The case against water baptism (part 2)

In part 1 of this post I stated what the premise of Mid-Acts Dispensationalism is for "throwing out" water baptism for the Dispensation of Grace. Water baptism, like the other ceremonial rites of the Law, have become "dung" and a "doctrine of devils" just as circumcision, holydays, and dietary laws (Phil. 3:1-8, 1 Tim. 4:1-5, Col. 2:14-17). The command to practice water baptism ceased under Grace...

JOHN THE BAPTIST PREACHING THE KINGDOM TO ISRAEL: "And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." (John 1:31-33)

CHRIST SENDING THE 12 APOSTLES OF ISRAEL TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM TO ALL THE WORLD:
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matt. 28:19-20)

CHRIST GIVING THE DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD (THE GOSPEL AND MYSTERY) TO PAUL:
"I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect." (1 Cor. 1:14-17)

John the Baptist was "sent to baptize".
The 12 apostles of Israel were told "go ye therefore and baptize".
The apostle of the Gentiles, our pattern, said "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel".

From Matthew 3 through Acts 8 Christ's disciples were "sent to baptize" and those who refused the practice were rejecting the counsel of God.

Luke 7:
[29] And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
[30] But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

Webster's 1828 Dictionary definition of counsel:  "instruction", "In a scriptural sense, purpose; design; will; decree." "Directions of Gods word."

From Acts 9 throughout the rest of the 'Church' Age, Christ has not sent us to baptize. Christ has given us no command to water baptize. It is outside of the word and will of God for Gentiles under Grace to baptize (I define the "will" of God as what His word commands). Water baptism was part of the counsel of God in time past under the Law and Gospel of the Kingdom, but not in the present Dispensation of Grace in which we are instantly made "complete" in Christ upon spiritual circumcision and spiritual baptism without any need for physical ceremonial rites (Col. 2:6-23).

When we put our faith in Christ we are baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, "joined to the Lord" being made "one spirit" with Him. In Christ we are members one of another and have no Jew, Gentile, male, female, bond, or free distinctions. We are members of Christ's body crucified, buried, risen, and seated with Him.

1 Corinthians 6:
[15] Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
[16] What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
[17] But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:
[12] For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
[13] For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
[14] For the body is not one member, but many.
[15] If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
[16] And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
[17] If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
[18] But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

Galatians 3:
[26] For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
[27] For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
[28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:
[3] Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
[4] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Ephesians 1:
[22] And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
[23] Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

This standing and position that we have in Christ makes us "complete" and we cannot be "made perfect by the flesh". We are to walk in Christ as we received Him, by faith, not by the works of the Law.

Galatians 3:
[1] O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
[2] This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
[3] Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Colossians 2: 
[6] As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
[7] Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
[8] Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
[9] For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
[10] And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
[11] In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
[12] Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Paul says that we are "complete" in Christ by the spiritual circumcision of Christ and spiritual baptism of the operation of God. The word "complete" means exactly that, there is no need for physical circumcision and physical water baptism. Paul went on to say "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;" (Col. 2:13-14).

Those who practice water baptism are like the churches of Galatia who had "begun in the Spirit" but went on trying to "observe days, and months, and times, and years". Paul said "how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" Water baptism was part of the Law as one of the rites that made a Levite into a Priest (Exod. 29:4, 30:20, 40:12, Lev. 8:6, Numb. 8:7, etc.). This carried over into the Gospel of the Kingdom under the New Covenant that God will make with Israel in the Kingdom when He makes them a nation of priests (Exod. 19:5-6, Ezek. 36:25, Isa. 61:6, Rev. 20:6, Matt. 3:1-11, Mark 1:4-5, 1 Pet. 2:5-10, 3:21). This is expressly stated in Hebrews 8:8-13 and 10:19-22....

Hebrews 8:
[8] For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
[9] Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
[10] For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
[11] And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
[12] For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
[13] In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Hebrews 10:
[19] Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
[20] By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
[21] And having an high priest over the house of God;
[22] Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Israel under the New Covenant will be a kingdom and nation of Priests sprinkled from an evil conscience (with the blood of Christ--Heb. 9:13-14, 12:24, 1 Pet. 1:2, Rev. 1:5-6) and washed with pure water. Water baptism was for the Jewish priests and had to do with entering the temple. When John the Baptist came baptizing the Jews sent "priests and Levites" to ask him why he was baptizing. The priests already knew about water baptism and were expecting either Christ or Elijah to come baptizing as part of the New Covenant.

John 1:
[19] And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
[20] And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
[21] And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
[22] Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
[23] He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
[24] And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
[25] And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

To practice water baptism under Grace is being "entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Gal. 4:9, 5:1). It is refusing to acknowledge that we are COMPLETE in Christ upon spiritual circumcision and spiritual baptism without any purpose for physical baptism and physical circumcision (Col. 2:10-12). Dietary laws, animal sacrifices, holy days, observing months, circumcision, water baptism, priesthoods, and all the other Law ceremonies and rites are "weak", "beggarly", "dung", "bondage", and "doctrines of devils" under Grace (Gal. 4:9, Phil. 3:1-8, 1 Tim. 4:1-5).

We have only "one baptism" that we are to walk worthy of and keep in the unity of the Spirit under Grace.

Ephesians 4:
[1] I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
[2] With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
[3] Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
[4] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
[5] One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
[6] One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Baptism into Christ is the only baptism that we are told to walk worthy of and keep under Grace, it is part of the "unity of the Spirit". Water baptism was a physical rite of the Law and Israel's gospel of the kingdom, it is not commanded by the word of God under Grace, and is no longer obedience to Christ (1 Cor. 1:17).

Based on the Scriptures, it is clear that water baptism has nothing to do with "joining" a local church, it is not a symbol of the death/burial/resurrection, and followers of Christ are no longer told by the word of God to practice water baptism.

Also, the Bible word "baptism" has NOTHING to do with an "immersion". Many people will go to man made dictionaries to define the word "baptism" instead of letting the Bible define itself. Baptists and Campbellites ("Church of Christ") even go so far as to say that the King James Bible made an error by transliterating the word baptism instead of translating it "immerse". Here are the facts:

1.) The King James Bible has nothing to do with the invention of the English word "baptize". The word "baptize" was used by Wycliffe in his translation of the Latin Vulgate in the late 1300's almost three hundred years before the KJB was compiled. Also, all the English translations between Wycliffe and the KJB used the word baptize. The reason Baptists and Campbellites "correct" the KJB use of the word "baptize" is because they hate the word of God and so they lie about it. The King James Bible is one of the few that keep the inspired word "with" when describing a baptism. Modern versions change this to "in". (KJB: "baptize with water", Modern Versions: "baptize in water")

2.) Bible correctors (Baptists and Campbellites) also appeal to "the Greek text" to wrongly define Bible words. However, the Greek will not help you because according to Biblical usage, the Greek word baptizo and its variants do not mean immerse or dip. βαπτισμους (baptismos) is used in Mark 7:1-4 in the context of washing tables. Did the Jews immerse a table in water? No, obviously they could pour or sprinkle water on it, but not immerse it. The word is also used in Hebrews 9:10 in the context of the various washings of the Law, pourings and sprinklings. 

3.) Finally, the Bible defines baptism as pouring and sprinkling. Every baptism in the Bible, with the exception of baptism unto Moses, is either a pouring or a sprinkling. 

The baptism with the Holy Ghost was called a pouring, falling, shedding, etc. (Joel 2:28-29, Acts 2:17-18, 2:33, 8:16, 10:44-45, 11:15). 

"I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh" (Joel 2:28)

"in those days will I pour out my spirit" (Joel 2:29)

"I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh" (Acts 2:17)

"I will pour out in those days of my Spirit" (Acts 2:18)

"the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this" (Acts 2:33)

"For as yet he was fallen upon none of them" (Acts 8:16)

"the Holy Ghost fell on all them" (Acts 10:44)

"on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 10:45)

"the Holy Ghost fell on them" (Acts 11:15)

Christ's death baptism is called a pouring (Luke 12:50, Matt. 20:22, Mark 10:38, Ps. 22:14, Isa. 53:12).

"But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!" (Luke 12:50)

"I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels." (Ps. 22:14)

"Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isa. 53:12)

"But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water." (John 19:34)

The baptism with fire is a pouring (Matt. 3:11-12).

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matt. 3:11-12)

"Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him." (Nahum 1:6)

"Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy." (Zeph. 3:8)

"He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about. He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire." (Lamentations 2:3-4)

"But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." (Luke 17:29-30)

The Baptists and "Church of Christ" (Campbellites) all use references to baptism into Christ as found in Romans 6:3-4, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Colossians 2:10-12, and Galatians 3:26-28 to teach that water baptism was by immersion (or "burial"). However, none of those references are to baptism with water, they are all said to be baptism into Christ. Christ is not a tank of water, therefore baptism into Christ has nothing to do with water. Besides that, grabbing someone and dunking them into a tank of water is not a picture of burial anyway. Do we grab dead people and shove them through dirt? No! We lay them down and then POUR dirt on top of them.

Baptism into Christ is done by God the Holy Spirit

"By one Spirit are we all baptized into body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have all been made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:13)

"Now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him" (1 Cor. 12:18)

"Buried with him in baptism, wherein also are ye risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead" (Col. 2:12)

The Holy Spirit joins a believer to the Lord making us crucified, buried, risen, and seated with Christ (1 Cor. 6:15-17, Eph. 2:6, Rom. 6:3-4, Gal. 2:20, 3:26-28).

Water baptism has nothing to do with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. There is not one verse in the Bible that says water baptism pictures the death/burial/resurrection. The 12 apostles baptized (John 4:2) without even knowing about the death/burial/resurrection (Matt. 16:21-23, Mark 9:9-10, 9:31-32, Luke 9:44-45, 18:31-34, John 20:6-10).

Water baptism was said to be a "figure" (1 Pet. 3:21) of the washing away and remission of sins (Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3, Acts 2:38, 22:16). The washing away of sins is done by the SPRINKLING of the blood of Christ, not by immersion (Heb. 9:13-14, 10:22, 12:24, 1 Pet. 1:2, Isa. 52:14-15). Clearly then water baptism was by SPRINKLING as a "figure" (Heb. 10:22, 1 Pet. 3:21).

Water baptism was a Jewish "purifying" (John 3:25-26) that the Priests and Levites knew about (John 1:19) and expected the Christ to perform (John 1:25). Why did the Jews expect Christ to baptize? Ezekiel 36:25 says that Christ would come and sprinkle clean water upon them. Why did the Jews send their Priests and Levites to question John about why he was baptizing? Because they performed baptism all the time....(Num. 8:5-7, Lev. 8:5-6, Exod. 29:4, 30:20, 40:12). The Gospel of John calls baptism "purifying" in John 3:25, every other reference to purifying is a Jewish cleansing (John 2:6, 11:55, Num. 8:7, etc.).



The baptism unto Moses had two phases, in the cloud and in the sea (1 Cor. 10:1-2). The baptism in the cloud was a pouring out of water (Ps 77:16-20) and the baptism in the sea was dry, none of the Jews got wet.

Baptism cannot be defined as "immersion", different baptism are done in different ways

baptism with water was a sprinkling
baptism unto Moses (two phases) was a raining and then dry
baptism with the Holy Ghost was a pouring/falling/shedding
baptism with fire will be a raining (Luke 17:29-30)
baptism into Christ is an immersion OR pouring into Christ performed by the Holy Spirit
baptism with death/suffering was a pouring 





This information makes the Baptists and Campbellites pretty mad. So in response to this, they say "well then why did people in the Bible water baptize in rivers if they did not have to immerse someone"?

Good question.

However, it should be noted that people in the Bible did not just baptize in rivers. In Acts 2:41 three thousand people were baptized there in Jerusalem. Cornelius, the Gentiles, and the apostle Paul were baptized in houses (Acts 10:47-48, 22:16).

But the reason it was convenient to baptize in a river is because sprinkling was done with hyssop (Lev. 14:1-7, Numb. 19:18, Heb. 9:19-22). Hyssop would have grown near the water and the one doing the baptizing would have had to go to the water to get the water to sprinkle. Sprinkling was performed with hyssop as a picture of cleansing/purging/remission of sins. This was what water baptism was a figure of (1 Pet. 3:21, Mark 1:4-5, Luke 3:3, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16).

Hebrews 9:
[19] For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
[20] Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
[21] Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
[22] And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Psalms 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 

Israel under the Old Testament was sprinkled with blood and water as a figure of the remission of sins and the blood of that testament. Likewise Israel was sprinkled with blood and water as a figure of the New Testament, but of course the New Testament sprinkling of blood was the blood of Christ.

Hebrews 9:
[11] But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
[12] Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
[13] For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
[14] How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 10:
[19] Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
[20] By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
[21] And having an high priest over the house of God;
[22] Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

1 Peter 3:21-22 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

The fact that Peter said "baptism doth also now save us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God" means that water baptism is connected to what Christ did when He was resurrected and gone into heaven. That is, after Christ offered His own blood as the High Priest over the better tabernacle in heaven (Heb. chap. 7-10, Rev. 8:3, 11:19, 15:5) , the sprinkling of His blood is applied to believers of the Gospel of the Kingdom and water baptism was the response of that good conscience (Heb. 10:19-22, 1 Pet. 1:2, 3:21). This will make Israel a kingdom of priests under the New Covenant in the Millennium (Rev. 1:5-6, 20:6, Isa. 61:6, 66:21, Exod. 19:6).

--Eli Caldwell