(Acts 16:22-23)! How can anyone read about Paul’s great sacrifice and say he did not believe that baptism was important? In Titus 3:5, Paul referred to water baptism as: the “washing of regeneration” or the “washing of the New Birth.” Preacher is it not time for you start preaching God’s truth!

Besides all this, Doctors John M’Clintock and James Strong, in their Cyclopedia Of Biblical Theological And Ecclesiastical Literature, revealed that they and a host of other theologians believed that water in John 3:5 most definitely referred to water baptism. They quoted Dr. Hooker as saying: For the first fifteen centuries no one had ever doubted its application to [water] baptism. [18] Therefore, no one can biblically or historically deny that water baptism is not part of the New Birth or God’s regenerative process. Therefore, water baptism is one of the steps of faith that God requires for a believer to receive His grace for salvation. There cannot be any true faith that does not lead to water baptism!

CHAPTER 3

GOD’S NEW BIRTH MESSAGE

For the New Birth message to have any importance in God’s plan of salvation, it would have to be connected to the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ; for it was by means of Jesus’ complete and perfect atonement that God made a way for every man to receive Eternal Life. As my beloved readers read the following study on the New Birth, I challenge them to love God enough to prove this message either true or false; for many, like myself, have discovered truth by trying to prove it wrong!

Brother Cupit, my first pastor, often said when he preached on the New Birth: “I rather you leave here either mad or glad, but please do not walk away indifferent.” For if you are angry, you will go home and try to prove it wrong, but if you are glad then obviously God has given you the revelation of the truth. If you are unresponsive that means you do not take your salvation seriously, therefore, you will not take the time to try to prove it wrong! I would much rather see someone fight against the truth, as the apostle Paul did before God gave him understanding, than for that person to be indifferent toward truth and die lost!

Water And Spirit Baptism Is How The Believer

Enters Into Jesus’ Death, Burial, And Resurrection

Water baptism is not a symbolic ritualistic ceremonial washing as many Protestant preachers try to make it today. “It is the only way a believer can enter into the Lord Jesus Christ’s death and burial. Spirit baptism is how a believer enters into Jesus’ resurrection. Water and Spirit Baptisms is how God applies the precious, sinless blood of Jesus to a believer’s life so their sins can be blotted out.” The apostle Paul taught this truth this way: “For you are all sons of God through faith in [the gospel of] Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into [eis] Christ have put on Christ” (Ga 3:26-27); and “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into [eis] Christ Jesus were baptized into [eis] His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into [eis] death…. For if we have been united [or planted] together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Rom 6:3-5).

There is absolutely no way the words buried and planted could be speaking of Spirit Baptism as some claim. How foolish it would be to say: “We are buried with Him by Spirit baptism into death.” The Spirit of God brings life not death. The great apostle revealed that it is water baptism that places the believer into the death and burial of Christ. He also revealed that it is Spirit baptism that places the believer into the resurrection of Christ (Rom 8:11; 1Co 12:13).

Tertullian (AD 200) confirmed this great truth when he proclaimed: “Whence it follows that they [dead saints] who have by faith attained to the resurrection, are with the Lord after they have once put Him on in their baptism.” [19] Cyprian (AD 255) wrote against the validity of water baptism of so-called heretics who are not Catholic. He argued that if their baptism is legal, then they have put on Christ, or have entered into His death and burial, and are now eligible to be born of the Spirit. Cyprian said it this way: “The apostle says, ‘As many of you as have been [water] baptized into Christ have put on Christ.’ He who having been baptized among the heretics is able to put on Christ, may [now] much more receive the Holy Spirit whom Christ sent.” [20]

Cyril (AD 380), Archbishop of Jerusalem, in his lecture “On Baptism,” not only connected it to our entrance into the death and burial of Jesus, but the purification and salvation of our soul and body. He wrote: “Or know ye not that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by our baptism into death [Rom 6:3-4]…. Since man is of twofold nature soul and body, the purification also is twofold. The one incorporeal for the incorporeal part, and the other bodily for the body: the water cleanses the body, and the Spirit seals the soul; that we may draw near unto God, ‘having our heart sprinkled’ by the Spirit, ‘and our body washed with pure water….’ For without both thou canst not possibly be made perfect. It is not I that say this, but the Lord Jesus Christ, who has the power in this matter: for He saith, ‘Except a man be born anew of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” [21]

The Apostle Paul Taught The New Birth

Consisted Of Water And Spirit Baptism

Paul speaking of the New Birth told Titus: “not by the works of righteousness [meaning keeping the Law of Moses] which we have done, but according to His mercy [grace] He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5). How did Paul say a believer became born again? Was it by our good works or by being a good moral person or keeping the Law of Moses? No, it was by our entering into the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus through the New Birth of water and Spirit baptisms. The word “washing” is the Greek word “loutron.” Professor Walter Bauer, in his Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament And Other Early Christian Literature, defined it as: the bath of the whole body that brings about the New Birth. [22] The word “regeneration” is the Greek word “paliggenesia, Dr. James Strong, in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible, defined it to mean: rebirth, the state or act. [23] Archbishop Trench, in his Synonyms of The New Testament, stated: The washing of regeneration whereof St. Paul speaks has to do with that New-Birth. [24]

The Tyndale Bible (AD 1525) and The Great Bible (AD 1539) translated this verse thus: “He saved us by the fountayne of the Newe Byrth;” the Rheims Bible (AD 1582) as: “the laver of regeneration;” the NIV translated as: “He saved us through the washing of the rebirth;” Weymouth as: “the bath of regeneration;” Young as: “a bathing of regeneration:” Rotherham as: “the bathing of the new birth;" the New Revised Standard Version as: “the water of rebirth,” and The English Bible In Basic English as: “the washing of the new birth and the giving of new life in the Holy Spirit.”

Drs. M’Clintock and Strong speaking of this verse stated: All the ancient and most modern commentators have interpreted it [water] of baptism.... Calvin held that the bath meant baptism. [25] The conclusion of this verse is really inescapable, that is, the apostle connects the New Birth with water baptism. Only a very bias theologian, or a blinded brainwashed believer, would deny that this verse teaches that the water baptism is part of God’s New Birth plan! Those who teach that water baptism denies God’s grace, in actually, are preventing those who believe their doctrine of devils from receiving God’s grace. For no one can receive God grace, that is, enter into the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ any other way than the New Birth of “water and Spirit’ (Jn 3:5)!

Paul again confirmed Jesus’ teaching that the New Birth consisted of water and Spirit baptism, when he told the Corinthians: “But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1Co 6:11). How did the Corinthians become washed, sanctified and justified? Paul says it was by becoming born again of water and Spirit. They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and they received the gift of the Holy Ghost. If my readers would compare this verse with Act 2:38, they would discover that the name of the Lord Jesus was received in water baptism. Sanctification and justification begin at the New Birth, but it continues all through the life of the believer. This is the second passage that confirms Jesus’ teaching that the New Birth consisted of “water and Spirit.”

Dr. Hastings speaking of the above verse in Corinthians wrote: water baptism is not mentioned but certainly implied, it is represented as a cleansing effected through the name of the Lord and through the Divine Spirit.... The importance of this passage is that it explains that baptism can produce these effects because it works in the name.... Baptism is regarded as really giving these results, and not merely as a sign. [26] When a believer is water baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he or she is not only identifying with Jesus’ death and burial, but is actually entering into Jesus’ death and burial. Identifying is only symbolism but entering into is receiving all the benefits of Jesus’ great atonement. There is a world of difference between those two concepts! I might also add, water baptism in the name of Jesus is the only way a believer can become adopted into God’s family, and receive or take on His name as His child (Eph 3:14-15)!

Let my readers take note, water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit baptism, or the New Birth experience, is how Christians become washed, sanctified and justified in the sight of God. Water baptism alone did not do it, and Spirit baptism alone did not do it, for it takes both to do it. This is true because, as I stated before, no one can receive the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior any other way than by being born of water and Spirit. All through the book of Acts water and Spirit baptism are mentioned together when anyone became born again, or had the blood of Jesus applied to them (Acts 2:37-38; 8:12,15-17; 9:17-18 & 22:16; 10:44-48; 19:1-6).

Jesus also taught the New Birth in mystery form, for He said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no [Eternal] Life in you” (Jn 6:53). The only way anyone can become partakers of His flesh and blood, or enter into His death, burial, and resurrection, is by becoming born of water and Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial, or a symbolic expression, of the price our dear Lord paid to save us from a devil’s hell and give us the great gift of Eternal Life. By the way, the gift of Eternal Life is the Lord Jesus Christ, for he is Eternal Life (1Jn 1:1-2). Therefore, the Lord’s Supper is God way of reminding us of His great love for us, and how we became partakers of His body and blood by means of the New Birth.

The Blood Of Jesus Is Applied At The New Birth

Spirit, Water, And Blood Bear Witness To The New Birth: No one can separate water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and Spirit baptism from the blood of Christ. The apostle John told all true believers that the New Birth is how the blood of Jesus is applied to their spirit, soul and body. He said that these baptisms constitute one witness to them concerning their salvation. John said it this way: “and three are [eisi] who are testifying [martureo] in the earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and the three are [eisi] into the one” (1Jn 5:8, YLT). According to Drs. Friberg, the Greek verb “eisi” means: “be, relating to what exists; (1) to denote God's existence (HE 11.6); o` w;n the one who is, exists (RV 1.4); (2) to denote Christ's self-designation of himself evgw, eiv. I am (JN 8.58). [27] The Greek verbal participle “martureo” is plural in number, and it means witnessing or testifying.

Therefore, according to John, the Spirit baptism, water baptism, and the blood of Jesus, are all witnessing on the earth of one thing, that is, the Eternal Life that comes from Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. John confirmed this truth when he declared: “If we receive the witness of men, the witness [marturia] of God is greater; for this is the witness [marturia] of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in [eis - into] the Son of God has the witness [marturia] in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony [marturia] that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony [marturia]: that God has given us Eternal Life, and this [Eternal] Life is in His Son” (verses 9-11). “Marturia” is the Greek noun form of the verb “martureo.” Hence, if we have truly believed into Christ, then we will have a witness of the blood, a witness of water baptism in His Name, and a witness of God’s Holy Spirit, that our faith, obedience, and belief in the gospel of Christ is a correct one.

Paul, like Jesus and John, taught that water baptism and Spirit baptism constitute one New Birth, which brings to us the Eternal Life that is in Christ. Paul taught that there is one and only one: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph 4:5). There are no contradictions between this verse and the one in Hebrews, where Paul spoke of the foundational doctrines the Church was founded upon. He wrote: “Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms” (Heb 6:1-2). Therefore, Paul revealed that water and Spirit baptisms are considered as one baptism in the sight of God. In other words, the New Birth does not consist of water baptism alone, or Spirit baptism alone, but it takes both to constitute the New Birth; one is incomplete without the other, for no one can be saved by one alone, it takes both to receive Eternal Life! It takes both to enter into Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

It takes both to apply the blood of Christ to a believer’s soul and spirit. This is why God used the imagery of the blood being applied in three places in the Old Testament in connection to the salvation He provided for His children: 1) God saved all the firstborn children of God in Egypt from death, who had the Lamb’s blood applied on the two side posts and the lintel of the door to their home. 2) Under the Old or Mosaic Covenant, God would not blot out Israel’s sins on the Day of Atonement, until the Lamb’s blood was applied on the Brazen Altar in the Outer Court, all the furniture the Holy Place, and on the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies. All of these types represented Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, and the New Birth of “water and Spirit” that placed us into Christ!

Blood Is For The Remission Of Sins: The Bible clearly revealed that the precious blood of Jesus is for the remission of sins (Rom 3:25; Ga 1:4; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; Heb 9:22; Rev 1:5). It also informed us that Jesus’ death at Calvary alone did not bring remission of sin, but it also took His resurrection from the dead, before His holy sinless blood could be applied to the human race. For “if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1Co 15:17). Therefore, Jesus had to die, and be buried, and be resurrected from the dead before His holy sinless blood could remit anyone’s sins.

At the Lord’s Supper, Jesus connected the New Covenant with His blood when He said, “For this is my blood of the New Testament [or New Covenant], which is shed for many for [eis] the remission [aphesis] of sins” (Mt 26:28). The Greek noun “diatheke” is used 33 times and is translated as covenant 20 times, testament 13 times. It means a testament or will, a compact or a covenant. The Greek word “aphesis” is used 17 times, and is translated as remission 9 times, forgiveness 6 times, deliverance 1 time, and liberty 1 time. Dr. Thayer declared it means: 1) release from bondage or imprisonment 2) forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty. [28]

The Word of God clearly declares that everyone who wants to be saved must enter into Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, by means of the New Covenant, to have the blood of Jesus applied to their spirit, soul and body. For the scripture says: “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: ‘I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,’ then He adds, ‘Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is remission [aphesis] of these, there is no longer an offering for sin” (Heb 10:16-18).

The Name Of The Lord Jesus Christ In Water Baptism Is For The Remission Of Sins: Jesus gave His apostles and disciples the Great Commission or the Gospel of the New Covenant. He told them “repentance and remission [aphesis] of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Lk 24:47). Peter, being in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, obeyed the Great Commission by preaching water baptism for the remission of sins, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He told the believing Jews, who believed the gospel: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for [eis - into] the remission [aphesis] of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”(Acts 2:38). In both passages of scriptures, Dr. Luke connected remission of sins to the name of Jesus, which Peter connected to water baptism.

The Greek preposition “eis” is in the accusative case (direct object) and essentially means “into.” Some preachers who distort or twist the Word of God declare that “eis” should be translated as: “because of the remission of sins.” The NIV, DBY, RSV, NAB, and NAS all translate it as “for,” and the ASV as “unto.” There is not one translation of the Bible that I know of that translated “eis” as “because of.” Not one of these false prophets would dare translate or interpret Matthew 26:28 as: “This is my blood… which is shed for many because of [eis] the remission [aphesis] of sins” (Mt 26:28). In this passage, the preposition “eis” is also in the “accusative case!” O’ the pits deceivers fall into when they sow their seeds of deceit.

Peter preached the same New Birth message to the gentiles at Cornelius’ house as he did to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost. He said: “To Him [Jesus] all the prophets witness that through His name, whoever believes in [eivj - into] Him will receive remission [aphesis] of sins” (Ac 10:43). Cornelius and those in his house then received the Holy Ghost and began to praise God in tongues. Now, since water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and is part of God’s New Birth message, Peter “commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” (Verse 48, NIV, also see the ASV, NAS, NAB, RSV, & TLB). Therefore, their New Birth consisted of being born of the Spirit first and then the water!

Ananias obeyed the Great Commission for he told Paul, three days after he became a believer in the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord: “Why are you waiting? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away [apolouo] your sins, calling upon the name of the Lord” (Ac 22:16)! Since the verb is in the imperative mood, it is a command and not an option; and because it is in the middle voice, it means to be cleanse or purified from sins. Therefore, water baptism in the New Birth is definitely connected to the blood of Christ, which is for the remission of sins.

As we look for the harmony in all of the above scriptures, we should ask where, or at what point, does the precious blood of Christ remit a believer’s sins? Is it at the moment one believes the gospel? If so, why has God through His Word connected water baptism in the name of Jesus and Spirit baptism with remission of sins? Is it when a believer is baptized in the name of Jesus? If so, why has God connected Spirit baptism with remission of sins? Is it when a believer is baptized into the Spirit? If so, why has God connected water baptism in the name of Jesus with remission of sins?

Permit me to ask you a question; can one Scripture in the Holy Word of God contradict another? Since the obvious answer is no, let us follow the principles of hermeneutics and find an interpretation that will harmonize with all the scriptures on this most important doctrine. The only logical conclusion would be that our sins are remitted through the blood of Christ, which is applied to us when the name of Jesus is invoked over us in water baptism, and when we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The Bible calls this the New Birth.

Another way of stating the above truth, is by saying, our Day of Atonement, by which our sins are blotted out of God’s memory forever, will only come on the day we complete the New Birth. If we have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and we have not received the Holy Ghost, our Day of Atonement has not come. If we have received the Holy Ghost and have not been baptized in Jesus’ Name, our Day of Atonement is still in the future, for it has not yet come.

God by His great grace cleanses our conscience from all the guilt of sins the moment we believe the gospel and repent of our sins, but He will still remember our sins until our Day of Atonement has come. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that we believe into the death and burial of Christ by being water baptized in the holy sin cleansing name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe into His resurrection by being baptized in the Holy Ghost. The blood of our Passover Lamb can only be applied to our spirit, soul and body by means of the New Birth.

Water Baptism Is The Place Where God

Performs Heart Surgery On The Believer

God established a covenant with Abraham, in which circumcision was given as a sign and a seal of this covenant. Paul said Abraham: “received the sign of circumcision, [as a] seal of the righteousness of the faith he had” (Rom 4:11). Every male child that was not circumcised was not in a covenant relationship with God and was under the death sentence. God spoke to Abraham and said: “the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant” (Gen 17:10-14). There was absolutely no way anyone could be saved without circumcision under God’s Old Testament Covenant. The covenant of circumcision was symbolic of cutting off the very fountainhead of sin, which came from the heart of man. God told Israel: “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart… lest my fury come forth like fire” (Jer 4:4).

The apostle Paul told the Colossians that Jesus Christ performed heart surgery on them or circumcised their hearts in water baptism. This circumcision of the heart made it possible for the Holy Spirit to reign freely on the throne of their heart. Paul said that the believer was: “circumcised with the circumcision made without hands” (Col 2:11-12). What was the result of this circumcision? The “putting off the body of the sins of the flesh.” Where did this body of sin originate? Jesus taught sin originates in our heart (Mt 15:18-19; Rom 2:29). Where did this heart surgery take place? “Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with Him.”

The apostle Paul openly declared in the above verses that God circumcised our hearts in water baptism, where our human spirit no longer desires to live in or practice sin. Drs. M’Clintock and Strong speaking of this verse wrote: The obvious reason for the comparison of the two rites is that circumcision was the entrance to the Jewish Church and the Ancient Covenant. They continued by saying: whereas water baptism is the entrance into the Christian Church and the New Covenant.... Paul therefore calls baptism the circumcision made without hands and speaks of the putting off of the sins of the flesh. [29]

For this reason, Paul declared that God’s children have power over sin, whereby we are no longer its slaves. Paul wrote: “How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it” (Rom 6:2)? Paul went on to tells us how and when we became dead to sin. He said: “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried [sunthapto] with Him through baptism into death…. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of [or practice or continue in] sin…. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him” (Verses 3-8).

Let my readers take note, the apostle declared that God’s children became dead to sin in water baptism, not when they repented of their sins. Even though repentance means that a believer should be determine and make ever effort to forsake all sins and turn their back on it, and turn their face toward God, this does not mean he or she has the power to live in continuous victory over sin. Only a heart transplant can give the believer the power to live for God in holiness, and that takes place in water baptism.

If the word buried has any meaning at all, there is absolutely no way that water baptism in these verses of scripture could represent Spirit baptism. Dr. Thayer defines the Greek verb “sunthapto” as: to bury together with… Rom 6:4… Col 2:12; for all who in the rite of baptism are plunged under the water (#5094). Dr. Bauer defined it as: of the believers being buried together with their Lord in baptism… Col 2:12 (#7100). All of the above references should be ample proof to anyone with an honest heart that Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12 are speaking of water baptism and not Spirit Baptism.

When the apostle declares that the believers’ old man has been crucified what does he mean by that? It cannot mean that our sinful nature has been eradicated, eliminated, or exterminated, for if that was so there would be no way that a child of God could sin, even if he or she wanted to. The very fact that John told holy men and women of God “if anyone sins” (1Jn 2:1), lets us know that born again believer still have a sin nature. If God’s children had no sin nature, then why did Paul teach that the new heart or nature that God has given all born again believers, which is the very nature of Christ or the Holy Spirit, wars against our old nature or old man (Ga 5:16-17).

Therefore, I ask again what does Paul mean that our old man was crucified with Christ? The answer is given over and over again not only in this passage but in the entire chapter. Paul admonished all of God's children that they should not be ignorant of what happened to them when they were baptized into Jesus’ death and burial. He simply told them that they have now entered into or became partakers of Jesus’ death, and burial, and therefore our old man or sinful nature was put to death with Jesus at Calvary. According to Paul, God has circumcised our hearts and has given us a new nature, and has removed the old sinful nature, not out of our flesh, but from the throne of our hearts; or in other words, the old man no longer rules and reigns on the throne of our hearts any longer. It does not control our desires any longer. Therefore, we are no longer slaves to sin.

We do not have to live in or continue in, or practice sin any longer; in other words, sin does not have dominion over us or dominate our heart’s desires any longer, whereby we are its slaves, for the new heart or new nature that God has given us desires holiness and righteousness. The Holy Spirit of God is now free to rule on the thrones of our hearts. This is why the great apostle Paul told us that we are a: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2Co 5:17).

The apostle Peter, like Paul, gave a similar analogy of the role of water baptism in bringing the believer into a New Birth, whereby the believer becomes a New Man. He compared how Noah and his family were saved by means of water, to the role water baptism plays in the believer’s salvation. He said: “this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you” (1Pe 3:20-21, NIV). Let my readers take note; the Bible did not say water baptism was a mere sign or symbol of salvation. It unequivocally and without dispute declared water baptism plays an important role in our salvation. What does your pastor declare?

Professor Maurice Goguel, in his book on church history The Primitive Church, confirmed this truth when he wrote: The idea of being saved from water would have been expected rather than through water…. The preposition may signify as it usually does by means of - in this case the meaning would be, ‘he was saved by water which carried the Ark....’ The common feature between the Ark and baptism is that they are means of salvation. [30]

Since the Bible boldly proclaimed that Noah and his family were save by means of water, what does this mean? Before we can examine the role the water played in their and our salvation, we must understand what the Ark represented. This story clearly portrays the salvation God offers to all men through the Lord Jesus Christ. The Ark represented the man Jesus Christ. Just as Noah and his family had to be in the Ark to be saved, all of mankind must be in Christ to be saved from death and God’s wrath.

The Ark was made of wood and had only one door and three levels (Gen 6:14-16). The wood represented the humanity of Christ. The one door to the ark represented the man Jesus Christ as the one and only mediator between God and man (1Ti 2:5-6; Jn 10:7-9). For everyone who wants to be saved must go through Him and get into Him. The three levels of the ark represented the three natures of Jesus’ humanity, that is, His Spirit, Soul, and body. The Spirit represented the highest level of the ark; the Soul the middle level, and the body being the lowest nature represented the lowest level.

Now, let’s examine the part water played in Noah’s and our salvation. The lowest level of the Ark was entombed by water, which gives us a beautifully portrait of Jesus’ death and His body entombed in the grave. The water was the medium that God used to carry the ark to a new world, which was a type of the resurrection and His ascension into heaven. For Jesus’ death and burial was the medium that made the resurrection possible. Jesus could not have been raised from the dead if He had not first died.

Therefore, water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is how believers, like Noah and his family, can get into or become partakers of our Lord and Savior’s death and burial. It is the medium that carries the believer from the old world of bondage and sin to a new world of freedom and power. It is also the medium that makes it possible for us to receive His Holy Spirit, which places us into Jesus’ resurrection. Water baptism in Jesus’ name is God’s guarantee to believers that they will receive His great and precious gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38).

To summarize the above story, Noah and his family to become saved from the wrath or judgments of God, they had to FIRST believe God’s flood gospel, that is, there was going to be flooded. Therefore, their only hope of salvation was the Ark of Christ (Gen 6:17-18). SECOND, their faith would have to lead them to action, for “faith without works is dead” (Ja 2:26). Noah’s faith had to lead him to obey God’s explicit instructions or plan of salvation (Gen 6:14-16; 7:5). Noah’s faith led him to enter into the Ark of Christ, whereby he became entombed or buried inside of the Ark.

THIRD, God used the water as the medium to carry all those in the Ark of Christ to a place of safety. Let Us not forget, that God delivered Noah and his family from the old world of sin they lived in by means of water that carried the Ark to a new world. In the old sinful world sin sat on its throne, which was located in the hearts of mankind, as an unconquered king that enslaved it subjects. But in the new world Noah and his family were free from the strong power and influence of sin. For all the sinful works of the flesh were drown with all the sinners and left behind in the old world.

This is a beautiful illustration of what water baptism in Jesus' Name will do for the believer today. The apostle Paul in Col 2:10-11 and Rom 6:1-6 confirmed this great truth Peter taught in the above verses. Paul emphatically declared that we entered into Jesus’ death and burial by means of water baptism in His holy and glorious name. It was there that the old sinful heart was circumcised, whereby sin no longer rules on the throne of our hearts any longer. We are definitely free from its power to control out desires. This is why we are no longer slaves to sin. Because the old man has been removed from the throne of our heart, the Holy Spirit of God is now free come in and reign.

Let us never forget, the same baptismal waters that brought Noah and his family to a place of safety and a new world, also condemned and destroyed all those who refused to believe and obey God message of salvation. This same truth definitely applies today, for all those who refuse to believe and obey Acts 2:38, God’s New Birth message, will die lost being on the outside of the Ark of Christ. Yes, Jesus said what He meant, and meant what He said, every believer in the gospel “must be born of water and Spirit.”

The Importance Of Water Baptism In The New Birth

The International Standard Bible Encylopaedia in an article on the “ordinance of baptism” declared: Scripture… states in detail particular baptismal blessings: (a) Regeneration, Tit 3:5; Jn 3:3,5. Despite Calvin and others, the overwhelming consensus of interpreters still agrees with the ancient church and with Luther in explaining both these texts of baptism. (b) Remission of sins, or justification (Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Cor 6:11; Eph 5:26; Heb 10:22)…. (c) The establishment of a spiritual union with Christ, and a new relationship with God (Gal 3:26,27; Rom 6:3,4; Col 2:12). In this connection the prepositions with which Grk: baptizein in the New Testament connects may be noted. Grk: Baptizein eis, ‘to baptize into,’ always denotes the relation into which the party baptized is placed…. (d) The sanctifying gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:13; Tit 3:5). [31]

This encyclopedia went on to say: In the New Testament we find that baptism is intimately connected with the following: with remission of sins, as in Acts 22:16… with engrafting into Christ, with union with Him, as in Gal 3:27 and union in definite ways in His death, His burial, and His resurrection, as in Rom 6:3‑6… with entering into a new relationship with God, that of sonship, as in Gal 3:26‑29; …with the gift of salvation as in Mk 16:16 and Jn 3:5. From these and similar passages theologians conclude that baptism is a sign and a seal of our engrafting into Christ and our union with him, of remission of sins, regeneration, adoption and Eternal Life. [32]

Dr. James Hastings in his great work entitled, The Encyclopedia Of Religion and Ethics, speaking about the importance of water baptism in the history from the 1^st through the 8^th century declared: The dominant ideas were those of forgiveness of sins [and] regeneration.... He is born again to another world, and whereas in the world, which he leaves, he was under the control of evil spirits and fate, and in the world that he enters he is under the control of the Holy Spirit.... The change effected by baptism was attributed to the name [of Jesus invoked at baptism] and to the water, which were regarded as actually effective and not merely symbolic. This view is strange to modern minds, especially to Protestants.... From the second through eight century... the notions of baptism in the church have not essentially altered. The result of baptism was universally considered to be forgiveness of sins. [33]

Some of the last words Jesus spoke to His apostles and disciples when giving them the Great Commission were: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mk 16:16, YLT). Let my readers take note, our great God and Savior placed believing the Gospel and water baptism as two necessary elements in His plan for salvation. The verb “will be saved” (swqh,setai) in this verse is in the future tense, passive voice, and indicative mood. This means salvation was in the future and not at the very moment one believes and is water baptized.

All those who willingly or ignorantly wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction, interpret Jesus’ command this way: “He that believeth is saved at that moment, and then should be baptized so they can make a public confession of their salvation.” Anyone who would interpret this scripture this way would be guilty of adding to and subtracting from the Word of God. This can only mean that they are under the curse of Deuteronomy 4:21 and Revelation 22:18, unless they repent of this evil. Therefore, Jesus in this passage, just like the passage when He spoke to Nicodemus on the New Birth, connected salvation to water baptism.

The apostle Matthew, like Mark, revealed that water baptism was part of the Great Commission Jesus gave to his apostles. Matthew recorded Jesus’ teaching on water baptism as: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name….” (Mt 28:19). The physician Luke recorded Jesus’ command to baptize this way: “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His Name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Lk 24:47). The apostle Peter knew and fulfilled the Great Commission when he preached to the great multitude on the day of Pentecost. He said: “Repent and be baptized everyone 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, KJV). In this verse, the great apostle told us how to become saved. He declared water baptism in the sin cleansing name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the reception of the Holy Spirit are how the New Birth takes place.

This was the answer Peter gave to the thousands of Jews who crucified Christ, when they asked him “and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do” (Acts 2:37)? The very context of these scriptures reveals that these people believed Peter’s preaching about Christ. This led them to repent. Therefore, they now wanted to know “how they could be forgiven of their sins,” or “how they could become saved.” Peter, with the assent of all the apostles who were present, told them clear and understandable terms how to become born from above, in other words, how to become “born of the water and Spirit” (Jn 3:5).

Ananias also connected water baptism to the remission of sins and salvation, when he baptized Paul; for he told Paul: “Why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on [invoking] the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). The apostle Paul connected the “New Birth of water and Spirit baptisms” to justification, remission of sins, and the bath of the New Birth. Paul declared: “You were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1Co 6:11); and “He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5). The apostle Peter in clear and precise words proclaimed, baptism does “now save us” (1Pe 3:21). Water baptism definitely plays a part in our salvation, by placing the believer into the death and burial of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Where And When Did The Apostle Paul

Experience The New Birth?

The majority of Protestant denominations teach that Paul became born again on the road to Damascus, but the Word of God does not agree with their position. The following is the biblical order of events that happen to Paul on the road to Damascus. No preacher would deny that it was there Paul saw Jesus in a vision, and believed in His resurrection. It was there Paul acknowledged Jesus as the LORD, repented of his sins, and obeyed the Word of God by going to Damascus. The Bible says it this way: “Suddenly a light shone around him [Paul] from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, LORD?’ Then the LORD said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting…. So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘LORD, what do You want me to do?’ Then the LORD said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:3-6).

The Bible also reveals that Paul prayed and fasted in Damascus for three days while waiting for God to show him what to do (vss 8-9). Now tell me Preacher, in the above order of events that happen to Paul, at what point would you declare him to be saved or born again. If you say he received eternal life on the road to Damascus, then please tell me how could a saved man not have the Holy Spirit, or have his sins remitted?

For Ananias came to him after these events, laid his hands on him and prayed for him to receive his “sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized” in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 9:17-18). Therefore, the Bible undeniably reveals that Paul was born of the Holy Spirit of God 3 days after he believed the gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The Samarians, like Paul, did not receive the Holy Spirit when they believed the gospel. In fact, they were not born of the Spirit even after they were baptized (Acts 8:5, 12). It was about 7 days after these events transpired: “When the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (vss 14-16).

It was 3 days after Paul believed the gospel that Ananias told him: “Why are you waiting? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away [apolouo] your sins calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16, also 6-15). Those who pervert the scriptures teach that this verse should read: “Arise and be baptized for your sins have been washed away.” The KJV, NKJ, NIV, ASV, NAS, and RSV all translate this verse correctly as “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins.” Professor Darby’s translated it as: “Arise and get baptized, and have thy sins washed away.” The New American Bible translated it as: “Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away.”

Drs. Friberg speaking of this verse says the Greek word “apolouo” is used: in the NT of the relation of baptism to pardon for sins, as a breaking from the sinful past, wash away one’s sins (AC 22.16); become pure (1C 6.11) (#3176). Dr. Thayer defined it as: to wash off or away in the N. T. twice in 1 aorist middle… 1 Cor. 6:11… [and] Acts 22:16. For the sinner is unclean, polluted as it were by the filth of his sins. Whoever obtains remission of sins has his sins put, so to speak, out of God’s sight -- is cleansed from them in the sight of God. Remission is (represented as) obtained by undergoing baptism; hence, those who have gone down into the baptismal bath… (Titus 3:5; Eph. 5:26) are said… to have washed themselves, or… to have washed away their sins, i. e. to have been cleansed from their sins (#652).

Hastings in The Encyclopedia Of Religion and Ethics translated this verse thus: Arise, get thyself baptized (middle voice as usual), and so wash away from thyself thy sins, invoking His Name. The author of A New Standard Bible Dictionary speaking of this verse stated: Ananias bids Paul ‘Arise, accept baptism (mid. voice) and wash away thy sins, invoking His Name....’ Thus baptism as burial in the water became to Paul a visible emblem and actual means of salvation in the Christian’s experience. [34] In conclusion, Paul could not have been saved until he entered into the death and burial of Christ by means of water baptism in Jesus’ Name, and entered into His resurrection by receiving the Holy Ghost. God will not wash away or blot our sins out of His memory, until we have been baptized in His name and have received His Spirit. There is no biblical way you can believe into Christ’s death, burial and resurrection without being born of water and Spirit.

Old Testament Typology

Confirmed Jesus’ Teaching On The New Birth

Israel’s Deliverance From Egypt: The children of Israel were commanded by God to kill a Passover Lamb so they could be saved from death (Exo 12:1-14). This naturally represented Jesus’ death as our Passover (1Co 5:7). God also commanded them to take the Lamb’s blood and apply it on three places on the door to their house. Since this was for their salvation, it represented the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord, and it also signified repentance, water baptism in Jesus’ name, and reception of the Holy Ghost, which is how one became partakers of the gospel.

Calvary is the only place a sinner can go to obtain deliverance from sin, and receive protection from the angel of death! Calvary is the place where a sinner falls in love with God and repents of their sins. After a sinner believes the gospel and repents of his or her sins, then are they ready to come out of Egypt, which is a type of the world or Satan’s kingdom. Let my readers take note: it was only after the children of Israel came out of Egypt that they experience a New Birth. Paul speaking of it wrote: “All our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1Co 10:1-2). According to Exodus 13:21 and 14:24, God was in cloud, which represented baptism in the Spirit, and the Red Sea represented water baptism. Why did Paul give this typology to God’s Church, if it was not to identify their birth of water and Spirit with that of Israel’s?

The Ordination To The Priesthood: Almighty God gave Aaron, his sons and their sons His commandments for ordination into the priesthood, which was also a type of the New Birth. God told Moses, who was a type of Christ to: “Wash them [Aaron and his sons] with water... and pour... anointing oil” on their head, and the priest’s office shall be theirs (Exo 29:4, 7, 9). Every Bible teacher knows that the Old Testament anointing oil represented the Holy Ghost. Water baptism was so essential in their ordination that God commanded His priests to: “Wash with water that they die not” (Exo 30:20). These were some the last words God spoke to His people when giving them the Tabernacle Plan, which contained God’s instruction for salvation, or His forgiveness of Israel’s sins.

The apostle Peter called all born again believers a: “holy priesthood” and a “royal priesthood”(1Pe 2:5, 9). Only a blind person would not be able to see the clear typology of the New Birth in the above scriptures. Even the humanity of Christ, as our High Priest, had to go through a type of New Birth experience when He was being ordained to the priesthood. The Bible says, when He ascended up from the “water,” the “Spirit” descended upon Him. Jesus, in His role as a man, had no sins that needed to be remitted by the baptism of John, but He did this to fulfill all the symbolic expressions God used to reveal salvation (Mt 3:15). Jesus was not receiving the Holy Spirit when the dove descended on Him, for He had the Spirit of God in Him “without measure,” when He was in the womb of Mary (Jn 3:34; 1:1, 14; Acts 10:38).

The Tabernacle In The Wilderness: This was not only a type of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, but also of the New Birth. Paul revealed that the earthly tabernacle: “serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, ‘See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain” (Heb 8:5); and the “first tabernacle… was symbolic for the present time…. [For] Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation” (Heb 9:8-9, 11); and “the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things” (Heb 10:1). Therefore, the tabernacle, all the furniture in it, the sacrifice, and the High Priest represented the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the Old Testament, as the priest enters into the tabernacle, he came to the courtyard wherein there were two pieces of furniture. The first piece of furniture, which was placed directly behind the door of the tabernacle, was a large brazen altar. This altar was not only very wide but it also was very high. In fact the priest had to climb steps to get to the altar. God made it this way so that it be the center of attraction in the courtyard. God evidently wanted every sinner who came into the tabernacle to focus his or her attention on this magnificent piece of furniture. It was made of acacia wood overlaid with brass. The altar had four horns on it, one on each corner (Exo 27:1-2).

The altar represented Christ’s death on Calvary’s cross. The wood of it represented Christ’s humanity, and the brass represented God’s judgment or wrath that would be poured out upon His humanity. The altar was a place of death, where the sin offering would be slain. Paul speaking of these things said it this way: “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man… offered one sacrifice for sins forever” (Heb 10:19-12). The cross, like the brazen altar, was high above the ground. Jesus speaking of it said: “if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.’ This He said, signifying by what death He would die” (Jn 12:32-33). As I said before, Calvary is the place where sinful men come in contact with a holy God, as they believe the gospel and repent of all their sins.

The next piece of furniture was a large brass laver or basin, which was placed directly in front of the door that led into God’s Holy Sanctuary (Exo 30:17-21). According to verse twenty, God commanded the priests to “wash with water, lest they die.” This was part of the priest’s purification process, whereby he would wash away all impurities from his flesh. No priest was allowed to go into God’s Sanctuary without offering a sacrifice on the Brazen Altar and then washing at the Brazen Laver, for if he did he was under God’s death sentence.

The brasen basin natural represented our dear Lord’s burial. This is why the apostle Paul connected water baptism to the burial of Christ. Paul said it this way: “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death” (Rom 6:4, Tit 3:5, NIV). In this verse, Paul related water baptism not only to Jesus’ death and burial, but also to how the believer enter into and became partakers of Jesus’ death and burial.

The Jewish Encyclopedia speaking of water baptism declared that it was part of the purification process a proselyte to Judaism had to go through to be considered a child of God. It stated: Baptism of the proselyte has for its purpose his cleansing from the impurity of idolatry, and the restoration to the purity of a new-born man. This may be learned from the Talmud (Sotah 12b) [35] Therefore, water baptism in Jesus’ name is the only way anyone can enter into or become partakers of Jesus’ death and burial.

God’s Holy Sanctuary was a tent building that consisted of two rooms, the front room was called the Holy Place, and the back room was called the Holy of Holies, and a heavy woven veil separated the two rooms (Exo 26:31-33). In the Holy Place there was three pieces of furniture, a golden lamp-stand, a table of holy bread, and an altar of incense (vss 35-37 & 30:1-10). In the Holy of Holies, there were one piece of furniture the Ark of the Covenant. The Mercy Seat was a lid that was place on top of the Ark (Exo 26:34). It had a figure of a Cherub placed on each side with their wings touching each other. Inside the Ark were the Ten Commandments, the rod of Aaron that brought forth fruit, and a pot of manna (Heb 9:3-5).

The lamp-stand in the Holy Place represented Jesus in His role as: the “Light of the world” (Jn 8:12). The table of holy bread revealed Christ as the Word of God, the Bread of Life, or the “Living Bread” that came down from heaven (Jn 6:51). The altar of incense represented Jesus’ intercession ministry as the one and only man that can intercede or mediate between “God and men” (1Ti 2:5-6). The veil signifies the “flesh” of Christ, which was put to death so that all born again believers can now “enter into the Holiest” (Heb 10:19-20).

Only the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies once a year, but not without blood (Heb 9:7-8). The high priest would take the Lamb’s blood and sprinkle it on the Mercy Seat, and God would appear to him there, and he could commune with God. As this was taking place, the body of the Lamb, which was on the Brazen Altar, would ascend into heaven in the sight of all. Therefore, the Holy of Holies represented the resurrection of Christ from the dead (vss 24-25). We enter into His resurrection by being born of His Spirit, which gives the born again believer access to God’s mercy and forgiveness, whereby they can have now have fellowship and communion with their Savior.

All Ancient Preachers Taught The New Birth

Consisted Of Water And Spirit Baptism

Alfred Edersheim, in his work entitled, The Life And Times Of Jesus The Messiah, spoke of Jewish baptism. He revealed that gentiles: who became ‘proselytes of righteousness’ or ‘proselytes of the Covenant’ were to be admitted to full participation in the privileges of Israel by the threefold rites of circumcision, baptism, and sacrifice. [36] Some of the Jewish Rabbis speaking in the Talmud of water baptism and circumcision stated: If an Israelite bought slaves from a heathen, who had been circumcised but not immersed... their spittle and the place where they tread in the street are unclean. [37]

In a set of books called the Ante Nicene Fathers, we can find the writings of the Catholic priests, who wrote between AD 100-325. All of these men believed that the New Birth consisted of water and Spirit baptism. My beloved readers should bear in mind as they read the very strong statements of these priests and apologists, that they associated the grace of God with the New Birth experience. They did not believe that anyone could receive the grace of God without being “born of water and Spirit.” In fact anyone who would deny that water baptism was how one received God’s grace, would have been considered a heretic, not only by Catholic priests but also by the ministers of all the other denominations of that day.

The following quotes are from the Ante Nicene Fathers: The Epistle Of Barnabas (AD 100), spoke thus of water baptism: We indeed descend into the water full of sins and defilement, but come up bearing fruit in our heart, having the fear [of God] and trust in Jesus in our spirit. ‘And whosoever shall eat of these shall live for ever.’ [38] Ignatius (AD 107), a Bishop of Antioch, in his Epistle to the Trallians stated: Wherefore also, ye appear to me to live not after the manner of men, but according to Jesus Christ, who died for us, in order that, by believing in His death, ye may by baptism be made partakers of His resurrection. [39] Ignatius in his Epistle to the Epistle to the Philippians praised them for their obedience, and encouraged them to walk in the truth: as Paul admonished you. For there is one baptism, which is administered that we should have fellowship with the death of the Lord; and also one elect Church. [40]

Justin Martyr (AD 150), n his First Apology, spoke of the baptism of new converts this way: They are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated…. They then receive the washing with water for Christ also said, ‘except ye be born again, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. This [commandment] we have learned from the apostles. He went on to say: we may obtain in the water the remission of sins formerly committed.... And this water is called illumination, because they who learn these things are illuminated in their understanding. [41]

Bishop Irenaeus (AD 180) wrote: We are lepers in sin, we are made clean, by the means of the sacred water and the invocation of the [name of the] Lord from our old transgressions. Being spiritually regenerated as new-born babes, even as the Lord has declared: ‘except a man be born again through water and the Spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. [42] Irenaeus also declared that Jesus gave: the disciples the power of regeneration into God, He said to them, ‘Go and teach all nations, baptizing them….’ For our bodies have received unity among themselves by means of that layer which leads to incorruption; but our souls by means of the Spirit. Wherefore both are necessary, since both contribute towards the life of God. [43] Irenaeus speaking about Peter’s preaching to Cornelius and his household said: he also bare witness to them that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, the Judge of quick and dead, into whom he did also command them to be baptized for the remission of sins.” [44]

Clement of Alexandria (AD 200) declared that a repented sinner who believes the gospel of Christ: is perfected by the washing - baptism - alone, and is sanctified by the descent of the Spirit.” He went on to say that water baptism is how: we cleanse away our sins. [45] He also said: We who are baptized, having wiped off the sins, which obscure the light of the Divine Spirit, have the eye of the spirit free, unimpeded, and full of light, by which alone we contemplate the Divine, the Holy Spirit flowing down to us from above. [46]

Tertullian (AD 200) wrote an essay on baptism. In it he proclaimed: The prescript is laid down, that without baptism, salvation is attainable by none, chiefly on the ground of that declaration of the Lord, who says, ‘unless one be born of water, he hath not life. [47] He went on to connect water baptism with God’s grace. He said: The act of baptism; the clothing, in some sense, of the faith which before was bare, and which cannot exist now without its proper law. For the law of baptizing has been imposed and the formula prescribed, ‘…unless a man have been reborn of water and Spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens,’ has tied faith to the necessity of baptism. [48]

Hippolytus (AD 225) revealed that Christ came to give man immortality. Jesus: came to man in order to wash him with water and the Spirit; and He, begetting us again to incorruption of soul and body, breathed into us the breath [spirit] of life, and endued us with an incorruptible panoply [a full suit of armor]. If, therefore, man has become immortal… [by] water and the Holy Spirit…. Wherefore I preach to this effect: Come, all ye kindreds of the nations, to the immortality of baptism. [49]

Cyprian (AD 252) wrote a letter to Donatus in which he says: I used to indulge my sins as if they were actually parts of me, and indigenous to me. But after that, by the help of the water of new birth, the stain of former years had been washed away, and a light from above, serene and pure, had been infused into my reconciled heart, — after that, by the agency of the Spirit breathed from heaven, a second birth had restored me to a new man. [50]

Gregory of Nazianzus (AD 370) proclaimed that Jesus: bestow freely upon us the grace of baptism." Then he admonishes all to come and ‘view the image of our regeneration, as it is emblematically presented in these waters. [51] As my beloved readers can perceive by now, all of these preachers believed the New Birth was of “water baptism and spirit baptism, and a believer could not receive God’s Grace or salvation without both. What does your pastor believe and teach? If he does not teach what Jesus and the apostles taught about the New Birth of “water and Spirit,” then I, if I was you, would be looking a pastor who will tell me the truth! Please do not let a false prophet lead you to hell.

Many Of The Reformers Taught The New Birth

Consisted Of Water And Spirit Baptism

The one God Apostolic Church and the Roman Catholic Church, in all ages of church history, have always taught the necessity of water baptism for salvation. This doctrine is not accepted among many Protestant preachers of today; for they believe that water baptism is only a ritual or symbolic expression of a believer’s identification with Christ’s death and burial. Church history reveals that only a few of the Protestant Reformers taught this doctrine of devils, while the majority taught the absolute necessary of water baptism toward salvation.

The Encyclopedia of Religion, which was composed by many scholars of different religious persuasions, stated: Tertullian formulated, in his treatise On Baptism, what can be regarded as an all but universal consensus about the effects of baptism: remission of sins, deliverance from death, regeneration, and bestowal of the Holy Spirit. Eastern and Western [Catholic] churches fathers [from AD 200-499], all the medieval scholastics [from AD 500-1500], and many of the Protestant Reformers would be able to subscribe to that formulation [52] This encyclopedia also declared: In Christianismi Restitutio [The Restoration Of Christianity – AD 1553] Michael Servetus [wrote], ‘…in baptism the soul receives illumination, a wisdom from the Holy Spirit that combats Satan’s serpentine wisdom. Baptism is a covenant with God and a commitment on the part of the person; hence it is not for infants. [53]

Luther’s views on grace and water baptism are given in Luther’s Small Catechism. According to it he taught: What does baptism give or profit? It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare. [54] It is evident from the writings of Luther that he included water baptism as a necessary ingredient for salvation into his great teaching of justification by faith. The Augsburg Confession, which is an early Lutheran Creed, declared: Baptism is necessary to salvation (Article IX).

The International Standard Bible Encylopaedia name the following noted bible scholars as endorsing the essentiality of water baptism in God’s plan of salvation: All these blessings Scripture declares to be effects of baptism (Wirkung der Taufe, Riehm, Handworterb.)…. ‘Baptism is actual internal purification’ (Plummer). To these modern authorities Luther can be added…. In Tit 3:5 the King James Version the force of the preposition dia, ‘by,’ deserves to be noted: it declares baptism to be the regenerating, renewing, justifying, glorying medium to the heirs of eternal life (Meyer). [55]

The well-known Italian statesman, political philosopher and writer, Niccolo Machiavelli, laid down his political pen longer enough to write his Leviathan. The writing is important in one way, not because Machiavelli was a theologian, but because in it we can receive a basic understanding of men’s belief on water baptism in the sixteenth century. Machiavelli declared: Baptism is how one is received into the kingdom of God; that is to say, into Eternal Life; that is to say, to remission of sin. For as Eternal Life was lost by the committing [of sin], so it is recovered by the remitting of men’s sins. The end of baptism is remission of sins: and therefore St. Peter, when they that were converted by his sermon on the day of Pentecost asked what they were to do, he advised them to ‘repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, for the remission of sins.’ And therefore, seeking to baptize is to declare the reception of men into God’s kingdom, and to refuse to baptize is to declare their exclusion. [56]

Edersheim speaking of the essentially of water baptism for salvation said: When the first Covenant was made, Moses was directed to prepare Israel by symbolic baptism of their persons and their garments, so [is] the initiation of the New Covenant, by which the people were to enter into the Kingdom of God. [57]

Permit me to ask all the preachers, who preach against God’s New Birth message, and teach that all one has to do to be saved is to believe on our Lord, where do you find your belief of the New Birth in early church history? In fact, where do you find it in later church history, or even during the time of the Protestant reformation? You do not do you! So, why do you persist in preaching this lie of Satan? Preacher is it not time you repent of your false teaching concerning the New Birth. It is time to save yourself, your love ones, and your church by telling them the truth. God will forgive a sincere man, who will repent and admit he made a mistake, but a man full of pride or one who willfully fights against His message of salvation He will send to hell!

There are many people in the world today that have entered into Jesus’ resurrection, by receiving His great and glorious Spirit, but have not entered into or became partakers of His death and burial through water baptism in His holy and precious name. No one can enter into God’s covenant, be His child, have His name written in their forehead, have power over sin, have a new nature, and be saved or have Eternal Life, if he or she does not take Jesus’ name in water baptism and receive His Holy Spirit. I say these words not out of a sinful boastful arrogant spirit, but because I truly love my readers, I will tell them the truth. Truth is the greatest love message any preacher can preach (Jn 8:32, 40).

All of the above scriptural and historical references emphatically, positively, undeniably prove that water baptism, in the sin cleansing name of the Lord Jesus Christ, is an essential step or conditions in obeying the gospel of Christ. Yes friend, you must be born of water and Spirit, if you want to enter into or become partakers of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Immersion The Only Mode Of Water Baptism

That God Will Accept For Salvation

I have placed this section of this book at the end of this chapter on water baptism, because if water baptism plays no part in the Biblical New Birth, then it really does not matter how a preacher baptizes their converts. If this is true, then what difference does it make whether someone is baptized by sprinkling, pouring, or immerging, in fact, why even baptize anyone at all, if it is only a ritual. But if water baptism is part of God’s salvation plan, as I proven many times in this chapter, then the mode and formula for baptism must be God’s way, and not the way of some denomination or pastor, that is of course, if one truly desires to be saved!

In all the Biblical accounts where anyone was baptized it was always done when the baptizer and the convert were standing in water, for example: “Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him [John the Baptist] and were all baptized [baptizo] by him in [en] the Jordan River, confessing their sins” (Mk 1:5). Let my beloved readers take note: baptism took place while they stood “in the water,” not “by or near the water,” or even “on the banks of the river.”

If “sprinkling (aspersion)” or “pouring (affusion)” was the mode of baptism used by the apostles and disciples, then no one would have to get “in the water” to be baptized. The baptizer could stand on the ground with only a cup of water in his hand as he pours or sprinkles water on the convert! In fact, if either of these were the mode of baptism, there would be no need to be baptized in or around a river, for a preacher could baptized their converts by a well or even in any building where there was a pitcher of water.

Now if “immersion” was the mode of baptism, then one can easily understand why John the Baptist and his converts had to stand “in” the Jordan River, so he could “immerge” his converts “under the water.” The Greek word “baptizo” without a doubt means to immerge something or someone in water. Many Greek scholars have defined “baptizo,” as it is use in connection with water baptism, to mean immersion. Greek scholar Dr. W. E. Vine defined “baptism” or “baptizo” as: the processes of immersion, submersion and emergence… to dip. [58] Dr. Thayer says it to means: 1) to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk) 2) to cleanse by dipping or submerging (#948). Drs. Friberg defined it as: dip, immerse in water; mid. dip oneself (#4491).

A second proof that the Biblical mode of baptism is by “immersion” can be found in the apostle John’s phraseology when he wrote: “Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there” (Jn 3:23). Professor Darby translated this verse as: “because there was a great deal of water there,” and the New Revised Standard Version as: “because water was abundant there.” Now anyone with just a little common sense knows that if “sprinkling” or “pouring” was the mode of baptism then there is no need for the apostle John to emphasize the fact that John the Baptist baptized his converts in Aenon because there was “much water,” or “a great deal of water,” or an “abundant” supply of “water” there. Dr. A. T. Robertson, a noted Greek scholar, in his Word Pictures in the Greek New Testament, made this very interesting comment on this verse. He stated: many waters were there.’ Not for drinking, but for baptizing. ‘Therefore even in summer baptism by immersion could be continued. [59]

Mark speaking of Jesus’ baptism gives us the third proof on immersion being the Biblical mode of baptism. He wrote: “And straightway coming up out [anabaino] of the water” (Mk 1:10, ASV, the KJV, NRS, BBE, WEB, RWB all translate this verse the same way). According to Drs. J.P. Louw and E.A. Nida in their work entitled, Louw-Nida Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, the Greek word “anabaino” means: to move up - 'to come up, to go up, to ascend.' The upward movement may be of almost any gradient. [60] Therefore, it means for a person or thing to move from a “lower position to a higher position.” The King James Translators translated this word as: go up 37 times, come up 10 times, ascend 10 times, ascend up 8 times, climb up 2 times, spring up 2 times, and several misc. ways. Now it does not take a genius to figure out for Jesus to ascend up out of the water, He had to first be below the water.

The fourth proof for immersion can be found in the Book of Acts, when Philip baptized the Ethiopian Eunuch. Luke recorded this baptism this way: “So he [the eunuch] commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water” (Acts 8:38-39). It is obvious from Luke phraseology in describing the Eunuch’s baptism that Philip “immerge” the Eunuch in the water. If Philip believed in “sprinkling” or “pouring” there would have been no need for Philip and the Eunuch to go into the water, when Phillip or Eunuch could have pulled out a cup so Phillip could baptized the Eunuch on dry land!

The fifth proof, the apostle Paul evidently believed in “immersion” for he described water baptism as a burial. Paul wrote: “we are buried [sunthapto] with Him [Christ] by baptism into death…. We have been planted together in the likeness of his death,” and “Buried [sunthapto] with him in baptism” (Rom 6:4-5, Col 2:12, KJV). Dr. Thayer speaking of the Greek word “sunthapto” made the same comment on both passage of scripture, he stated: all who receive believer’s baptism are plunged into the water…. Therefore Paul likens baptism to a burial by which the former sinfulness is buried (#5094).

The sixth proof, the apostles and disciples never used the words “sprinkling (aspersion)” and “pouring (affusion)” in connection with water baptism one time. The Greek word “rhantismos” or “sprinkling” is used two times in the NT (1Pe 1:2, Heb 12:24). “Rhantizo” or “sprinkled” is used four times (Heb 9:21, 13, 19, 10:22). “Proschusis” or “sprinkling” is used one time (Heb 11:28). The Greek word “epicheo” or “pouring” is use one time in the NT (Lk 10:34). “Ekcheo” or “pour out” is used three times (Acts 2:17, 18, Rev 16:1).

I challenge any preacher to show me just one place where any of the above Greek words are used in connection with water baptism; the only Greek word that is ever used in connection to water baptism is “baptizo” and that mean “immerge.” Preacher if you do not want our Lord to say unto you on the Day of Judgment: “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men,” therefore, “you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.”(Mk 7:8, Mt 15:6). Preacher is it not time for you to forsake the traditions of your denominational teachings and start preaching God’s truths!

The Ante Nicene and the Nicene Catholic Priests not only taught the necessity of water baptism for salvation, but also taught and practiced immersion as the mode of baptism. According to church historians, the early Catholic Church, from it beginning in AD 90 to 150, always baptized their converts with one immersion in Jesus’ Name:

Justin Martyr (AD 150), a Roman Catholic Priest and apologist, hated the one God doctrine of the Apostolic Pentecostal Church to such a degree, that he changed the formula of baptism from Jesus’ Name to a triune one. He also changed the mode of baptism from one immersion to a trine immersion. Justin did not use the three titles of the godhead mention in Matthew 28:19; instead he used one name and two titles. [61]

Tertullian (AD 200), like Justin and all others of that ilk, definitely connected his belief in the godhead to trine immersion in water baptism. He wrote against the singular immersion of Praxeas, a one God Jesus’ Name preacher, stating: Not once, but thrice, for the several names, into several persons, are we dipped. [62] Tertullian in his treatise on baptism proclaimed: The act of baptism itself too is carnal, in that we are plunged in water, but the effect spiritual, in that we are freed from sins.” [63] By the time of Tertullian, trine immersion in the name of the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost was in established law of the Catholic Churches.

The well-known Protestant Church historian Phillip Schaff revealed that the early Catholic Church made their converts strip themselves of their clothing before they immersed them in water. He stated: The immersion consisted in thrice dipping the head of the candidate who stood nude in the water. [64] Schaff speaking of Jerome's baptismal formula of AD 390 stated: triple immersion, that is, thrice dipping the head while standing in the water, was the all but universal rule of the [Catholic] Church in early times. There is proof of its existence in Africa, Palestine, Egypt, at Antioch, and Constantinople, in Cappadocia and Rome. [65] Baptism by sprinkling or pouring, and infant baptism were teachings that the Post Nicene Catholic Priests adopted and taught. Because of these new teachings in Roman Catholicism, especially infant baptism, water baptism was transformed from an act of faith into a sacramental act by which repentance and personal faith in Christ was no longer necessary. These teaching were no doubt an abomination in God’s sight, as well as their triune immersions and formula for baptism.

CHAPTER 4

BAPTISM INTO THE NAME OF JESUS

Since there has been much hatred, in the history of Catholicism and Protestantism, toward the Biblical doctrine of Jesus’ Name Baptism, I decided to address it last. Our lovely Lord did tell his children that they say we would be hated for His namesake (Mt 10:22). God’s people are not hated because they speak in tongues or believe in old-fashioned Biblical holiness. They are hated because they believe and teach the apostle’s doctrine of the New Birth, which unashamedly declares that no one can enter into the kingdom of God or receive Eternal Life without being water baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us keep in mind, if water baptism is not important toward salvation, than it would not make a difference what formula for baptism one would use; but if water baptism is connected to salvation, than no one can be saved without being baptized God’s way! So, with this in mind, let us examine what the infallible Word of God teaches about the formula for water baptism! The apostles expressly, explicitly, emphatically taught baptism in the name of Jesus Christ.

What Was The Great Commission Jesus Gave His Apostles?

To better understand how the apostles of the Lamb baptized, let’s examine the command Jesus gave them in Great Commission. The physician Luke gave us an accurate record of the great commission Jesus gave His apostles. According to Luke, Jesus commanded them: “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem” (Lk 24:47). Mark recorded the last words of Jesus as: “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mk 16:16). Matthew recorded it as: “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19).

What did Jesus mean by the word name? Let us not forget that Jesus commanded His apostles in Mark and in Luke to water baptize all believers for salvation in His name. Jesus did not command His apostles in Matthew’s gospel to baptize in the title “singular number,” or the titles “plural number,” or even in the names “plural number,” but “in the name singular number.” He did not tell them to baptize in the persons of the godhead, but in the one singular name of the godhead. It is obvious the above titles are “not personal proper names.” No one would believe that the title: “the President,” “the Ambassador,” “the Governor” or “the King” is the “personal proper name of the person holding that office.” No Trinitarian pastor would take some of the titles of the Lord Jesus Christ such as: “the Son of God,” “the Son of Man,” or “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” or “the Root of David,” and say these are personal proper names for Jesus (Jn 5:25-27; Rev 5:5). No one would also teach that Jesus is four separated and distinct persons because He is called by four different and distinct titles.

The article “the” used before the words Father, Son and Holy Ghost, emphatically proves that these are titles and not personal names. No one would say: