Water baptism has
no power to put one in the body of Christ. Plain ordinary H20 is not mystical water that magically accomplishes this. Your argument is still false no matter how many times you repeat it. There is
ONE baptism in this Christian dispensation that puts one in the body of Christ and that is
SPIRIT baptism - 1 Corinthians 12:13 - For by
ONE SPIRIT we were
ALL baptized into
ONE body..
not water baptism. *Why do you
ignore the words
BY ONE SPIRIT in 1 Corinthians 12:13?
I have no problem to resolve. You have not resolved your problem. When Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, the ordinance of Christian baptism was not yet in effect. This important inconsistency in interpreting Scripture is seen when one asks those who believe baptism is required for salvation why the thief on the cross did not need to be baptized to be saved. A common reply to that question from people who attend the church os Christ is: "The thief on the cross was still under the Old Covenant and therefore not subject to this baptism. He was saved just like anyone else under the Old Covenant." So, in essence, the same people who say the thief did not need to be baptized because he was "under the Old Covenant" will try to use John 3:5 as "proof" that baptism is necessary for salvation. They insist that Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he must be baptized to be saved, even though he too was under the Old Covenant. If the thief on the cross was saved without being baptized (because he was under the Old Covenant), why would Jesus tell Nicodemus (who was also under the Old Covenant) that he needed to be baptized? You also have one other major problem to resolve. *You still need to
REPENT and
BELIEVE the gospel before it's too late.
When did I say that baptism with the Holy Spirit took place prior to Acts 2? Water is used in the Bible as an emblem of the Word of God, and in such uses it is associated with cleansing or washing. Baptism does not avail to cleanse the heart from defilement, but our Lord did say, "Now ye are
clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3). This was BEFORE Acts 2. In Ephesians 5:26, Paul said
washing of water by the word. See the connection? In a passage on the means of Regeneration, the Apostle Peter wrote, "Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,
through the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (I Peter 1:23). No baptism mentioned there. So here Peter speaks of the use made of the Word of God in Regeneration. The Word of God is the means by which the Holy Spirit accomplishes the New Birth. Here Peter is saying the same as Jesus said in John 3:5. So John 3:5 does not refer to water baptism but to the need for spiritual cleansing. Thus Jesus made reference to the spiritual washing or purification of the soul, accomplished by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God at the moment of salvation (John 4:10,14; 15:3; Ephesians 5:26; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23). *This all fits together perfectly.
Where did Jesus mention baptism in John 3:5 or the context of John 3:5? That is your insertion. Simply reading this verse in context would give one no reason to assume Jesus was speaking of baptism, unless one was looking to read into the passage a preconceived idea or theology. To automatically read baptism into this verse simply because it mentions "water" is unwarranted. Jesus simply said "water" in John 3:5 (not baptism) just as Jesus said water and "living water" in John 4:10,14 and not baptism. By the time we get all the way down to verse 23, Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus is over and Jesus and his disciples have already moved on to the land of Judea (vs. 22). Prior to verse 22, what did Jesus say in John 3:16 and John 3:18? *What happened to baptism there?
My argument is not that the baptism with the Holy Spirit occurred prior to Acts 2 during the times of John 3:5, so your false accusation is dead. I'm not arguing that the Spirit was given in John 3:5 in contradiction to John 7:39, but the Holy Spirit is still the source of living water and the Agent who accomplishes the miracle of regeneration. Compare
"fountain of living water" in Jeremiah 2:13 with
"fountain of living water" in John 4:14. Also read in Isaiah 12:3 - "With joy you will draw
water from the wells of salvation. *That's
not water baptism and notice how Jesus connects this
fountain of living water with
everlasting life in John 4:14. Are you seeing the light yet or are you still determined to fight the truth?
I never said that baptism in this verse is Spirit baptism. Yet in Acts 2:38, "for the remission of sins" does not refer back to both clauses, "you all repent" and "each one of you be baptized," but refers only to the first. Peter is saying "repent unto the remission of your sins," the same as in Acts 3:19. The clause "each one of you be baptized" is parenthetical. So water baptism does not precede the gift of the Holy Spirit, as we see in Acts 10:43-47 and Acts 11:17,18 and Acts 15:8,9.
Faith in Jesus Christ "implied in genuine repentance" (rather than water baptism) brings the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 15:8,9). *Perfect Harmony*
Amen! Acts 10:43 - To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name,
whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins. 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because
the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. Acts 11:17 - If therefore God gave them the
same gift as He gave us
when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.. Acts 15:8 - So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by
giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made
no distinction between us and them,
purifying their hearts by faith. *That is crystal clear water boy. Again, in Acts 2:38, "for the remission of sins" does not refer back to both clauses, "you all repent" and "each one of you be baptized," but refers only to the first. Peter is saying "repent unto the remission of your sins," the same as in Acts 3:19. The clause "each one of you be baptized" is parenthetical, so the gift comes as a result of repentance/belief prior to water baptism, as I showed you in Acts 10:43-47 and Acts 11:17-18, but you stubbornly refuse to accept the truth. What part of
whoever believes in Him shall receive remission of sins/the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also *BEFORE WATER BAPTISM* Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ/repentance unto life don't you understand?
Jesus clarifies the first clause with
"but he who does not believe will be condemned." So Condemnation rests on unbelief, not on baptism. So salvation rests on belief. *Nowhere does the Bible say whoever is not baptized will be condemned. He who believes and is baptized will be saved
(general cases without making a qualification for the unusual case of someone who believes but is not baptized) but he who does not believe will be condemned. The omission of baptized with "does not believe" shows that Jesus does not make baptism absolutely essential to salvation. If water baptism is absolutely required for salvation, then why did Jesus
not mention it in the following verses? (3:15,16,18; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26). What is the
ONE requirement that Jesus mentions
9 different times in each of these complete statements?
BELIEVES. *What happened to baptism? Children can see that baptism is not even mentioned in these 9 verses.
Since Jesus clarifies the first clause with
"but he who does not believe will be condemned" belief and baptism are not inseparable. Jesus did not say whoever does not believe
"and" is not baptized will be condemned, so your argument is dead. Jesus was simply talking about general cases without making a qualification for the unusual case of someone who believes but is not baptized.
Only in your
mystical dreams. As Strong's said - "a bath, a laver" is used
*metaphorically of the Word of God, as the instrument of spiritual cleansing,* Ephesians 5:26; and Titus 3:5, of the "washing of regeneration." As Greek scholar AT Robertson said, a symbol is not the reality, but the picture of the reality. How long will you continue to fight the truth and remain in UNBELIEF? The water god cannot save you, but the Savior God can. You need to REPENT and place your faith EXCLUSIVELY in Jesus Christ as the ALL-SUFFICIENT means of your salvation today and be saved. I will continue to pray for you.